Budding musicians? - NOT amateur radio

Two of our grandchildren yesterday.  Budding musicians?  

This granddaughter is very keen on ballet and is very good.

6m FT8 RX (Friday)

Most of the morning I've been on 6m FT8 RX with the V2000 vertical omni antenna. So far today 54 stations spotted at 1245z with the furthermost HZ1SK (4759km) in Saudi Arabia.

UPDATE 1742z:   271 stations spotted here so far. Mostly EUs via Es.

10m WSPR TX - 500mW (Friday)

Spots of me at 1732z

Most of the morning I've been on 10m WSPR TX using 500mW. It is now 1235z and so far I've been spotted by 6 different stations. 

UPDATE 1416z:   21 stations across Europe have spotted me.

UPDATE 1732z:    40 stations have spotted me so far. one South American has spotted me 10 times!

21MHz (15m) QRP CW - my homebrew "Pipit"

Many years ago I designed and made this QRP (800mW) CW rig of 15m. 

It worked remarkably well and worked some impressive DX. 

For several months it was the only rig I used, out of choice. Every QSO was so satisfying. It appeared in GQRP SPRAT. It was in the days before schematic drawing packages, so the schematic was hand-drawn. I used Neosid toroids as these were at hand, although I am sure Amidon ones would be suitable with turns adjusted.

Values are on my webpage. As with all my designs, please use this as a starting point for your own ideas and do not be afraid to change things if this makes the design better! The SBL1 mixer can certainly be replaced by similar double balanced mixers or a homebrew version.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/15m-qrp-cw-pipit .

IC202 and similar

After the Liner-2 made 2m SSB popular in the early 1970s, the IC202 was introduced by ICOM. This had less power, but was cleaner. It had a wide coverage VXO, but it behaved like a VFO. 

To this day, the IC202 and its successors are used to drive transverters. In the past I had the IC202 (2m) and the IC402 (70cm).  There were later S versions with a number of improvements. These were nice simple rigs with no frills. They had no memories or sythesisers.

I used my 2m IC202 with a homemade transverter on 10m. With 1W pep SSB and a low wire dipole the world was worked.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/vhfuhf-commercial-rigs/icom-ic-202 .

Where I come from - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows where I come from in South Devon. We had some land hereabouts in 1427!! 

Sunspots - Friday July 30th 2021

 Solar flux is 76 and the SSN 0. A=8 and K=1

Es - keep monitoring

We appear to have the best of the Es season behind us in the northern hemisphere. However, Es can occur at any time, so it is worth monitoring 10m FT8 and WSPR if you can. With lots of people active, it would not surprise if we see some Es propagation on 10m most days. Of course F2 openings will become more frequent as cycle 25 gathers pace.

With the grandchildren - NOT amateur radio

 

This photo shows us with all the grandchildren yesterday in our back garden.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

For the last few hours I have been on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW. So far, just 3 spots from Germany. Yesterday, there were several spots by FY5KE (7110km) in South America. Maybe later?

UPDATE 1335z:  Spots by 12 different stations on 10m WSPR TX so far today, many multiple times.

UPDATE 2035z:  16 different stations have spotted my beacon  so far today. The furthermost was again FY5KE (7110km).

6m FT8 (Thursday)

After a very brief period on TX with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni I am on 6m FT8 RX only. It is now 1058z and just 6 G stations spotted. No Es evident here yet. 

UPDATE 1444z:  42 stations spotted so far with the furthermost K4PI (6802km) in Georgia, USA.

Sunspots - Thursday July 29th 2021

 Solar flux is 79 and the SSN 0. A=13 and K=3.

Covid-19 England - NOT amateur radio

My dad, who died in 1987, had some colourful language. One phrase he used was "they could not organise a piss up in a brewery". He would probably have said this now over the pingdemic, which is seeing many key workers having to self isolate.

I am sure intentions are good, but like much English government policy in the last 18 months this seems reactive rather than proactive and made up on the go. 

10m WSPR TX beacon using 500mW (Wednesday)

Most of the morning I've been on 10m WSPR TX using 500mW. As of 1015z 6 stations have spotted me. 

