Faroes - NOT amateur radio

 

One of my friends on 365project posted this photo recently from the Faroe Islands.

Optical Communications

 Before my 2013 stroke I enjoyed doing experiments at 481THz (red light). Although my main interest was "over the horizon" digital communication, I had one line of sight AM QSO over about 11km. 

On YouTube is a video of a German optical communicator that was used in WW2. As the beam was very narrow it was ideal for secret communication up to 5km. Mechanically it was a work of art.

Sunspots - Saturday March 15th

 Solar flux is 180 and the SSN (still shown as March 8th on my source) 90. I am sure this is wrong. A=24 and K=3.

I went looking for today's sunspot number. It was very hard. Please tell me the best source!

UPDATE 1646z:  A Google AI search said the SSN today was 147.

Treeless beauty - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned before, one of my friends on 365project lives up in Shetland Islands. Up there it can be very beautiful, although there are few trees and it can be very bleak and windy.

6m QRP FT8 (Friday)

My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at about 0915z. So far just 3 English stations spotting me.

UPDATE 2118z: 22 stations have spotted me. See map.  QRT soon. .

10m 500mW beacon (Friday)

My beacon was turned on about 0915z. EA8BFK (2880km) is spotting me.

UPDATE 2128z: Spotted by 31 stations today. QRT soon.

Sunspots - Friday March 14th

 Solar flux is 175. My source for sunspot data has not been updated since March 8th for some reason and is still showing SSN=90 which must be wrong!  I have no idea why it is not being updated. I shall try to find today's figure from somewhere else.  A=42 and K=3.

New homes - NOT amateur radio

It would appear that any patch of land is being used in our village for new houses. Someone has a terraced house with a very long garden. The owner has sold the land and the developer has built 6 new homes. These look nearly finished now. No doubt the builder and terraced house owner will have made plenty.

10m QRP WSPR (Thursday)

My 500mW was turned on at breakfast time.

UPDATE 1325z:  17 spots of me by EA8BFK (2880km) plus TA4/G8SCU (3010km).

70cm FT8

Last evening was the 70cm activity contest. It never fails to amaze me what I can spot with just a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna. 

The map shows the stations received here last evening.

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at breakfast time.

UPDATE 0940z: 9 English spots of me.

UPDATE 1054z: 15 spots of me including some in mainland Europe. See map of stations spotting my QRP.

Sunspots - Thursday March 13th

 Solar flux is 160 and the SSN 90. A=32 and K=5.

70cm QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

Although the activity contest does not start until 2000z, I think there is a European 70cm FT8 contest earlier. I put my IC-705 on 5W FT8 at about 1900z. Already my station has been copied as far away as 150km has spotted me and I have spotted 2 stations on RX in Germany at 479km.  All this was with just a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna!

UPDATE 2025z: My signal has been copied in Holland by PI4VPO (263km).

8m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

For most of the afternoon I have been on 8m QRP FT8 with my FT817ND.

UPDATE 1745z:   No spots of me. I suspect I will get no 8m spots today. It would appear that my 8m ERP is just too low most of the time.

70cm activity contest (UKAC)

 

Every month I put an entry in for this contest. Because of my poor voice, I usually stop on for about 30mins. Even this is hard with 10W and a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna. I am always surprised to work anyone at all. 

If my voice was better and I stayed on longer I am sure a lot more stations would be worked. 

The map shows the stations worked.

Spring sun - NOT amateur radio

 

Yesterday we did a walk around our village. It was much colder with some showers. In between, the sun appeared.

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

My IC-705 is on 6m FT8 at 5W. It was turned on at 0900z.

UPDATE 1655z: Before QSYing to 8m early this afternoon my 6m QRP  FT8 was spotted by 20 stations including several in mainland Europe. See map of where my 5W was spotted.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Wednesday)

My QRP W5OLF 10m WSPR beacon was turned on at 0900z.

UPDATE 1718z: 5 stations spotting me including the German research base DP0GVN (13685km) in Antarctica.

Sunspots- Wednesday March 12th

 Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 90. A=10 and K=3.

Trump upside - NOT amateur radio

In my view tariffs are a bad thing.  

What President Trump is trying to do against Canada wins him no friends. The USA is hardly seen as a role model any more by the third world, who will increasingly be attracted to China. Sadly, the Trump administration comes across as power hungry and greedy. These are not values that many in the world see as good.

Although I understand what President Trump is trying to achieve, this reminds me of King Canute trying to control the tides!!

It may encourage USA firms to make parts, e.g. for cars, in the USA, but I struggle to see how they can make them inexpensively, stoking inflation in the USA. Far Eastern manufacturing will always be less expensive unless they use robots thereby reducing US jobs.

One upside is the dollar is now far weaker against the UK pound, making oil (for us) less expensive.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cly412xwz44t .