17m FT8 QRP (Tuesday)

At the moment I am on 17m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna. 17m FT8 is usually quite good and is often open when I go on during the day. 

So far, just a single spot on RX of TA2UIL (2826km) and nobody spotting me on TX.

UPDATE 1116z:  28 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost 5Z4VJ (6858km) in Kenya. Still no spots of me on TX.

UPDATE 1140z: 41 stations spotted on RX and 2 stations have spotted me on TX with the furthermost being RA3BE (2437km).

UPDATE 1300z:  70 stations spotted so far on the band (see map).

UPDATE 1605z:  110 stations spotted on RX. 1 QSO and my QRP spotted by 2 stations.

UPDATE 1822z: 116 stations spotted on RX.

Sunspots - Tuesday March 2nd 2021

 Solar flux is 71 and the sunspot number 0.  A=26 and K=4. Pretty poor again.

630m (472kHz) WSPR RX

This evening I am on 630m WSPR RX from about 2045z.  So far this evening, 3 stations spotted with furthermost LA8AV (1012km). Still using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

Wicken walk - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows another view of our walk at Wicken last week.  It was a delightful walk.

New webpage created - 10m FT8 QRP transceiver

I am keen to have a go at this, but fear my energy levels and fine motor skills may not be up to it these days. Years ago, this would have been trivial for me. 

Imagine, working the whole world on a very simple rig, low cost, smaller than a pack of cards that you have built yourself! 

I just hope QRPguys take this further and do a kit. It would be so popular that someone has to do it.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/10ft8

QSY to 17m FT8 QRP (Monday)

As 15m seemed pretty quiet here, I have QSYed to 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna. It is now 1358z. So far, just 2 stations spotted on RX and nobody has spotted me on QRP TX yet.

UPDATE 1445z:  9 stations spotted on RX with furthermost E21EIC (9481km) in Thailand. Nobody has yet spotted me on QRP 17m FT8 TX.

UPDATE 1800z: 4 stations have spotted my QRP today on 17m FT8. The map shows the stations spotted here. 

UPDATE 1852z: 40 stations spotted.

New OFCOM EMF rules coming in

If you use over 10W, the new OFCOM rules on EMF may apply to you, especially if you are investigated over complaints by neighbours. As a QRP man, I am not bothered! 

If you have a big tower, beam and full power you may have issues. You have to show that people can't be harmed by excessive EMF. If I had my way, all UK licencees would be limited to 100W, or even 10W!

See the OFCOM website for more details.

I quite like the Eire approach. In Eire, amateurs have access to much of the Band 1 spectrum. Why not grant all UK radio amateurs access to big chunks of spectrum at, say, 100mW ERP on a strictly non-interference basis? If you cause interference you get closed down, otherwise carry on. Oh silly me, this requires people with brains!!   

Personally, I'd like access to some VLF spectrum and 40MHz. I guess the main issue is military access. I still don't understand why so much UK spectrum is reserved for the military when most is unused for most of the time.  Views?

15m FT8 QRP (Monday)

It is now 1050z. Today, I am on 15m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna. So far, 7 stations spotted on RX and 1 spot of my QRP on TX by SV1HAB (2412km).

UPDATE 1211z: With just 8 stations spotted on RX and just 1 spot of me on TX, I may QSY to 17m FT8.

Updated solar data

My favourite website for solar data is usually updated early each month. Often this is on the 1st or 2nd of the month. Included, usually, is a forecast of the climb towards the next solar peak. It is worth checking.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ . 

Simple circuits

Inspired by "Hot Iron" edited by Peter Thornton GW6NGR I see reference to Rick Andersen KE3JJ. He has several very simple designs on his site.

See http://www.ke3ij.com/ .

Sunspots - Monday March 1st 2021

Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 13.  A=6 and K=6.

It is hard to think we are in March already. According to the UK Met Office we are now in spring. The Es season is only a few months away now.

Stroke update - NOT amateur radio

My 2013 stroke left me outwardly looking fine, but it has had a lasting impact on me. Before I was quite active and healthy, but these days things are far harder. 

In many ways I am more fortunate than many. My voice is poor and driving, and being driven, is far harder. A few years ago I could drive 300 miles to Devon. Even 10 miles is hard these days.

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

CDARC 80m net

As an experiment I tried to join the CDARC (Cambridge club) 80m net this morning with my 2.5W and the earth-electrode antenna. Although I had no problem hearing people, I could not be heard. My noise level is very low on this antenna, but I needed more power to overcome noise others were probably suffering. 

The SWR is too high for the auto-ATU on my FT991A. It just says "High VSWR" and gives up. On the FT817ND it works fine.

Hare Park Chippenham - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows Hare Park, Chippenham near Cambridge a few years ago. This is open to the public a few times each year. The snowdrops were incredible. 

Reeds - NOT amateur radio

This part of the UK  (East Anglia) is thought of as flat and boring yet it has a unique beauty. 

Often the skies are amazing and the land watery. My wife took this photo a few days ago. 

Ultra simple transceiver for 10m FT8

One of my ideas is for an ultra simple crystal controlled FT8 transceiver for 10m probably. Another option is 15m. Crystals can be quite expensive, but bought in quantity the price comes way down. 

