Calculators galore

If you are like me, you turn to the internet if you want to calculate anything. Most sorts of calculators are there just waiting for your input. Years ago, we had to find the answer in a textbook. Nowadays it is just there at our fingertips!

See https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics as an example. There are many around.

IC-705 start-up screen

Amateur Radio Weekly has a piece by G7UFO showing how to use your QSL card as the IC-705 start-up screen. 

Basically you have to save the file at the right size as a BMP file on an SD card.

Sunspots - Monday June 24th

 Solar flux is 196 and the SSN 176. A=10 and K=1.

Photo books - NOT amateur radio

Every season, my wife does a photo book showing what we have done. It is interesting to look back on these. She gets half the fun creating them.

We will soon need a bigger shelf!

Lunch in the garden - NOT amateur radio

This year has been miserable so far with it being both dull and wet. Today was the first day we were able to eat lunch in the garden. 

Probably we will soon be moaning it is too hot. Well, we are English! Moaning about the weather is in our blood.

Live every moment - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we visited an old university friend who lives in Australia. He was flying to the UK to join us in a reunion of old university friends in Liverpool and to go on a cruise. In the last 30 minutes of the flight ending he had a stroke and is now in Charing Cross hospital in London where he has been for 3 weeks so far. He has a way to go yet to return to fitness. We also heard of a friend who is only 51 years old who had a sudden heart attack.

The moral is to live every moment as if it was your last as you have no idea what is around the corner.

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

This morning has got off to a very good start with 85 stations spotting my 2.5W FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni antenna in the last 6 hours.

UPDATE 1515z:  237 stations have spotted me in the last 12 hours on QRP 6m FT8 from all over Europe.

European Es (Sunday)

It looks very promising with lots of Es to central Europe.

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .

10m QRP WSPR (Sunday)

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was re-synced to internet time at 0855z. 

UPDATE 0920z: In the last hour alone 27 stations have spotted my QRP 10m WSPR beacon.

UPDATE 1346z: 33 spots of me today. 

Sunspots- Sunday June 25th

 Solar flux is 196 and the SSN 139. A=4 and K=1.

FT8 versus WSPR

My impression is that I get better results on 6m FT8 than I do on 10m WSPR.  

Yes, on 6m FT8 I use 2.5W whereas recent tests on 10m WSPR have been at 500mW. 

Now, FT8, is supposed to be less sensitive at picking up weak signals than WSPR but WSPR needs almost 120 seconds whereas FT8 needs just 15 seconds. I suspect FT8 catches more, shorter, openings. Also, I suspect there are more FT8 users.

Someone else trying my designs

 It is always good to see others trying their hand at my designs. DX Explorer has a video of him breadboarding my 2 transistor 80m transceiver. My designs are always a starting point. Pretty sure you will be able to improve them!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/80m-xbm80-2 .

St Ives - NOT amateur radio

 This was St Ives (near Cambridge) earlier this week .

6m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

My 2.5W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna has been on since about 1940z. 

UPDATE 2035z:  28 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 2146z:   125 spots of my QRP FT8 today, after a very late start.

10m QRP WSPR (Saturday)

My 10mW 500mW WSPR has been on since we got back from London earlier. So far, 7 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 2037z:   24 spots of me, mostly Es.

UPDATE 2212z: 39 spots of my QRP 10m WSPR so far, after a late start.

European Es (Saturday)

 Whilst I was in London seeing an Australian friend who had a stroke in the last 30 minutes of a flight (he is in hospital) I gather European Es has been very good ... and I missed it!

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .

Sunspots - Saturday June 22nd

 Solar flux is 197 and the SSN 133. A= 5 and K=1.

10m QRP WSPR (Friday)

My 500mW WSPR beacon is on again and there is plenty of Es about.  50 stations have spotted my QRP beacon in the last day with the furthermost Brazil.

UPDATE 1142z:  58 spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR this morning.

UPDATE 2140z:  776 spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR in the last day.

6m QRP FT8 (Friday)

Stations that spotted
my 2.5W 6m FT8 today

My QRP 6m FT8 is on again. In the last day, I have been spotted by 512 stations on 6m, with several in Newfoundland, Canada. I suspect the latter were Es.

UPDATE 1135z:   449 spots of my QRP 6m FT8 this morning. Mostly Es.

UPDATE 2125z:  557 spots of me today.

Early Es

 Today seems to be a good Es day with lots of stations across Europe spotting my QRP on 10m and 6m already at 0631z.