Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday Sept 6th 2016

Solar flux is 91 today and sunspot number 22. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

There was no solar forecast yesterday as I could not update the blog from my son's home in Kent.

UKAC 2m this Tuesday Evening

A reminder that this coming Tuesday evening 1900-2130z will be the 2m leg of the UK activity contest. Activity is usually high. Even if you dislike contests, these friendly contests are a way to enjoy increased SSB/CW activity. There is no compulsion to send in a log. The enjoyment is working new squares.

Garden winding down - NOT amateur radio

UK autumns often have strong winds. Winters often cold but not very cold. Some winters have no snow but the average winter has a few days of snow only. One winter is likely to buck the trend. For the last few years years our sensationalist press has been forecast a very cold winter. By the law of averages they will be right some time.

Lightning

According to my storm map there is thunder activity over Germany at the moment moving east. The UK seems to be storm free, just as well with lots of 2m contest stations with big antennas up high on hill tops.

See http://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en

QRP and QRPclub

More from Oleg:

"Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous report (August 29 to September 4, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week: UR5EFD, OH6NPV, DK1HW, US3EN, RV3GM, UA1CEX, RU3NJC, UA1CEG, UA1AV, UR0ET, UA1ASB, R4NX, RV3UF, OE3RV/p
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 page - www.club72.su

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72" "

RSGB 2m Trophy Contest

Because of my poor voice I was only on for a very short while this morning. In all I worked 5 QTH squares but could have worked many more if I had stayed on longer. Sunday morning is a good time as many stations have worked most stations and are looking for stragglers like me! My 5W and omni antenna did not seem to be a great handicap. Several continentals heard.

10m JT65 Sunday

I stayed on 10m JT65 overnight (no spots) and did a re-sync to Internet  time early this morning. There is already some Es about with HA5CAR (1451km) spotted and spotting me. IU1DZZ also spotted on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1130z: F5RRS (819km) has also spotted me on 10m JT65.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday Sept 4th 2016

Solar flux today is 99 and sunspot number. is 46.  K=4. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation is again "poor".

Church Bells - NOT amateur radio

 

There must be (at least) 2 weddings today as our local church bells have rung twice so far today. See also http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

2m contest reminder - this weekend

For once, I remembered!

This weekend is the 2m Trophy Contest organised by the RSGB, It runs from 1400 UTC Saturday until 1400 UTC Sunday. See http://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?year=2016&contest=144trophy&seq=

There is also the RSGB Backpacker's Contest on Sunday morning. I hope to be on for some of the time.

On Tuesday evening is the 2m UKAC Contest for September.

Even if you hate contests, these are a good chance to work a few new stations and QTH squares. There is no compulsion to send in a log. Just enjoy the activity.

UPDATE 2116z: I went on the 2m Trophy Contest for 20 minutes just now and worked 4 stations with my 5W and big-wheel omni. Best DX was a station in IO81RF which is 227km. I may try again tomorrow morning.

Letter from Howard in Billings Montana

I received a letter in the mail from Howard in Billings Montana MT59102-1420 USA. No callsign was given but he enclosed a stamp (USA Global) which I am not sure is valid on letters from the UK.

Howard is after a Peter Jones PK-205 straight key that was distributed in the USA by Palomar at one time. If anyone knows any data please contact me and I'll try to contact Howard. I don't think he reads the blog or has email/internet.

A quick Google search did not show any results for "Peter Jones straight key".  I wonder if he is no longer in business?

10m JT65

After no activity overnight, I switched everything back on 10m JT65 just after 0930z. So far no spots at all again.

UPDATE 1100z:  Still no spots on 10m JT65 here so far today.

UPDATE 1242z:  IK8TNG (1639km) has spotted me be Es on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1646z: Three Es spots so far on 10m JT65 (2 Italy and 1 France). No real DX seen yet. As there is no Es towards S.America, I think it is unlikely there will be any Es joining with F-layer today on 10m JT65. Let's hope I am proved wrong.

UPDATE  1912z:  Well. I was wrong! I have spotted stations in Paraguay and Brazil on 10m JT65 this evening already. I do not think this was Es related.

UPDATE 2018z:  With CU2ZG (2572km) in the Azores just spotted, and spotting me, I am wondering if the South Americans are a linkage of Es and F layer after all?  I have recently also spotted a couple of LUs on 10m JT65, with best DX  LU1ECF (11223km).

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

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday Sept 3rd 2016

Solar flux is 97 and the sunspot number 50. K=5. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor". Will it ever be better?

For a look at the solar conditions in recent months see http://www.solen.info/solar/ which shows the slow decline in solar conditions.. We are now on the way down the solar cycle but have a long way to go before the next minimum.

