Greenland and the USA

In this video, the poster thinks President Trump is using his strategy outlined in his book "The Art of the Deal" to get a better deal with Denmark. It would appear most things the US president does is think about foreign policy as deals.

Brunch

Every Thursday my wife has a course in a nearby village. I go to a cafe for brunch.

Zachtek WSPR gear

For the last few days I have been using the 200mW Zachtek WSPR TX. In the end I bought the original kit although it is being copied in China. 

As far as I can tell, the Chinese copy does not have the low pass filters fitted so will have poor harmonic rejection. The Swedish version is far more expensive.

So far, with 200mW WSPR, it has reached 5 continents,

All timing is by GPS, which is built-in. Once programmed the unit needs no PC, so can run unattended. Mine comes covering 40m-6m. I also bought the all band RX, but I have not used this yet.

See https://www.zachtek.com/wspr-tx .

Cambridge in winter

 

This time of year is good when the weather is fine as there are fewer visitors and the bare trees make seeing easier.

10m 200mW WSPR (Thursday)

My beacon was turned on after breakfast,

UPDATE 1321z:  So far, just EA8BFK (2880km) and an SV spotting me.

Sunspots - Thursday January 15th

 Solar flux is 127 and the SSN 70. A=7 and K=2.

Really?

Presldent Trump has made some bold claims about the US economy. These have been fact checked by the BBC.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cz6yg15lpw9t

Some would appear to be incorrect.

Is it only me, but I have come across not one person (absolutely no-one at all, really) outside of the USA that has a good word to say about the leaders of the USA currently. To many they appear brash and arrogant. This is sad as I have always found Americans kind and generous. Yet very many voted for Mr Trump. What he does in the USA i cannot comment on, but I can express my personal views as an outsider.

6m 2W FT8 (Wednesday)

 My gear was turned on after breakfast.

UPDATE 1540z:  15 stations spotting me with plenty in mainland Europe.

10m 200mW WSPR (Wednesday)

  My beacon was turned on at breakfast time.

UPDATE 0950z: One SV has spotted me.

Sunspots - Wednesday January 14th

 Solar flux is 127 and the SSN 49. A=7 and K=2.

10m 200mW WSPR (Monday)

My 10m WSPR beacon was turned on at about 1510z.

UPDATE 1815z:  So far, spotted by 43 stations. See table. See Map from WSPRrocks by Phil VK7JJ.

QRP radio

 I am a great QRP fan. This video may inspire you. Without any amplification on RX I expect the RX is deaf, so best not call CQ, but answer other people's calls.

Iran

Events are moving very fast. This was written at 1012z on January 13th, so events may already have changed when you read this.

At the moment Donald Trump has threatened intervention, but not carried this out.   It is clear that lots of Iranian people are deeply upset with, amongst other things, inflation that is making some foods totally too costly for many. If there was to be a revolution, there is no clear leader emerging.  As I write we wait and see.

UPDATE  1631z:  Trump promises protesters help is on the way. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj691w2e840t. 

10m 1W FT8 (Tuesday)

 In a few minutes I expect to go on 10m 1W FT8.

UPDATE 1356z:  So far, 56 spots of me. See map.

More Cambridge gloom

Cambridge is a very beautiful city, but like many it is gloomy in January! This is Rose Crescent in centre of the city. In the summer it would be thronged with tourists but it is much quieter in midwinter.

Sunspots - Tuesday January 13th

 Solar flux is 113 and the SSN 52. A=18 and K=2.

10m 1W FT8 (Monday)

My gear was turned on about 1550z.

UPDATE 1603z: So far, 5 stations have spotted me, most from the USA.

Mid-winter gloom

 This was Cambridge earlier. There are fewer visitors and it must be a hard time for those involved in hospitality.

Sunspots - Monday January 12th

 Solar flux is 111 and the SSN 84. A=31 and K=4.

Solid state batteries?

The "holy grail" of EV batteries is greater range, costs lower than lithium ion, no rare earths, fast charging times, long life and safe.

A Scandinavian company claimed at CES that they have made a breakthrough. 

If correct, this really could be a real game changer. Imagine if EVs could be charged very fast and have great range and be no more expensive than a fossil fuelled car and only need an occasional charge. This could be the breakthrough like we saw with CRTs and digital cameras. It could also really help with climate change.

Look out for DONUT batteries.

I am sure all the major car manufacturers are working hard towards this. A tipping point IS coming.