6m JT65

I have been on 6m JT65 transceive (1W ERP) since before breakfast. Plenty of European Es spots.

10m WSPR

Since before breakfast, I have been on 10m WSPR TX (500mW). Although I have spotted Finnish stations on 6m JT65, there are no reports as yet of my 10m WSPR. As I have said before, my antenna is probably poorer on 10m, but also I think the 2 minute TX time causes some spots to be missed. It would be good to have a version of WSPR with 1 minute periods WSPR1? This would be an ideal mode for Es when signals can be strong but openings brief.

UPDATE 1728z:  9 unique spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR so far - all Europeans by Es. So far, just Denmark and Germany on 10m WSPR.

2m UKAC activity contest - July

Luckily I had an email reminding me of the 2m activity contest (UKAC) this evening. Best DX was the Isle of Wight at 213km. Not bad with 5W and an omni antenna in 45 minutes.

More from OFCOM

The latest news from OFCOM.

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/92C41206C0E3975D2540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

op. Peter G3JFS became Club 72 member.
His membership certificate # 99 of July 4, 2017.
Dear Peter, we wish you good health and keep your high QRP activity!

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"


This is a periodic Newsletter of the Club 72. Don't reply to Newsletter address! Send any requests or news to mr72@club72.su please.

Climate Change and Mr Trump - NOT amateur radio

Please someone, tell Donald that climate change is not a hoax. Most on this planet are convinced that concerted global action is needed. The Paris climate agreement was a step on the way. Together we have some, albeit slim, chance of leaving a better world for our children and grandchildren.

See http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/professor-hawking-warns-trumps-actions-could-push-earths-climate-over-the-brink_uk_595a1f7de4b05c37bb7f666d?+UK+070317

See also http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php

6m JT65 again

After another day with Japan copied on 6m JT65, I am again on 6m JT65. It would be good, no remarkable, if my own 6m JT65 signal was spotted in Japan. These very long paths to Japan soon disappear in the next few weeks.

UPDATE 0809z: Plenty of 6m JT65 spots within Europe, but no signs (yet) of anything further afield.

UPDATE 1604z: I am again supposed to have spotted a station in Indonesia on 6m JT65. As before, I do not believe this. I am sure this is a UK pirate, unless proved credible. Funny how all the spots are in the UK and not one in Europe.

UPDATE 1635z: I am supposed to have spotted VU5SGO (7156km) in India on 6m JT65. Judging by others who he has been spotted by, I think this is either a false decode or a pirate too. Pity.

UPDATE 1852z: Now I am supposed to have spotted AR6FDG (6099km) in Pakistan on 6m JT65. Only 2 G stations are shown as having spotted him. UK pirate? Also JW7QIA (2917km) which is believable. It is quite hard to know which are genuine.

New webpage about HF conditions

Yesterday, I added a new page to my main website. This is about HF conditions.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx .

All the pages on my main website may be accessed at http://www.g3xbm.co.uk.  Here, if you drill down, you will find a wealth of data and projects.

Sunspots - Tuesday July 4th 2017

Solar flux is 72 today. Sunspot number is zero. A=5 and K=0.

Bee on lavender - NOT amateur radio

This bee (and lots more!) were busy on a lavender bush at Anglesey Abbey near here yesterday.

Again! - NOT amateur radio

Yet again, my blogs are being targeted by interested parties in a certain eastern European country. One of my blogs has already had 5 times the normal level in a day!! I hope the account is secure and they soon go away.

UPDATE 2102z: At the moment visits to this blog are running at about twice normal levels at this time. I wonder why? 😜

6m JT65

Today, I am on 6m JT65 (1W ERP) transceive. There is already Es about from eastern Europe mainly.

UPDATE 0858z: EA8DBM (3015km) spotted my 1W ERP QRP 6m JT65 a few minutes ago.

UPDATE 1740z: JG2BRI (9445km) was spotted on 6m JT65 this morning. First Japanese station spotted for a while on 6m JT65.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday July 3rd 2017

Solar flux is 72 today and the sunspot count is 11. A=18 and K=1. As I have not been on 10m since last week (6m instead!), I may drop the references to 10m.

