Bees - NOT amateur radio

These bees were busy last week at Anglesey Abbey, which is owned by the National Trust. After many months, most National Trust gardens are again open.

We go to Anglesey Abbey quite often as it is very near. We are NT members, but you have to pre-book. Social distancing is never a problem.

Spring album - NOT amateur radio

Every three months my wife produces an album to help us remember what happened in each season. She has done this for many years. We have well over 40 albums now.

We also do the 365project in which we take a picture every day. We have done this since 2013. It is amazing to see how the grandchildren have changed. It is totally free although you can pay $19.99 a year for total privacy and more albums.

See https://365project.org/

The future of amateur radio

In recent years there has been a shift to digital communications using modes like FT8. Whereas in the past, radio amateurs focused on speaking to people across the world, there is far less of this now. People may make "rubber stamp"  brief contacts, but there is far less chatting. Most of us can enjoy video chats across the planet for free on the internet. Speaking across the world is no longer magic. What "turns on" younger people is not the same as in the 1950s or 1960s. We have to find out what this is and forget what attracted us.

Southgate News has a link to an interesting piece in IEEE Spectrum talking about the issue in the USA. I think this is mirrored across the planet.  The main issue is amateurs globally are getting older and there are fewer youngsters coming into the hobby. In 20 years' time the hobby we love could just fizzle out.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/july/the-uncertain-future-of-ham-radio.htm#.Xwxp2ojYq00

6m FT8

At about 1340z, the 6m FT8 gear was turned on. As usual, running 10W to the V2000 vertical omni. Already quite a few transatlantic spots on RX and TX. After 18 minutes, 42 spots of me!  Already 6 stations "across the pond" have spotted me!

Judging by the reports this looks like E layer.  It could be double or triple hop Es, but I suspect some other sort of E layer propagation.

6m FT8 RX spots from the USA at 1444z

UPDATE 1504z: Spotted by 8 stations in the USA on 6m FT8 today.  Best DX spot was by KX4R (6801km) and loads of USA stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX, far more than Europeans!

Late start on 10m WSPR TX

Rather later than normal, I have turned on my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon using the indoor loop antenna in the shack. Gear was turned on at about 1340z.

UPDATE 1455z:  No spots of me yet today.

Windmill next door - NOT amateur radio

This photo appeared as a FB memory today. It shows the windmill next door at 10.10pm local time.

Sunspots - Monday July 13th 2020

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN 0. A=3 and K=1. Poor.

Rear garden - NOT amateur radio

Earlier in the spring we thought our garden would look sparse with the lockdown, but actually it looks better than normal! The photo shows our rear garden just now.

6m FT8

Since just before lunch I have been on 6m FT8 with 10W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna.  Mostly spotted in Scandinavia.

UPDATE 1550z:  Today, 97 stations have spotted my 10W 6m FT8 TX. Just one transatlantic station copied me VE1PZ (4501km) in FN85 square, Nova Scotia, Canada. On 6m FT8 RX I have spotted 106 stations so far. 3 of these were transatlantic.

UPDATE 2117z:  Several QSOs today, all in Europe. In all, 537 stations spotted today including 4 transatlantic. Most interesting was JW7QIA (2949km) in Svalbard in the high Arctic. My own signal was spotted in Canada and it almost feels incidental!

10m WSPR TX beacon

Since just before lunch I have been on 10m WSPR TX using 500mW to the tiny indoor loop antenna. No spots of me yet.

UPDATE 1655z:  A few spots received, but not many. With WSPR it is definitely harder to be spotted than with FT8 even though FT8 is less sensitive. There are far more people using FT8 now.

UPDATE 2145z:  7 unique stations spotted my little beacon today. QRT.

Hanging Basket - NOT amateur radio

We have just got back from a walk around the village. This hanging basket puts ours to shame!

Poppies - NOT amateur radio

My wife took this photo yesterday on our walk. It shows poppies beside a ripening cornfield.

Sunspots - Sunday July 12th 2020

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0 again. A=3 and K=1.

Swallows - NOT amateur radio

Swallows (barn swallows in some countries) have had numbers down this year. This could just be a blip or it could be a trend. It was good to see some on our walk earlier.

2m VHF NFD

Last weekend was the UK's VHF NFD. I have not taken part for years. They changed the rules this year because of the lockdown regulations. I entered the low power section on 2m SSB mainly to give some points away, knowing I have absolutely no chance! I restricted operating to 2 brief sessions. The stations worked are shown on the map. All fairly close, with no real DX.

Reach Port - NOT amateur radio

Reach is a sleepy village these days. At one time it was a busy port with a waterway built by the Romans. The photo shows a boat on Reach Lode today.

National Trust seat - NOT amateur radio

After years working for the local water board, my dad ran a job creation scheme for the National Trust in Devon mending coastal footpaths. He loved it. When he died in 1987 they erected two seats in his honour. This was me on one a few years ago.

East Anglian skies - NOT amateur radio

In this area of the UK (East Anglia) we have few hills. The compensation is the big skies. The photo was taken on our walk earlier.

