Rally in N.Ireland

13 MAY 2018 : LOUGH ERNE AMATEUR RADIO RALLY

Share Centre, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh BT92 0EQ,. Access M1, A5 & A4 (NI), M/N3 (RoI ). Doors open at 11.30am. David, GI4VHO, 078-4291-0076, calderwood110@btinternet.com www.learc.eu.

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

Sunspots - Saturday May 12th 2018

Solar flux is 70 today and the sunspot number is 11. A=12 and K=4.

Back from holiday - NOT amateur radio

You may have guessed that we have been away for about 9 days. We are now safely home again.

Sunspots - Friday May 11th 2018

Solar flux is 74 and the sunspot number 11. A=12 and K=4.

Swifts - NOT amateur radio

Usually I see my first swifts at the end of April. This year, it was May 10th before I saw them and even that was in South Devon.  These are migrant birds and I suspect numbers are down. They have been seen for some weeks, but I had not seen any before yesterday.

Once I see them, they appear ubiquitous, screaming on the wing. Usually they are the most common bird seen in the spring/summer sky. They are here all May and June and then you just notice they have gone until next year. The skies are quiet.

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

EbNaut tests from IW4DXW on VLF

Riccardo is busy again with VLF transmissions.

"Hi Stefan, Lubos, Paul, VLF

Ok Stefan :-), here we go!

I'm starting a series of EbNaut transmissions, from 0800 UTC (9 May) every 8 hours. Then 3 messages per day (0000, 0800, 1600 UTC). 

QRG: 8270.003

2 ch.

30 sec./sym.

coding 16K21A

CRC 28

duration: 8h 00'

antenna current: 600 mA

many thanks for reports"

Sunspots - Thursday May 10th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today. Sunspot number is 22. A=16 and K=3.

Window shopping? - NOT amateur radio

Perhaps they should lower the windows so gulls can get a better view?

My dad's house - NOT amateur radio

Salcombe Devon Home

100 years ago, my dad lived here. At that time these houses were small, dirty and with an outside shared toilet. Nowadays they are posh holiday lets.

In 1959 my mum and dad sold our house in Salcombe for £1.9k. It now is for sale for £625k!! No doubt the buyer will be a yuppy banker who will use it for a few weeks a year. Salcombe these days is a very up-market town.

Back then - in fact when I was young - it was a thriving all year around community.  These days the wintertime population is a fraction of that in the summer. The main street is almost exclusively posh clothes shops catering for the rich yachters. Already the only bank has closed. To me, it is a society that cannot survive unless it evolves again into a 365/7 community again.

Realtime HF predictions

Southgate News reports on a website that gives near realtime HF predictions.

See http://www.bandconditions.com/

Radioworld will NOT be stocking the r828plus SDR transceiver

I contacted Radioworld about this HF SDR 10W radio to ask about their guarantee and was told:

"We will not be stocking the 928plus. as we feel that it is bad move for the original inventor."

Another supplier respecting the original inventor M0MKA.

Kits for the mcHF original are available from http://www.m0nka.co.uk/

 .

Sunset - NOT amateur radio

The sunset in the west last night in Devon.

The island is Burgh Island, made famous by Agatha Christie. King Edward VIII and Wallace Simpson stayed here too. There is a famous art deco hotel there and a sandbar which gets covered when the tide is in.

Rare square activation

This is probably more of interest to USA readers? According to Southgate News there is a DXpedition to a small island off New Orleans in square EL58hx. This is a very small uninhabited island that can only be accessed via a boat. No doubt the IOTA hunters will be pleased (NA-168).

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/may/el58hx-grid-expedition.htm#.WvHi2ExFzIU

2m WSPR

Although I have tried 2m WSPR it is not recommended. FT8 is much better.

On WSPR you are monitoring just a 200Hz window and most signals drift more than this.

On FT8 you are looking in a much wider window and the TX periods are just 15 seconds as opposed to nearly 2 minutes with WSPR. WSPR is theoretically able to work with weaker signals, but I find far more DX on FT8 than on 2m WSPR.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/2mwspr

Trump and the Iran nuclear deal - NOT amateur radio

OK, I am an outsider looking in, but I find President Trump hard to follow on the international stage.

Exactly what does he expect to achieve? Most in the world think the Iran nuclear deal should carry on.  President Trump does not.

So what will Iran do? Further destabilise the Middle East? No, my personal view is this man is dangerous and is a loose cannon on the world stage. Does he ever listen to advisors?

