10m 500mW WSPR TX (Tuesday)

My beacon was turned on at about  0720z. 

UPDATE 1900z: 57 stations have spotted me. The furthermost is F61695 (9729km) in the Indian Ocean. QRT soon.

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

 My gear was turned on at about 0720z. So far 10 English stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 0946z:  27 stations have spotted me with the furthermost UN3G (5538km) in Kazakhstan.

UPDATE 1431z:  69 spots of me today on 6m QRP FT8 including VO1SIX (3933km). See map with bars.

UPDATE 1453z:   64 stations spotted here today on 6m FT8. See map with dots.

UPDATE 1901z:   78 stations have spotted me. QRT soon.

Sunspots - Tuesday December 3rd

 Solar flux is 185 and the SSN 111. A=6 and K=3.

Christmas in Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

Now it is December, I have no worries about Christmas decorations or Christmas promotions. 

The photo shows the Grand Arcade in Cambridge. 

10m QRP WSPR (Monday)

My 500mW WSPR beacon has been on since about 0915z.  4 stations spotting me at 0935z.

UPDATE 1945z:  44 stations have spotted me. Now QRT.

6m QRP FT8 (Monday)

My 6m FT8 has been on since about 0915z. 21 spots of me at 0932z.

UPDATE 1945z:  59 stations have spotted me with the furthermost VK6ZLX (13742km). Now QRT.

Father Christmas - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday the local museum and windmill held a Father Christmas Day with Father Christmas in the windmill. The little ones loved it and, despite the drizzle, it was a real success and a very happy day.

Sunspots - Monday December 2nd

Solar  flux is 186 and the SSN 83. A=7 and K=2.

Tempus fugit - NOT amateur radio

At the start of each month there is just one photo of mine for the month on 365project.org . After, what seems, a blink the month is full.  Tempus fugit. 

Solar cycle peak

People often want to know when this occurs. My best place for solar data is the Solan website, but you may have your own. 

It often varies depending on the period averaged, but my site thinks it was October 2024. Conditions remain good for some years yet.

6m FT8 QRP with the IC-705 (Sunday)

 My gear was turned on at about 0925z. So far, spotted by 10 stations with the furthermost F1PBZ (696km).

UPDATE 2006z:  QRT. 62 stations have spotted me.

10m 500mW WSPR (Sunday)

 This morning, I turned on my beacon at about 0925z.  Before you ask, yes I did turn on the PSU as well this time!  

UPDATE  2009z: Spotted by 50 stations. 

Amaryliss - NOT amateur radio

 

We enjoy growing these house plants from bulbs at this time of year. 

We try to stagger them so they flower at different times. 

The first (shown in the photo) is now in flower and looks great.

Japanese Sixbox

Some years ago, I was asked if a Japanese magazine could use my Sixbox in an article. I said "yes" although I have no idea what it says!

Sunspots - Sunday December 1st

 Solar flux is 204 and the SSN 103. A=11 and K=1.

ARRL VHF Manual

Yesterday, when my old work colleague visited he brought out a copy of this ARRL book that had my name with the date December 1971 inside. I must have given it away sometime in the 1970s. 

I spent some time last night trying to find an article about a very old 70cm AM portable super regen transceiver. It was not there, so must have been in an earlier edition.

If anyone knows what I am talking about I would not mind a photocopy of the article by email for old times sake. 

Many trying to build it could have been being very disappointed unless it was exactly copied. From bitter experience at 70cm inductors and capacitors can be very different from their marked values and RF grounding can be critical.

Are we really going mad? - NOT amateur radio

 This quote appeared in The Knowledge today:

Villain 

The Sly Old Fox, a pub in Birmingham which is being asked to change its name because it is “derogatory”, “inaccurate” and “unfair” to foxes. The animal rights group Peta says the word “sly” should be replaced with “clever”, to reflect society’s “ever-evolving empathy for animals”.

As much as I like foxes, I don't think they will care.😀

Nearly Christmas - NOT amateur radio

This was outside a village shop earlier today.  Not long now. 

I prefer when everything returns to normal and the evenings start to get lighter again. Ba humbug!

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Saturday)

Funny, but I keep forgetting that I can go on 10m WSPR TX with my stand-alone beacon whilst I am on 6m FT8 with the IC-705 and the PC as the antenna is different.  Around 1130z my 10m QRP WSPR TX was turned on.   No spots yet.

UPDATE 1812z:  It helps if the beacon is powered!  Since turning the power on (doh!!) 9 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE  2154z:  Now QRT. 13 stations spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR. See table.

Old Practical Wireless

An old work colleague popped out yesterday. It was great to see him.  I had not seen him for perhaps 30 years. He very kindly brought some Practical Wireless magazines mostly from the early 1980s. For those that don't know PW is a UK radio magazine you can buy in shops.

What struck me was the very high number of advertisers, which is not the case today. Clearly radio was very healthy back then. These days, the majority of adverts are from just one company. If they stopped then PW would probably be in deep, deep trouble.