UPDATE 1117z:   Still 6 unique stations have spotted me with the furthermost EA8BFK (2880km).

6m FT8 QRP

 After a very brief TX period (2.5W) I am on 6m FT8 RX only with the V2000 omni antenna. It is now 0812z and 3 stations spotted with the furthermost EA7L (1739km). Early Es which is promising. My brief TX period resulted in 5 UK spots.

UPDATE 1113z:  35 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX.

10m WSPR yesterday

As we were out much of yesterday I was late on 10m WSPR TX. Nonetheless, there plenty of spots from South America. 10m WSPR never fails to amaze me. 

This is with the tiny self contained beacon (500mW) from Jay W5OLF. 

Me? - NOT amateur radio

 

Our son's kitten looking surprised. 

Sunspots - Wednesday July 28th 2021

 Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 25. A=6 and K=4.

10m WSPR TX beacon

It is now 1555z and I have been on 10m WSPR TX for about 30 minutes with my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon TX. Nobody has spotted me yet. 

UPDATE 1747z: 5 stations have spotted me with the furthermost FY5KE (7110m) in South America.

6m FT8

 Apart from a very brief period on TX with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni (spotted by 4 Gs) I have been on 6m FT8 RX. Very quiet with nobody spotted. I have not been on too long. 

Stroke and autistic brains?

In the last few years I have noticed some changes. I am unsure if this is just old age or an after-effect of my stroke some years ago.

When I drive (or am driven) I seem to go slower than before: 50mph feels like 70mph.  Also, I am constantly aware of potential issues and dangers. It is if my brain is all the time aware of potential dangers on the roads. I am totally unable to relax. In fact I hate being driven or driving these days. This seems similar to how autistic people must feel.

Any medics here have any views?

Shack

Since moving to this QTH 8 years ago, I have a dedicated shack. When I was fitter, I did most of my building on the left and operating on the right overlooking our back garden. It is also used as a dumping ground when we have visitors prompting the XYL to complain how messy it is!! It is a "man cave".  😄

See  https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/shack .

First Tomato - NOT amateur radio

 

A few days ago we harvested our first tomato. We hope this is the first of many.

English Churches - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we visited some local churches in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire with our grandson who was keen to go. He is mad keen on bells and churches even though he is not a religious person. Even if you have no faith, England has some fine churches in some beautiful buildings and settings 

Sunspots - Tuesday July 27th 2021

 Solar flux is 81 and the SSN 25. A=4 and K=1.

OFCOM proposes new licences for broadband satellite internet

OFCOM has proposed new licences to support broadband internet from low orbit satellites. See the OFCOM website for details.

6m FT8 RX (Monday)

For about 15 minutes, I have been on 6m FT8 RX with the V2000 vertical omni antenna. It is now 0910z and so far today 13 stations spotted.

10m WSPR QRP TX (Monday)

It is not long since I turned on my 500mW 10m WSPR TX beacon, but I have already had 10 unique stations spotting me. 

It looks a promising day on 10m Es.

Covid-19 - NOT amateur radio

The UK has suffered badly with high percentages due to the more infectious delta variant. 

However, the UK has seen a very high proportion of its adult population vaccinated. Also, many have antibodies as a result of previous infections. For several days case rates have been falling. We are far from "out of the woods" on this pandemic, but there are a few glimmers.

For yourselves and for others please get a vaccine.  Wear masks in crowds.

There are some ridiculous "fake news" stories around like with the vaccine they can read you bank account. This and other stories are plain stupid. If you want factual data, look at Dr John Campbell on YouTube. He is totally independent and often critical of governments. He is a reputable medical expert with over 1 million subscribers. He is often interviewed in the international media.

The vaccinations are painless, take a few seconds and any side effects likely to be mild and very short lived. Both my wife and I had no side effects with either jab.

The risks of getting ill with getting Covid-19 far outway the very small risks with the vaccines.

Get vaccinated!!!

Breadboard

The photo shows me breadboarding my 472kHz transverter some time ago when I was fit. This is probably beyond me now as my fine motor skills are far worse. 

