Sunspots - Friday September 13th 2019

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN is still zero. A=7 and K=3.

Late switch to 2m FT8

Quite late (about 2200z) I switched to 2m FT8 from 6m FT8. I shall probably stay on 2m FT8 RX overnight on 144.174MHz USB.

Initially, I called CQ. No QSOs resulted, but my 10W to the big-wheel omni was spotted all over the UK from Cornwall to Northern Ireland with 7 stations spotting me so far.

Interestingly, no stations spotted here yet on RX. I get the feeling that quite a few leave RXs on uploading spots to PSKreporter , but do not TX.

Rallies this weekend in Great Britain

14 SEPTEMBER 2019 (new date) : FOG ON THE TYNE RALLY

Whitehall Road Methodist Church Hall, Bensham, Gateshead NE8 4LH (at the corner of Whitehall Road and Coatsworth Road). Doors open 10.30am. Entrance is £1.50 and includes an entry for the raffle. There will be a Bring & Buy, Junk stall, RSGB book stand and many Traders. Car parking is now available. Enrolment for Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced Examination courses and Morse class. Nancy Bone, G7UUR on 07990 760920 or Email nancybone2001@yahoo.co.uk.


Sunday 15 SEPTEMBER : WEST TYRONE ARC RALLY

Omagh Rugby Club, 7 Mellon Park Drive, Omagh BT78 5NE. Doors open at 11am and admittance is £3. There will be a talk in station, trade stands, special interest groups, a Bring & Buy and an RSGB bookstall. Catering and a licensed bar are available on site. A prize draw/raffle will take place. More information from Philip Hosey, MI0MSO, 07849025760, or by email to info@wtarc.org.uk.


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

6m FT8

A short while ago, I QSYed to 6m FT8. Initially I called CQ, but was only spotted locally. On 6m FT8 RX 3 stations spotted with best DX F6BTP (323km). At the moment no Es is evident. This late in the season we are dependent on random Es openings, but FT8 increases chances.  As before running about 10W and the antenna is the V2000 vertical omni.

UPDATE  1445z: A recent 6m FT8 CQ was spotted by 2 Gs only. At this time of year 2m FT8 seems to give consistently better results now the main Es season is over.

UPDATE 2138z: 23 stations in 6 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX with late Es to Denmark, Norway and Finland. Best DX spotted on 6m FT8 RX is OH2FNR (1741km).

Magnetic Loops

Some years ago, and again recently, I have been using a magnetic loop antenna. These are narrow band and sharp tuning, but can be remarkably effective.

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

Tomatoes - NOT amateur radio

Earlier in the summer a friend gave us two tomato plants that we put in a trough in the sun. Apart from watering we have done nothing to them. We had already collected quite a few ripe tomatoes and given some away, but we had a lot more when we got back from our holiday. Perhaps we would have had even more had we done the right things! Anyway, for the effort put in (zero) we did pretty well.

Spider in the bath - NOT amateur radio

Some people are very scared of spiders. Like most phobias, they are irrational, but for the sufferers very real.

Having been away for 8 days I am sure the big one in our bath last night must have had a field day. I put it outside. At this time of year we get plenty. As far as I know most UK spiders are harmless.

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona - NOT amateur radio

Last week we visited Gaudi's famous basilica in Barcelona which was started in 1882 and supposedly has another 30 years of work still to do. Perhaps they have very long tea breaks or siestas!

When we last visited in 2003 it was a dusty building site. Now it is a wonderful place bathed in coloured light via the stained glass windows.

We bought tickets in advance to avoid the long queues.

The photo shows part of the internal roof. If you are in Barcelona it is well worth a visit.

2m FT8 RX

Overnight I stayed on 2m FT8 RX. In the last few hours 2 stations spotted with the best DX being DL6YBF (471km).

UPDATE 0853z: Now 9 stations spotted so far in 4 countries on 2m FT8 RX this morning.

UPDATE 1312z: When I QSYed to 6m FT8 38 stations in 6 countries logged on 2m FT8 RX with best DX being F6APE (551km).

Sunspots - NOT amateur radio

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

Cadaques - NOT amateur radio

One of our trips was a boat ride around the coast from our base in Roses, Catalonia to Cadaques. The sea was quite rough with the boat making heavy weather at times. As you can tell from the photo Cadaques is great place.

Nearly the last holiday photo - NOT amateur radio

Pretty sure I posted a photo of our hotel buffet a few days ago. This was a  small part of the dinner buffet in our hotel last night. The food and choice was very good for a 3 star hotel in a great location.

We were very lucky with the weather that was warm and sunny most days. There was quite a wind on some days, although this was generally warm.

2m FT8

Since arriving home, I have been on 2m FT8 RX. So far, 18 stations spotted in 6 countries with best DX spotted on 2m FT8 RX being  GI6ATZ (479km).

UPDATE 2016z: Currently 20 stations spotted this evening.

UPDATE 2045z: A brief CQ resulted in a couple of QSOs and 12 spots with best DX GI6ATZ (479km). Not bad for 10W and an omni-antenna.

Going home - NOT amateur radio

Later today we should be home after our holiday in Catalonia.

UPDATE 1932z: Safely home again.

Sunspots - Wednesday September 11th 2019

Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=1.

