One of the nicest churches we have visited with our grandson bellringing is Girton, just to the north of Cambridge. I would go as far as to say the churchyard was lovely and very peaceful and perhaps one of the best.
29 Aug 2022
Girton, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio
One of the nicest churches we have visited with our grandson bellringing is Girton, just to the north of Cambridge. I would go as far as to say the churchyard was lovely and very peaceful and perhaps one of the best.
10m WSPR QRP TX (Monday)
At 0928z, my 500mW 10m WSPR TX beacon was turned on. No spots yet today. As Es spots are now far less frequent, I expect my best chances will be later with F2 propagation.
I am tempted to try 10m FT8. If I do this it means I have to go QRT on 8m as I shall need the PC, that I do not need with WSPR.
8m experiment (Monday)
As our visitors have gone out, I have turned on my QRP 8m FT8 on 40.680 MHz USB dial at about 0927z. No spots.
I am getting the distinct feeling that there are fewer 8m FT8 monitors now the Es season is largely over.
UPDATE 1450z: No spots all day RX or TX on 8m FT8.
Bell ringing obsession? - NOT amateur radio
Oscar 100 geosynchronous satellite
Every few weeks I take a peek at the narrow-band transponder of this satellite. No real change. The last peek was mid-afternoon on a Sunday afternoon in Europe at 1316z.
If the IC-905 ever makes it to market, I wonder if this will make any impact on activity?
Sunspots - Monday August 29th 2022
Solar flux is 131 and the SSN 79. A=15 and K=3.
UPDATE 1642z: Apparently the very high solar flux readings were in error.
28 Aug 2022
Cambridgeshire churchyard - NOT amateur radio
This was in Girton churchyard earlier. Girton is on the northern edge of Cambridge. Years ago, it would have been a separate village.
Our grandson was ringing bells here this morning. We were in the churchyard.
QRT
As we have visitors until late tomorrow, I am being "sociable", so I have gone completely QRT with everything turned off. This means I am unlikely to be on 10m WSPR or 8m FT8 until late tomorrow.
10m QRP WSPR TX (Sunday)
My 500mW WSPR TX beacon was turned on about 0948z. No spots of me yet.
UPDATE 1035z: Spotted by an OH and SM station many times. I have noticed several times that more northerly stations spot me, or are spotted, more often later in the Es season. I wonder if this really is the same mechanism?
8m experiment (Sunday)
As we are out taking our grandson to film some bells until about 1000z, I shall not be on until we get back. As the main Es season has ended, I shall hope to catch a brief Es opening or some F2 when I go on 40.680 MHz USB dial QRP FT8 later.
UPDATE 0948z: Gear now on QRP FT8 8m TX.
VLF E-field probe?
Iceland - NOT amateur radio
We visited Iceland some years ago and were surprised. We had expected a barren land, but most was green and beautiful. There were lupins everywhere.
10m propagation
We are now moving out of the main Es season into F2 being the main propagation mode. Using WSPR I mainly copy European stations whereas with FT8 I often copy South Americans. This is with the same RX, antenna and WSJT-X software!
My only conclusion is that far more people are now using FT8 than WSPR or that much shorter openings are caught with a 15 second burst of FT8 than a much longer WSPR burst.
ICOM IC-905
This is the new radio announced by ICOM. I have serious doubts about it ever making it to market.
It is meant to cover 2m-3cm with a control head based on the IC-705 and an RF unit that could be mounted next to the antenna.
It looks expensive and I just can't see it selling in huge volumes. Also, I cannot imagine it being low cost.
If it ever gets to market I can see this being a flop. Nice idea, but unlikely to make them rich.
Yaesu FTDX-10
After a huge amount of thought I have decided not to buy this radio.
Apart from 4m, it is unlikely to offer me much more than I already have. I am sure the IC-705 offers nearly as much. The 100W is wasted on me! What I might have bought was a 10W version or a real FT817 replacement.
There is little doubt that this is an excellent transceiver especially with the special bank holiday deals from MLS.
So, I'll pass. Maybe I'll regret this.
27 Aug 2022
Blackberry picking - NOT amateur radio
UPDATE 1545z: Came back with plenty.
10m WSPR QRP TX
The 10m WSPR 500mW beacon has been on since 0735z. It is now 0846z. So far only spots from local G6TUS (17km).
UPDATE 1734z: 6 unique stations have spotted me today on 10m WSPR QRP.
Shetland sunrise - NOT amateur radio
This photo appeared on 365project earlier and was posted by a friend on the Shetland Islands in the far north of Scotland. The days are long in summer, but short in winter.
Yaesu FTDX-10
As readers will know, I have been strongly considering one of these.
