Last evening, the Cambridge radio club had another Zoom talk, this time on the monitoring station at Baldock.
This time, we also had a viewer in Russia! On previous times we have been watched in Canada and Northern Ireland. In all, 29 people attended.
Zoom has exceeded my expectations. Attendance is at least as good as a face-to-face meetings. At least with Zoom, the whole world can watch!
At 0945z, when we went for a walk, I went on 2m FT8 RX. Since getting back, I have been on TX too with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna.
It is now 1145z and I have been copied on TX by 7 stations in 2 countries with the furthermost being GI6ATZ (479km). On RX, 20 stations spotted in 4 countries.
Before my stroke, I enjoyed going out in the field to see how far I could cover, especially over the horizon using QRSS (very slow CW) with PC decoders.
Much greater distances would have been possible, then my health got in the way. 😕
All the gear was home made. This was one of the attractions: all the gear was simple, including the test gear.
This is a field of experimentation open to everyone. You may find some ideas on my main website.
At about 1845z I QSYed to 2m FT8 QRP using 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. So far, my 2m FT8 QRP has been spotted by 8 stations with the furthermost being GI6ATZ (479km). It is now 1904z.
UPDATE 2120z: 13 stations have spotted my QRP TX this evening. Now QRP.
So, today I dug out my optical beacon TX and RX and tried some tests across the house. Although I could find the RX, my TX beacon took some finding! This is mains powered. I eventually found it in a cupboard and did some tests.
Tonight after dark, I shall try bouncing the signal off the windmill.
The last test I tried was in early 2014, but I was too wobbly.
Small steps.
UPDATE 2200z: I tried "windmill bounce" and "tree bounce" on CW at 10 wpm but it was too easy! Signals were very strong. One thing is clear: I am much more wobbly than I was 7-8 years ago. I'd like to try much greater obstructed paths with QRSS, but wonder if I am up to it these days.
This morning I am again on 15m FT8 with the tiny indoor loop antenna and 2.5W. So far lots of stations spotted on RX and EA8BFK (2882km) has spotted me on TX.
UPDATE 1400z: 63 stations spotted on RX and 5 stations have spotted my 2.5W QRP on TX.
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| Spots of me on 15m FT8 TX with 2.5W and the indoor tiny loop at 1535z |
One of my Facebook memories today was of my optical tests many years ago before my stroke.
At 1842z I QSYed to 2m FT8 with the usual 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. At 1850z, I have been spotted by 6 stations on TX, although no stations yet spotted on RX here.
UPDATE 1935z: 1 station spotted on RX and 9 spots of my QRP on TX with the furthermost again being EI2FG (565km). The latter is every day.
As we are still in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic, a couple more rallies have been cancelled. The ones just cancelled are the Ballymena ARC rally on Feb 13th and the Harwell Radio and Electronics Rally in Didcot on February 14th.
In a few moments time, I intend to switch on my 2.5W QRP to the indoor loop.
UPDATE 1037z: Gear turned on and 4 stations spotted on RX and 1 spot of me already on QRP TX - EA8BFK (2881km).
As you may know, I like simple and small antennas that do not need towers and rotators. These have the advantage of being neighbour friendly.
Luckily we are all different which is one of the joys of our hobby. To many, big antennas help with DXing or EME. Each to their own.
The G0KSC website has been updated and this has a lot about antennas.
See www.g0ksc.co.uk
Have you noticed that some things get worse over time?
My wife has a coat that she got many years ago, so she decided to buy a new one. It is thinner and has fewer pockets. She recently bought me some new pants - they are thinner and shorter. A new National Trust bag has fewer pockets. I could go on and on....
You can see what happens. The buyer tries to get the best "bang per buck" and has a fixed price. He asks the supplier to keep the price down so accepts some compromises to hold the price, hoping the consumer won't care.
Result? Thinner, poorer, material, fewer pockets. Basically poorer.
Rant over.
The 2m FT8 gear was turned on early this morning. I am again running 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna.
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| Stations spotted on 15m FT8 yesterday |
What has surprised me is how effective the voice recognition is. Even with my poor voice, it seems to understand me most times. When not in use we turn it off at the mains to prevent it picking up unintentional conversations.
When it arrived it was much smaller than I expected. At first I wondered if they had only sent the PSU. At a guess I reckon it is about 10cm across. Sound quality is much better than expected. It is very good.
You can say things like, "play BBC Radio 4" or "play a 1930s mix".
I am impressed. It is much better than I expected. My wife enjoys it even more!
Today, we had major excitement when a new shed was delivered to our local village museum. Imagine that! A new shed!!! 😄 Gosh!
A lorry drove up and lots of helpers were on hand to help erect it. A year ago this would have been ignored!
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| 70cm 10W SSB QSOs this evening |
Activity levels on 70cm SSB are better than most times, although with a lack of /P stations is a pity. Unlike many contests, these don't feel like contests and are very friendly. Despite my poor set-up on the band, I seem to be able to work over 100km most times. It is a good chance to work a few new squares.
UPDATE 2102z: 5 QSOs this evening.
There are some adverts in particular that I just hate! Those that say something like, "taking the UK by storm" or "seniors are missing out". These are obviously designed to draw us in. Sorry, here these are just deleted, unread.
Southgate News has a piece on the dust clouds that appear to be circulating the Earth at about the same distance as the Moon.
I do not think this is fake news! If it is please tell me.
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| Stations spotting me at 1212z |
Last evening I was again on 2m FT8 with 2.5W to the big-wheel. Yet again, plenty of stations were spotting me including EI and GI.