QRP and QRP Club

This was the latest from Oleg. I get these most weeks:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous Report (July, 2, 2017)
Visitors  of  the week: US5ERQ, RV3GM, UR5EFD, UY1IF, Z35M/p, SM2FIJ,
UA1CEG,  OM6TC,  G3JFS,  UR5EFD,  UR0ET,  UA0SBQ/p,  OH6NPV, RA1M/mm,
LA8BCA/p, ON4ADI, PA0WDW, R4NX, ON6KZ, US3EN, UA4NU, RW3DF, UA6BFE/p,
R2FAE,  ON6WJ,  ON4KCY,  RW3AA, HB9DAX, EI2CN, UR5IFM, RZ4NWA, R1CAN,
RU3NJC, YL2TD
Greetings for new Visitors - ON4ADI, EI2CN, YL2TD - you are welcome!
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 web page
Comments...
see  full  version  of the WQR Report including a lot of comments and
picture on the blog - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
See all QRPers on the next "rendezvous"!

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"


This is a periodic Newsletter of the Club 72. Don't reply to Newsletter address! Send any requests or news to mr72@club72.su please.

Family gathering - NOT amateur radio

This weekend my wife's brother and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a party in Cheshire. It was a good chance for my wife to catch up with relatives not seen for a while.

Family clock - NOT amateur radio

This clock, recently restored, has been in my wife's family since the 1700s.

It is not worth much, but it is good to think it has been cherished all that time.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday July 2nd 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 11.  A=11 and K=4. Although I am not active on 10m currently, there is plenty of Es in evidence on 6m.

For the longr term solar slide see http://www.solen.info/solar/ . Actually, June was slightly better than expected, although overall there is a gradual slide.

6m JT65

At the moment, I am on 6m JT65 transceiver (1W ERP). I am being widely spotted in Europe by Es. Nothing seen further afield. I have been on since about 1045z.

UPDATE 1542z:  My most distant report on 6m JT65 today is from OH4SS (1805km) in Finland. Nothing outside Europe.

UPDATE 1900z: EA8DBM (3015km) spotted my 6m JT65 just over an hour ago. I think this was Es.

They are back! - NOT amateur radio

Even though I was away a couple of days, at least a couple of my blogs have had a monthly visit from hackers in a certain country in eastern Europe looking for vulnerabilities and seeing if the blogs are worth hacking. Welcome back!

This seems to be a monthly "probe" when visits go through the roof. This blog is of little interest I suspect and next week numbers will return to normal. Sad! I take a look at the visit numbers and the countries and I can always tell.

From what others tell me, I am not alone. Sad people, just go away.

Away - NOT amateur radio

There have been no blog updates since Friday as we were away at my brother-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary in Cheshire. It was an occasion for my wife to meet up with her cousins and relatives at an occasion other than a funeral! Luckily the sun shone and everyone had a good time.

Wasting my time?

Most of this Es season, I have been on 10m WSPR TX running 500mW from my little W5OLF WSPR beacon. It is on the same antenna that I used a few years ago on 10m WSPR when I was spotted in every continent.

Although I have been widely spotted across Europe and once in South America, I feel I am wasting my time. Although I know HF conditions are far worse than a few years ago on 10m, there seems to be a general lack of activity on 10m WSPR: I get far better results on 6m JT65. So, I shall probably stop 10m WSPR soon.

More Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we went to Ely with one of my wife's college friends. The photo shows Ely Cathedral across the fields in winter. It is stunning at all times of the year.

Es past its best?

Although there has been Es about on 10m and 6m in recent days in Europe, it does not seem quite as good as a few weeks ago: openings seem later and smaller. This may be just a blip. In the past, I have seen 6m Es as late as September. In past years, I seem to get more northern spots later in the season.

It would be interesting to know what others think.

Certainly the earlier weeks were very good, although I remain to be convinced the longer distance openings were "sporadic" E. E layer maybe, but I am unconvinced by the conventional wisdom these are multi-hop Es. Some maybe, but the USA, South America, Japan and the Caribbean I feel sure are a different mechanism.

More from OFCOM

This time, I did get an email from OFCOM.

They are updating their policy on DECT guard bands. Not of direct interest to radio amateurs.

See http://ofcom.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/i/4A22066B841A4D852540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

Rally on Sunday July 2nd

2 JULY 2017 : BARFORD NORFOLK RADIO RALLY


Barford Village Hall & Green, Barford, Norwich NR9 4AB Doors open 9am (traders from 8am) with Talk in on S22. There will be trade stands, car boot sales, a Bring & Buy, raffle, repeater groups, catering and free car parking. Entry £2 per person / under 16s free. Pitches £8, indoor tables £10 Contact radio@dcpmicro.com www.norfolkamateurradio.org

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

10m WSPR

As this uses a separate rig and antenna, I am currently on 10m WSPR TX (500mW), but so far just local spots from G4KPX (14km).

