On the second Tuesday of the month is the 70cm activity contest (UKAC). I can only run 2.5W to the 2m big-wheel omni antenna. Because of my voice, I cannot stay on long. This evening was hopeless and I only stopped on for about 20 minutes and worked just 1 station. I expect there will be many more on the 70cm FT8 activity contest, that I think is tomorrow.
14 Mar 2023
Volunteer day - NOT amateur radio
Although our museum and windmill next door only open 2 days a week from Easter to late October, a team of volunteers comes up every Tuesday to carry out maintenance. Usually it is very quiet, but all changes on a Tuesday!
FT-710 and FT8
Thank you for all the suggestions.
I was going to do this yesterday (find out why the FT-710 does not work with FT8), but had no time. Today is make or break time: I shall check the firmware version, try at a lower speed that 38400 (probably 4800) and if all else fails give MLS a ring for help!
In the end, it has to be something daft and I shall say, "of course"!
UPDATE 1709z: It would appear my firmware on the FT-710 is not up to date. I am not sure if doing the reset to factory settings some weeks ago did this or whether these firmware updates post date the rig being shipped from the factory and MLS? Anyway, clearly I should make sure the firmware is fully up-to-date before I try to get FT8 working. The rig talks about CAT-3 settings and elsewhere CAT-1. This has left my small brain confused, HI.
481THz optical beacon tests
This popped up as a Facebook memory yesterday. It is some years since I last did optical tests over the horizon. In the near future, I want to re-assemble my optical gear and do some local tests before attempting some NLOS tests with Bernie G4HJW who is over the horizon about 9km away.
13 Mar 2023
OFCOM updates
A reminder that OFCOM updates the data it holds on licences etc. every week. See the OFCOM website for details.
12m FT8 yesterday
In the end, I went QRT on 12m FT8 RX only at about 2100z. In all, 921 stations were spotted. The band was still wide open when I went QRT.
Tilt switch DT project - NOT amateur radio
My grandson was very exited about this design and technology (DT) project at his school. It is a demo of a tilt switch.
These are widely used in "man down" alarms in wireless devices where you can trigger a remote alarm if a person falls to the ground. This has applications in safety critical situations such as police radios.
We might make an engineer of him yet! He is excited about such things, which is good.
Pixie transceivers
The Pixie is a classic low cost CW transceiver usually for 80m or 40m. It started life as the Micro80. Kits are available from China at ridiculously low prices, although some are better than others.
It uses the PA transistor as a mixer and often suffered from poor selectivity and AM breakthrough. It was let down by this poor RX. Over the years several versions have been created to help with these issues.
However, it does work and is capable of really get contacts.
The photos show a typical Pixie and my version of the Micro80.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/8040m-pixie-and-micro80-transceivers .
Sunspots - Monday March 13th 2023
Solar flux is 143 and the SSN 135. A=4 and K=0. It looks like the page I get my information from is back to normal. Yesterday morning it looked different.
12 Mar 2023
BBC email? - NOT amateur radio
I cannot find the BBC email to whom I should send my complaint. If you know it, please would you share it?
My complaint is that nearly every documentary seems to have loud and intrusive music that drowns out the speaker. Why? It is almost as if we have to have this music, but why is it so loud?
It would be good if this music was much quieter or even not there at all! The music is added, I suppose, to give dramatic effect.
The latest culprit is David Attenborough's "Wild Isles" on BBC1.
Please, do not treat us as stupid.
Yaesu FT-710 FT8 - last try!
Having tried most things, I shall give my FT-710AESS one more try on FT8.
So far, everything I have tried has failed. If it is something I am doing wrong, I have yet to find out what it is! All the drivers are installed, port selection is correct, port properties are correct, rig selection is correct, RTS is selected (as they say), but still CAT fails to work.
If this fails, the rig will have to go back. I really hope I can crack it. It should not be this hard. If the rig is working, I fail to see why this popular mode is so difficult.
If you have one of these rigs, please tell me your FT8 settings both on the transceiver and WSJT-X. I thought mine were all correct, but obviously not.