I have not ventured into our loft since 2013 and I have lots of amateur gear up there! 

The final design was in QST some years ago and is on my website. It is also in an RSGB book.

Museum Fete - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we had rain and thunder forecast. However it was dry with no thunder!

Our local museum next door had a summer fete which was successful. The photo shows the sea-shanty singers in action. They were very good. 

Near normal? 

Sunspots - Monday July 26th 2021

 Solar flux is 82 and the SSN 24.  A=3 and K=1.

Storm threat stops play

Late this afternoon, I disconnected everything as we had the threat of thunder and lightning. This meant prematurely going QRT on 10m and 6m. All being well, I shall be on again on Monday morning. 

As it happened, the storms missed us. We heard distant thunder, but I suspect the actual storms were many miles away.

6m FT8 RX (Sunday)

Well, the days of unbelievable Es seem to be diminishing. There will still be openings, but not so often. They do not call it "the magic band"  for nothing! 6m has a habit of producing the totally unexpected, such as the Europe to Australia openings more than once of late. This is where FT8 or WSPR can be so useful as there can be lots of people monitoring on specific slots so even fleeting openings are noticed. This is much harder on CW or SSB.

This morning, I am again monitoring 6m FT8 RX, It is now 0857z and, so far this morning, 6 Gs spotted. I was very briefly on TX with 2.5W and the V2000 omni, but just spots by G stations.

No signs of Es here yet today on 6m.

UPDATE 1043z:   13 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX with the furthermost F5PSR

Stations spotted on
6m FT8 RX to 1417z

 (1020km). Es?

UPDATE 1505z:  Now 34 stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX with the furthermost K0GU (7431km). Judging by the other reports, I think he is genuine. No other USA stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 2121z:  QRT for many hours due to the storm risks. As Bas says in a comment below, Es can be good at any time, so it pays to be vigilant. I have had QRP SSB QSOs on 6m via Es as late as September. With FT8 or WSPR more openings will be spotted.

Oscar 100 activity

My regular peek at the narrow-band transponder was late Saturday morning in Europe. It was quiet! I really was expecting this to be far busier by now. It would appear this sort of operation is not liked by many. 

As I have said many times before, if one of the big manufacturers was offering a "black box" solution, I expect activity would be far greater. As it is, getting on the satellite is too hard for most who are cheque-book amateurs rather than true experimenters. 

What would a total solution cost? I suspect much less than £2k with everything needed including, rig, dish, feed, LNA, etc.. Remember, no towers, no beams, neighbour friendly, DX at any time, no QSB. In fact once set up, just chat!! I can see this appealing to many "black box" operators.

What seems to happen is the true experimenters like the challenge of getting going: building the kit, aiming the dish(es), sorting out the feed etc. Once this is done, many lose interest.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

10m WSPR TX 500mW (Sunday)

As usual when I am monitoring 6m FT8 RX, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW. The TX is 100% but changes frequency every slot to avoid being clobbered by a strong station.

So far (at 0820z) just G2XV (18km) spotting me. No sign of Es here yet.

UPDATE 0900z:   DK6UG (633km) has also spotted me. This could have been Es or off aircraft.

UPDATE 1507z: Just 3 different stations spotting me today. Unless things change, today looks disappointing.

Well nobody told me - NOT amateur radio

Our son has a new kitten. He has discovered how to climb on to the bird table. 

Watch out birds! 

Sunspots - Sunday July 25th 2021

Solar flux is 84 and the SSN 35.  A=4 and K=0. 

Sweet peas - NOT amateur radio

 The photo shows the sweet peas my brother picked just yesterday. So far this year, we have had one flower!! He must be doing something right and us not!! 

50th wedding anniversary - NOT amateur radio

Gosh, we must be so old! 

We are celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary today. In some ways that day in 1971 seems like yesterday. I have no idea how those years have flown by. Since then we have 2 boys and 4 grandchildren.

Both of us were several stones lighter then and I still had hair! Most of my hair went when I was in my twenties.

Advice? Enjoy every moment, as time goes by very quickly.