And another one.....NOT amateur radio

Donald has fired another one! Still there are over 200 million people left in the USA.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40980994 .

LF - 137kHz

In all the time I have been at this QTH (now over 4 years) I have never once used 137kHz. At the old QTH I did use the band occasionally. At various times I used a 137kHz QRSS beacon and WSPR using the TX transverter shown here. Best TX range was 250km. On RX I copied Sweden.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/137khz_tvrtr .

Thunder - QRT

We have just had thunder, so I decided to go QRT and disconnect everything. I may go on again later after the storm passes through. At the moment the storms look quite widespread and we have heavy rain.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/europe/index.php?lang=en .

UPDATE 1405z: The storms seem to have passed, although I'm not sure about what is happening just west of here. Maybe I'll give it another hour and maybe go on the air again? At the moment, the sun is shining. 😕

Rally this Sunday

20 AUGUST 2017 : RUGBY ATS ANNUAL RADIO RALLY
Princethorpe College, Princethorpe, Rugby, CV23 9PY Doors open from 10am to 4pm and admission is £3. Sellers can gain access from 8am. There will be a car boot area. Catering is available on site. Details from Tony, G0OLS on 0775 968 4411 or by email to rally@rugbyats.co.uk. www.rugbyats.co.uk
A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

6m FT8 RX

Apart from a very brief transceive period before breakfast (no spots) I have been RX only on 6m FT8. SK0TM (1156km) is currently the best so far on RX. Es I presume.

UPDATE 0940z: Nothing since 0718z.

UPDATE 1002z: Now Spain being spotted on 6m FT8 RX. Es, I assume, is back. I am sure that FT8 is catching brief openings that otherwise might be missed.

UPDATE 1124z: Balearic Is and Italy spotted now. Es, but perhaps 6m FT8 is allowing brief openings to be used now? Or is this just a good Es season?

UPDATE 1700z: After the storms I turned on the kit again. At the moment 9 countries spotted on 6m.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Since just before breakfast I have had my 10m WSPR beacon running 500mW. CT7AEZ (1618km) has spotted me, much to my surprise, very early. Obviously, we are still seeing Es.

UPDATE 0940z: Nothing since 0924z.

UPDATE 1006z: Now being spotted by EA1KV (1304km) as well.

UPDATE 1806z: With only 2 unique spots today, the 10m Es seems to have been confined to Iberia (Spain and Portugal).

Sunspots - Friday August 18thy 2017

Solar flux is 76 today and the sunspot number 30. A=29 and K=3.

Old statues - NOT amateur radio

It is rare for me to agree with Donald.  On most things I personally detest the man.

I personally think statues of the past should be left, even if we dislike them and what they stood for.  These are of the past, and times, and views, change. Destroying these (whether in Syria, Afghanistan, USA or UK) serves no long-term good. If we destroy everything we do not agree with today, we are making a judgment. Personally, I think every age should have a chance to make up its own mind.

Racism, bigotry and a lack of tolerance is always wrong.

My views, and I respect the right of others to disagree with me.

Earth Electrode Antennas

For some years, I have used earth-electrode antennas of the lower bands such as VLF/LF/MF. I have also tried these on 160m and 80m with less success. I have never claimed they work wonders, but if you are stuck for an antenna on the lower bands it will enable you to get out. On the lower bands you may be surprised how well this "antenna" works.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/earth-electrode-antennas

PW and RadioUser sold

According to Southgate News PW and RadioUser magazines have been sold to a new owner.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2017/august/new-owner-for-pw.htm#.WZVkQLpFzIU

6m FT8 RX

With 7 countries and 2 continents spotted already, this is another good Es day on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2032z: 21 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX in the last day. Good Es.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Much to my surprise, I see I have had 4 unique 10m WSPR spots already this morning with my best DX report being from IK1NET (981km). So, yet again, there is good, early Es on 10m.

UPDATE 2110z: 6 unique spots of my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon in the last day. Soon be time to go QRT.

Sunspots - Thursday August 17th 2017

Solar flux is 76 today and the sunspot number 30. A=6 and K=5.

Red-Legged Partridge - NOT amateur radio

Today, we had no less than 4 (a record) red-legged partridge in our garden. These are introduced birds from Spain and France, now well established here. We see some most days.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/r/redleggedpartridge/

Trump - NOT amateur radio

Well, yet again he seems to have put his foot in it. This time the issue is neo-Nazis and white supremacists in the USA. If he simply condemned violent and provocative acts, surely he would have better chances. Even some fellow Republicans are against him.

I don't live in the USA, but I do struggle to see how a rich billionaire can really represent "the common man". OK, he was voted in. The trouble is "you reap what you sow".

