HF Codec

Southgate News reports on a new codec that encodes speech in just 450Hz.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/july/codec2-hf-digital-voice-at-450-bps.htm#.W0ITIZDTWf1

Apologies

As many of you know, l am not at home so am unable to do the blog as usual. This means I am  unable to do some edits. Also I am not "on the air".

Sunspots - Sunday July 8th 2018

Solar flux is 72 today and the SSN 0  A=5 and K=1.

Walk- NOT amateur radio

Years ago this would have been a trivial walk for me. Nowadays it is like climbing Everest. I walked from Salcombe to my brother's house a distance of 2.9 miles along the Devon lanes. For me this was important to know I could do it. It took me 1.25 hours which for me is good. It was very hot and Devon hills are steep!

Noctilucent clouds

Southgate News reports that noctilucent clouds were spotted over Washington state  on July 4th. For a long time I have had the view that these have something to do with the very long paths from Europe to Japan on 6m. These openings usually happen in June. If any openings are happening I am missing them.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2018/july/night-shining-clouds-sighted-over-the-usa.htm#.W0DolJDTWf0

South Devon - NOT amateur radio

Batson Creek near Salcombe earlier.

Sunspots - Saturday July 7th 2018

Solar flux is 71 today and the SSN 0. A=7  and K=1 .

Licence free microwaves

According to Southgate News OFCOM is to allow licence free use of 55GHz spectrum.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-2/fixed-wireless-spectrum-strategy

Sunspots - Friday July 6th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 0. A=17 and K=4.

Rallies

Saturday 7 JULY : STOCKPORT RS RALLY

Walthew House, 112 Shaw Heath, Stockport SK2 6SQ. Car parking is available around the venue and a talk-in station will be on the air. Doors open from 10am to 4pm, with disabled visitors gaining access at 9.30am. Entry is £2. There will be trade stands, special interest groups and an RSGB book stall. Contact Nigel Roscoe, G0RXA on 0750 690 4422 or by email to info@g8srs.co.uk.


Saturday 7 JULY : BANGOR + DISTRICT ARS ANNUAL RALLY

Donaghadee Community Centre, Parade, Donaghadee BT21 0HB (100m from harbour). Doors open 11.30am, admission £3. Free car parking, disabled facilities, Harry's RSGB bookstall, traders, Bring & Buy, raffle, refreshments. Harry, GI4JTF, 02890 422 762 www.bdars.com.


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

Canary Wharf - NOT amateur radio

Canary Wharf in east London has grown into a major financial centre with lots of tall skyscrapers as the photo shows.

Sunspots - Thursday July 5th 2018

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number still zero. A=5 and K=1.

6m FT8 RX

Today I have again been monitoring 6m FT8 RX. Best DX was PV8DX (7830km) in northern Brazil.

2m Activity Contest (UKAC organised by the RSGB)

Last night, as usual, I went on the 2m UKAC activity contest last night. Best DX (5W to an omni big wheel) was DK0IZ (646km). In all, 11 different stations were worked although I was operating for just 30 minutes. Conditions were up.

Sunspots - Wednesday July 4th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=1.

World Cup Football - NOT amateur radio

OK, I am not a great football fan, but I had to watch England v. Colombia tonight. We so nearly won in the 90 minutes, then they equalised. After a further 30 minutes it was down to penalties and Colombia saved one! In the end England won the penalty shoot-out.  Talk about doing things the hard way.

Not sure watching these games is good for the heart. 😅

Bee Swarm - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday was hot and sunny, so we went to Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk. The repairs are still going on and they could last 3 years. Whilst there, there was a bee swarm on the wall just to the right of the bridge into the Hall. They looked pretty docile.

OFCOM Communications Monthly

OFCOM has just published its "Communications Monthly".

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/2214C158C2ED643F2540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

10m WSPR TX

Some early Es on 10m today. Already, some early spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon from Italy and Germany. Today could be a good day.

UPDATE 1418z: 5 different stations have spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon today. All were Es with best DX EA1FAQ (1249km) in northern Spain.

UPDATE 1536z: 29 spots today on 10m WSPR, all morning ones.

UPDATE 1747z: 33 spots today. My best spot is by EA8BFK (2880km) in the Canary Is again.

6m FT8

An earlier call to G3PXT went unanswered, but I was spotted by 6 G stations. Best was M0BEW (194km) near the Welsh border.

On 6m FT8 RX there is already (0840z) Es evident with spots from southern Europe already.

Sunspots - Tuesday July 3rd 2018

Solar flux is 68 today. The sunspot number remains 0. A=3 and K=1.

BREXIT - NOT amateur radio

Apparently the UK Cabinet meets on Friday to agree the UK's position on leaving the EU. Some tough talks are ahead.

Members of the EU are paranoid about it failing, worried about losing our budget contribution and perhaps a bit jealous. At the same time, the UK Prime Minister is weak with much squabbling in her ranks. Later this week we'll really see the truth.

I voted "REMAIN" 2 years ago, but there is a lot wrong with the EU. In my view, it has to reform or it will fall apart. Leaving the EU is fraught with economic dangers.

Missing 12 year olds found alive in Thai caves - NOT amateur radio

I really really hope this news is correct. What a traumatic experience.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44688909

UPDATE July 3rd 1302z: It looks like getting them out will be hard.

6m FT8 RX

Not a great day. Spots from the Baltic area and around the UK but nothing else today so far.

UPDATE 1514z: There you go - I speak and 6m FT8 opens up! Stations in France, Italy and Sicily spotted on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1632z:  Now Es from all over the place in Europe on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2010z: Whilst using my V2000 vertical omni on the 2m FM net I gather an HH (Haiti) was coming through on 6m FT8. I missed him! EA8JK (2999km) was worked on 6m FT8. As always, I was using 2.5W to my V2000 vertical omni fed with CB coax.

