15m FT8 (QRP) Thursday

At about 1050z, my QRP 15m FT8 was turned on (2.5W and the indoor loop). So far (it is now 1100z) 4 stations have been spotted on RX, but nobody has spotted me on TX.

UPDATE 1654z: 104 stations spotted.

OFCOM updates

 According to the OFCOM website they have shown the names of the bidders for their spectrum auction coming up. See the OFCOM website.

Sunspots - Thursday January 7th 2021

 Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 0. A=11 and K=1.

2m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)

At about 1825z I QSYed to 2m FT8 using 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. At 1842z, I had been spotted by 8 stations in 3 countries with the furthermost EI8KN (518km). 4 stations spotted on RX.

UPDATE 2250z :  95 stations in 9 countries spotted this evening. Contest? 

Foxfire (fungus that glows green) - NOT amateur radio

The other night my son noticed some glowing fungus on a tree at night. I have never seen this. Apparently it can grow on decaying wood.

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

Signs of life - NOT amateur radio

On our walk this morning we came home via the churchyard. There are stirrings in the ground (no, not ghosts!) with aconites just coming in to flower with their yellow flowers. Most snowdrops and daffodils have yet to come. These are a sure sign of better weather and lighter evenings on the way.

Incidentally although the late afternoons have been getting gradually lighter, the mornings get darker for a while into January. From this point onward it gets lighter here morning and afternoon. A corner has been turned.

15m FT8

It is now 0922z. For about 5 minutes, I have been on 15m FT8 RX. So far,  6 stations have been spotted. When on TX I use 2.5W to the indoor loop.

UPDATE 1525z: 259 stations spotted so far with the furthermost being YB6UAF (12009km) in Indonesia.  5 continents spotted.

Sunspots - Wednesday January 6th 2021

Solar flux is 75 and the SSN 0. A=11 and K=3.

2m activity contest

The first UKAC 2m activity contest organised by the RSGB was last night. I was on for about 50 minutes with 10W and the big-wheel omni antenna. 

In my view, conditions were poor and activity low. There were no portables (presumably because of lockdown). My best DX (lost before we could complete) was G4RRA in Devon. Had we completed, this would have been a good contact. It is much easier on FT8!

20m FT8 QRP (Tuesday)

Since about 1545z, I have been on 20m FT8 with 2.5W and the indoor loop antenna on the shack windowsill. So far, 1 spot on QRP TX and 10 stations in 3 continents spotted on RX, mostly in the USA.

UPDATE 2131z: QRT. 127 stations spotted today on 20m FT8 RX.

2014 FaceBook Memory - NOT amateur radio

One of my FaceBook memories today was this photo of me shortly after 3.5 months in hospital following a brain bleed. 

The hedge behind me is now fully mature and much bigger. 

Although still giddy all of the time and with a poor voice, I am otherwise in good shape. The Zimmer frame soon went! 

For several months I had most of my food and drink via a peg directly into my stomach. For many years now I have been able to eat and drink normally. Until you cannot, you don't realise how eating and drinking normally is so important. In hospital I used to dream about simple food!

20m FT8 WISPY RX?

A few days ago I showed the schematic for my WISPY RX. The photo shows the actual 10m WISPY RX. 

With a couple of low cost GQRP 7030kHz crystals in parallel this could probably allow a very low cost 20m FT8 RX to be made using the same idea and pulling the crystals upwards. 

If you have a source of low cost 7040kHz crystals, just one will probably allow you to get to half 14.074MHz. A 14.074MHz simple DSB based FT8 RX would be a fun winter project, guaranteed to spot lots of DX every day.

Just think - for the cost of a couple of coffees out (those were the days!) and you have a low cost way of spotting DX from across the world.

Come to think of it, a full 20m FT8 transceiver could be made for the price of a bag of fish and chips! Surely someone is up for the challenge. 

10m FT8

It is now 0950z. For the last hour I have been on 10m FT8 with 2.5W and the indoor loop on the shack windowsill. No spots yet on RX or TX.

UPDATE 1356z: I have just turned on the QRP TX again: it has been off for several hours whilst we went for a walk and had lunch.  On RX, just a couple of spots with the furthermost being MM0ZBH (482km).

Simonsberg South Africa - NOT amateur radio

 

This photo was taken in November 2020 in South Africa.