6m JT65

At breakfast time, I returned to 6m JT65 transceive (1W ERP). So far just G spots given and received.

UPDATE 0946z:  Still just G spots. No Es seen here yet.

UPDATE 1058z: EA7DUD (1767km) working G0PQO coming through strongly on 6m JT65, presumably Es.

UPDATE 1206z:  Best DX on 6m JT65 RX is UX4UA (2082km).

New Digital Mode from K1JT

Just got this from Bob G3WKW:
Steve (K9AN) and I have developed a potential new mode for WSJT-X. We're calling the mode "FT8" (Franke-Taylor design, 8-FSK modulation). FT8 is designed for situations like multi-hop Es where signals may be weak and fading, openings may be short, and you want fast completion of reliable, confirmable QSOs.

Important characteristics of FT8:

  - T/R sequence length: 15 s

  - Message length: 75 bits + 12-bit CRC

  - FEC code: LDPC(174,87)

  - Modulation: 8-FSK, keying rate = tone spacing = 5.86 Hz

  - Waveform: Continuous phase, constant envelope

  - Occupied bandwidth: 47 Hz

  - Synchronization: three 7x7 Costas arrays (start, middle, end of Tx)

  - Transmission duration: 79*2048/12000 = 13.48 s

  - Decoding threshold: -20 dB (perhaps -24 dB with AP decoding, TBD)

  - Operational behavior: similar to HF usage of JT9, JT65

  - Multi-decoder: finds and decodes all FT8 signals in passband

  - Auto-sequencing after manual start of QSO

*Comparison with slow modes JT9, JT65, QRA64:*  FT8 is a few dB less sensitive but allows completion of QSOs four times faster.  Bandwidth is greater than JT9, but about 1/4 of JT65A and less than 1/2 QRA64.

*Comparison with fast modes JT9E-H:*  FT8 is significantly more sensitive, has much smaller bandwidth, uses the vertical waterfall, and offers multi-decoding over the full displayed passband.

*Still to come, not yet implemented:*  We plan to implement signal subtraction, two-pass decoding, and use of "a priori" (already known) information as it accumulates during a QSO.

Three extra bits are available in the message payload, with uses yet tobe defined.  We  have in mind special message formats that might be used in contests, and the like.  Your considered suggestions for use of these bits are very welcome!

K1JT, K9AN, and G4WJS have conducted on-the-air tests of FT8 with excellent results.  We're now at a stage where tests under a wider range of conditions are desirable.  If you can build WSJT-X from source code revision r7750 or later, and would like to help, please do so and report your results to us!  Pre-built installation packages will be made available after further testing is completed.

Suggestions for FT8 setup and examples of use can be found in a screen shot posted here: http://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/ft8.png

We look forward to receiving your feedback.

   -- 73, Joe, K1JT

It will help to have some initial frequency coordination among those
testing the new FT8 mode in WSJT-X v1.7.1.

To help get things started, we suggest using the following frequencies:

Band    MHz
-------------
 160   1.841
  80   3.579
  40   7.079
  30  10.141
  20  14.079
  17  18.105
  15  21.079
  12  24.920
  10  28.079
   6  50.313
   4  70.094
-------------

Most of these suggestions follow a simple guideline: add 3 kHz to the
commonly used JT65 dial frequency.

For 6 meters we suggest using 50.313, which should be consistent with
band plans in all IARU Regions.  (Six meter activity that's now on
50.276, world-wide, might be moved to 50.310.)

We are very much open to suggestions for changes in the above table.

   -- 73, Joe, K1JT

Friedrichshafen

This large German rally is really an international affair attracting visitors from all over Europe and beyond. As little new was announced at Dayton, USA by the big Japanese companies, it is unlikely we'll see anything new announced in Europe, but I have been wrong. It would be nice to be surprised.

As far as I know, it is the biggest rally in Europe. It is too far for me.

The rally is just a few weeks away.

See http://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.de/ham-en/

Sunspots and 10m - Friday June 30th 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number is 12. A=5 and K=1.

Back to 6m JT65

After a few hours on 10m JT65 (no spots), I have returned to 6m JT65 - no spots yet.