10m WSPR TX

Well, it is better than yesterday! So far, my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been copied in Germany and Italy today. Not great, but yesterday I got no spots at all.

UPDATE 1635z: Another spot from a different Italian on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 2018z: 10 different stations spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon today with EA8BFK (2880km) my best DX.

Sunspots - Monday July 2nd 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the sunspot number 0. A=4 and K=0.

630m (472kHz) WSPR receive

For a total change, I am using WSJT-X to receive 630m WSPR. This is high summer so there are few stations active. If I copy anyone at all, it would be good. I shall stay on overnight.

UPDATE JULY 1ST: PA3ABK (306km) copied last night.

My early recording!

Way back in about 1965 a friend, Francis Wood, and I made a record. As I recall it was me saying, "Mary had a little lamb". Very profound!  We used the lid of an old coffee jar, a big horn and a needle. It involved shouting very loudly!

Whilst looking for something else, I came across it earlier today. Of course, these days I have nothing to play it as all my record decks went long ago. My son has a deck, so I could ask him sometime.

It was with Francis that we made some early experiments with optical communications. OC171s with paint scraped off. Memories.

FT8 - like Marmite?

Here in the UK we have a savoury spread made from yeast called Marmite. Some love it and some hate it.

It is a bit like that with FT8. Personally, I like FT8 and Marmite! FT8 works with weak signals, but is definitely not a mode for chats. With my poor voice if fits well for me, as chatting is much harder these days. If you enjoy a good old rag-chew, this is probably not the best mode for you.

In its favour people are constantly monitoring a few kilohertz of each band so brief openings are noticed. In the past a CQ on SSB or CW could easily be missed.

SAQ (VLF) transmission today

An earlier transmission on 17.2kHz CW from the historic Alexanderson transmitter at Grimeton, Sweden was well received in Italy. I cannot remember if there is another transmission later.

June solar data available

The data for June is already available. Unsurprisingly, it shows sunspot numbers up on the previous month. Don't be fooled. The most probable trajectory is a further slow decline to the next minimum probably next year or the year after.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/

Interesting that this site thinks the solar minimum could be this year. We will see in another few years. I quote:

While smaller spots with the correct polarity alignment of cycle 25 regions have been observed at high latitude locations as early as 2016, this overview will only include spots large enough to have been visible at a 1K resolution. In the case of reversed polarity cycle 24 regions, those that are not at a sufficiently high latitude (ie. 30 degrees or more), are considered most likely to belong to cycle 24 and will not be included in this list until closer to the actual solar cycle minimum (likely to be sometime between April and December 2018).

Poor start today

Although I have been on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) since before breakfast not a single spot!

There was some Es evident on 6m FT8 RX early on, there was not that much. At this time, you get good days and bad. Often 6m opened to the USA in early July on SSB and CW.

I shall continue, more in hope than expectation.

UPDATE 1432z: Despite the very average Es today (actually poor) I have spotted 41 different stations in 13 countries today on 6m FT8. Still no spots of my beacon on 10m WSPR TX.

UPDATE 1948z: 53 different stations in 14 countries spotted on 6m FT8 in the last day. 10m? Still no spots today of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon TX.

Patio breakfast - NOT amateur radio

Eating outside is a novelty in the UK. Usually it is too cold. For several days now we have had really warm weather (for us) so we decided to have breakfast on the patio. We'll probably have lunch outside too.  As you can see from the photo, our grass is brown. Given a decent downpour it recovers!

Sunspots - Sunday July 1st 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 0. A=4 and K=0.

Storms getting closer to the UK

It looks more likely that the storms from Iberia will hit the UK tonight or tomorrow. As a precaution, everything has been disconnected: rigs, PSUs and antennas.

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

Not a great day

All day, I have been on 10m WSPR TX and 6m FT8 RX. It was a poor day here. Yes, there was Es on both bands but it was way down on the days before. All being well, I shall try again tomorrow. Some days will be average. I have still to copy the USA and Japan on 6m FT8 RX this summer.

More stroke - NOT amateur radio

Many are not interested, and this I can understand, but I feel the need to express to others just how I feel inside. Life is tough.

Giddy, exhausted, fog is how I'd best describe how I feel most of the time, especially when on my feet. My voice is also poor. Outwardly I look well with a heathy tan. However, inside I feel awful. However hard I try, I am unable to convey just how I feel.

On a recent holiday, someone else who had had a stroke said, "others just don't understand". How right he was. These are exactly my feelings and this precisely expresses my frustration. Others cannot possibly understand.

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

Status quo - NOT amateur radio

Life has a nasty habit of surprising us. We go along with certainties we have known for years, then suddenly something happens to remind us that change always happens. It can be someone dying or getting gravely ill, a different house or something far more trivial.

Change is part of life and the future holds all sorts of shocks. Those best able to accept are people who are not phased by changes or endings: people who can say, that is the end of a chapter and the start of a new one.

Today, we had my wife's cousin-in-law and his granddaughter for lunch and tea. My wife was very close to her cousin when she was little. A few months ago she died.

Sadly, I find endings hard. Perhaps we all do in our own way.

UK Thunder?

We have had (for us) a long warm (hot) spell of weather with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. At some point we are likely to have some thunderstorms in parts of the UK. Currently there are storms in Spain moving north. These could result in storms in south west England later.

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

10m WSPR TX

Yet again, I am trying with my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon. So far, just spots earlier from local G4KPX (14km) and no Es. Things may change.

UPDATE 0912z: EA8FBK (2880km) is again the best spot.

UPDATE 1911z: Just 5 different stations spotted my little 500mW 10m WSPR beacon today so far.