Why did so many in the USA voted him into office? "America first"? Recreating the America of 1950 is a dream, not a reality. The world is an interconnected place in the 21st century.  King Canute tried to stop the tides and failed. Trump will fail and sooner or later and the good people of the USA will realise this.  Building a wall with Mexico? Stopping steel from China? At the moment the US government and president are the butt of jokes around the planet.

Where are the values that really make America great?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-44049532

Wool - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we did a walk at Snapes Point near Salcombe.

We had to cross a field with several sheep and lambs. There was a lot of wool on the grass. Of course, this is raw wool. There was lots of wool on the fencing too.

HF Conditions

As mentioned yesterday, the next solar peak is likely to be similar to the last one, although these are just educated guesses at this stage. In a few years time, we may have a better idea.

Es is often a good second best and some really long paths are worked on 6m every year by Es. 6m JT65 was very good last year and this year 6m FT8 should be worth a try.

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

Beetle - NOT amateur radio

This was another insect seen on our recent Devon walks.  Although probably a very common sort, I have no idea what this beetle is.

Despite the recent hot weather in the UK there were lots of muddy paths. These were mostly in shaded spots. This one was on a dry path.

A built 10W SDR HF transceiver for less than £400?

A friend, Steve G1KQH, has passed this link on to me. This was the transceiver (imported from China) that MLS decided not to sell as it was a rip-off of a UK design that the inventor failed to register. At this price, it is hard to ignore. It is called the r928-plus.

See https://www.radioworld.co.uk/hf_transceiver/radioworld-hf-transceiver/r928-plus-full-hf-with-sdr-portable-qrp-transceiver

Sunspots - Wednesday May 9th 2018

Solar flux is 70 today. Sunspot number is 25 (the highest for a long time). A=14 and K=3.

Maybugs - NOT amateur radio

By Jost Jahn - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/
w/index.php?curid=56033607

Two things today got me thinking of cockchafer beetles. As a child, these were a regular sight on May evenings in the UK and I recall one morning (May 1960?) when we had about 50 caught in spiders webs.

I spotted a dead one earlier today. Also I read in the paper that the nickname of the bumble bee was dumbledore, which I always assumed was the country name for the cockchafer beetle. Apparently, that is the doodlebug, so there you go!

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

That elusive sunspot cycle 25

We still have a few years to run before cycle 24 ends (around 2020), but already there are new cycle 25 spots appearing. These are high latitude spots and only clear to those who know.

The "experts" seem to be saying cycle 25 will be similar to cycle 24. As with all these things experts are often wrong and it may be several more years before we get more meaningful predictions. I hope I am around to see it.

Chris Lorek G4HCL dead

A couple of people sent me a message to say Chris Lorek G4HCL had died suddenly. Many years ago I worked with Chris. Apparently he picked up an infection in Morocco and died of septicaemia in Goa.

See https://www.facebook.com/theRSGB/posts/1899999773624537

Es'hail 2 amateur satellite

It is some time since I last heard news of this satellite from Qatar. As far as I know it has not yet launched. It was due to carry a geosynchronous amateur satellite. It was due to be launched (I think) in late 2016, but was delayed.

River Avon - NOT amateur radio

There are several Avons in the UK. This is the Avon in Devon at Bantham. It is believed tin was floated down from Dartmoor and traded with continental people here 1000 years ago. At one time, Bantham was a busy port. There are remains going back to the Iron Age nearby many thousands of years ago. A few hundred years ago it was a centre for smuggling.

Yet more amateur VLF TXing from Italy

Near 8.27kHz is the frontier these days! News has come in of yet more tests from Italy close to this frequency by Riccardo. BTW Lubos is in the Czech Republic.

"Lubos,

many thanks for your report!

I'm testing the coil for long transmissions; I have observed, for my first time, that atmospheric conditions affects antenna current: for example, today it's been a sunny and dry morning, in fact I reach 625mA; in the afternoon the sky was so cloudy and I have measured only 570mA. Now the value is stabilized around 590mA (relative humidity's still high: 86%).

I'm preparing an EbNaut setup for next days: I will announce details soon."

Feeding from my hand

Last night, we went to my brother's house for a meal. It was great to be able to feed wild pheasants by hand in his garden (see photo). There is something rather wonderful when a wild bird trusts you enough to eat food directly from your hand. I have never been so close to live pheasants ever.

Sunspots - Tuesday May 8th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 14.  A=17 and K=3.

Another Bouvet Island DXpedition

DXpeditions rarely excite me.