6m FT8

It is now 1002z. After returning from our walk earlier I have turned on my 6m FT8 gear using 10W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. 14 spots of me today so far.

UPDATE 1258z: 58 stations have spotted me and I have had a few QSOs. I notice that K1TOL (5083km) has spotted me on 6m FT8 TX. On 6m FT8 RX 89 stations spotted with 4 in the USA.

UPDATE 1424z: Spotted by 67 unique stations today so far on 6m FT8 with 10W and the V2000 vertical omni with the best being FG5GH (6691km).

Stations spotting
my 10W to 1550z

UPDATE 1550z:  78 spots of me today so far.

UPDATE 1714z:  131 spots of me so far today including 3 transatlantic ones. All the QSOs have been Europeans.

UPDATE 1810z:  172 stations spotted here today on 6m FT8 RX including 20 transatlantic stations (17 in the USA and 3 in the Caribbean).

6m FT8 stations
spotted here today

UPDATE 2020z:  Now QRT on 6m.  In all, I was spotted by 175 unique stations today. On RX 210 stations spotted here. In terms of "real DX" i.e. DX outside Europe, today was probably the best for me this season.

Sunspots - Saturday July 11th 2020

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 12. A=3 and K=1.  After a few days without sunspots it is good to see some again. Is this a good sign?

Magnetic loops on HF TX

For the last few months I had been unable to get on 10m as my external antenna was down. In the end I rebuilt my loop antenna which I last used on 10m many years ago. This is just taped to a small table in the shack downstairs in our bungalow. I have no idea of the "gain" of this compared with a dipole or beam at a reasonable height.

Where lots of frequency changes are needed they are far from ideal as they are very sharply tuned if efficient. At 100W or more the voltages at the high impedance points can be very high, so special capacitors are needed. At 10W or less the voltages are nothing like as high. For modes like WSPR, FT8 or PSK31 they can be ideal as frequency movements are small.

I have been very pleasantly surprised how well my loop works. It cannot be more than 1 S point down on a dipole. If you are stuck, I can recommend them.

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

Hollyhocks - NOT amateur radio

Hollyhocks like the sun. We were totally unsuccessful in our back garden, but they thrive in our front where they get plenty of sun. They self seed easily so it is best to cut them right down once they've flowered.

Old QSL cards

Southgate News has a link to a French page that has a collection of old QSL cards.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/july/old-qsl-card-collection.htm m#.XwgnOYjYq00

This reminds me of two things I must do! I badly need to update my eQSL records and I need to subscribe to Logbook of the World. I also have to submit my log for VHF NFD. Although my score will be very poor, I should show my support. I came on for a short while on 2m with 10W and the big-wheel omni antenna.

Crocosmia - NOT amateur radio

We saw this plant on a recent walk. I think it is called crocosmia, although I may have this wrong. It has bright red flowers that only last a few weeks.

10m FT8

The last day on 10m FT8 TX
(5W and indoor loop)

There is no doubt that WSPR works with far weaker signals than FT8. However, there would appear to be far more FT8 activity.

Take for instance 10m. Yesterday I went on 10m WPSR for about 6 hours with 500mW WSPR and got not a single spot. I switched to 10m FT8 with 5W (again using the indoor loop) and was spotted by 57 stations. Even the 10dB more ERP cannot account for this.

This morning (it is now 0819z) I am on 10m FT8 with 5W and the indoor loop. Already, 7 spots of me!

UPDATE 1351z: Stations spotted in 4 continents on 10m FT8 RX.  19 stations have spotted me so far today and 1 QSO had.  Still running 5W to the indoor loop.

Stations spotting me on
10m FT8 today so far

UPDATE 1811z: 49 stations have spotted me today on 10m FT8 with 5W and the indoor loop. On 10m FT8 RX several USA stations spotted. Several QSOs with EU stations too.

UPDATE  2049z:  Now QRT.  67 stations spotted my 5W to the indoor loop. Quite amazing. I am really impressed how well the indoor loop works.

Sunspots - Friday July 10th 2020

Solar flux is 69 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=1.

10m FT8 (5W to the indoor loop)

As I was not having any success with 10m WSPR, I decided to have a go with 10m FT8 (5W) using the indoor loop. It is now 1455z.  19 spots of me already with the furthermost being CU2GI (2575km) in the Azores.  45 stations spotted so far on 10m FT8 RX with furthermost being N4CC (6877km) in Georgia, USA.

UPDATE 1755z:  Now my 5W has been spotted by 47 unique stations.  On 10m FT8 RX 178 stations spotted here so far.

Another cancelled rally

News of another cancelled rally came in earlier. As before, my apologies if this is hard to read on some screens, but this is how I received it.

Sunday 12 JULY : CANCELLED

McMICHAEL RADIO RALLY AND BOOT SALE. Reading Rugby Football Club, Sonning Lane, Sonning on Thames, Reading RG4 6ST Talk-in station on 145.550MHz. Doors open 9.30am (traders can set up from 7.30am), admission £3 with under 16s free. Car boot sale pitches £10 (with two passes). There will be trade stands and exhibition displays. Catering is available on site as well as a bar. More details at https://mcmichaelrally.radarc.org.