I have in mind a simple DSB rig at 28.074MHz only, a bit like my WISPY transceiver.  The full transceiver version of WISPY was never built, but both the RX and TX versions were built. I wonder if there is a low cost source of 14.040 (easily pulled) or 14.037MHz crystals? This would be simpler than a synthesised source. I don't think pulled ceramic resonators would be stable enough, but they might be.

My health rather precludes me designing and building one these days, but I would be more than happy to share my ideas with anyone who could take this on seriously. Ideally, a PCB could be made as a simple kit. 

In my mind this could be a really simple rig that would be able to work the world very soon once 10m really gets going. Don't forget that 10m is always good in the Es season at any part of the solar cycle. Even very low power FT8 would get all across the world.  10m is an excellent band with small antennas and QRP. I can imagine such rigs being incredibly simple and low cost. In this version I used a 2N3866 PA, but I would use paralleled 2N3904s as these are far less expensive.  For greater TX power, further 2N3904s PAs could be paralleled with low value emitter resistors.  This is a very low cost way of getting useful output.

Very few controls are necessary, probably none! It would need a BNC connector and probably something to show it is on RX or TX. I can imagine it fitting in a low cost, small, plastic box.

QRPguys are offering something similar on lower frequencies. Maybe they will offer higher frequencies later as the sunspot cycle gathers pace? 

See https://qrpguys.com/ .

UPDATE 2020z:  Steve G1KQH has told me of some low cost crystals that would certainly work: https://kc9on.com/product/14mhz-hc49u-tall-crystals/

Sunspots - Sunday February 28th 2021

 Solar flux is 79 and the SSN 14. A=4 and K=2.

Silver birch - NOT amateur radio

This photo shows a silver birch tree seen on our walk yesterday in our village here in East Anglia, UK.

As you can tell, the last few days have felt mild and spring like.

According to the UK Met Office, Monday is the first day of spring.

2m FT8 RX today

On 2m FT8 today, I have been RX only with the FT817ND and the big-wheel omni antenna. 

156 stations in 9 countries spotted by teatime. 

UPDATE 2250z: QRT.

Cambridge Radio Club Zoom talk

Last evening, CDARC had another excellent Zoom talk. 

Being on Zoom, speakers can be anywhere and this time the speaker was in Canada! 

I like Zoom talks as these can be seen all over the world. As well as the speaker, there was someone else in Canada taking part I believe.

Zoom has surprised me. By sharing the screen, slides can be seen as easily as in a room. Also, all taking part can chat, by video or just mic if they prefer to wear their bedclothes!

Almost spring - NOT amateur radio

We went for a walk around the village earlier. It felt very mild and springlike. Daffodils are coming out widely now as shown in the photo. 

As we are only in February there is every chance for some bad weather and snow still.

Pirate

Last evening the reports of distant stations on 2m FT8 was clearly the work of a pirate. 

Sunspots - Saturday February 27th 2021

Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 16. A=11 and K=2. 

2m FT8 QRP ( Friday)

At 1905z I QSYed to 2m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. 

So far, 3 stations in 3 countries have spotted my QRP TX. On RX 10 stations in 2 countries spotted here so far.

Stations spotted on 2m FT8
RX this evening

UPDATE 2220z: Plenty of spots of eastern Europeans on 2m FT8 RX. If this is tropo, these are a very long distance away. I am puzzled what sort of propagation this is. In all, 47 stations spotted on RX. Furthermost is,supposedly,  UA3PRS (2481km) which is almost unbelievable. I wonder if some pirate is having a laugh?

UPDATE 2300z: As conditions seem good, I have decided to stay RX only on 2m FT8 overnight.

Batteries catching fire

Some years ago, when I was still working, there was a small risk of batteries being damaged and catching fire. 

When battery packs catch fire the result can be dramatic. LiIon batteries were especially vulnerable, especially if dropped or abused. The incidence was probably about 1 in 150,000 packs. Failures, especially causing fire, cause customer alarm. In the limit, this can warrant a product recall. Recalls can be very expensive. You can imagine the cost of recalls if you sell mobile phones or laptops. A manufacturer will do everything possible to deny this and avoid the cost of a recall.

According to the BBC, Hyundai is replacing 82000 batteries in some electric cars at crippling cost. I pity them. This must be a nightmare for manufacturers of electric vehicles.

From personal experience, LiIon battery packs can be little bombs. I never, ever, risk leaving them charging without supervision. One person we have met left her mobile phone charging and burnt down her flat. Such incidents are rare, but they do happen. Modern technologies may be safer, but treat all batteries as potential bombs.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-56156801 .

15m FT8 QRP (Friday)

The 15m FT8 QRP gear was turned on just before 1030z. As usual, I am using 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop on the shack windowsill. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1055z:  Just EA8ACW (2988km) spotted so far.

UPDATE 1240z:  Just 3 EA8s spotted on RX. Nobody has spotted me on TX. 

UPDATE 1538z:  Just 7 stations spotted on 15m FT8 RX today and nobody has spotted me on QRP TX. A few South Americans only spotted.

