Margaret are you grieving.... NOT amateur radio

As one gets older thoughts turn to human mortality. All of us dies - this is more certain than BREXIT day.

One poem, spoken to a young child, that hits me is by Gerard Manley Hopkins, a metaphysical poet. You may know it. We are on this earth for a very short time really. Deep down, our mortality hits us in the pit of our stomachs.  Are we really just dust?

See https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44400/spring-and-fall

10m FT8

Although I am not sure why I bother, I have just (1033z) QSYed to 10m FT8. Yesterday was dire with just one UK station spotted. Today would be hard-pressed to be worse! At first I called CQ (2.5W), although I am now RX only. Guess what? No spots!

UPDATE 1447z: Well 10m FT8 RX is on a par with yesterday! So far, just 1 G spotted and no-one else. This was G0OYQ (177km).

UPDATE 1635z: Es? EB5GC (1593km) just spotted.

472kHz WSPR overnight

472kHz is definitely going "off the boil". Yet again, more stations copied me than I copied. Earlier in the "season" I always copied more stations than copied me.

472kHz WSPR overnight

Clunch outhouse - NOT amateur radio

For weeks now they have been rebuilding a clunch (kind of chalk) outhouse not far from our home. As I passed today, I noticed they had put half the roof on. The other half of the roof has still to be tiled.

Sunspots - Thursday April 3rd 2019

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 17. A=6 and K=3.

2m UKAC activity contest this evening

At 1900z (8pm UK local time) is the 2m activity contest. I usually take part with 5W and my omni antenna for about an hour. It is not essential to send in a contest log, but it is a fun contest and activity levels are usually high.

UPDATE 2028z: In all, 10 QSOs in 50 minutes (see above).

Return to 472kHz WSPR

Of late, 472kHz WSPR has not been at its best, but it has to be better than 10m FT8 today! So, about 30 minutes ago I returned to MF WSPR. Already I have spotted others and I have been spotted.

Blossom - NOT amateur radio

The garden next door has several apple and plum trees. At the moment, they look great as they are in blossom. In a few weeks this will all be gone.

Oscar 100 - still very quiet

Just a few moments ago there was an OE6 calling CQ via the satellite and getting absolutely no response. At most there were perhaps 3 SSB signals. There was one PA on Hellscreiber, so you could read the callsign and QTH locator by looking at the waterfall.

By now, with more people building gear, I was expecting it to be very busy. If anything, I suspect there are fewer users than a few weeks ago.

OK, this is a weekday. Perhaps people are tired of working the same people and telling them about their dishes and LNB? Maybe the challenge was getting that first QSO and now the interest is waning? Maybe just talking through a geosynchronous satellite is no challenge? Perhaps every QSO is just like another?

Perhaps this is all too premature. Having DX QSOs and local QSOs with no QSB at any time day or night takes some getting used to?

Lightning

At this time of year and in the summer, I regularly check on the possibility of nearby storms. If there is a chance of danger, I disconnect antennas and power sockets "just in case". Years ago one of my work colleagues house, on a very ordinary housing estate, was struck by lightning and he suffered great damage. Ever since, I have been a bit paranoid. OK a direct strike is rare, but power surges can and do occur.

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

Heron - NOT amateur radio

For about a week now, we have had a heron in our area. I suspect it is circling around looking for a quick fish meal from garden ponds. They are big birds that are unmistakable in the air.

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

OFCOM

OFCOM has published its Communications Monthly update for March. See their website.

10m FT8

At about 0925z I QSYed (ever hopeful!) to 10m FT8. Initially I called CQ (2.5W), but now I am RX only. So far no spots on RX or TX.

The peak summer Es "season" is only a few weeks away. Bands like 10m and 6m should provide Europeans most days. Often DX from much further way also comes in too. My theory is this is often some sort of chordal hop Es or Es linking with F2 further south. Certainly May-September can prove very productive on 10m and 6m at any point in the solar cycle.

UPDATE 1304z:  No spots so far.

UPDATE 1652z: Just one G spotted on 10m all day. G0KUC (87km) is the only spot all day. I guess for now, people are, by and large, looking elsewhere. Another month and they will all be back for the Es fun! Back to 630m WSPR shortly.

