Sunspots - Saturday January 15th 2022

Solar flux is 110 and the SSN 112. A=15 and K=3.

8m NoV

The wait goes on and on and on! 

I have chased OFCOM twice this week and heard absolutely nothing, except their computer generated reply which is about a month out of date. 

Maybe I shall hear next January? Oh there's another pig flying by.....

Someone at OFCOM please give me an answer!

70cm FT8 (Friday)

At about 1615z, I QSYed to 70cm FT8 from 10m. At first I called CQ with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna, but now I am RX only. On TX, no QSOs, but I was spotted by 3 stations with the furthermost being G4RQI (194km).  On RX 2 stations spotted, both Gs.

UPDATED 1736z:  10 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost DC8UG (557km).

Cold and frosty - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows Anglesey Abbey earlier. It was cold and frosty. 

10m FT8 RX

Shortly, I hope to go on 10m FT8 RX. Sunspot count is over 100 and maybe there will be some decent DX again. 

It is a bright, sunny morning here, whereas the BBC weather again says clouds and no sun. We are off for a walk shortly.

UPDATE 0925z: 10m gear turned on at 0915z. So far, 23 stations already spotted on RX including 2 in Australia.

UPDATE 1236z:  176 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX.

70cm FT8 yesterday

No contests, but conditions above average, so I thought I'd give 70cm FT8 a go. To my surprise 25 stations were spotted on RX and several spotted my 2.5W FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni antenna. 70cm FT8 has definitely come of age! 

Sunspots - Friday January 14th 2022

Solar flux is 106 and the SSN 111. A=3 and K=1.

8m NoV - STILL no response from OFCOM

Five days ago I chased OFCOM. Since then I have heard absolutely nothing. What a shower!! If this is how they treat all customers there is no hope....

70cm FT8 QRP (Thursday)

For a change, I am on 70cm FT8, outside of a contest. It is now 1630z and I have been on the band for about 30 minutes. Already I have spotted PA3EOU (337km) and my 2.5W to the vertical V2000 omni has been spotted by G0KTN (211km). I must try 70cm FT8 more often.

UPDATE 1827z:  6 stations in 3 countries spotted.

UPDATE 2235z:  24 stations spotted on RX. My brief transmission resulted in 1 QSO and 5 people spotting me.

St Ives (Cambs) - NOT amateur radio

We went on the guided bus to St Ives today. This is a good run and St Ives is a very attractive place. 

10m FT8 RX (Thursday)

Since about 0850z, I have been on 10m FT8 RX. So far today (at 0908z) 2 stations have been spotted with the furthermost OZ5JLH (865km).

UPDATE 1535z: 45 stations spotted with the furthermost VK6EI (14494km).

Where I come from in South Devon - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows where I come from in South Devon in January. Most of the visitors are not here. 

Last evening on 70cm FT8

As reported yesterday, last evening was the FT8 activity session on 70cm. Activity levels were good. 

Sunspots - Thursday January 13th 2022

Solar flux is 103 and the SSN is 68.  A=4 and K=0. 

Windmill - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned many times, we live next door to a fully restored windmill that is 200 years old. 

Every single day someone comes to take a photo! This is not surprising. 

This is the view from the lounge window.

I am looking forward to making some bread rolls this summer with flour milled here.

Amaryllis - NOT amateur radio

Every winter, we plant amaryllis bulbs. Most come out, although occasionally we just get leaves. This year, we have a very tall one. In a few days it will be past its best, but it has been fun to watch. They shoot up very fast!

70cm FT8 activity contest this evening

At 1900z, for 2 hours, is the RSGB organised 70cm FT8 contest. 

I shall be on with the V2000 vertical and 2.5W TX. On 70cm the FT8 frequency in Europe is 432.174MHz USB. 

There are often quite a few stations in the Netherlands on vertical FT8. 

Rules may be found on the RSGB site. This is designed to coincide with contests in continental Europe. Activity should be good. If you enjoy FT8, give it a go this evening. Standard FT8 exchanges are expected (no serial numbers required). ADIF files may be uploaded.

UPDATE 1918z:  29 stations spotted including 5 in the Netherlands. 1 QSO. Not bad with a vertical omni!

UPDATE 2100z:  58 stations spotted on RX with the V2000 vertical omni on 70cm FT8. Several stations have spotted me on 2.5W FT8 TX and I have had a couple of QSOs although I was mostly RX. The FT8 activity was great. I think several of these must have been scatter. It would not surprise me if scatter was better on 70cm than on 2m.

6m FT8 (Wednesday)

 I am on 6m FT8 QRP. Apart from a very brief 2.5W TX period (no spots) I am RX only. As usual, the antenna is the V2000 vertical omni. So far (at 1016z) no spots.

UPDATE 1447z:  6 stations spotted with the furthermost LB6D (1030km).

10m QRP WSPR (Wednesday)

 Yet again, I am on 10m QRP WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. So far (at 1011z) spots by G4KPX (14km) and nobody else. The usual pattern is being followed: at first the crystal is settling, then the drift is essentially zero. So far, 25 spots by Richard.

UPDATE 1511z:  5 stations have spotted me with the furthermost FY5KE (7110km). 

70cm activity contest yesterday

Last evening I had a go at the 70cm activity contest (UKAC) with 10W to the 2m big-wheel omni antenna. After 3 QSOs, I had to stop because of my poor voice. If I had been able to stop on longer, many more stations would have been worked. 

A station in Shropshire (IO82) copied me, but we were unable to complete the QSO.