UPDATE 1844z:  So far, 1 station has spotted my QRP (2.5W) TX:  EA8BFK (2881km). On RX, 10 station have been spotted. Quite a poor day.

Scale - NOT amateur radio

One thing I am sure about is that in 100 years people will look back at us and think, "did they believe that?".

In the last century our ideas of the universe and of subatomic particles have changed enormously. I am sure they will change again in the next. Just think of the changes to our thinking as a result of quantum theory and Einstein.

Whatever I think is hardly likely to be correct, but I am often intrigued by scale. The visible universe is unbelievably huge with probably huge numbers of habitable planets. The subatomic world is incredible. Time is a puzzle. What if all these were linked and whole universes were inside each of us?

It is all a matter of scale. There is no reason whatsoever that universes have to be on the scale we know. Somehow I have the feeling that the macroscopic and microscopic worlds are somehow linked.  One thing is certain: we know so little.

Everything remains a mystery.

60m FT8 overnight

Using the earth-electrode "antenna" I stayed on 60m FT8 RX overnight. In all, 467 stations were spotted in 5 continents. 

Where I come from - NOT amateur radio

This photo has been on before. It shows where I come from in South Devon. Most years I get back there. It is still a most beautiful area. 

Sunspots - Friday February 26th 2021

Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 31. A=13 and K=3.

Dubai princesses - NOT amateur radio

I am suspicious of the UK's motives. 

Dubai is an important trade partner of the UK and the sheikh in charge there is friend of the Queen. In the UK race industry he is high up and he is reported, by the BBC, to be a big UK landowner. 

It rather looks like we are choosing to look away.

Recently it was reported that the sheikh's daughter Latifa was kidnapped. 20 years ago his daughter Shamsa was reportedly kidnapped in Cambridge and returned to Dubai.

Now, I have no way of knowing the truth in all this. What I will say is this: nobody should be above the law and I hope the UK government and Queen will not want trade done with any country that does not have basic human rights. If we have to lose valuable contracts, so be it.

In the case of Dubai, all the ruler has to do is allow his daughters to chose their own futures. If he is not prepared to do this all trade should stop.

I hope the UK government does not put trade above people. We seem to like to trade with Saudi Arabia and have proxi wars fought on our behalf. We like to export our "dirty" industries to places like China.

Need I go on?

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-56188745

The UK spring budget - NOT amateur radio

Although interest rates are at historical lows - basically you earn nothing now by saving - the UK is in huge debt as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The focus in the short term is economic recovery and this will no doubt be the focus of the UK budget next week.

In the longer term, debts have to be repaid and interest rates will go up. The UK chancellor has a difficult job now and in the years ahead. I hope he can come up with a fair way.

60m FT8 RX

Using the information supplied by Keith, I am looking on 5.357MHz FT8 RX using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. I have been looking since 1205z. Nothing spotted yet.

UPDATE 1426z:  8 stations in 5 countries spotted.

UPDATE 1528z:  22 stations in 7 countries spotted.  So far, all Europeans.

40m FT8 overnight

 Using the earth-electrode "antenna" I stayed on 40m FT8 RX overnight. In all, 601 stations were spotted here. 

Decay - NOT amateur radio

These were bought on the same day last week 

Sunspots - Thursday February 25th 2021

Solar flux is 81 and the SSN 33. A=21 and K=1.

40m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

 As WSJT-X does not list the 60m FT8 frequency, I decided to give 40m FT8 a go with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.  At this high a frequency, I think my theory of a "loop in the ground" is unlikely to hold. The SWR is quite high, but I am still copying loads of stations. Already, within just a few minutes, 104 stations spotted.

UPDATE 1945z:  So far this evening, 210 stations spotted on 40m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2220z:  364 stations in 4 continents spotted so far on 40m FT8 RX. I am amazed this "antenna" works at all at 40m.

Winter flowering primroses - NOT amateur radio

Over winter, we plant primroses to give us winter colour. This year, we bought the plants from the nursery in the village rather than from the nursery in the next village. They were less expensive and are very healthy plants. We are very pleased and will use them again.

Change of fortunes - NOT amateur radio

Ghislaine Maxwell is accused of helping sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a prison cell in 2019, with procuring under-age girls for sex. She denies this and is trying to get bail. 

Her lifestyle in prison must be a million miles from the lifestyle she was used to. She is the daughter of media mogul Robert Maxwell. Epstein was well connected.

If convicted, she could spend 35 years in jail according to the BBC.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56181754

15m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)

At about 1013z, I turned on 15m FT8 using 2.5W and the indoor loop on the shack windowsill. No spots yet at 1022z. To be honest, it sounds very quiet. Either HF is poor or the band has not yet "woken up".

UPDATE 1328z: 7 stations have been spotted on RX and 3 stations have spotted me on 15m FT8 QRP TX with the furthermost now in Brazil on RX.

UPDATE 1424z: 11 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost YC1JEL (11777km). In QRP TX, still 3 stations spotting me.

UPDATE 1812z:  Today has been quite poor on 15m. There were no USA stations spotted and just 1 in S.America. Soon be time to go QRT.