KW2000 series

When I was at the University of Liverpool (1967-70) we had a very good amateur radio society with the call G3OUL. A member at the time was Ian Vance G3WMS who later headed a major electronics company. I think he was made an MBE too.

Whilst there we had a KW2000. At the time we thought it was wonderful. I can recall working some impressive DX with it. I cannot remember the antenna we had, but I don't think we had a beam.  In the following years, we had a later version of the KW2000 and a KW linear. I think the original version was 90W pep. There was an article in Short Wave Magazine on the KW2000B.

I took my morse test in the Liver Building and used an El-Bug on CW with the KW2000. I also recall working ZB2VHF on 4m AM from the club on 70.26MHz with 4W.

See http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/Surplus_Radioamateur/KW_Electronics_KW-2000B_review_1971.pdf

Sunspots - Tuesday January 5th 2021

 Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 0.  A=3 and K=1. 

2m FT8 QRP (Monday)

At about 1940z, I QSYed to 2m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. 

I was briefly on TX and was spotted by just 1 station G0LRD (26km) and I have spotted a couple of G stations. 

At the moment I am RX only as I need to go on 2m FM TX with the other radio for the East Cambs Net on 144.575MHz.

Chickens - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows 2 of our grandchildren with the chickens they look after. It was a Facebook memory today. 

These grandchildren are far older these days! This must have been several years ago.

Christmas over - NOT amateur radio

Just now we put away all the Christmas decorations, cards and the Christmas tree. Everywhere looks bare. Monday is our usual housework day, so today, rather than January 6th, made more sense.

This Christmas was odd and it did not feel like Christmas. We all hope Christmas 2021 will be much better.

20m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop

At about 0905z, I went on 20m FT8 RX. Immediately, stations were spotted.  At 0940z 76 stations already spotted.

UPDATE 1219z:  176 stations spotted with WW1WW (5237km) the first North American spotted at 1123z.

UPDATE 1402z:  287 stations spotted with 11 North American stations spotted so far. 

UPDATE 1528z:  356 stations in 5 continents so far spotted today. The furthermost spotted is PY2LCD (9686km) in Brazil.

Heathkits

Back in my early teenage years I was given a Heathkit electronics workshop for Christmas 1961. This was earth shattering and started me in the radio hobby and radio career in later life. The online Heathkit Virtual Museum seems to have closed, but the pages were archived and can still be seen.

Heathkits were famous for their excellent building instructions and quality. They tried to make a comeback in recent years, but what was on offer was not that impressive.

See https://web.archive.org/web/20190206173903/http://www.heathkit-museum.com/hvmhstory.shtml

Radio (and other) magazines online

Long gone companies
and rigs!

There is a wonderful resource online if you are after old publications. Some may have been withdrawn following protests by publishers.

See https://worldradiohistory.com/

As an example, see https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-DX/Ham-Radio-Today/80s/HRT-1988-11.pdf

Many of the companies advertising, and rigs, have long gone. In the future, I can see many other companies going out of business.

HF-125 RX

Do you remember this receiver by Lowe Electronics? 

Until I saw an old advert recently I had forgotten that I once owned one. This must have been a long time ago. As I recall, it was a good receiver, but the casework was a bit basic. I cannot recall selling it. As I remember, it was used for CW DX on 160m and some very impressive DX was copied.

There were later versions such as the HF-225.

Sunspots - Monday January 4th 2021

 Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 0.  A=2 and K=0.

Day confusion - NOT amateur radio

Yet again I am confused! 

Today is Sunday, not Monday. Adding to the confusion, our bin collection was yesterday, 2 days later because of the Bank Holidays. Maybe next week I shall get back in to sync again.  😆

Our windmill - NOT amateur radio

This photo shows our windmill next door from an unusual angle earlier today.  We have snow showers forecast this afternoon.

2m FT8 QRP (Sunday)

Stations spotting me
to 1215z today 

Just before 1030z, my 2.5W 2m FT8 to the big-wheel omni antenna was turned on. Already, after just 5 minutes 5 spots so far with the furthermost by F5APQ (180km). On RX DL6YBF (410km) already spotted.

UPDATE 1215z:  11 stations have spotted my 2m FT8 QRP today.

Stations spotting
me to 1556z today

UPDATE 1556z:  20 stations have now spotted my 2.5W 2m FT8 today with the furthermost DL1ULI (981km) near the Polish border. On RX, the furthermost is IZ1CBQ (994km) in Piedmont, Italy. 17 stations spotted so far today. No QSOs. Still on the FT817ND and big-wheel.

