Bath - NOT amateur radio

We spent a few nights in Bath with 2 of our grandchildren and their mum and dad. We had a good time.  The picture shows one of our sons in a Bath park, feeding ducks with one of our granddaughters. Simple pleasures.

I was surprised by the large number of kites (birds) seen from the train. In all, I saw seven and I was not trying that hard! At one time seeing a kite in England would have been rare. A few years ago they were reintroduced in some areas and now they are seen all over the place.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed July 27th 2016

My apologies for no solar data yesterday but I was away.

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 0 (K=0). Yet again the forecast  for F2 propagation for 10m is "poor".

Tomorrow I should be back on 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR.

Rally

29-31 JULY : AMSAT-UK COLLOQUIUM
Holiday Inn, Egerton Rd, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XZ. www.amsat-uk.org.

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

Packhorse Inn - NOT amateur radio

Last year we (by accident) discovered this place to eat. We have now been there 5 times! It is the Packhorse Inn in Moulton,near Newmarket. We have never been disappointed. They always serve a (free) starter of breads, savoury popcorn and savoury macaroons. Both food and service are excellent.

6m JT65

Last night I received a report from G0LRD that my JT65 timing was out and I was consequently not decoding. To be fair it had been running a long time and possibly my internet timing had not been corrected. At the moment I am not on 6m JT65 or 10m WSPR.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday July 25th 2016

Solar flux is 78 today and the sunspot number down to 16 (K=4). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation is "poor" again. Whether it improves in the autumn remains to be seen.

4X1RF's amazing spots on 6m JT65

Although I have yet to be spotted on 6m JT65 by 4X1RF (me being vertical probably does not help!) he does spot some amazing DX on the band regularly. Every time I look I see spots by him at great distance on 6m. He only uses a 3 element according to PSKreporter - nothing too grand.

I assume these long distance spots are Es, but some could be tropo across the Med, but unlikely.  I still wonder about chordal-Es as he seems to regularly spot stations a long way away. I have been spotted in Israel this summer (1W ERP) and I have spotted a station in Kazakhstan twice. Kazakhstan is a very long way!

6m JT65 but no 10m WSPR today

Although I am still on 6m JT65 (1W ERP), I gave 10m WSPR a miss today. I seem to get better results and far more reports on 6m JT65. There is far less Es about today compared with yesterday.

45 years - NOT amateur radio

45 years married!

45 years ago today my wife Lis and I got married. Since then so much has happened and we do not know where the years went.

Lis has been good to me and she has had a tough time coping with me in recent years. Although I don't say it enough she is still the same girl I met and loved all those years ago.

The picture,taken earlier today, shows the both of us outside our bungalow with the windmill just visible.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday July 24th 2016

Solar flux is 84 today. Sunspot number is 34 (K=1). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QRP and QRPClub

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
QRP Rendez-Vous report (July 19 to 24, 2016)
Visitors  of  the week: UA1ADF, OH6NPV, RV3GM, G0HIO/p, UR7VT, ON6KZ, F/ON4EM/p, OM6TC, IT9QAU, IK2YYM, F6ABG, RU3NJC, OK/DL2DXA/p, UR5EFD,F5HTR/p, US3EN, UA1CEG, HB9DAX, G3XJS, DL4KCA/p, UR0ET, IZ1ASM, OZ7JZ, DJ5AA/p,  SM7DIE,  DL1RWG,  RW3AA,  UR3VZ,  RV3DSA/0,  I5LHY, UA1ASB, OE3VBU, UA1CEX, UA4NU, SM2FIJ, DH0DK, OK2PXJ, UT8NR
DH0DK became Honor Frequenter - congrats!
See full report with comments on the Club 72 blog page - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Welcome all QRP operators on the next week "rendezvous", see schedule
on the Club 72 web page - www.club72.su
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

10m WSPR

On 10m WSPR I am still using 500mW. At the moment the Es seems to be favouring northern Europe and Scandinavia on 10m.

Recent 10m WSPR spots (500mW)

Israel on 6m VHF

4Z5ML (3571km) in Tel Aviv, Israel was spotted on 6m JT65 about 99 minutes ago. This was the furthermost on 6m today. Although there is plenty of Es about, I am not so sure of the conventional wisdom that this is multi-hop Es. I feel sure that one day the experts will discover "chordal hop Es" or similar. This could explain quite a few long distance Es paths. Of course, I could be totally wrong. It would not be the first time!

UPDATE 1430z: Plenty of Es today on 6m JT65. I see that I have been received in Israel. See https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html . It's funny how when there is a lot of 6m Es, it looks like 20m! I have still to spot, or be spotted, transatlantic on 6m this summer on 6m JT65.