QRT time on 10m JT65

After the worst day I can remember on 10m JT65, it is time to go QRT and turn everything off until tomorrow. This was the first time in ages when I spotted no-one and no-one spotted me on 10m. Still, things are likely to get better F2-wise as we enter the autumn, at least on better days.

UPDATE 2150z:  Now QRT for the night.

Pizzas in Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

We went shopping in Cambridge this afternoon. These pizzas were in a cafe window. Although tempted, I resisted but they did look very nice. Out of interest, the cafe was on Be'n'et Street not far from the Mitre pub where DNA was first formulated and just across from Free School Lane where the old Cavendish Labs are: these were made famous by Rutherford in the last century.

Grandchildren gone home - NOT amateur radio

Lego done!

Well our grandchildren have gone home and the house is quiet again. We love having them, but as they say, "we love to see them and see them go".

QRT - storm risk, but now back on-air

As the weather forecast talked of storms and lightning this afternoon, I decided to go QRT this afternoon. Having just checked the lightning map, I have gone back on-air on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1606z:  Still no spots here on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1645z:  Still no 10m JT65 spots today. I have the feeling this is going to be a quiet day!

UPDATE 1844z:  Still nothing at all on 10m JT65 all day.

UPDATE 2002z:  Still all quiet on 10m JT65 here.

PSK reporter not working?

Ever since I went on to JT65 on 10m or 6m I have used PSKreporter maps to see who I am spotting or who is spotting me. In the last hour when I look, I have been unable to connect. This may be just a blip, as I have never seen trouble before. By contrast, WSPRnet has been very unreliable at times, so much so that it has been totally unusable at times.

UPDATE 1158z:  PSKreporter seems to work on 6m. Maybe it is just that there are no active monitors and no spots on 10m? So, maybe it is me.

VLF Loading Coil

Joe VO1NA sent me a nice photo of his VLF loading coil (8.277kHz), which I have copied here. For those carrying out radiated tests at VLF you have to be able to wind big coils!  Sadly, the top coil arced in testing and had to be rewound.

10m JT65 today

At the moment I am on 10m JT65. There have been no spots so far. No Europeans by Es, no UK spots - nothing! I shall stick with it but without Es it could be a quiet day, HI.

 UPDATE 1026z: Still nothing RX or TX on 10m JT65 here.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday September 2nd 2016

Solar flux is 96 today and sunspot number is 66. K=3. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Rally

Sunday 4 SEPTEMBER : TELFORD HAMFEST
Enginuity Technology Centre, Coalbrookdale, Telford TF8 7DU. Doors open at 10am. More information from Martyn, G3UKV on 01952 255 416. www.telfordhamfest.co.uk.

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

If going any distance it is worth contacting the organiser to check details.

End of main Es season?

It is now early September, which the UK Met Office calls the start of autumn. Nights are starting  to draw in and the days are shorter. With another day with no signs here of Es on 6m and 10m, I think we are definitely at the end of the Es season in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes there will still be some Es but nothing like the scale in the summer. Today, only UK spots on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. Let us hope the F2 this autumn is not too bad on 10m. I think tomorrow I shall switch to 10m JT65.

JT65 - early success on 6m

Although there is no Es evident here yet, several UK stations have spotted me, and been spotted' on 6m JT65. Best DX spot is G1IDZ (182km).

UPDATE 0938z: On 10m WSPR nothing since M0DMC (15km) who was consistently spotting me until early this morning. I have checked that the 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 are synced to internet time.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday Sept 1st 2016

It is hard to believe it is already September! Solar flux is 95 and the sunspot number 91 which is much higher than we have seen lately. K=4. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QST - thank you Rupert

Rupert G4XRV very kindly sent me a copy of September QST. Rupert reads my blog from time to time and saw that I had not seen the magazine in which my recent article appeared. This was very kind and much appreciated. Thank you Rupert.

Counting Sheep? - NOT amateur radio

This was one of my grandsons at our local farm shop and cafe. I wonder if he was counting sheep trying to get to sleep? He is eight, nearly nine.

Fun at the fair - NOT amateur radio

On Monday we went to the Fenland Country Fair.

Our grandchildren (5 and 8 years old) went on the helter-skelter twice. For the younger one, it was her first time.

They go home tomorrow.

Operating today

I decided to go on 10m WSPR (500mW) and 6m JT65 (1W ERP) today. 10m has been very quiet here but I had a number of UK spots of my QRP JT65 signal on 6m.  My best report on 6m JT65 was from G0VUH (157km). So far, I have seen no evidence of Es here yet on either band.

Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday August 31st 2016

Solar flux is 99 and the sunspot number 64 today. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

No Internet

Yesterday, we had no internet, so no posts were possible. I am very sorry. It is back today, so I hope to post more later, if the internet carries on working!

