Nearly spring? - NOT amateur radio

 

According to the UK Met Office we are already in spring. I agree. 

The photo collage shows Cambridge yesterday. Lots of daffodils out.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

Overnight my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was spotted by 24 stations with the furthermost Germany (see table).

Sunspots - Wednesday March 6th

 Solar flux is 142 and the SSN 121. A=7 and K=3.

630m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

My 10mW ERP has been on since about 2100z. At 2204z, 18 stations have spotted me (see table).

2m activity contest

Tonight is the 2m activity contest organised by the RSGB. I usually go on for a short while with my 10W pep to the big-wheel omni antenna. I usually give up soon as I find it very hard on my poor voice. I called a station in a rare square, but gave up.

Faroes - NOT amateur radio

These islands are located between the UK and Iceland. It must get very windy and cold. On 365project, one of my friends posted this view of the capital (Torshaven) on a sunny day. There is absolutely no association of 365project with Microsoft.

University concert - NOT amateur radio

Most Tuesdays we go into Cambridge on the bus. As we are old, it is free with our bus passes. We grab a bite to eat then walk through the grounds of King's College to West Road concert hall. Every week they feature different students and different sorts of music.

Today, it was the final of the concerto competition. The standard is very very high! The concerts are free with a retiring collection.

There is no doubt that Cambridge University has some excellent musicians and we are lucky to be able to enjoy them for free.

The photo shows me having a bite to eat.

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My 6m 2.5W FT8 and V2000 vertical omni antenna have been on most of the day. 11 stations spotted me and 5 stations spotted by me. All these (TX and RX) were English with no DX.

10m 500uW (0.5mW) WSPR (Tuesday)

Despite being on all day, no spots of my QRPP 10m WSPR signal. It looks like conditions have to be very settled and good for this tiny power to work. 

My 500uW (0.5mW) 10m WSPR has now been spotted in 7 countries and 3 continents. Antenna remains the low Par end-fed.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the Es season.

630m WSPR overnight

Overnight, 26 stations spotted my 10mW ERP 630m WSPR.

Sunspots - Tuesday March 5th

 Solar flux is 140 and the SSN 113. A=10 and K=2.

137kHz QRSS3 test - aborted

Last night I tried some local 137kHz tests using my 137kHz beacon. Then it blew up!!  I could smell burning and the transmission stopped. 

This means I cannot do my test unless I can repair my beacon. Also, to be so badly damaged it suggests the match is poor and the heatsink inadequate. 

I think this puts an end to my tests at 137kHz.

UPDATE 0929z:  In a vain hope, as my FT817ND was widebanded when I bought it, I tried directly TXing on MF and LF. It said "TX err", so no luck!

10m QRPP WSPR (Monday)

 All day, I was trying with 500uW (0.5mW) on 10m WSPR. No spots.

630m QRP WSPR (Monday)

My 10mW ERP  from the earth-electrode "antenna"  in the ground was turned on about 1900z.

UPDATE 2004z:   So far spotted by 13 stations - all the usual stations and nothing special.

UPDATE 2318z: 20 stations have spotted me so far.

Floods - NOT amateur radio

Last month was the wettest on record in this part of the UK. I have never seen the ground so wet. 

This photo is of a local road.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

21 stations spotted my 10mW ERP 630m WSPR overnight. No amazing DX, but satisfying.

First cut - NOT amateur radio

The lawns were cut yesterday for the first time this year. I need some weed killer and lawn feed!

Amateur VLF

Amateur operation at VLF is very different from commercial VLF. In order to be detectable with "back garden" antennas and amateur powers, very high stability is needed and very long integration times. The latter may be hours or even days!  

Some years ago I was quite active on amateur VLF. On TX I experimented with 5W earth-mode and on radiated VLF I concentrated on RX and copied several Europeans below 10kHz. The photo shows G3XIZ (45km) although I regularly spotted German stations at far greater range.

Antennas were an 80m loop or my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground at home and a portable multi-turned tuned loop or earth electrodes in the ground out portable. Out portable, the loop on the ground was the most successful.

Sunspots - Monday March 4th

Solar  flux is 146 and the SSN 90. A=29 and K=2. 

630m QRP WSPR (Sunday)

My 10mW ERP WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was turned on at about 2114z. 7 stations have spotted me.