UPDATE 2050z: GI4SNA (488km) is the best DX on RX so far on 6m JT65. G0HOF (45km) is the best on TX (1W ERP).

UPDATE 2200z: M1BXF (14km) is also spotting me. No Es here now on 6m JT65. I shall probably go QRT soon until breakfast.

Now on 10m JT65

For a change, I am now on 10m JT65 (2.5W). So far, nothing on RX or TX.

G0PQO contacted me to say I'd been calling him for 5 hours on 6m JT65, and I said I had not been. Then I found out that, in error, I had been, so I had to eat humble pie! Sometimes I am really stupid.

More 6m JT65 "DX"

Yet again this morning, I am supposed to have copied another Indonesian on 6m JT65 at not far short of 12000km. Yet again, this is surely a pirate and I have discounted this as a real spot. If true, it would be noteworthy. As a pirate - just sad.

Rallies this Saturday

1 JULY 2017 : BANGOR & DISTRICT ARS ANNUAL RALLY
Donaghadee Community Centre, Parade, Donaghadee BT21 0HB Doors open at 11.30am. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy and an RSGB bookstall. Catering is available on site. A raffle will be held on the day. Contact: Harry Squance, GI4JTF on 0777 594 2174 or by email to gi4jtf@gmail.com.

1 JULY 2017 : 1st HOUGHTON LE SPRING ARC RALLY
The Dubmire Royal British Legion Club, Britannia Terrace, Fencehouses DH4 6LJ Doors open 10.30am until 3pm. Entry is free. There will be traders, club and private stands. Table space is limited (and free) and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Tea & coffee will be available and a licensed bar from 11am. Details from Ken, M6ELL by email m6ellken@aol.com or on 0795 146 0290.

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

OFCOM

Usually, I get an email from OFCOM, but I seem to have missed the latest. I expect this is human error or, more probably, a computer error. I get pretty annoyed with computer generated emails. Lately I have received these from Direct Line, Barclays, British Gas and OFCOM to name just a few. You just know no human was involved.

Anyway, enough moaning, and back to OFCOM. This is the latest statement about enforcement.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-2/ofcoms-approach-to-enforcement

Waffle, more waffle, and basically unless money is involved go away as we are unlikely to help you. Sorry, but bring back the GPO man who understood radio and really tried to help. Basically OFCOM is, for the radio amateur, a waste of time. Run by headless chickens, it would seem, who have no real knowledge of radio. That is my personal experience and I accept others may have had a better experience.  Sadly OFCOM comes across as a QUANGO trying hard to justify why it is there. My personal view is scrap it. Unless it employs people who really understand radio, they have no hope of doing a useful job.

Bitter and twisted? Me?

Active on 10m WSPR TX and 6m JT65 transceive

At the moment I am on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) and 6m JT65 transceive (1W ERP). I may change bands and modes later.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday June 29th 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 13. A=4 and K=2.

There was a little 10m Es earlier when my 500mW WSPR was spotted in Italy.

UK bee-eaters? - NOT amateur radio

Climate change is real (someone please tell Donald, but use simple terms) and some European birds are spreading further north. In the 1980s it was little egrets and now there are increasing sightings of cattle egrets. It is possible that the lovely bee-eater will soon be quite common in the UK. The number of sightings is rising and they have bread in the UK in recent years. I've seen them in southern Europe, but never (yet) in the UK. They are stunningly beautiful birds.

There are several different sorts around the world.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-40428787 .

6m and 10m TX again

After a break because of the risk of storm damage, I am currently on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) and 6m JT65 transceive (1W ERP). I am still keeping a watchful eye on the lightning maps and will disconnect everything if I deem the risks are too great.

UPDATE 1544z: Plenty of EU spots on both bands. Maybe I should try 6m WSPR (rather than 6m JT65) tomorrow?

UPDATE 1823z: Interesting that only 7 unique spots on 10m WSPR since I turned on earlier this afternoon and 6 were German! On 6m JT65 I have spotted, and been spotted by, stations all over Europe. I don't think this is just down to the antenna. I think there is more activity on 10m JT65 than 10m WSPR. Maybe I should give 10m JT65 or even JT9 a go tomorrow?

Ely Cathedral - NOT amateur radio

Today we took one of my wife's friends to Ely, about 12 miles from here. We ate at the nearby Almonry, which is also very old. The photo shows the nave leading down to the famous wooden octagon lantern made of wood. The octagon dates back over 600 years.