Sunspots - Friday October 17th

 Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 132. A=4 and K=1.

6m 5W FT8 (Thursday)

My gear was turned on at about 1900z.

UPDATE 2111z:   9 stations (all in England) have spotted me. Now QRT. 

10m 2W FT8 (Thursday)

My gear was turned on at about 1255z.  

UPDATE 1300z:  Already 61 stations spotting me with many in the USA. Even at 2W still too easy!

UPDATE  1345z:  Spotted by 111 stations. See map.

Handheld QMX on 20m CW

 Want to try portable?  Amazing.

Ship of the fens

 This is the name often given to Ely cathedral. This photo was on social media recently. I didn’t take this photo!!

How the others live!

 I saw this recently. Imagine my neighbours having a field day if I had it in my garden!

Thursday plans

 Later I expect to try frequency hopping WSPR on 15m, 12m and 10m at 2W again after the success on Wednesday.

UPDATE 1305z:  I decided to go on 10m 2W FT8 instead. Too easy!

Sunspots - Thursday October 16th

 Solar flux is 162 and the SSN 106. A=12 and K=1.

70cm FT8 (Wednesday)

This evening is the FT8 activity contest (UKAC) on 70cm organised by the RSGB. The frequency used in Europe is 432.174MHz. 

Later I shall try TX with 5W although at the moment I am RX only. My antenna is my 144MHz big-wheel omni.

UPDATE 1528z:  Already, well before the contest, my signal has reached France, the   Netherlands, N.Ireland, Cornwall and northern England despite 5W and a 2m omni antenna! Currently gone back to RX only.

UPDATE 1620z: No RSGB 70cm UKAC contest this evening. I was wrong!

WSPR frequency hopping

 Today I am on WSPR with 2W.  I am hopping  on 10m, 12m and 15m.

Stations spotting my 2W 10m WSPR this morning

UPDATE 1353z:  Plenty of spots on all bands. Australia has been spotted on 10m,12m  and 15m.

2m 4W FT8 (Wednesday)

Earlier this morning I went on 2m FT8 very briefly. I must have been on for about 15 minutes. In all, I was spotted by 19 stations in 5 countries with the furthest GI6ATZ (491km).

Human memory

Nobody really knows what happens when we die. 

On a purely scientific basis, our neurons cease to work so we cannot experience anything: we just cease to exist.  Some estimates put the brain memory size as 2.5 million gigabytes, which is huge.

What amazes me are the maps we have in our heads (at least in mine!). One technique I use to get to sleep is to go from A to B on a journey. It is fascinating what is there.  I have a mental image of many of all the places I have been to. Some of these must be very old.  Also, it is surprising how a snippet of music triggers a memory.  You wonder what else lurks there waiting to be triggered. I guess one day, we will understand how the brain memory is so huge and efficient and make AI based on this.

Others with a religious persuasion believe something of "us" survives after we die.

The truth is nobody really knows. I am sure those with a deep faith (whatever their religion) will have faith that what they believe will be correct.

Long-tailed tits

These are fairly common UK birds. They are often heard with their high pitched squeak before they are seen.  

They often flit from tree to tree in flocks together. The photo shows one on our nuts a few years ago I think.

They are called log-tailed tits as they have long tails!

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/long-tailed-tit .

70cm UKAC last evening

Last night was the 70cm activity contest organised by the RSGB. 

I can only run 10W to a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna, but I still worked as far as Wales. 

There was a station in N.Ireland, but I could not stay on long enough to work him because of my poor voice. 

In all, 7 stations were worked in about 45 minutes before I stopped.

Sunspots - Wednesday October 15th

 Solar flux is 154 and the SSN 108. A= 8 and K=3. 

10m 500mW WSPR (Tuesday)

 When on 6m FT8, I can go on 10m WSPR with my stand-alone 500mW beacon.

UPDATE 1322z:  So far,  9 spots with the beacon in the last hour.

UPDATE 1345z:  At the moment, 16 stations have spotted me in the last hour. All reports suggest 10dB weaker would be decoded, although I guess this assumes a low local noise floor.

Where I have been spotted today with 500mW 10m WSPR

6m 5W FT8 (Tuesday)

At 1226z  I QSYed to 6m with 5W FT8.

UPDATE 1328z: So far, 15 stations in the British Is. have spotted my 5W.  

UPDATE 2041z:  22 stations have spotted me including 2 in Portugal and one in Kuwait. See map. Now QRT.

How times change

Today, we found a book we bought years ago from a second hand bookshop.  It was published in the late 1800s.  

At that time the British Empire was at its height.  

Today, things are different, but we must all remember that we are frequently wrong. We have been in the past and frequently are today. 

Every nation must be respectful of others.  

10m and 12m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

Today I am trying 2W frequency hopping WSPR on 12m and 10m.

UPDATE  0938z: Plenty of spots on 10m, and 2 stations spotting me on 12m with the furthest Brazil.

WSPR and frequency hopping

Yesterday I tried WSPR frequency hopping at 10, 12 and 15m with 2W. Furtherest was Antarctica. This could be really useful.