For a total change, I am on 474.2kHz WSPR RX using the coax up to my 2m big-wheel antenna tuned via a ferrite rod ATU and a mains plug earth.
UPDATE 1826z: DC0DX (467km) spotted. This rubbish set-up works!
UPDATE 1916z: Back on 472kHz WSPR RX. DC0DX copied 5dB stronger.
Many years ago I designed and built this transceiver for 80m CW. It has been on the blog before. It is also on my website. It just goes to show what is possible with just 14 parts!
One of the philosophical questions I have been grappling with recently is consciousness outside of space and time.
We live in a world bounded by space and time. We seem to live in a vast universe with time flowing from the past into the future. Trying to imagine things outside of these is all but impossible.
I am reminded of a book I read in the 1960s where everything had just 2 dimensions. Thinking outside of these was almost impossible. An object passing through this world might get larger, then smaller, but it might be hard to understand this in a 2-dimensional world.
The book may have been called Flatland. There are books called this on Amazon, although I am not sure if these are the same book in more recent editions? It was first published as a novella in 1884, so these may well be the same.
I sometimes think we might be like that: unable to think unless they are within the bounds of experience of our finite brains.
We are used to think in our world view, but this may be a very narrow.
Today's Knowledge reports that some things appear to be cyclical. For example, big breasts are popular when times are tough like in wars or when times are hard e.g. with a possible market crash coming.
There is a popular saying, "what goes around comes around".
The Knowledge points out that people who sometimes complain (rightly in my view) about climate change fly around in private jets!
My grandchildren will not eat anything past its "best before" date. I abhor waste.
In years gone by a wolf whistle was seen as a compliment by a girl. These days most men would be too afraid of being had up for sexual harassment.
Now, I strongly believe everyone deserves respect whatever their race, creed, ability, colour, or sexuality.
Sometimes I wonder has the pendulum swung too far?
The Knowledge is a free daily email with a summary of the news from various sources.
This is a useful resource that I have used infrequently, probably as it does not monitor the modes I most use. It can tell you where your CQs get, even if nobody replies. I think it supports CW, RTTY and PSK.
UPDATE 1218z: Spotted by 16 stations including Eire and Germany.
UPDATE 1607z: 24 spots of my QRP today including some in mainland Europe. See map.
My beacon was turned on at about 1008z.
UPDATE 1612z: So far, spotted by 22 stations. Several from North America with one in Brazil.
The stand-alone beacon was turned on just before tea.
UPDATE 1914z: 7 stations have spotted me with several in North America.
UPDATE 1907z: 18 spots of me so far including 3 in Scandinavia. See map.
At one time I never missed this as a chance to work a few new countries and states. Since my voice has been poor I rarely go on this contest now. In fact I totally forgot it was on last weekend!
To me DX chasing is no longer important. I worked 10m QRP SSB DXCC back about 40 years ago, so I leave it to others these days.
It is good to see the updated solar data. We are now clearly on the downward slope of the solar cycle, although we can expect conditions on the higher HF bands to be good for quite a while yet.
Recently I have been watching several videos on YouTube supposed to be the sayings of Albert Einstein. The trouble is we can’t be sure he ever said these words!
It is now very easy to make videos, photos and texts with AI, The trouble is these AI generated images and words are often believed. So, disinformation is spread.
I am sure there are lots of good things that become possible with AI where lots of data has to be processed quickly, but there are also great dangers.
We now have to treat EVERYTHING we see with scepticism sadly.
My beacon was turned on at 1339z.
My gear was turned on at 1340z.
UPDATE 1729z: So far, spotted by 28 stations in the British Isles. No continental stations have spotted me yet today.
Although I did not renew my UK 8m TX permit, there is still activity with stations in the Caribbean getting licences and Spain getting permits for another 18 months.
Instead, I have QSYed to 6m FT8 and been surprised to find real continental DX stations spotting my 5W FT8 to the omni vertical antenna on every day I have been operating. The moral is do not give up on 6m.
In my view, 8m deserved special permits in very many countries around solar maximum to allow real propagation research. Instead, very very few bothered. I was disgusted.
As I am out this morning, I cannot be on until after lunch. As we may get some thunder, I may not go on today.
This is a long YouTube video in which Albert Einstein talks about God. In essence, he argues that we see through the perspective of space and time, whereas the essence of "God" is outside of these.
We deliver local Christmas cards by hand. We were going to do it yesterday, but the rain was horrendous so we did it today instead in the co...
