Lunch - NOT amateur radio

We had a very nice lunch at our local farm shop cafe to celebrate our grandson turning 16. 

The photo is a selfie of us all.

Web SDRs

Until recently CDARC (Cambridge Club) had an HF web SDR at the QTH of G4AWP who is moving to York. It has now been relocated. Web SDRs can be very useful for amateurs that have a high noise floor.

See http://hfrx.cdarc.org.uk/ .

8m 2.5W FT8 (Saturday)

My gear was turned on at about 1025z. So far, just local spots by G4WSZ (12km).

UPDATE 1720z: WW1L (4976km) spotted me on 8m QRP FT8. My QRP 8m FT8 signal is spotted "across the pond" quite often this month.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Saturday)

My W5OLF 10m QRP WSPR TX beacon was turned on about 1025z. So far this morning, spotted by 5 stations already.

UPDATE 1725z:  41 stations have spotted me today. QSYing to 630m QRP WSPR shortly.

World peace - NOT amateur radio

At the moment, the world seems to be going through a bad phase, with war in Ukraine and the Middle East.  

At one time, I thought people were basically good, but recent events have made me question this. It is as if pure evil is abroad.

It would seem humans are incapable of learning from history. Why are people unable to live in peace with their neighbours? We all share one planet. Wars rarely achieve anything.

Selfie stick - NOT amateur radio

Cambridge is filled with tourists with selfie sticks. Although I basically dislike them, they have their uses. Today, we are out to lunch with one of our sons and his kids, at a local farm cafe, so it will be a chance to capture us all together.

Plans for Saturday

 After lunch, I shall probably go on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW TX beacon and 40.680 MHz (8m) FT8 with my 2.5W and dipole. F2 is good at the moment, so there is a good chance of being copied (again) in the USA, Canada and in the Caribbean on 8m QRP FT8.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

In all, 13 stations spotted me including a station in Sweden. As usual using 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

UPDATE 1735z: It is amazing to me that there are not more people on 630m WSPR TX. There are quite a few on RX, but very few on TX. I suppose it is the age-old story: it is just too hard!  On RX a bought Japanese rig will probably do whereas TX you actually have to make something!  As I think I proved, getting on 630m is definitely not hard. See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/630m-472khz-transverter .

Sunspots - Saturday November 11th 2023

 Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 93. A=10 and K=1.

Wood wasp? - NOT amateur radio

 

This was on our lounge window today. I think it is a wood wasp. It was there for several hours.

2m activity contest (Nov 7th)

It is Friday and I had forgotten to submit my entry. Usually I am in the bottom third of the low power section as I can only operate for a short while with an omni antenna after which my voice gives out! In all 5 contacts were made because our son called.

OFCOM publications

This is just a reminder that every week OFCOM updates the data held on licences and similar. They also have many other publications. See the OFCOM website for details.

Frustration - NOT amateur radio

As already mentioned, every month a group of friends from work meet up in different pubs for a meal and chat. What I did not mention was my frustration. Let me explain. 

Usually there are about 6 people there. Sometimes there are fewer and sometimes more. Since my 2013 stroke, I have found speaking much harder. To me, my voice sounds fine. What is clear is that others find it quiet and hard to understand! For this reason, I tend not to engage in casual chitchat. 

In the car coming home last night someone mentioned Southampton University. I tried to join by saying that when there many years ago for a Ph.D interview I had lunch with Jocelyn Bell who discovered pulsars. Either because nobody heard me or they were too embarrassed to ask me to repeat myself or speak louder, I got no response. After all this time (10 years) I am very happy to be asked to repeat myself or speak louder. What frustrates me is the silence: did they not hear me at all or could they not understand me?

Some with strokes end up far worse than me.

8m 2.5W FT8 (Friday)

It is now 1132z. I have been on 8m since about 1000z, and spotted by local G4WSZ (12km) and SR4BBX (1217km) so far today.

UPDATE 1410z:  4 stations have now spotted me including 2 in the Caribbean. This sort of F2 DX is almost every day at the moment.

630m WSPR overnight

In all, 9 stations spotted my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground, including my fist spot from EI this season.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Friday)

My W5OLF 10m WSPR TX beacon has been on since about 1000z. No spots of me yet today.

UPDATE 1557z:  32 spots of me today on 10m QRP WSPR.

Meal out - NOT amateur radio

 Every month a group of old work friends meet up for a drink and meal at a different pub. This was us yesterday. Two are radio amateurs.

Sunspots - Friday November 10th 2023

 Solar flux is 139 and the SSN 93. A=12 and K=2.

630m QRP WSPR (Thursday)

 My 10mW ERP was turned on at about 1652z. So far, at 1706z, a couple of spots.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

Another decent night on 630m WSPR with my 10mW ERP WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.