Sunspots - Monday April 5th 2021

 Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 11. A=3 and K=1.

Easter - NOT amateur radio

These days I am not very religious. I accompanied my wife to church this morning, but it was a very sad occasion with social distancing, no singing and pre-booking. Normally the churches are full at Easter. Not this year.

All the time I am aware of how narrow the Christian faith, indeed all religions, are. How can so many people in so many different religions all believe they are right? My own view is all these are hints at the truth. Not one has the answer.

Human beings find it very hard to deal with our finite lives. The universe is so vast and the chances of intelligent life existing elsewhere are high.

Whatever your views on religions, I hope that the next year brings you peace and happiness. We have all had a difficult 12 months with most things we took for granted gone. Let us hope we can all return to something more normal soon.

Perhaps I could best be described as agnostic: I really do not know what I believe. Something within me hints that love is important and that care for others and our world are important.

Heathkit HW8 QRP CW transceiver

 

A few days ago I posted that Heathkit is trying to make a comeback. So far, the kits are a poor imitation of the kits of old. These (to me) seem overpriced and poor. It is rumoured that some amateur band kits are planned.

Many years ago I owned an HW8 which was an HF QRP transceiver. I had great fun with mine. 

These days there is less CW activity, with FT8 better suited to QRP modes. However, FT8 needs a PC. With CW some very simple rigs can be made.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hw8 .

Fresh greens - NOT amateur radio

At this time of year all the greens look fresh and new. Later in the year they look tired. This was the horse chestnut tree in the churchyard earlier. The leaves are just coming out.  The rooks are busy building or repairing nests.

Sunspots - Sunday April 4th 2021

 Solar flux is 73 and the SSN 12.  A=4 and K=1. 

Kings Parade, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

King's Parade,
Cambridge, UK

King's Parade is the road just outside King's College Chapel. At this time of year and through the summer it is usually crowded with overseas visitors. This year is different. Hopefully they will be back next year.

17m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

After a break of a few days, I am again on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna on the shack windowsill. It is now 1455z. So far, in about 10 minutes, 18 stations have been spotted on RX and my QRP has been copied by nobody yet on TX.

UPDATE 1542z: So far, 30 stations have been spotted on RX on 5 continents and nobody has spotted me on TX yet today.

UPDATE 1800z:  43 stations spotted on RX and nobody spotted my QRP on TX. QRT soon.

What CAN I still do?

Since my 2013 stroke I have been giddy all my waking time, had a very poor voice and get exhausted very quickly. 

All the time I am conscious of all the things I used to be able to do without effort that I can no longer do. Some of these things may still be as a result of my stroke, whereas others may just be because I am getting older.

Maybe I need to change the way I think and focus on all the things I can do rather than the things I cannot.

For example:

• I still manage 2 weekly 2m FM nets.
• I still manage the 2m and 70cm UKAC activity contests each month.
• FT8 and WSPR operation is fine.
• Cutting the grass is still possible.
• Getting breakfast ready is still possible.
• Gardening for short periods is still possible.
• Washing the dishes is still possible.
• Ironing is still possible.
• etc...

Quite a few things are still possible. Getting older, I should expect to find some things harder, so maybe I should accept these and alter my focus. I need to look harder at the things I can do! Making this mental leap is not easy.

10FT8R - 10m FT8 RX

Some weeks ago I mentioned that I wanted to make a DSB transceiver for 10m FT8 based on the WISPY rig that I designed some years ago for 10m WSPR. In the coming years 10m should return to form as a great DX band. In every Es season single hop DX up to about 1500km should be possible.

All being well, I hope to start on the RX section later today. This RX is very simple and should allow me to monitor 10m FT8 RX without having to use the "big rig".

The photo show the original WISPY RX.

UPDATE 1506z: A start has been made. Some of the "meSQUARES" pads have been stuck down. I am thinking that "little and often" is my best approach. Years ago I would have done the lot in one go! See http://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=MeSl

IC-705 - getting to know you

There is so much to learn about my new rig, the IC-705. The firmware needs updating and I have yet to connect the PC. There are so many hidden features that I have hardly scratched the surface. I am taking my time.

First impressions are this is some radio. It can do so much!!

Wild walk - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we did a nice walk along Burwell Lode. We saw several marsh harriers. The photo shows where Burwell and Reach Lodes meet. Lodes are very ancient waterways that once carried important trade thousands of years ago.

Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

We live not far from Cambridge. At the moment there are no foreign visitors. It is still a beautiful place. 

Sunspots - Saturday April 3rd 2021

 Solar flux is 72 and the SSN 0. A=6 and K=1. 

5MHz (60m) band

 Despite a small slot being allocated to the amateur service at a WRC meeting many years ago, this slot is not universally available. As an example, it is not allocated in the UK. Other 5MHz allocations with higher power are available at 5MHz in the UK. 

As a dedicated QRP man, and speaking personally, I would trade the bitty allocations for a smaller, contiguous band with lower power. I have only been on the band with WSPR, so am not well qualified to comment!

See https://rsgb.org/main/operating/band-plans/hf/5mhz/ .

Sub-9kHz amateur radio

Some years ago I experimented on amateur radio below 9kHz. To receive amateur radiated signals at range needs very stable TX signals, very narrow filters and integration periods measured in hours or days. Just listening will not work! Luckily the software needed is freely available on the Internet. 

The photo shows G3XIZ. The frequency is Hertz!! My antenna was the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. 

It is some years since I last experimented on real VLF. As I recall, I copied amateur sub-9kHz signals from several European stations including 2 in Germany and 1 in Austria I think.

In the past I have successfully experimented at the far ends of the spectrum from visible light to far ELF. There is no doubt that we still have a lot to learn. At both these ends of the spectrum the equipment and test gear can easily be home-brewed. In many ways this is one of the attractions. My own VLF earth-mode gear was fabricated in the back of the garage as was my light beam gear: low cost and great fun. The second link includes a link to the files on my earth-mode article in RSGB RadCom in 2011.

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/

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

Some very old blog pages (which are not maintained so do not follow the links on the left) are at https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/Home/earthmode. This is a blog about my own experiments with VLF earth-mode.

Narrowboat - NOT amateur radio

This morning we did a walk along Burwell Lode. The photo shows a narrowboat on the Lode. The people on the boat were enjoying the birds including several marsh harriers.

 It feels much colder. 

Sunspots - Friday April 2nd 2021

 Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 0. A=8 and K=1. 

IC-705 antenna tuner

The ICOM AH-705 auto ATU sells for about £300. It is not small and not low cost. They do not even guarantee it is water and dust proof and they do not even quote the worst-case VSWR it can match. 

In my view this is not a great auto ATU. I have no plans to buy one.

See https://www.icomjapan.com/support/manual/3231/

Tea in the garden - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we had tea in the garden in the sunshine as the photo shows. Today is much cooler and over the Easter weekend it is expected to be even colder. 

This is our older son on the right. He lives in the same village. Until recently he has only been to the door with his mask on.

5.5G and 6G

We are just rolling out 5G. Already there is talk of 5.5G and 6G!  I cannot imagine what this would be.

Southgate News has a piece about an upcoming talk.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/march/5-5g-and-6g-for-2030.htm#.YGXV12jYrrc

IC-705 on the air

IC-705

Last night, I tried my IC-705 on the air for the first time.  I accessed the GB3PI repeater and went on the FM CDARC net on 2m. At first I did not know how to set up the CTCSS tone for the repeater. I have lots to learn. 

In the coming days I want to try FT8 and D-star. 

The RX seems to work well even on LF with good reception of DCF77 on 77.5kHz with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.  It, so far, fits my operating well. I was surprised to get so many GPS satellites with the rig indoors in the usual operating position.

ICOM has done a great job.   

I have ordered the Radio Today guide to the IC-705 from the RSGB.

Solar data

My favourite site for solar data is usually updated very early in the month. This usually happens on the first or second day of the month.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

UPDATE 1011z:   I see the page has just been updated.

UPDATE 1910z:  See http://www.solen.info/solar/images/comparison_recent_cycles.png . At the moment we do not look on track for a great cycle 25. It looks very similar to the last cycle.

Outside King's - NOT amateur radio

Usually Cambridge is a "must see" for foreign visitors. This year things are very different without visitors from overseas.  It is good to see people social distancing.

Sunspots - Thursday April 1st 2021

Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 0. A=10 and K=3.

Another view - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows another view of Moulton village, this time with the famous packhorse bridge. At one time this was the main route from Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds. 

Radioshack

At one time, Radioshack was very big in the USA. I was told about a comeback, although most of the products look as if they were made in China. 