Sunspots - Wednesday January 12th 2022

 Solar flux is 100 and the SSN 51.  A=5 and K=1.

8m NoV

Three days ago I chased OFCOM as my application was back in October. 

What have I heard? Nothing, even with a request for an update. 

Well, I suppose their excuse will be Covid, assuming they eventually put their toys down and deem a reply to a mere mortal is worth waking them up for.

I suppose if I said my application would make them billions I might have heard in October by return!

Lightning

Thankfully, thunderstorms are infrequent in the UK in winter. In the more risky months I disconnect  antennas and PSUs to avoid the risk of power surges. A direct strike is probably going to totally ruin things.

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

Family history - NOT amateur radio

My Lapthorn family history can be traced back to the mid 1500s continuously with 1 record in the mid 1400s. 

Back in the 1500s we lived in Hope Cove in Devon. The cottages in the photo are in the same village. 

I suspect my ancestors were hereabouts for thousands of years. There is an iron age hill fort near here. It is quite possible that one of my distant ancestors manned this thousands of years ago.

Gulberwick - NOT amateur radio

 
Gulberwick is a village in the Shetland Islands not far from the capital Lerwick. This photo was posted on 365project recently. These very northerly Scottish islands can be barren and windswept, but have their own beauty. 

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulberwick.

6m FT8 (Tuesday)

Since about 0900z I have been on 6m FT8 with the V2000 vertical omni antenna. After a very brief period on TX with 2.5W, I am now on RX only.  

UPDATE 0940z:  One spot on TX by G0PQO (50km) and 2 Gs only on RX.

10m WSPR TX beacon (Tuesday)

Since just before 0900z, I have been on 10m WSPR TX using 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. So far only local spots by G4KPX (14km), but at least I know it is working! 

UPDATE 1029z:  Still just spots by local G4KPX.

Bell ringing - NOT amateur radio

Our elder grandson is 14 years old and mad on church bells and bell ringing. Here he is bell ringing at a church near his home. 

He has a YouTube channel called Ringer Luke.

Sunspots - Tuesday January 11th 2022

Solar flux is 102 and the SSN 38.  A=6 and K=2.

3cm (10GHz)

This is an amateur band I have not really tried. 

Back in the 1970s, I made a Gunn diode oscillator and got a few feet. 

Some take it very seriously and run big dishes and high power. Some have used the band for EME QSOs. Others have played with it with wideband FM using Gunnplexers and similar oscillators. 

These days the equivalent to these are HB100 Doppler radar modules available for just over a pound.  I have not seen wideband FM transceivers built around these, but I am sure they exist. Some have even used these with a dish for ATV and achieved some astounding ranges.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/10ghz.

Three good things (Monday) - NOT amateur radio

1.  My wife's apple cake.

2.  Cosy in our home on a dull January day.

3.   Our grandson hopes to ring tower bells in London this evening.

Scale - NOT amateur radio

The universe is supposed to be about 14 billion years old. There may be multiple universes. Human beings have been around for perhaps just 50,000 years. A human lifetime is about 80 years. There are perhaps 10^25 planets in the universe - a huge, huge number! There are perhaps 7 billion people on Earth today.

It is hard to get one's head around these numbers. On the one hand we seem insignificantly small and irrelevant. On the other hand it doesn't feel that way.

10m WSPR TX beacon (Monday)

As the 10m antenna was free, I went 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon by W5OLF. 

UPDATE 0908z:  Plenty of spots by local G4KPX (14km), but no DX yet. I have been on for about 25 minutes.

UPDATE 1630z: 5 unique stations have spotted me today so far with the furthermost FY5KE (7110km). 

UPDATE 1945z:   QRT.

6m FT8 (Monday)

After breakfast I hope to be on 6m FT8 using 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. There is an outside chance of some winter Es. 

UPDATE 0912z:  No spots yet. I have been on since 0844z.

UPDATE 1535z:   10 stations spotted so far today, mostly Gs.

UPDATE 1945z:   QRT.

VLF beacon TX

This was the beacon TX I built for earth-mode tests at 8-9kHz. It can send either CW or QRSS at about 5W. It is some years since it has been used. A range of 6km was the best I achieved by utilities assisted earth-mode. 

I don't think it has ever been used at this QTH and we moved here in 2013! My stroke rather stopped field work sadly.  I would like to do more, but fear this will not be possible. I am sure much further would be achievable. 

Interesting that earth-electrodes of sufficient size combined with plenty of power have been used in radiated sub-10kHz tests.

Sunspots - Monday January 10th 2022

Solar flux is 102 and the SSN 36.  A=10 and K=2 .

Three good things today - NOT amateur radio

1.  A nice winter walk - cold and bright.
2.  Having our grandson stay overnight.
3.  Sausages and mash with all the trimmings for lunch.

Taking pleasure in the simple things and not taking them for granted. 

Overtaking? - NOT amateur radio

My elder grandson is 14 years old. In the last year he has shot up.  He still likes coming here.

This was a photo of us both yesterday. 

472kHz WSPR RX last evening and overnight

In all, 12 unique stations were spotted. Furthermost was OH1LSQ (1733km). 

10m FT8 (Sunday)

 

On 10m FT8 today. Even my 2.5W brief transmission was spotted in Scandinavia 5 times. Mostly RX only with 42 spots at 1127z.

UPDATE 1330z : 72 spots on RX so far (see map). 

UPDATE 1948z: 84 stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX. Now QRT.