6m Es today (JT65, 1W ERP vertical omni)

More hot sun and flying ants - NOT amateur radio

For about a week now we have had better summer weather in this part of the UK. Temperatures have been in the mid 20s to low 30s (deg C) all week. We had one big storm which dropped humidity, but yesterday and today are hot.

Australian flying ants - but UK ones look similar

It is also "flying ant season". Whilst I was out yesterday, we had hundreds of flying ants in our bedroom. I gather these larger, flying ants are queens. They come out on mass to mate. It is usually just one day, then they are gone. The hot weather has not helped.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuptial_flight

HF Propagation Predictions by G0KYA

See http://www.infotechcomms.net/propcharts .

Taking a peek at Steve's propagation forecasts for 10m this autumn does not look good for E-W propagation from the UK to North America. Even with a sunspot count averaging in the low 30s (possibly too high?) it looks like E-W SSB propagation with 100W is unlikely. With WSPR or JT modes much lower power is possible, but openings to the USA are likely to be much rarer than in seasons past.

Es aplenty on 10m and 6m

On 6m JT65 I have been spotted in Poland several times. On 6m JT65 RX my best DX so far is Crete SV9CVY (2729km). On 10m WSPR I have been widely spotted in Europe since the early hours of the night. This is all Es.  In my experience there is often Es at night. People wrongly assume this is  mainly a daytime propagation mode. On 10m, WSPR can help "smoke out" short night-time Es openings.

UPDATE 1135z:  A couple of spots recently from Finland of my 1W ERP 6m JT65 signals.

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday July 23rd 2016

Solar flux and sunspot numbers are falling again now. Solar flux is 89 and sunspot number is 36 (K=3). The 10m F2 propagation forecast remains "poor".

ULF Amateur Experiments

Stefan DK7FC is always experimenting at VLF and ULF. Recently he has been radiating a signal at 2.97kHz and he has detected his own signal at 9km. This is not earth mode. He is trying to get reports from much further.

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/ .

OFCOM

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/900-MHz-1800-MHz-frequency-bands/statement/?utm_source=update&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=900-1800.

As you know I am not a great fan of OFCOM or the FCC, but I put links here so you can read their documents if you want.

Rally - Finningley

Sunday 24 JULY : FINNINGLEY ARS ANNUAL RALLY
 
The Hurst Communications Centre, Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster DN8 5SX There will be a talk in station and doors open at 10.30am with admittance £3. The venue is all on one level. Car parking is free. There is a large indoor and outdoor trader's area with major traders, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. There will be a flea market. Hot food and drinks will be available all day. More information from Kevin, G3AAF on 0783 161 4640.

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

As I have said before, I get sent these regularly and reproduce them here in good faith, but contact the organisers if travelling any distance to ensure the information is correct.

Geostationary amateur satellite

If all goes to plan we could have a new 13cm and 3cm transponding geostationary satellite in place next spring. Being fixed in position, Doppler should be no issue. I guess the date is a problem (these often slip) and getting it successfully in the right place and operational is in some doubt. With declining solar conditions, this could be just what we need. Of course, the dish can be fixed.

See https://amsat-uk.org/2016/06/24/phase-4a-geostationary-transponders/ .

I picked this up on the Southgate News page.

6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

There has been Es on both bands although HA9AL (1455km) was the last Es report on 10m WSPR. I was spotted in Italy on 6m JT65 a couple of times overnight.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday July 22nd 2016

Solar flux is 103 today and the sunspot number 49 (K=2). The forecast  for 10m F2 propagation is still "poor". The question is will it improve in the autumn? Luckily, we are still in the Es season and there have been days with quite good Es on 10m and 6m including during the night.

JT65 lead arrives

Well, I was impressed with the service from W&S this week. 2 days ago I noticed a problem with a cable and today it arrived by Royal Mail. I am now back on 6m JT65 TX. In the past I'd have fixed the offending cable, but sadly I am too feeble to attempt this.

UPDATE 2130z:   Received a spot from Northern Italy - I3VJW (1098km) - about 30 minutes ago on 6m JT65. "All systems are go" as they say. Yes W&S - thank you.

FTSE 250 - NOT amateur radio

I found this graph on the Internet. Not sure of the source and it will be removed if a problem. 

 

They say the FTSE 250 share index is a better indicator of the state of UK companies than the FTSE 100. Since BREXIT this has hardly changed at 17018.56 the last time I looked a few moments ago. Maybe the UK economy will be OK after all.

See http://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/prices-and-markets/stocks/indices/summary/summary-indices.html?index=MCX .

Tits - NOT amateur radio

We had a couple of young longtail tits eating on our bird table this morning. They are far more common than they used to be. We hear them a lot. They often go around in groups, especially in winter. Their call is a dead give-away.

6m and 10m WSPR

On 6m JT65 RX I have already seen several Gs and 2 stations in southern Europe by Es whereas on 10m WSPR my 500mW beacon has yet to be seen by anyone!