If you have a mega station, the thought of calling and calling in the hope of being heard does not "float my boat". Some, however, love this aspect of the hobby and get very excited when a few keen individuals cross oceans to activate a really rare place. Take for example Bouvet Island. This team has a very swish website and is asking for financial support.

See https://bouvetoya.org/

Walk - NOT amateur radio

This morning we did a great walk at Snapes Point, near Salcombe, Devon. Unlike a few years ago, I found it hard going. I managed to slip and fall, although thankfully no damage done. The views are splendid.

At almost 70 I am finding some things quite hard now. Since my stroke in 2013 I am always giddy although several people say how well I look. In the mornings I am also very tired. I guess I have to learn to adapt and I am not as fit as I once was.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/stroke

14th century cross - NOT amateur radio

At the moment there seems to be a craze across the UK to hide painted pebbles. Young people especially seek these out, take a photo and post on social media, then re-hide the stone somewhere else for the next person to find it. It is innocent fun. Yesterday I noticed a stone on the base of this 14th century stone cross at Thurlestone, Devon.

Es season and getting outdoors

We are now in the Es season in the northern hemisphere and 10m and 6m will be good for low power DXing now for several months. On bands like 10m and 6m DX on SSB should be workable out to around 1500km with 1W or less. Often signals are very strong.

This is a good time to venture outdoors to a quiet electrical environment with a QRP rig. One advantage of a whip antenna is the whole rig can be moved around to get the best signal. Use a counterpoise.

There are some tips on pedestrian portable operation on my website. I guarantee you will not be disappointed! Many will be surprised how easy it can be. Whatever, it is a great way to enjoy sunshine and our hobby. Even outside the Es season DX can be worked, but the next few months are good.

Sunspots - Monday May 7th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today and the sunspot number 14.  A=31 and K=5.

The uBITX

This design from India appears to be gaining in popularity. Today, I was made aware (by Steve G1KQH) of a mod to increase the power output on higher bands. Several people are selling suitable enclosures.

Kits come from India with built and tested boards. As I understand things, it is very easy to build and test this multi-HF band rig. It looks a very low cost way of getting on HF.

See http://www.hfsignals.com/index.php/ubitx/

The other half? - NOT amateur radio

We did a lovely walk in Thurlestone, Devon earlier. On the way we spotted this in someone's garden. Talk about how the other half live!

"Just popping down for the weekend". I expect this is a second home and the owner pops down when it is sunny! He/she probably has a private jet to get further. 😊

Dual band antenna

Some years ago, I made this dual band antenna for 10m and 6m. It worked well.

See  https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/homebase

My MAIN website

A reminder to those who do not know that my main website is at www.g3xbm.co.uk where you will find plenty of details about my projects (mostly simple!).

I also have a YouTube channel G3XBM which has videos about many of my projects. If you have not had a chance, you may care to take a look.

President Trump - NOT amateur radio

OK, I have tried very hard to remain open minded, but personally I find his latest address to the NRA about blood on the floors of a UK hospital of little value. Yes, we do have a knife crime issue in some parts of some groups in the UK. In my view guns are not the answer to knife crime.

If I understand him correctly, his NRA address is aimed firmly at the powerful gun lobby in the USA.  Most of his tweets come from the hip it seems.  Who does he think he is? A wild west fighter from the 1800s?  No sir, you are meant to be leader of the free world! Instead many in the free world think you are just ignorant and stupid.  Sadly, we have very few truly great potential leaders.  The world is in great need of inspiring leaders.

My recommendation to him?  Please, just shut up. Read your briefs and stop spouting rubbish, especially if you are unclear of real facts on the international stage. If the good people of the USA elected you, that is fine. Internationally is a very different matter. The leader of the free world must be a person who is above reproach and highly respected on the world stage. 

These are my personal views based on what I have seen and heard with my own eyes and ears.   Others are perfectly entitled to have different views. A true democracy would be very weak if we were not entitled to say how we feel freely and openly. I respect the right of people to hold views very different from mine.

Promontory Fort - NOT amateur radio

At Bolt Tail, near Hope Cove, on the South Devon coast is a very old promontory fort. It is quite possible that one of my ancestors manned it many thousands of years ago, as this is where we came from at least as far back as the 1400s.

There is something quite humbling about this. Our lives seem quite long, but they are just a speck really. And this fort was built very recently considering life on Earth.

Dust to dust and all that.

Sunspots - Sunday May 6th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 14.  A=20 and K=6.