10m WSPR today

I am still using 500mW on 10m WSPR. There is widespread Es about with spots from Germany, Italy and Spain already.

6m JT65 today

So far today, my 6m JT65 beaconing (1W ERP) has only been spotted in the UK. Last night I spotted an Italian late evening on 6m JT65.

6m JT65 spots so far today (1W ERP)

UPDATE 1038z: One Croatian station has been spotted on 6m JT65 (Es) but all the spots of me on 6m so far have been by G stations. JT65 is far more productive on 6m than WSPR in my view. I think this is because there are far more stations active. I am still hopeful of transatlantic spots on 6m JT65 even at my QRP level.

UPDATE 1218z:  My 6m QRP JT65 was spotted in Finland 20 minutes ago. I assume this is Es.

UPDATE 1255z:  Several more 6m JT65 Es spots from listeners in Finland.

UPDATE 1700z:  More spots on 6m Es (see map).

UPDATE 1755z:  Spots from right across Europe on 6m JT65 (1W ERP). Spots from 18 stations today.

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
72 QRP Net (Rendez-Vous) weekly report (June 20 to 27, 2016)
Visitors  of  the week: RU3NJC, OH6NPV, DL6KBV, UR0ET, US3EN, UR5EFD, DK2SC, DM4DB,  UA1CEG,  DK3WX,  UA1CEX, SV8/GM0LVI/p, ON6KZ, SM7PXS,
UT8NR, HB9KNT, US5ERQ, OH1LFF, OH9XX, HA2PP
GM0LVI became "rendezvous" Frequenter - Congrats!
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 page - www.club72.su
Enjoy a lot of "rendezvous" comments and pictures on the blog - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
See you All on the next week "round tables" - 72 QRP Net (rendezvous)
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"


Dear Club 72 members and friends,

OM3CUG op. Igor became a member, Club card # 86

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Sunspots and 10m - Sun June 26th 2016

Solar flux is 76 today. Sunspot number remains zero (K=2) and 10m F2 propagation is again expected to be "poor". Luckily we are in the main Es season in the northern hemisphere and there is good Es on 10m and 6m.

Best 6m DX today

After the storm I have returned to 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR beaconing. Best report on 6m JT65 (so far) is UX4UA (2082km). I assume this is Es. It is still thundering, although the maps show the storms moving away NE.

Alibris deals again - NOT amateur radio

Yet again,  I have received several money saving offers from this crowd. Will they never learn? Each week I must get 2-3 offers from them.  If I miss one offer I am sure to get another within a few days. No-one in their right minds would pay full price.

Rain, hail, thunder - will we ever see the sun?

At the moment it is hailing here. I will probably disconnect all antennas, PC and rigs until the storm has passed over and moved away. We had a few settled days last week. Maybe that was our summer? We usually see thunder and lightning in late July and August. June is rare.

See www.lightningmaps.org .

UPDATE 1500z:  The storm seems to be moving away now, although I can still hear thunder. I shall wait until all danger is well gone before reconnecting antennas, rigs and PC.

More expensive UK amateur gear?

With the fall in the UK pound as a result of the UK vote to leave the EU it is possible that amateur radio gear (paid for in US dollars) will get more expensive. This is not certain and I hope the dealers will hold or reduce prices and their margins. Fuel will definitely be a bit more expensive.

Cut the grass! - NOT amateur radio

We were only away a few days but our grass is long and is in bad need of cutting!  Sadly we have had lots of showers, so the grass may be left uncut until tomorrow.

Time flies - NOT amateur radio

Maybe it is because I am getting older. Maybe it is an artifact of my stroke. Time seems to be faster these days. We have been home from Amsterdam less than half a day, but the next week will fly by! I have mentioned driving before: everything seems faster: when doing 50mph, it feels like 60mph. I am sure that my perception of time and speed has changed.

Return to 6m and 10m

I am beaconing on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. Very early (around 0700z) I called G0VUH (157km in IO93) on 6m JT65 and since then have been spotted by a couple of Gs 6m JT65. G4KPX (14km) is the only station to spot me on 10m WSPR. As yet, no signs of Es on 10m or 6m as yet. It is now nearly 1000z.

UPDATE 1010z:  Although no-one outside of the UK has spotted me yet, I have spotted a station in Germany and in Italy on 6m JT65. There is Es about.