UPDATE 2148z: Now both Bush ex-presidents have said, according to the BBC, that Trump should  "reject racial bigotry, anti-Semitism and hatred in all forms".  I agree.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40946386

10m WSPR TX

Yet again I am on 10m WSPR TX (500mW). The only spot so far is by DK6UG (633km) before breakfast.

UPDATE 1622z: Six unique 10m WSPR spots received today. Best DX spot is from DK8FT (898km).

UPDATE 2200z: With no new spots since early afternoon, time to go QRT I think. Interesting how few 10m WSPR spots I got compared with the loads of spots I gave on 6m FT8. Either my 10m antenna is rubbish compared with the 6m one or, more probably, there are a lot more FT8 users than WSPR these days. 6m rather proved the Es was good today.

Sunspots - Wednesday August 16th 2017

Solar flux is 74 and the sunspot number 21. A=4 and K=2.

6m FT8 QSO with Spain

Earlier this morning, I worked EA5WU (1381km) on 6m FT8. I have worked a few stations before using this mode, but mostly I am RX only. On 6m my ERP is about 1W.

UPDATE 0910z: 8 countries spotted so far on 6m FT8 RX. Es good today.

6m FT8 RX spots today

UPDATE 1620z: 14 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX so far today.

UPDATE 1856z: With 24 countries spotted here on 6m FT8 RX today, this is a personal record. This mode certainly has "taken off". Good 6m Es again today.

PSK Reporter Maps - working again?

When I tried PSK Reporter Maps, it was working again. All my 6m MSK144 and FT8 RX spots for the last day appeared. I hope they have fixed it.

UPDATE 2004z:  These are the FT8 RX spots on 6m today as reported by PSK Reporter Maps. It seems it is fixed.

Sign of the times? - NOT amateur radio

Apart from getting cash from a machine, we rarely use our local bank these days. Not surprisingly, it is closing on November 10th.

There is a Post Office just across the road where you can pay bills to any bank, get foreign exchange and cash.

To be honest, I am surprised the only bank in the village has lasted as long as it has. We've been in the village since 1975 and the bank has been here all that time. I expect they will build yet more posh houses on the plot!

72 Group (QRP)

In the last hour I received an invitation to join the 72 group.

See https://groups.io/g/72/topics

UK Pound versus Euro exchange rate - NOT amateur radio

As I write this, the UK pound is close to its worst exchange rate in the last 12 months against the Euro at 1.096 Euros to the UK Pound. Instinctively, this "feels" wrong. Maybe the Euro is stronger than it was, but this feels untrue. Surely the Euro still has all its inherent issues that have not suddenly gone away?  No, I think this is a blip. Time will tell.

UPDATE 1525z: My personal view is the UK pound will rise in value against the euro. As I have said very many times, I am no expert and time may prove me totally wrong! My prediction was this would happen before the end of the year.

Blog visits up again

Even without the "probes" from a certain eastern European nation, visits to this blog have been up in recent weeks. Content is much the same, so I have no idea why this should be.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

About 2 minutes ago I started my 10m WSPR beacon producing 500mW. If I get any spots at all, it usually takes about 15-20 minutes for things to settle. As the Es season is waning now, I may get no spots all day.

UPDATE 0925z: Surprise! Already been spotted in Poland and Spain on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1042z: 4 unique 10m WSPR spots of me so far.

UPDATE 1052z: With spots from Italy just in, this brings the score to 6 unique spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR today. All Es I assume.

Return to 6m FT8 RX

This morning, I switched to 6m FT8 RX from 6m MSK144 RX. I think PSK Reporter Maps are still not working, so I  have to monitor WSJT-X on the shack PC to see what is being spotted.

I may try 10m WSPR RX later as this uses no PC, a separate rig and a separate antenna.

UPDATE 0906z: Best DX on 6m FT8 RX is Germany.

UPDATE 1340z: Best DX on 6m FT8 RX today is EA8 in the Canary Is. PSK Reporter Maps still looks in trouble.

Sunspots - Tuesday August 15th 2017

Solar flux is 73 today and the sunspot number 12. A=5 and K=1.

Southgate News and BBC Local AM radio

Southgate News reports that a number of BBC Local Radio stations are to go QRT on medium wave early next year. Personally I find this sad.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2017/august/bbc-to-switch-off-am-local-radio-transmitters.htm#.WZIFPbpFzIV

PSK Reporter Issues - still

Yet again, PSK Reporter Maps is not working. As far as I know this is the longest period of trouble I have known. Usually it is very reliable and I use it a lot. I hope they soon fix it.

2m UKAC results

The latest results are out and I see my position in the AL section is unchanged. As I was only on for a very short time (poor voice) with 5W and an omni antenna, I am quite happy with this.