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday July 21st 2016

Solar flux is 112 today. Sunspot number is 56 today (K=1) but 10m F2 propagation is expected to remain "poor" today.

6m JT65 today

Before having to turn everything off because of the storm, I copied quite a few European Es stations and G stations by tropo or aircraft reflection on 6m JT65. I hope my new audio lead arrives tomorrow so I can resume TX on 6m JT65. Results on 6m JT65 are so much better than WSPR. I am sure this is just down to higher activity on JT65.

Storms force QRT

Well, having cut my lawn, it decided to rain, with hail and thunder. The worse seems to have moved east but it forced me to turn off all rigs, the PC and disconnect all antennas.

www.lightningmaps.org

UPDATE 1900z: Since the storm passed,humidity levels have really dropped and it is a lovely, sunny, pleasant evening now. I shall go back on the air tomorrow.

Cordless lawnmower - NOT amateur radio

After some delay, I have invested in a cordless lawnmower, powered by LiIon batteries. I have charged the battery pack and will try it later. If I can only cut one lawn between charges it will not matter. I know of a few people who use cordless lawnmowers and they seem very happy.

UPDATE 1645z: Well I tried it out on two lawns. At the moment it took less than 15 minutes for each lawn. Although I recharged after doing the front lawn there seemed plenty of energy left in the battery. Next time I think I'll do both on a single charge.

Early Es

Both 6m and 10m have shown early Es propagation this morning. It bodes well for the rest of the day, although so far I have only seen, and been seen in southern Europe.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed July 20th 2016

Solar flux is 105 today. Sunspot count is 58 (K=5) and the 10m F2 propagation forecast remains "poor".

JT65 lead

I heard this evening that W&S has dispatched my SignaLink to FT817 lead. I hope this fixes the TX issue. In the meantime I am still on 10m WSPR TX and 6m JT65 RX.

6m JT65 today (RX only)

Hot day - NOT amateur radio

We have had the hottest day of the year so far with a temperature of 32 deg C, so we spent some of the afternoon in the garden. We had tea outside. There was a gentle breeze.

Here are a few images in our garden. The first is our Crocosomia "Lucifer" and the second a cobweb on our birdbath. The birdbath was being well used by the wasps today. There was a sparrowhawk chasing the young swifts high above us. The last but one picture is of a goldfinch on our neighbour's TV antenna.  The frog (?) appeared when we started watering.

JT65 issue

I "think" I may have a faulty cable from my SignaLink unit to my FT817. I shall get a new one to see if this makes it better. The PC sees the SignaLink unit, I have TX enabled, and the FT817 works fine on USB so the FT817 PA is OK. In days gone by I'd have tried to fix the lead, but not these days as I am still unable to manage fine motor skills as a result of my stroke. I do not think this is a Windows 10 issue as I can hear the TX if I select the PC's own speakers.

Luckily I am still able to be on 10m WSPR with the stand alone beacon.

Knowing my luck 6m will be wide open across the Atlantic these next few days!

UPDATE 0948z: New lead ordered from W and S. Should be here later this week.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues July 19th 2016

Solar flux is 107 today and sunspot number 68 (K=1). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation continues to be "poor".

I need to sort out my JT65 issue next! I shall be on 10m WSPR in a few minutes. This is "stand alone", so will work once synced to internet time.

JT65 issue?

My shack PC did a Windows 10 update this evening. Whether this was coincidental or not I cannot tell, but neither WSJT-X or JT65-HF software now work: my FT817 refuses to go on TX. I need to check this out in the morning. It could be something tivial. I hope so. I shall look tomorrow with a clear head.

Ickworth (National Trust) - NOT amateur radio

Today, we went for a walk at the National Trust grounds at Ickworth near Bury St Edmunds. It was very hot, for a change. In the car coming home it touched 30 degrees Celsius. There were several dragon flies and damsel flies about.

Trident Vote - NOT amateur radio

This evening, the UK Parliament votes on whether or not to renew the Trident submarines which carry our "independent" nuclear deterrent.  I personally think this is a TOTAL waste of money. Most nations don't have this. Are we really any safer? Personally I'd rather spend the money (£100 billion?) on things that help us with 21st century threats such as terrorism.

What amazes me is why so many in the UK parliament think this is "a good idea". Sorry, but we are in NATO and are very very unlikely to fire nuclear weapons. In my view, Trident should be phased out as soon as possible.

Sorry if this is political, but I hate the whole idea of the UK having nuclear weapons at all. Were these ever to be used, it would be the end of civilisation. We should be setting an example for others to follow. Please don't tell me Trident is a deterrent. It certainly is no deterrence against terrorism and never has been. If we are short of money then we should spend what we have prudently.