BREXIT - NOT amateur radio

So the UK Parliament has been prorogued (suspended) for 5 weeks. My own view has always been to remain and reform the EU from the inside. It badly needs to be reformed. If a General Election comes like many I shall vote Lib Dem. They are far from perfect but they are closest to my values. To say we are in a mess is an understatement.

2m SSB handheld

Many years ago I used an MX2 handheld on 2m and worked some impressive DX handheld. This small rig was also used with several transverters. It is several years now since I used it.

See my website for more details.

Barcelona tall ship - NOT amateur radio

On our 1.5 hour harbour trip yesterday we passed this ship.

Huge buffet - NOT amateur radio

At our hotel in Catalonia they provide huge buffets with a wide choice both at breakfast and dinner with free wine and water.

The photo shows part of the buffet at dinner.

DXpedition to Nauru

As you may know I rarely chase DX although others may. There is a DXpedition to Nauru reported on Southgate News.

Anholt Island, Denmark - NOT amateur radio

It is odd how you look at a map and discover places you did not know existed. One such place is Anholt Island, midway between Denmark and Sweden. It is only about 22 square kilometres in area. The linked website is in Danish. There may be an English version, but I did not seek it out.

Sunspots - Tuesday September 10th 2019

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0. A=14 and K=2.

Hidden disabilities - NOT amateur radio

Since my stroke in 2013 I have been even more aware than ever that many people suffer in silence and many people are totally unaware of the hidden disabilities these people have to live with daily.

I bet many we meet in the street have some sort of inner pain: it could be a physical or mental illness, a family breakup, death or whatever. As the saying goes "never ever judge a book by its cover".

Often the people we come across are suffering inside. Never judge by what you see. Everyone has their story and what you see on the outside may very well not be the whole story.

Litter - NOT amateur radio

In Spain one thing you notice is there is no litter. They have civic pride, despite the unemployment rate being very high. When they come to the UK they must think what a scruffy lot we are. I don't understand how we can be so lacking. It was the same last year in the Baltic states. Despite being poor compared with the UK they seem to be litter free. It is as if they do not drop litter ever. What is wrong with us?

Besalu - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we went to a delightful medieval village in Catalonia called Besalu. Most of the centre is very old. It is quite close to the Pyrenees.

Sunspots - Monday September 9th 2019

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=10 and K=3.

Medieval fair - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we went to a Medieval Fair in the next village. It was very good.

IC-705 website

As there is quite some interest in this new QRP radio from ICOM, I have created a webpage that I intend to update over time as more details emerge. Already there are some useful links to bookmark.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/ic705

Old Renaults - NOT amateur radio

Last weekend several old Renault cars visited our local museum. They were quite a sight.

Sunspots - Sunday September 8th 2019

Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 0. A=7 and K=2.

Hair raising - NOT amateur radio

Today we went on a 2 hour "train ride" high above the town of Roses on the eastern edge of the Pyrenees. It was hairy raising with jaw dropping sides of the road. The views were amazing. As you can see, the train was on roads. In places these were narrow dusty tracks up steep hills.

Weak signal modes

Since my 2013 stroke my voice has been poor, so I have made more use of digital modes to save my voice and help others! On 630m I still use WSPR, but on most bands I use FT8. WSPR works with very weak signals but transmissions take 2 minutes. FT8 is much faster but less sensitive. In both cases they work with signals much lower than CW. They are not chatting modes. All the software needed is free.

Locks - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday were on the Canal du Midi in France and went down these locks.

Something for the weekend

Every week I get the MLS email offering deals for the weekend. This weekend it is about second-hand stuff. None of this interests me!

Rockall - NOT amateur radio

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockall#/media/

File:Rockall_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1048791.jpg

Many years ago I had a website about this isolated islet in the north Atlantic. It was even referenced in a book on shipping areas! That was years ago.

It was inhabited briefly some years ago by a British explorer, but often storms can batter it and crash right over the top. I think the British "annexed" it in 1955 to claim fishing and oil rights. Many nations dispute ownership. Really it is just a small rock miles from anywhere.

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

Sunspots - Saturday September 7th 2019

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0. A=8 and K=1.

Rally

Saturday 7 SEPTEMBER : CAISTER LIFEBOAT RALLY

Caister Lifeboat station, Tan Lane, Caister on Sea, Norfolk NR30 5DJ. Access via car park in Beach Rd. Doors open 9:30am till 2pm, (8am for sellers) with easy parking. Indoor spaces and outdoor pitches available. There will be a raffle and the onsite café will be open. The museum will also be open. A special event station will be on the air. To book call Zane, M1BFI on ‪0771 121 4790‬ or Email m1bfi@outlook.com www.m1bfidx.wixsite.com/cl-radio-rally.

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

Canal du Midi - NOT amateur radio

One of our trips today was on the Canal du Midi in SW France. The weather was very good and not too hot.

GQRP Club

For very many years now I have been a member of the GQRP Club. This is an excellent organisation that produces a quarterly magazine called SPRAT. If push came to shove, this is the one magazine I should keep. Back issues of SPRAT are available on  a club DVD.  It is worth joining just for this as members get a discount. SPRAT is filled with simple projects to build and members' news. If you like QRP radio, you will enjoy SPRAT.

See http://www.gqrp.com/

Sunspots - Friday September 6th 2019

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=14 and K=2.