10m WSPR with 10mW ERP (Thursday)

This morning, I am trying 10mW ERP 10m WSPR for a change. The gear was turned on at about 0850z. No spots yet.

Might try 10mW 10m FT8 later.

UPDATE 1245z:  No spots of me today, although I have spotted stations, even with the attenuator in the antenna coax on RX!

Sunspots - Thursday April 11th

Solar flux is 131 and the SSN 54. A=8 and K=2. 

Disappointing session on 630m QRP WSPR overnight

Overnight was the worst session this season with only 7 stations spotting my 10mW ERP. I shall stick with it until the weekend, but may seek a new nighttime challenge.

630m QRP WSPR (Wednesday)

Until I had to QSY to 70cm FT8, I was on 630m WSPR with 10mW ERP. 2 stations spotted me. I shall QSY back to 630m QRP WSPR later.  

70cm FT8 UKAC activity contest

Stations spotting my 2.5W FT8
on 70cm earlier this evening

It never fails to amaze me how far 2.5W FT8 to the 2m big-wheel omni goes on 70cm.  On RX, stations as far as S.Eire, the Netherlands and Germany are always copied on 70cm FT8 irrespective of conditions.

Powerful picture - NOT amateur radio

As someone who is now "old", this picture came over as a very powerful one to me.  

It shows a young girl looking in a mirror and seeing an old lady looking back at her.

It seems like just a blink of an eye since I was young. It seems no time at all.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

Another average night on 630m 10mW ERP WSPR with 8 spots of me and no DX. 

10m 500uW WSPR (Wednesday)

10m QRPP WSPR  never fails to amaze me. Already today 19 spots of me by EA8BFK (2880km). It seems that if the band is "open", we have a pipe between us.

Sunspots - Wednesday April 10th

 Solar flux is 124 and the SSN 64. A=11 and K=1.

Is spring ever coming? - NOT amateur radio

It seems to have been having a long, dark and very wet period that has been going on for months. It is now very windy too. Hopefully spring will come ...... sometime!

It is very odd. Many things are early, yet spring seems late. Usually by now we have some good, settled weather. Not so this year.

10m QRPP WSPR (Tuesday)

My 500uW 10m WSPR has been spotted (again) in the Canary Is by EA8BFK (2880km). He has spotted me on multiple occasions for days on end in the early morning. This is almost becoming routine and I have to pinch myself that he is so regularly copying my 500uW (0.5mW) beacon.

UPDATE 1519z: 37 spots of my 500uW 10m WSPR all by EA8BFK.

8m FT8 RX (Tuesday)

 As I decided not to ask for a new 8m TX permit (which I still think is totally wrong that you have to pay!!), but instead test with 10mW ERP under ISM rules this Es season, I am on 8m FT8 RX today.

Our garden - NOT amateur radio

Spring has sprung. Blossom in our garden yesterday.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

Not a bad session with a little DX to Norway. I shall stick with it for longer!

Sunspots - Tuesday April 9th

 Solar flux is 125 and the SSN 79. A=8 and K=2.

At the moment, it looks like numbers are declining. Will we have a second peak?

2m activity contest last Tuesday

Although there is absolutely no chance of me coming remotely close to winning and despite only stopping on for 15 minutes, I usually submit an entry if I am home. This time I totally forgot to submit my entry. Just now I remembered!

630m QRP WSPR overnight

With 11 stations spotting my 10mW ERP 630m WSPR overnight, it was a mixed time. No real DX but a reasonable number of stations.

Brilliant day on 10m QRPP yesterday

With 49 spots of my 500uW WSPR from the Canary Islands and one from the USA yesterday, this must go down as a very good day. What puzzles me is sunspots were average and A and K indicators were not exceptional. Let’s see what happens today.

UPDATE 0850z:  Already plenty of spots from the Canary Is.  I wonder if EA8BFK (2880km) has got a better antenna recently?

UPDATE 2200z:  Plenty of spots of me by EA8BFK but nobody else today. When it’s good it’s like a pipe between us. I wonder what the path loss should be by F2?

Sunspots - Monday April 8th

 Solar flux is 125 and the SSN 79. A=8 and K=0.

What next?

 As I mentioned in an earlier post today, 630m WSPR seems to have "gone off the boil" and I may try something new over the spring and summer. 

I want to try 8m QRPP WSPR using 10mW and ISM rules (open to anyone in the UK without a licence, possibly in your area of the world too?).  This is mainly a daylight challenge.

Is there a new nighttime challenge? A band that remains good at night. Possibly 160m or 80m using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground? I could try FT8 on these bands perhaps.