Archetypal Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

In winter, Cambridge is usually quiet, but at this time of year there are plenty of visitors. This year, we seem to have more Far East visitors, probably because of the good exchange rates. The photo shows punts at Scudamore's boatyard off Silver Street.

6m MSK144 RX continued

Yet again, I continue to monitor 50.280MHz MSK144 RX during the Perseid meteor shower. PSK Reporter Maps is still not working properly, but I can see from my WSJT-X screen on the PC that I am copying stations from all over the place.

Sunspots - Monday August 14th 2017

Solar flux is 69 today and the sunspot number 11. A=7 and K=1.

PSK Reporter Issues

At first I wondered if I had a problem uploading spots to PSK Reporter Maps, then I saw they were 32 hours behind and were trying to fix the issue.

Up to now, it has been very reliable. The weekend of the Perseid meteor shower it falls over, which is a pity.

QRP and QRP Club

As usual, Oleg's weekly report:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly Rendezvous and Parade (WRP) Report (August, 13, 2017)

Keep attention, please!
For  all  active  QRP  operators, for all Rendez-Vous and Micro Radio
Parade  Frequenters and Visitors, for all simplest radio constructors
and milliwatt operators - new "72" e-mail reflector and on-line group
created. To enter the "72" group send empty e-mail to address -
72+subscribe@groups.io
see the group on-line -
https://groups.io/g/72

Visitors  of  the  week:  IT9IFI,  UR7VT, EW1CY, G4SSH, RV3GM, RV3UF,
UA1CEG/p,  ON6WJ, OH6NPV, RA7RA, DL3HXX, ON4ADR, DK1HW, DJ2DW, DL9FI,
I2QIL,  R1CAN,  RU3NJC,  YO3BL, IK2UZQ, IZ5IOU, US3EN, US5ERQ, UY1IF,
7X2EZ,  SM2FIJ,  F5SSI,  Z35M/p, UA1CEX, ON6KZ, G3XJS, RW3DF, RX3DOR,
R2FAE, G3JFS

Micro Radio Parade visitors -
EW1CY (200 mW), RV3GM (300 mW), UA1CEX (300 mW)

New RV visitors -
I2QIL, YO3BL, IK2UZQ - you are welcome!
See full Frequenters and Visitors lists on the Club 72 page, please.

Comments...
see full WRP Report including comments and pictures on the page -
https://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
That's all Folks for now!
See you all QRPers on the next RV and MRP!

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.

Swifts (birds) - NOT amateur radio

Well, I thought they'd all gone now until next year. As this evening was so nice, we had tea in the garden. 6 swifts were on the wing high above us. These may be northern birds passing through, but it made my day.

Swallows and house martins usually stay until well in to September, but there are few locally.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/s/swift/

Next UK Prime Minister? - NOT amateur radio

Since the last General Election the UK Prime Minister, Theresa May, is hanging on by a thread. It is rumoured that Jacob Rees-Mogg would like to be considered for the post. I have few doubts that he is an honourable man, but I doubt he would really understand "the common man". This is a personal view, and I may be wrong.  If elected in a vote, I think this would bring an end to Conservative rule in short order.

Sadly, we lack charismatic leaders in any political party in the UK. Looking around, we have career politicians, but few real leaders. Hopefully this will change.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-40916687

Parsonage Farm - NOT amateur radio

This started as a workers co-operative where everyone was paid the same. It is still going strong today (Delta-T) making scientific kit mainly related to plants. This is in our village (Burwell, Cambs, UK).

6m MSK144 RX again

As mentioned yesterday, the Perseid meteor shower is peaking, so I am monitoring 6m MSK144 (50.280MHz) all weekend, hoping to catch some meteor scatter activity.

UPDATE 0916z:  MS spots from all over the place including Norway, Germany and Italy.

UPDATE 1906z: Now spotting Switzerland on 6m MSK144.

Sunspots - Sunday August 13th 2017

Solar flux is 70 today. Sunspot number is 11. A=11 and K=2.

Reviews - NOT amateur radio

It seems that almost everything you do on the phone or internet now is followed up by a request for feedback asking how good they were. Being a cynic these days I refuse to complete these. Some may well be genuine, hoping to get feedback so they can do better, but I suspect many sell your details on so you can be targeted with junk mail and junk phone calls.  So, I just delete these. Call me a boring old fart, but I am not increasing my chances of being a target.

If I get very good or bad service I am quite happy to write an email. Many years ago I wrote to the MD of Dell. Within days I had a phone call back from their head office and my PC was fixed. Sometimes this works. The last thing big companies want is adverse publicity. When you get very good or very bad service you tell people. They prefer you to tell others when things are good.