Rallies

24-26 JUNE : HAMTRONIC SHOW, FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
Messe, Friedrichshafen, Germany Trade stands, special interest groups and IARU Member Socities all have stands in the main hall. Large flea market. Lectures take place each day, some in English. There will be a large RSGB book stall. www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de.

This rally is a big international one.  It is a bit like a European version of Dayton, although I've not been to either.

Sunday 26 JUNE : WEST OF ENGLAND RADIO RALLY
Cheese & Grain, Bridge Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1BE. The venue has car parking available and disabled facilities. Doors are open from 10am to 2pm and admission is £3 with under 14s free. There will be trade stands and an RSGB bookstall, There is catering on site. More details from Shaun, G8VPG on 01225 873 098 or by email to rallymanager@westrally.org.uk. www.westrally.org.uk.
  
A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/
 

Sunspots and 10m - Sat June 25th 2016

Solar flux is little changed at 76. Sunspot number is again zero (K=2) and the forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor". Hopefully Es will liven up both 10m and 6m again today.

Amsterdam - NOT amateur radio

The last few days we were in Amsterdam, Holland. We traveled there by train, through the Channel Tunnel on Eurostar. Our journey took us through France, Belgium (Brussels) and Holland. My wife and I have "divisions" in cities, with Amsterdam in our top division - we have been there 6 times now. Having had a stroke nearly 3 years ago, I found negotiating the cobbled streets and bikes made me very dizzy. Despite this we had a great few days. Now that I'm back you can expect blog updates most days.

BREXIT the reality - NOT amateur radio

So the referendum has taken place and the UK people have chosen to leave the EU. All of my close family voted to remain IN. The future of the UK is unknown. Indeed, the future of the EU may now be very different. All I hope is that we remain friends with our neighbours in Europe. We have always wanted the EU trade, but we have never sought closer political ties.  The future is ours to forge and we must chose a good future that unites its people not divides them.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri June 24th 2016

Solar flux is 75 today and the sunspot number is zero (K=2) and the forecast for 10m propagation is "poor".  As there is thunder about I shall return to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 tomorrow.

Been away

As you will have noticed, I was away for a few days so there were no blog entries for the last few days. I have now returned home, so normal service should be resumed. We all need breaks!

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
This week visitors: UA1ADF, UR7VT, UR0ET, R1OA, RU6UR, UA1CEG, UA4NU, UR5EFD, OH6NPV, RU3NJC, DL2KI, US3EN, ON6KZ, DL8LN, PA0XAW, HB9WG, F6HFX
See full report and comments on the blog page   - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
See all Visitors and Frequenters lists also "72 QRP Rendez-Vous" round table schedule on the Club 72 web page - www.club72.su
Warning!  If you logged even one QRP QSO in the World QRP Day of June 17  fill  the declaration form on the "W QRP Day" page of the Club 72 site, please. See all last years results on the same page.
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Sunspots and 10m - Monday June 20th 2016

Solar flux is 82 today. Sunspot number is 48 (K=1) and the forecast for 10m F2 propagation is "poor" yet again.

IN, OUT shake it all about!

If we vote to leave the EU I shall not be too surprised.

The REMAIN campaign has been very negative and focused on the harm to the UK if we vote to leave and not the benefits of being "in the club".  A vote to leave will probably mean that Scotland will want another referendum and lead to the break-up of the UK. If we leave the EU then I think others will follow and the Euro will collapse.

It is entirely possible we could vote to remain in the EU. One thing is certain: the outcome is too close to call. It is possible David Cameron will continue as UK Prime Minister for years to come. On the other hand we could see Boris as PM as early as November. What is certain is that politics is changing. If we leave I suspect a lurch to the right politically will occur. This is happening in many EU nations and this is dangerous.

Although my XYL and I voted IN (remain) the outcome could go either way. The EU cannot continue as a weak protectionist club. It has to change or it will fall apart.

6m JT65 versus 6m WSPR

Although WSPR is better able to dig signals out of the noise I find JT65 far more effective on 6m than WSPR. I think there are 2 factors:

1. Activity levels on 6m JT65 far exceed those on 6m WSPR so openings get noticed.
2. The 1 minute transmit cycle probably means that short burst openings get detected. WSPR needs nearly 2 minutes.