10m JT65 - South America yet again

PU2TWU (9572km) spotted me a little while ago on 10m JT65. I spotted EA8 (Canaries) about an hour ago. The latter could have been Es or F2. This is in the same direction as the South American station who spotted me. I am amazed how regularly I get spotted on 10m JT65 in South America with just 2W.  My antenna is low and nothing special, so I hope my results encourage others to try 10m QRP.

Fenland Country Fair - NOT amateur radio

We have grandchildren here this week. Today, we went to the Fenland Country Fair at nearby Stow-cum-Quy, where we have been for several years.

Sadly, the toy Land Rovers (electric cars) were not there. Our grandson enjoys driving these.

They went on lots of rides and enjoyed their ice creams!

QRP and QRPclub

More from Oleg:

"Dear Club 72 members and friends,
Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous report (August 22 to 28, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week: R2FAE, UR0ET, Z35M/p, OH6NPV, RV3GM, IU4HGH, US3EN,  DL1YAY,  RU3NJC,  R1CAF, OK1KW, EA2DT, IZ8FNY, UA1ASB, G3XJS, UR5EFD,  EW1CY,  UA1CEG,  OK1ITK,  DK5TM,  HB9FAB/p, OE5EIN/p, RD3DN, OH5LP, US5ERQ
OE5EIN became Frequenter of the QRP Rendez-Vous round tables
See full report with comments/pictures on the blog page - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Thanks to all for activity and comments! See all QRP stations in next week  Tuesday,  Thursday,  Saturday  at  9.00  UTC on 14060 (10116 if contest). Results, comments, reports, pictures are welcome.
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72" "

Sunspots and 10m - Monday August 29th 2016

Solar flux is 87 today. Sunspot number is 64. K=2 . Yet again, the forecast for 10m F2 propagation is "poor".

Brazil (yet again) on 10m JT65

https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html

PU1PJR (9573km) and PT9IR (9662km) were recently spotted on 10m JT65. It remains to be seen if my 2W JT65 on 10m makes it to deepest South America this evening. Most times I've been on in recent weeks I have spotted, or been spotted, deep into South America on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1930z: LU2FGL (11167km) in FF97 square was the best DX spotted on 10m JT65 this evening at 1902z.

UPDATE 2036z: With 4 different South Americans spotted on 10m JT65 (the latest was Paraguay), this is the best DX on the band for some time. I am still curious about the Es link as there was good Es in the right direction.

Rally today

Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society 2016 Rally 

Sunday 28th August 2016

The Irish Centre, Manor Fields, Watling Street, Bletchley, MK2 2HX(Opposite Dobbies Garden Centre - see map below)
ENTRANCE FEE £3.00 - FREE PARKING
The Milton Keynes Amateur Radio Society (MKARS) annual radio rally is to be held at this superb new location, which has excellent modern facilities together with free on site parking, indoor catering, a public bar and disabled facilities.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FROM 10AM
The new venue is located on the edge of Fenny Stratford on Watling Street.
From M1 Junction 13 - 7 miles (approx. 16 mins)
From M1 Junction 14 - 6.4 miles (approx. 15 mins)
Follow MKARS signs from the A5 roundabout Fenny Stratford 
TALK IN ON 145.550MHZ (S22)
Indoor trade stalls, club stall, electronics components tools and accessories. Antenna and rigging hardware, computer and electronics surplus.
Disabled parking area

AFTERWARDS WHY NOT VISIT THE RSGB NATIONAL RADIO CENTRE AT NEARBY BLETCHLEY PARK

Return to 10m JT65

A short while ago, I QSYed back to 10m JT65 from 6m. There is more chance of  DX on 10m especially this afternoon and evening.

UPDATE 1246z: We had a little rain about 30 minutes ago, but the weather looks good for most of the week ahead. We have grandchildren here, which is good.

UPDATE 1304z: Since returning to 10m I have not been spotted, or spotted, anyone yet!

UPDATE 1500z:  All the 10m JT65 spots were Es at breakfast time, with nothing since, as yet.

Our garden - NOT amateur radio

Our garden is better in spring when the blossom is freshly out.

Our grass is going brown in places as we had quite a decent August after a poor start to summer. It always recovers after some rain.

The picture shows me next to one of our rowan trees in our garden with the windmill in the background. Richard G3TFX took the photo. He thinks I should string a long wire to the top of the mill! Of course the top and sails turn to face the wind. It moves several times in a week. Currently the sails are facing west. In this picture they are facing south.

5MHz

Southgate News reports that the SARL is trying to get a 100kHz slot at 5MHz. I think this is wise. A larger contiguous band would be so much more useful than the 15kHz worldwide allocation that was granted at WRC 2015. I hope CEPT countries try for a 100kHz wide 5MHz band. It could happen that quite a few countries allocate a 100kHz wide band on a secondary basis to the amateur service. In the coming quiet solar years this could become an important band.