Yaesu FT77
Way back in the last century, I bought this radio. It came after the FT7 (which I loved) and had the WARC bands. I guess this would have been in the mid 1980s. I did not warm to the rig. As for the DX worked with it, I cannot remember. As I recall it had a noisy RX. Mind you, after the FT7 most receiver sounded noisy!
12m QRP FT8 (Sunday)
This is a band I rarely go on and as my QDX covers this and the antenna is still a good match, I am giving it a try. After about 5 minutes, I am being spotted by 10 stations (3 in the USA) and I have spotted 47 stations including the west coast of the USA.
UPDATE 1747z: Spotted by 140 stations and I have spotted 428 stations on 12m FT8 with the QDX. Now RX only. Power on 12m is about 3.9W.
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| Stations spotted on 12m FT8 with the QDX |
UPDATE 1929z: 739 stations spotted on 12m FT8 RX.
10FT8R receiver
At the moment 10m is in great shape with plenty of DX via F2 most days. We are also approaching the Es season in the northern hemisphere. My 10FT8R receiver (been on this blog before) makes a great, low cost, 10m FT8 RX. This is very inexpensive, yet works well.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/10ft8r-rx
Thetford Priory - NOT amateur radio
This was destroyed by King Henry VIII hundreds of years ago. It upsets me when history is destroyed. Nobody has any right to destroy our past. We may not agree with the views when these things were created, but (please) do not destroy them. Had King Henry VIII has a son early on, history might have been so different.
Coffee time - NOT amateur radio
This morning, we went to Thetford. It is about 25 minutes from us. With me driving, it is a bit slower! This was where we had coffee.
10m FT8 RX (Sunday)
Apart from a brief QRP 10m FT8 TX session (11 spots of me) I am on 10m FT8 RX with the QDX. It is now 0930z and 96 stations were spotted after about 20 minutes. We are out for the morning, so just on 10m FT8 RX. After lunch I may try TX.
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| Stations spotting me on 10m QRP FT8 today |
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| Stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX |
UPDATE 1445z: 1066 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX with the QDX and 98 stations have spotted me. I reckon the QDX is about size of a pack of cards. Amazing. It is just too easy!
20m FT8 RX with the QDX
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| Stations spotted on 20m FT8 RX with the QDX and 10m antenna |
Overnight, I left my QDX on 20m FT8 RX using my totally non-resonant 10m antenna. In all, 841 stations spotted as the map shows. Too easy!! I guess I was on for about 15 hours.
CDARC talk on my website
I think this file is now shared. If you have problems getting it, please discuss with me. I created it in (free) Open Office and saved it in Powerpoint.
Open Office is totally free and every bit as good as Microsoft equivalents in my view.
There is a link on this page below.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/cdarc-talk-march-2023 .
11 Mar 2023
Snow - NOT amateur radio
This winter we have had far more snow and frosts than in most winters. This was our rear garden yesterday. Afterwards there was bright sunshine!
QDX 20m FT8 RX (Saturday)
My QDX and PC have been restarted and a Windows update carried out. It will be interesting to see if RX spots start.
UPDATE 2031z: 165 stations spotted on 20m FT8 RX. I suspect a delay at PSKreporter was the main issue.
UPDATE 2104z: 259 stations spotted on 20m FT8 RX with the furthermost VK7XX (17241km).
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| Stations spotted with the QDX on 20m FT8 RX this evening |
QDX on 15m FT8 (Saturday)
A few minutes ago I QSYed to 15m FT8 with the little QDX transceiver. 10 stations have spotted me, but (according to PSKreporter) I have spotted zero stations, whereas locally there are plenty shown! Either this means I am not uploading spots to PSKreporter or there is a delay with RX spots.
UPDATE 1932z: Plenty of spots now appearing, so looks like there was a delay reporting RX spots.
UPDATE 1941z: Windows was updating, which may have had some effect.
QDX on 17m FT8 RX (Saturday)
At the moment I am on 17m FT8 RX with my QDX. PSKreporter seems to have a delay as I am seeing plenty on RX, but these are not being displayed yet. My internet is on and I have the PSKreporter box ticked on WSJT-X.