Maplins, that was a near equivalent here in the UK, closed some years ago. These days, many people buy direct from China!

At one time Radioshack sold a nice single band 10m SSB rig. The name escapes me.

See https://www.radioshack.com/

Heathkits

Way back in 1961 I was bought a Heathkit electronics workshop for Christmas. Little did I know then that this was to be the start of an absorbing hobby and career. Heathkit is trying to make a comeback although the offerings I have seen have definitely not been impressive. These kits are overpriced and I am surprised they are still around. They must have some very loyal customers!

See https;//shop.heathkit.com/shop

See also https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/Home/ew on my very old (not maintained) website. The links of the left cannot be relied upon.

Sunspots - Wednesday March 31st 2021

Solar  flux is 80 and the SSN 0.  A=3 and K=3. 

Succumbed

For a long time I have been coveting an IC-705 from ICOM. In the end I traded my FT991A in and bought one with the PSU, desk stand and 5 year warranty.

It was far more expensive than I wanted to pay from a UK dealer, but I rarely buy gear and I probably haven't that many years to enjoy it. It should give me years of fun. I cannot see the prices falling any time soon. The IC-7300 hasn't dropped in years.

In the end, the review by Peter Hart in the latest RadCom persuaded me. So, I have succumbed.  At the moment I am still reading the manual and will probably try it later.

More later....

Lunch in the garden - NOT amateur radio

 

For the first time this year we had lunch in the garden. It was a beautiful day although things are due to get far colder over Easter. 

Moulton walk - NOT amateur radio

 This morning we did a nice walk around the village of Moulton as the photo shows. 

British humour - NOT amateur radio

This character may be familiar to many in the UK. He features in a well known comedy programme on TV. 

Sunspots - Tuesday March 30th 2021

 Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 13.  A=4 and K=1.

Club Log

As many will know, I am not a great DX chaser these days. If I work DX great, although I rarely go looking for it. To some, it is an important aspect of our hobby. Working rare DX on multiple bands can be a source of great excitement. 

If I remember correctly, I achieved DXCC on 10m SSB QRP way back in the 1980s. My greatest thrill was working New Zealand with 10W SSB on 10m early one morning with a simple sloping wire dipole. The other thrill was working a VP8 in Antarctica.

If you are a keen DXer you may like Club Log. It seems an ideal resource for keen DXers.

FT8 dominance

In the last few years, FT8 has become the dominant mode on many bands. 

Unlike speech modes, FT8 is definitely not a chatting mode. Basic QSO data only is exchanged. To use FT8 needs special software like WSJT-X that can be got for free on the internet. 

Whilst this mode is great for simple stations and those who find talking hard (like me), it is not a mode that you just stumble across. Many years ago I "found" amateur radio by chance hearing AM stations on 160m and 15m. 

In the end FT8 and similar could kill our hobby. What I am advocating is FT8 should be seen as complementing speech modes, not instead of speech modes.  I hope, as HF conditions improve, more people will use SSB, FM and AM again.

Coming on - NOT amateur radio

Like many English villages, we no longer have a bank. Thankfully, there are several options for getting cash from our bank including our local Post Office, which is actually easier than traditional "holes in the wall". 

After many years, our old bank is being converted to commercial units. One of these is to be a hairdressers. People who know me know that I cannot take advantage of this!

English humour - NOT amateur radio

This was on Facebook earlier. It will appeal to British humour, although I am not sure what others will make of it. 

FT8 QRP today

Shortly I hope to go on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop.

At present (0820z) I am on 160m FT8 RX. As we have daytime conditions, there is no DX, in fact no spots at all!

UPDATE 0836z:  17m gear turned on. 10 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost 5Z4VJ (6858km) in Kenya.  Nobody yet spotting me on TX.

UPDATE 1228z: 246 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost YB7OO (11788km).  On TX my QRP has been spotted by 2 stations with the furthermost R2ASY (2426km) near Moscow. 1 QSO today.

UPDATE 1420z: 326 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 4 stations spotting my QRP on TX.

UPDATE 1720z:  465 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 6 stations have spotted my QRP TX.

Sunspots - Monday March 29th 2021

Solar flux is 75 and the SSN 11. A=6 and K=2.

160m FT8 overnight

Overnight I was on 160m FT8 RX. 193 stations spotted including 3 USA stations. No South Americans last night. The antenna is still the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.