In all, I like 6m JT65. Also, JT65 is in the main a 2-way mode although I tend to use it as a 1-way beaconing mode because of my poor health, looking on PSKreporter to see where I was copied and where I am spotting.

To yesterday mid-afternoon I had received 108 reports in 18 countries in the last 24 hours on 6m JT65 with 1W ERP.

Continued success on 6m JT65

It is now 1900z and I am still on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. On 10m WSPR there are Es spots from across Europe, but 6m JT65 seems to be giving me lots of spots from across Europe too by Es. There is no doubt in my mind that JT65 is a much better mode on 6m because of the much higher activity levels.

10m WSPR

 Whilst beaconing on 6m JT65 I am also TXing on 10m WSPR (500mW). Certainly later, conditions seem to be favoring northern Europe.

Kazakstan on 6m

UN3M (3555km) in Kazakhstan was copied on 6m JT65 early this morning. He was in locator LO61. My own JT65 6m signal (1W ERP) has been spotted across Europe again. JT65 does seem much more productive than WSPR on 6m.

6m JT65 spots today

Sunspots and 10m - Sun June 18th 2016

Solar flux is 84 today and sunspot number 46 (K=1). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Tim Peake - NOT amateur radio

Thankfully, Tim Peake who had spent 6 months on board the ISS, has returned safely to Earth. He has done much for the UK in space. We must not forget that space is still a hazardous environment. Getting back from space is still very hazardous.

Es season in full swing.

6m JT65 spots received in last 12 hours (1W ERP)

WSPR on 10m is producing spots from across Europe. On 6m JT65 I am also getting lots of reports. I must say that moving to JT65 on 6m (1W ERP) was an excellent move as there is so much more activity.

UPDATE 1228z:  Plenty of JT65 reports on 6m this morning at 1W ERP.

Last 6 hrs on 6m JT65 (1W ERP)

Sunspots and 10m - Sat June 18th 2016

Solar flux is 85 today. Sunspot number is 36 (K=3) and the 10m propagation forecast remains "poor".

The Quiet Sun and 10m

We could be entering a very long period of very low solar activity, quite unlike anything in modern times. With noise levels much higher on the lower HF bands we may be forced to VHF and UHF satellites to work DX we have become used to. Summertime Es may soon be the only practical propagation mode for DX on 10m.

Don't forget we are dealing with averages and some days will allow N-S F2 DX still on 10m.

I am a great supporter of WSPR and very much hope WSPR users will continue on 10m even when the prospects are not good. I suspect 10m is "open" far more often than people think. A casual tune over the band may result in nobody being heard, so people move down the bands. With regular WSPR use, short openings on 10m would be "smoked out". Since only low power is needed for WSPR, this is an ideal mode for the "quiet sun" years.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/.

Tim Peake - NOT amateur radio

After 6 months in orbit on the ISS, UK astronaut Tim Peake returns to Earth tomorrow, Sunday, in a Russian Soyuz space module. Re-entry is always hazardous, so we all wish him a safe trip back to Earth. Rather him than me!

It is funny how we are friends with Russia in so many ways, yet there is still distrust of them and them of us in the West. The sooner we all learn that the Cold War ended in 1989 the better for us all.

10m WSPR and 6m JT65

https://www.pskreporter.info/pskmap.html

Although I have been beaconing at 500mW on 10m WSPR for several hours, nobody has yet spotted me. On 6m JT65 I have had more luck with several Gs as well as Belgium and Spain spotted here. I only just realised I had not enabled TX on 6m (I now have).

UPDATE 1845z: So far, 3 G stations have spotted my 6m 1W ERP JT65 transmissions. No Es spots of me this evening, although I have only been on TX for about 75 minutes.

UPDATE 1912z: I see I am now spotting a couple of 6m stations on JT65 in Ukraine. I hope stations over there spot me too.

UPDATE 1920z:  UX4UA (2082km) in KO50el has spotted me, so it did not take long! I have also been spotted by a couple of stations in Finland. Clearly Es.

UPDATE 2005z: DK0SC (827km) has spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR. I am being spotted all over Europe on 6m JT65 with 1W.