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

10m WSPR TX (500mW to the indoor loop)

Although active since breakfast, no spots of me yet. It is now 0750z.  Running the W5OLF designed WSPR-AXE, I can be totally independent of the PC.

UPDATE 1128z:  No spots of me yet today.

6m FT8 (10W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna)

Since breakfast, I have been on 6m FT8. 15 stations have spotted me so far, but no QSOs yet.  On RX, a couple of stations spotted (OH and G). It is now 0747z.

UPDATE 0815z:  Although I have been spotted by 24 stations already this morning, I suspect my low ERP is preventing me working and spotting many 6m DX stations. I am probably at least 10dB down on the better stations. On FT8, being 10dB down can make a lot of difference. I suspect JT65 and WSPR would be better,  but I think FT8 activity levels will be higher and the 15 second TX periods would favour short openings. I suspect this is a case when higher ERP really does matter.

UPDATE 1126z: 2 QSOs with OH stations so far today on 6m FT8 TX and 49 stations have spotted me.  82 stations spotted so far on 6m FT8 RX, all in Europe.

UPDATE 1334z:  3 QSOs so far today. 84 stations have so far spotted me with the most distant being 4X4DK (3580km) and 113 stations spotted on RX.

Iceland 9 years ago - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows Iceland 9 years ago. It is a beautiful country.

Yesterday on 6m FT8

Although I was spotted by fewer stations than a few weeks ago, I managed my first transatlantic 6m QSO in many years, this time with OX3LX (3283km) in western Greenland as well as being spotted by 3 stations in New England, USA. Not bad for 10W and a vertical omni antenna.

Seen earlier this week - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows what we saw at Anglesey Abbey on Tuesday.  A butterfly and bee are on a thistle.

Anglesey Abbey is a National Trust property about 5 miles from us that recently re-opened its gardens.  You have to pre-book. The house remains closed. There is plenty of opportunity for social distancing as the grounds are very big.

Online magazines

Someone kindly sent me a link to a 73 Magazine article.  All the 73 mags are there. No doubt other mags may be available too.

See https://archive.org/details/73-magazine-2003-07/page/n29/mode/2up

Just by changing the date file, other months can be accessed. If I knew this before, I had forgotten it! Hours of fun, HI.

Zoom dinners - NOT amateur radio

On the second Thursday of the month several old work colleagues would travel to different pubs in the area in turn for a meal and meet-up. The venue for the next meeting was decided at the end of each meal. We tried to vary the location so that on average most had venues near to them throughout the year. We met once a month. Attendance varied between 6 and 10.

With Covid-19 this is no longer possible so we meet instead, with a glass in hand, from our homes. These have been surprisingly successful. We meet again at 8pm tonight. I shall have a glass of whisky! One advantage is that nobody has to travel, so attendance has been good.

D4VHF (Cape Verde Is) antenna changes

John EI7GL has a piece on his blog about changes to the antennas at D4VHF.  They seem to be well equipped and the better stations in Europe, and elsewhere, are working them on many VHF bands.

See https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2020/07/upgrade-of-d4vhf-station-vhf-microwave.html

Sunspots - Thursday July 9th 2020

Solar flux is 67 and the sunspot number 0.  A=2 and K=1.

6m FT8 (10W and the V2000 vertical omni)

For about 10 minutes I have been active on 6m FT8. It is now 0850z. Already 13 spots (mainly UK). Best DX spot is by SP7CDG (1429km). No QSOs yet.

UPDATE 1055z:  38 spots of me so far and 1 UK QSO.

UPDATE 1616z:  3 USA stations spotted my 10W to the vertical omni antenna earlier on 6m FT8. So far today, 73 stations have spotted me on 6m FT8. Best DX on 6m FT8 RX is K1OR (5258km).

UPDATE 1820z: 95 stations have spotted my 10W FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni on 6m today so far.

10m WSPR TX beacon (500mW into the indoor loop)

10m WSPR TX has just been turned on at 0840z. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1056z:  No spots received yet today on 10m WSPR.

Stations spotting me to 1920z

UPDATE 1920z:  So far today, 10 unique stations have spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR to the indoor loop.

Oscar 100 (geosynchronous) update

Every few weeks I try to give an update on activity levels on Oscar 100. I do this by checking the online SDR at Goonhilly Down in Cornwall.

My latest look suggests that activity levels are still quite low. To be honest activity levels look lower than the last time I looked. This is not scientific, more of a quick look to see how things are going.

It seems to me that people enjoy the challenge of getting a signal through the device then lose interest.

UPDATE 0856z:  On the narrowband section there were only 2 active stations just now!  I am quite surprised how quiet things are. I bet if there was a "black box" ŧhere would be far more activity. These days there are few real experimenters sadly.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/