QDX on 10m FT8 TX
My tiny QDX has been on 10m FT8 today. In the last hour 59 stations have spotted me. On RX, I have lost count of the stations spotted.
Still no luck with the FT-710 on FT8
My other Windows PC came back yesterday and works fine with my tiny QDX. It has already been spotted all over the place and works fine on RX too.
Sadly I have still not got my Yaesu FT-710 to work on FT8. I cannot get the CAT to communicate with the rig. I have downloaded the drivers, adjusted the settings for the driver speed as they say, selected the correct port and all settings and still no joy. This is so frustrating.
After lots of trying, I just cannot see what I am doing wrong. If this is "finger trouble" at my end I just do not understand. I shall give it another try or it will have to go back. It is a pity, as this is a good rig.
OFCOM updates
Just a reminder that OFCOM updates the details held on licences etc. every week. Check the OFCOM website for more information.
Sunspots - Saturday March 11th 2023
Solar flux is 171 and the SSN 135.
My favourite website for daily solar data is after funding. See www.solarham.net.
At the moment I cannot see the A and K index figures on the new site.
10 Mar 2023
Effective 10m antenna
At the moment 10m is in great shape.
On this band, worldwide DX is possible most days by F2. We are also approaching the Es season in the northern hemisphere bringing good propagation out to about 1500km, occasionally much further.
You may be after a simple, but effective, 10m antenna so I would like to remind you of my Homebase-10 antenna that was in Practical Wireless many years ago. It is very low cost and most of the parts can be bought at your local hardware store. It might make a nice weekend project.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/homebase10-10m-halo .
2nd Windows PC returned - FT8 test later
My second Asus Windows PC has been returned from repair under warranty. This was very fast. Later I hope to try this on FT8 with my FT-710. At the moment I am too giddy.
UPDATE 1335z: At first I tried to sync to internet time. Of course, I forgot that it did not recognise the connection! All sorted now and synchronised. Still to try with the FT-710. Need to install a driver first and WSJT-X.
Talk tonight
For the first time since before my stroke in 2013, I am giving a talk to the Cambridge Radio Club (CDARC). The talk is by Zoom only in view of the bad weather. I have prepared the slides and someone else is voicing my notes.
The talk is entitled" Fun With Amateur Radio". It is quite wide ranging. I am pretty sure visitors to the Zoom talk would be welcomed. Talks usually start at 2000z.
The usual style is people mute (apart from the speaker) and unmute if they have questions, or use the Zoom chat facility.
Most club talks are also via Zoom, so you could join CDARC even if you live in Australia! Annual subscriptions are very reasonable. In the past we have had speakers and viewers from many parts of the planet.
10m QRP WSPR (Friday)
At about 1024z, I turned on my 500mW WSPR TX beacon. So far, no spots.
UPDATE 1100z: 4 spots of me from the Canary Is so far.
UPDATE 1731z: 29 stations have spotted me.
Real winter - NOT amateur radio
This winter we have had more frosts and snow on the ground than for a long time. Years ago, we had snow on the ground every winter, whereas now to get any snow is the exception. This winter has been more like the winters in the 1950s. As I write there is snow falling and snow on the ground, even though it is officially spring according to the UK Mat Office!
Although I quite like the look of snow, I prefer milder sunnier weather. Roll on spring.
8m QRP FT8 (Friday)
Later today, I hope to go on 8m QRP FT8 again on 40.680 MHz. Although EI2IP and G4APB were both copied yesterday, I suspect my low ERP only gets spotted if conditions are exceptionally good via F2. Both these stations have probably got far greater ERP than I have. This is my choice to see what can be achieved on 8m with very simple gear. I suspect for reliable F2, I need at least another 10dB.
9 Mar 2023
8m QRP FT8 (Thursday)
It is now 1515z. My 8m FT8 QRP was turned on at about 1500z. So far, no spots at 1522z.
10m QRP WSPR (Thursday)
At about 1500z, my 500mW 10m WSPR TX beacon was turned on. So far, no spots today.
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