160m FT8 RX overnight

So 160m FT8 RX is still crossing the Atlantic. Last night, 10 North Americans and 1 Caribbean station spotted out of the 350 stations using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground with best DX spotted being KI5BLU (7636km) in Texas.

160m FT8 RX here overnight

Solar data published

The solar data I follow has been updated for March 2019. This particular source is still predicting that we have just passed the solar minimum. Certainly sunspots have returned this month and they we only missing for a few days. At the last minimum we were spotless for months. This is promising, although I have fingers, arms and legs crossed!  As said before, it is several months after the event that we can be sure.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/

For the latest forecast showing the upward trend is at http://www.solen.info/solar/images/cycles23_24.png

Sunspots - Tuesday April 2nd 2019

Solar flux is 69 and the sunspot number 17. A=8 and K=1.

160m FT8

As 10m FT8 was so poor, I QSYed to 160m FT8 a few hours ago, calling CQ initially but RX only for most of the time. No spots of my CQ (2.5W), but plenty of Europeans spotted on RX. As before, using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. I shall be on 160m FT8 RX until after breakfast.

UPDATE 2004z: 153 stations spotted tonight so far on 160m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2130z: 212 stations spotted so far this evening on 160m FT8 RX. Best DX is RO9O (5145km).

Horse chestnut trees - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday I posted a photo of the 2 ancient horse chestnut trees in our churchyard. This is a view of the same trees in the other direction.

Springtime - NOT amateur radio

Most of the spring daffodils are now dying, some weeks before Easter. Tulips tend to be short-lived but nice whilst they last. Many of the UK fields are sown with yellow rapeseed. To some the smell of these is off-putting.

Unless I am mistaken, next weekend is the US Masters golf from Augusta, Georgia, USA. They always seem to have plenty of colourful flowers for the TV cameras. Another year gone - where did it fly?

Awaiting updated solar data

My favourite place for solar data has yet to be updated fully. This usually happens in the first few days of the month. I am interested to see it they are still forecasting that we have actually passed through the minimum or still have some way to go. There were some tentative signs earlier last month, although these could just have been blips.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/

10m FT8

All night I stayed on 10m FT8.Only 1 spot of me (yesterday evening) by G4CJC (74km) 20 hours ago. This morning the only spot so far is of 2E0VDS (30km).

UPDATE 1738z: Totally dire! Nothing further here at all on 10m FT8 since the 2E0 around breakfast. This is one of the worst ever days here on 10m FT8. Soon be time to QSY, probably 160m FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Monday April 1st 2019

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0. A=11 and K=1.

My VERY old website

Today I discovered that there was a snapshot of my 1997 website on the Wayback Machine. This was almost 22 years ago! In those days we used dial up modems and I seem to recall that my very first CompuServe website (1994 I think - must see if there is a copy of this too!) used a 2.4k modem and involved a long distance phone call to connect. We have come a long way.

If you want a look, the old Demon website is at:
https://web.archive.org/web/19970328203144/http://lapr.demon.co.uk/

Spring hope - NOT amateur radio

Both our children and grandchildren have collected conkers from these old trees in our churchyard. No doubt children from countless generations have done the same. The trees were planted to celebrate the Battle of Waterloo (1815). Spring has sprung.

Furthermost east on Oscar 100

HS0AJ (Thailand) was just received via the web SDR on SSB via Oscar 100, the geosynchronous satellite. This is the furthermost east I have copied so far via this satellite. Activity on SSB seems to be gradually increasing as more stations assemble gear. He was using 2W, but I do not know the dish size. He must be on the easternmost coverage area.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/

10m Es already?

10m Es can occur at any time of the year, but it tends to peak May, June, July and August here. About 30 minutes ago I QSYed to 10m FT8 and was surprised to spot EA3HDZ (1213km) as well as a couple of Gs. My own CQ (2.5W) was spotted by no-one.

I am wondering if this is Es and whether with FT8 brief patches of Es (maybe very short-lived) are spotted earlier in the season? The main bulk of long-lived Es openings don't usually start here until late April.

UPDATE 1134z: 5 stations spotted so far today on 10m FT8 RX. 4 are Gs plus the EA3.

UPDATE 1319z: Now 8 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX with F6DAY (788km) spotted around 1100z.

I keep forgetting about BST! An hour has to be taken off local time now to get GMT.

UPDATE 1538z: Now 9 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX today. All but 2 are Gs.

