Angry sky |
We have just got back from a walk around Anglesey Abbey. It tried to rain!
Simple QRP projects, 10m, 8m, 6m, 4m, FT8, 160m, WSPR, LF/MF, sub-9kHz, nanowaves and other random stuff, some not related to amateur radio.
The Callington Rally in Cornwall has been cancelled. Many years ago I went to this when I lived in Devon. It should have been March 28th, which is this Sunday. Hopefully it will be on again in 2022.
Probably many more rallies will be postponed or cancelled this spring and summer.
Since before breakfast I have been on 2m FT8 with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. So far, at 0947z, I have been spotted by 13 stations in 2 countries with the furthermost G7RAU (461km) in Cornwall. On 2m FT8 RX 20 stations in 4 countries spotted with the furthermost DJ9ON (489km).
UPDATE 1025z: One QSO with a station in IO70. 15 spots of my QRP.
UPDATE 1648z: 3 QSOs today. My 2.5W FT8 to the big-wheel has been spotted by 25 stations and I have spotted 55 stations in 6 countries.
UPDATE 1830z: 29 stations in 3 countries have spotted my 2m FT8 QRP today on TX. 65 stations spotted on RX in 7 countries.
OFCOM has announced that its next stage of auctioning 700MHz and 3.6GHz spectrum has moved to the negotiating stage where bidders can trade spectrum between each other. See the OFCOM website for more details. It makes sense for bidders to have contiguous chunks.
At 1844z, I QSYed to 472kHz (630m) WSPR RX. Once again, I am using the FT817ND and the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.
UPDATE 2211z: G0MRF has been a huge signal this evening. Furthermost is LA8AV (1012km).
UPDATE 2300z: QRT
A few moments ago, I QSYed to 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop. It is now 1111z. So far 6 stations have been spotted on RX with nobody yet spotting my QRP on TX.
UPDATE 1127z: So far today, 15 stations spotted here on RX, and still nobody has spotted my QRP FT8 on TX.
UPDATE 1421z: 105 stations in 5 continents spotted on 17m FT8 RX today and nobody has spotted my QRP TX.
UPDATE 1806z: 139 stations spotted on RX. Nobody spotted me on TX.
Southgate News reports that a new EMF calculator is now available from the RSGB. If your EIRP is greater than 10W, you may have to use this.
See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/march/new-rsgb-emf-calculator-available.htm#.YFsX-yuTLrc .
The BBC reports that a large container ship has run aground in strong winds and blocked the Suez Canal. This is vital artery for world trade. It is already caused major tailbacks. Imagine being in charge of steering this ship!
Stations spotted last night on 160m FT8 RX |
Stations spotting my 2.5W FT8 QRP last night |
Solar flux is 79 and the SSN 26. A=11 and K=2.
At about 1330z I turned on my 160m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the earth-electrode antenna in the ground. No spots yet.
UPDATE 1708z: Just 1 G - G3NSM (123km) has spotted my QRP TX and European DX is starting to come through on RX. So far, 7 stations spotted on RX.
Stations spotting my 160m FT8 2.5W |
One QSO on 160m FT8 QRP with a German shortly before midnight.
Just 268 stations spotted on 160m FT8 RX overnight in 5 continents. I do not use 160m often enough to know if this is conditions changing or just a bad night. 2 North Americans and 1 South American spotted.
UPDATE 1009z: Back to daytime and just 1 G spotted!
If you are like me, you are getting more scam calls that originate abroad, but use UK numbers to actually fool punters. TPS, which we have, cannot stop these I think.
We have tunes on our phones so we know when genuine people are calling: different friends and family members have unique tunes. Everyone else is asked to leave an answerphone message. Most scammers just hang up. We work on the assumption that if it was really urgent they would leave a message or call again.
I have asked for a package on Virgin Media that may help. It is free for 30 days. We will see.
Apparently someone is working on software to waste scammers time. Great!
About 15 minutes ago, I turned on my 2.5W to the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground on 160m FT8 TX. No spots yet.
UPDATE 1605z: Still no spots on RX or TX. The Europeans should start appearing soon.
UPDATE 1625z: The first DX from Europe came through at 1614z on 160m FT8 RX. There are others starting to be spotted. Still nobody spotting me on QRP TX.
In the foreground is the shack PC with WSJT-X monitoring 160m FT8 RX.
As you can see, there were plenty of European (later transatlantic) stations being spotted on the earth-electrode antenna at about 1845z.
Stations spotted on 160m FT8 RX overnight |
We are now officially in spring by any measure. The UK Met Office counts March 1st as the first day of spring whereas the traditional start is the spring equinox.
In the weeks ahead we will see migrant birds like swallows returning.
The UK clocks change to British Summer Time (BST) next weekend.
Some countries seem further ahead with vaccines than others. This puts in doubt the ability of our daughters-in-law to visit their parents in France and Australia this year. This is such a pity.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/70cm_moxon .
My 13 year old grandson has a YouTube channel he has created. He is looking to get more subscribers. This is his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4m_i-SRpAFX-iBtk9z8O4w
Overnight |
Until this morning, I had never heard of this. Today, I have come across it twice within about 6 hours! Firstly I saw that a radio amateur had made some and then it appeared in the BBC Good Food magazine.
As far as I can see, it is a form of fermented tea. In Japan it refers to tea made from kelp seaweed. I think you can get kombucha in various flavours.
Funny how you can go a whole lifetime without coming across it, then it appears twice! 😄
OFCOM is consulting about the dangers of exposure to RF by the general public.
It is intending to add something in the licence to make clear that radio amateurs have to ensure the public is safe.
OFCOM and the RSGB are working on calculators so that amateurs can work out if the RF produced is likely to be a danger.
Being able to show how any potential danger was worked out could be important if a station was to be inspected, for example in the event of interference to a neighbour's TV.
See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/214663/emf-implementation-update.pdf .
OFCOM is to trial 10 limited power FM broadcaster stations for a year and is asking for volunteers to take part. It is wondering if such licences would be suitable for hospitals and army barracks for example. Rnage could be approximately 1km.
See https://www.ofcom.org.uk .
ICOM has released the auto ATU for the IC-705 (the AH-705) reports Southgate News. It is quite expensive and there are lower cost auto tuners that will work as well or better e.g. the Elecraft T1. This is also smaller and probably has a wider range. It is also, lower cost.
The AH-705 is £309.60, which is expensive. The answer is use resonant antennas or lower cost tuners!
At 1355z I turned on my 2.5W FT8 to the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. I am calling CQ in the middle of the FT8 "window". All I am spotting currently is G stations. No DX is being spotted in the daylight. It is now 1402z. Just one, fairly local, station G4HPW (37km) spotting me this afternoon.
UPDATE 1659z: 5 stations (all G) have spotted my QRP TX this afternoon. 5 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost LY2BVB (1659km) in Lithuania. It is still very light here, although I guess it is darker further east. The European DX is just starting.
UPDATE 1749z: 26 stations now spotted on RX. Clearly European DX is now coming through as night draws in.
UPDATE 2214z: 215 stations spotted on160m FT RX as shown on the map. 19 stations have spotted my QRP on TX as I have been on RX much of the evening. QRT soon, then on RX only overnight.
I hope to do one soon.
The earliest she has is one showing a relative who fought at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. This is partly hand finished and probably dates from the dawn of photography in the 1840s.
At 1221z, 139 stations spotted me and I spotted 137 stations using my QMX+ rig. Stations spotting my 10m QRP FT8 today UPDATE 1736z: 425 sta...