UPDATE 2220z:  QRT.  Earlier I was supposedly spotted by a station deep in Spain. Checking where he was spotted on PSKreporter (last spotted 27 hours ago) I was convinced this was a false decode. Pity, as this would have been a great spot of me. If it is too good to be true it probably is untrue!

Yaesu FT991A

FT991A in use

This rig was bought about a year and a half ago. Apart from SSB on 2m and 70cms in the monthly activity contests and FM 2m nets, it is hardly used. For FT8, I use the FT817ND.  At one time I was considering trading in the FT991A for an IC-705, but the price of the latter seems too high. I have doubts it will drop unless it faces real competition.

The FT991A works very well, although it has never been used at more than 20W ever.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/ft991a

Where I come from - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows where I come from in South Devon. Most years I get back there. 

10m WSPR RX

Although this has been posted before, you may get inspiration or ideas from it. I used low cost 14.060MHz crystals from the GQRP Club sales, pulled and doubled. The same idea would work on FT8 and PSK. 

Sunspots - Sunday January 3rd 2021

Solar flux is 82 and the SSN 22. A=2 and K=1. 

QSY to 2m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

At about 1735z I QSYed to 2m FT8 with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna.  I am monitoring using the grabber at G0LRD. See http://82.71.9.63:8080/cap/ .  

So far, 3 stations in 2 countries have spotted me on TX the furthermost being GW8ASD (242km) in North Wales with just one station spotted here so far on RX. So far only G and GW stations spotted or spotting me.

UPDATE 1827z: Spotted by 6 stations so far on 2m FT8 QRP TX today.

UPDATE 2045z: 10 stations have spotted me so far with the furthermost EI3KD (583km).

GQRP Technical Pages

Many times I have said how great the GQRP Club magazine SPRAT is. 

Members can now buy the entire collection of back issues on a DVD or memory stick. It is probably worth joining for this alone, although SPRAT always has some excellent articles.  I think non-members can also buy these, but they are more expensive. My view is simple: join!  You are unlikely to regret it.

On the internet are several useful pages of technical resources which builders may find helpful.

See http://www.gqrp.com/tech.htm

More memories of Christmas - NOT amateur radio

More experiments with collages on Google Photos. These pictures are trying to summarise Christmas 2020, which to most of us is odd. I hope Christmas 2021 is far better.

6m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

Since about 1000z, I have been on 6m FT8 with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. Spots by G0PQO (50km) and G7SOZ (31km) on TX within 15 minutes and nothing yet on RX.

UPDATE 1034z: Just 2 spots so far on 6m FT8 RX G0MBL (129km) and G0ROG (142km).

UPDATE 1556z: 6 spots of my QRP FT8 TX with the furthermost being by G7RAU (461km). On 6m FT8 RX 19 stations in 3 countries spotted with the furthermost being GM4UYE (509km).

Collage experiments - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday I played with collages on Google Photos. This was my first attempt. 

Sunspots - Saturday January 2nd 2021

 Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 23. A=4 and K=0.

Feels like a Sunday?

Don't know about you, but I keep thinking today is Sunday! All these public holidays are really confusing me. 

I was expecting to send out my usual Sunday reminders for the East Cambs net, then I realised it was Friday.

Short loft antennas

At the old QTH I had a problem with 160m antennas. At one time, we were going to try a local 160m AM net. Somewhere I have some crystals. My solution was this small loft vertical that worked really well. It can easily be adapted for your situation. I was surprised how good it was.

Although my antenna was on 160m, the same idea (helical windings and a top hat) could be used on other bands like 80m, 60m, 40m, or even 630m.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/160m_loft_ant. 

6m FT8 QRP (Friday)

At about 1005z my QRP 6m FT8 was turned on:  2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. So far, at 1020z, just one spot of me by G0PQO (50km)  and no spots on RX.

UPDATE 1110z: 4 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost being G4EFX (226km) and 2 stations have spotted my QRP 6m FT8  TX. So far today, all Gs.

UPDATE 1350z:  16 stations spotted here with the furthermost F6HGB (985km) on RX.  2 Gs have spotted my QRP on TX and 1 QSO.

UPDATE 1610z:  21 stations spotted on RX and 6 stations have spotted me on QRP 6m FT8 TX. 1 QSO.

UPDATE 2000z:  QRT.