At the moment MLS is offering a very good deal, but I am still undecided. I am probably not buying one, although it is very highly rated in the Sherwood RX tests. With the £100 MLS gift voucher and Yaesu £85 cashback, now is probably the very best time.
It has a very good receiver, 4m and an auto-ATU, but not 2m or 70cm. At 100W on HF it has about 20 times the power I would ever use!
8m experiment (Saturday)
Yesterday, my 40.680 MHz QRP USB dial FT8 was spotted by 2 Iberian stations with 1 "QSO". The gear was turned on this morning at 0737z.
UPDATE 0959z: No spots.
26 Aug 2022
Wedding bells - NOT amateur radio
Our elder grandson loves to ring bells. He has now rung in 40 towers and, as I write, is ringing locally for a wedding.
Deleted by mistake?
If you have recently written to me and have not got a reply, it was probably my mistake.
I just emptied my bin and, too late, noticed something that I think should not have been there. Write again please. I try to respond promptly. Please accept my apologies. Writing again is probably the best thing to do if you got no response.
WISPY 10m WSPR receiver
It is amazing to believe that this design of mine is 10 years old! These days, many have gone on to FT8 instead, but there is a good following on 10m WSPR as well. This used very low cost 14.060 MHz crystals that were pulled, making this a very low cost design. It worked well.
10m QRP WSPR TX
My 500mW WSPR TX gear was turned on at 0939z. At 0949z, no spots.
UPDATE 1240z: Several spots from just Sweden. Limited Es opening?
UPDATE 1325z: Now spotted in Spain.
UPDATE 1335z: Now spotted in Norway.
8m experiment (Friday)
My QRP 8m FT8 gear on 40.680 MHz USB dial was turned on at 0939z. No spots yet.
UPDATE 1325z: No spots today on 8m.
UPDATE 1729z: HC02 (1808km) in Portugal has spotted my 8m FT8 QRP TX today.
The dealer shootout
Hopefully I will be very wrong, but I predict that at least one amateur radio dealer will be gone by the end of next year.
There could be more than one. Over time magazines will see revenue dip, which in turn could lead to smaller editions or even some magazines closing.
In my view, some dealers will survive, but others may not. Hard times are ahead.
As I said before, I hope I will be very wrong, but the signs are not good. I wrote to one dealer almost a week ago and I did not have the courtesy of a reply. They certainly won't be getting any business from me. Will they be one of the first to go? I shall not name and shame them.
It is not just dealers. Some manufacturers are also considering whether amateur radio offers them profits in the future. Some may decide it is better to get out soon.
25 Aug 2022
Love lies bleeding - NOT amateur radio
This is an odd name for a garden flower. Some time ago, my wife was given some small plants by a friend. She had no idea how they would turn out. Now they are mature she knows why they have this odd name!
Creosoting the garden bench - NOT amateur radio
It has since been moved so should be better in future.
Yaesu FTDX-10
At the moment MLS is offering some good deals on this with a £100 gift voucher to use on future purchases. This offer runs until Monday. The gift voucher can be used at any time. Yaesu also has a £85 cash back offer.
The rig has received rave reviews, but does not have 2m or 70cm, but does have 4m and an auto ATU. Although seriously tempted, at the moment I am inclined against it. My fear (hopefully unfounded) is that Yaesu is leaving the market. To me, the MLS move is to retain custom.
In these hard times, all dealers will struggle. Amateur radio usually depends on disposable income. There is less.
Rallies
The following rallies should be on over this weekend. In some countries in the UK, Monday is a public holiday. As always, check with organisers before going any distance.
Sunday August 28th Milton Keynes ARC rally. Contact rally@mkars.org.uk.
Sunday August 28th Torbay Annual Communications Fair. Contact rally@tars.org.uk.
Monday August 29th HARS Annual Rally (Huntingdon). Contact events@hunts-hams.co.uk .
10m WSPR QRP TX (Thursday)
As the storm risk seems to have passed, I am again on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. At 0956z, no spots of me.
UPDATE 1115z: No spots. Even with fewer stations now using WSPR (compared with FT8), I would have expected some spots by now. This suggests the main Es season is now over. Es will still occur, but far less often.
UPDATE 1500z: Quite a few spots today from HB9TMC (905km). It looks like this was an Es opening, but in a very narrow area.
8m experiment (Thursday)
The 8m QRP FT8 TX was turned on on 40.680 MHz USB dial at 0938z. No spots yet. at 0950z.
No operation until at least the afternoon
As we have thunderstorms at the moment and these could last until well after lunch, everything will remain disconnected until all risks have gone. So, no operation until later.
Serious rain at last - NOT amateur radio
In this part of the UK we have had almost no rain since March. Today we have rain, thunder and lightning. Let's hope the grass turns green!!
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