UPDATE 2000z: Still 9 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX today. I shall be staying on 10m FT8 RX overnight, although it is unlikely I shall spot any now until tomorrow morning.

Sunspots - Sunday March 31st 2019

Solar flux is 69 and the sunspot number zero. A=4 and K=0. Still looks like we are scooting along the bottom of the solar minimum.

472kHz WSPR overnight

Things are definitely going "off the boil" on 472kHz WSPR. Yet again, I copied fewer stations than earlier in the "season". This may be my last outing on 472kHz until the autumn.

Returning summer migrants - NOT amateur radio

It is usually well into April before the common summer migrants here return from Africa. The earliest I have ever seen a swallow here is April 7th, although they are often seen in Devon much earlier. By the end of April they are ubiquitous. I am already scanning the skies!

QRPclub newsletter

The latest PDF version of Vestnik is now available.

See http://club72.su/vestnik/qv20.pdf

472kHz WSPR (10mW ERP)

A few minutes ago I QSYed from 10m FT8 RX to 630m WSPR (10mW ERP TX 20%, 80% RX) using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. It usually take about 20 minutes for the transverter crystal to settle on TX. Until this happens I usually get drift. Surprisingly, G8LCO (58km) has already spotted me a couple of times, albeit with drift - this drift should disappear before 1800z.

UPDATE 1750z: The transverter crystal has settled and drift on TX is now zero. M0FMT (51km) now copied on RX.

Sunspot minimum

Although the sun has been spotless of late, there are tentative signs that we may be climbing up from the sunspot minimum. OK, it is hard to tell and many months will have to pass before we can be sure. The last time I looked one forecast had the solar minimum as 2022 or 2023 whereas another said we had already had the sunspot minimum! As said many times, this is a bit like UK weather: sometimes you can be very wrong. 😕

Blackmail - NOT amateur radio

Despite have lost the vote no less than 3 times already, the UK Prime Minister is reported to be wanting a 4th go to get her "divorce bill" to leave the EU approved by the MPs in the House of Commons. Whatever your views, you have to admire her tenacity!

Personally, I think this is blackmail - she is pandering to MPs fears of no-BREXIT or a long delay. She also realises a General Election is unlikely to win her many friends. It is clear her deal is widely disliked.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47756122

Garden bird nests - NOT amateur radio

For certain a pigeon is nest building in the ivy in a tree overhanging our garden. Yesterday there was a robin exploring a nest box (used by robins 2 summers ago) and a blue tit exploring another nest box. There are probably other nests I am unaware of too. It is that time of the year when things come alive again.

Wasps - NOT amateur radio

In the last week, I have seen 2 wasps in the shack. I guess these climb in via my cable hole in the wall. I assume these are queens trying to find a place to nest. This is the first time I have seen them in the shack.

Years ago I remembered my dad being stung by a wasp. This would be in the 1960s. He was sunbathing in the garden when a wasp landed on his stomach. He sat up, trapping the wasp, that promptly stung him!

The photo is the own work of Trounce. See https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_wasp_2007-04-25.jpg#file .

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasp

10m FT8

About 10 minutes ago I QSYed to 10m FT8. At first I called CQ (2.5W) and got no spots, but now I am RX only (again, no spots).

ICOM IC9700 arrivals

MLS are expecting deliveries of this 2m, 70cm and 23cm SDR transceiver very soon now. I expect the same will be true of other suppliers. It is very similar to the IC7300.

2m FT8 RX

Since I turned on 2m FT8 RX late yesterday, no less than 65 stations in 7 countries spotted (see photo). It never fails. Don't forget this is just with a big-wheel omni - no beams!

2m FT8 RX since late yesterday here

UPDATE 1311z: Now 81 stations in 10 countries spotted here on 2m FT8 in the last day. Omni antenna still. Best DX is DF6PW (673km).

Sunspots - Saturday March 30th 2019

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=7 and K=2. Still pits!

2m FT8

For about an hour I have been in 2m FT8. After first calling CQ (2.5W) 6 spots with best DX GI6ATZ (478km). Yet again my QRP was spotted in Northern Ireland and Cornwall. On RX the best DX is DF6PW (673km). 2m FT8 is amazing.

UPDATE 1950z: 23 stations in 5 countries so far this evening on 2m FT8 RX.