6m JT65 spots this evening (1W ERP)

Sunspots and 10m - Fri June17th 2016

Solar flux is 87 today and the sunspot number is 26 (K=2). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QRP Day - better late than never!

From Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and QRP friends,
remind about the World QRP Activity Day in June 17 and invite all QRP
operators.  See detailed rules on the page "World QRP Day" on Club 72
web-page - www.club72.su
You  can  QRV  in  Home  or  Field category. Declare your results via
on-line form on the same page (separately of Home and Field results).
Add  picture(s)  and/or  stories,  please.  Contact  "mr72"  for  any
questions.  Also  you  can  see last years results/photos on the same
page. Enjoy QRP activity!
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

We have had friends for the last 24 hours and they have only just left, so this announcement is late I'm afraid.

Bouvet Is

As many know, I am no great DX chaser! However I read with interest about the costs of mounting DXpeditions to very remote places. See https://n6pse.wordpress.com/2016/06/05/bouvet-so-far-away/?utm_source=amateur-radio-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter .

OFCOM

If you are interested, OFCOM has just published http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/wireless-telegraphy-fees-notice-2016/statement/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wireless-telegraphy-fees-notice-2016-statement.

In one word - QUANGO.  My view, others may have different views.

10m WSPR

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon is still running with spots from all over Europe again today. I like the mode as you can monitor WSPRnet in the lounge, and just pop in to the shack if there is a problem or to do a time re-sync.

But I agree that JT65 does seem a better mode on 6m. WSPR would be fine on 6m if there was more activity. Also, I suspect the one minute TX cycle in JT65 is better, even though the mode is less good at digging weak signals from the noise. Overall, JT65 seems right for 6m.

For JT65, I have to use my PC and FT817, so if I want to try the mode on 10m I have to stop TXing on 6m. With 10m WSPR I can use my stand-alone W5OLF WSPR beacon and be on 6m JT65 at the same time. The tiny W5OLF WSPR beacon does not need external audio or a PC.

Beaconing on 6m JT65

https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html

For the last few hours I have been running 1W ERP (vertical) on 6m JT65. Spots are being seen from all over Europe. I am monitoring in the lounge using PSK reporter but can be in the shack in seconds.  JT65 does seem to be more productive than WSPR. There seem to be more people using the mode on 6m. Thanks to Bas, it is now clear I am beaconing rather than calling CQ. Best DX on JT65 is still 9A6IV (1515km) in JN95ae. The strongest was a spot by LA7DFA (1312km) in JP33vj.

Recent 6m JT65 reports are shown below.

Rallies

Saturday 18 JUNE : 19 JUNE 29th NEWBURY RADIO RALLY 
Newbury Showground, next to M4 J13. There will be a talk-in station operating on S22 (V44). The venue has free car parking and disabled facilities24-26 JUNE HAMTRONIC SHOW, 

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN 
Messe, Friedrichshafen, Germany Trade stands, special interest groups and IARU Member Socities all have stands in the main hall. Large flea market. Lectures take place each day, some in English. There will be a large RSGB book stall. [www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de]. 

26 JUNE WEST OF ENGLAND RADIO RALLY 
Cheese & Grain, Bridge Street, Frome, Somerset BA11 1BE. The venue has car parking available and disabled facilities. Doors are open from 10am to 2pm and admission is £3 with under 14s free. There will be trade stands and an RSGB bookstall, There is catering on site. More details from Shaun, G8VPG on 01225 873 098 or by email to rallymanager@westrally.org.uk. www.westrally.org.uk.

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

More JT65 on 6m

I am still on JT65 on 6m this morning and have been spotted by lots of Gs as well as in Spain and France by Es. I call CQ and try to get into the shack to answer calls. I have a couple of questions.

My questions are:

1. I really want to just beacon sometimes. What should I send that will appear on PSKreporter? Calling CQ when I am really beaconing seems wrong.

2. Is there a convention to call CQ in even (or odd) minutes?

Although I am WSPRing on 10m at the same time, surprisingly I have not been spotted yet on 10m.

On 6m I am now beaconing and sending "B G3XBM JO02" at 1W ERP. This seems to be being reported to PSKreporter.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs June 16th 2016

Solar flux is 87 today. Sunspot number is 22 (K=2) and the 10m F2 propagation forecast remains "poor". Luckily there is Es about.