The following rally in Scotland has been announced. Please check with organisers first to ensure the information is correct.
Sunday May 14th - Braedhead Rally, G51 4BN. Contact admin@braeheadradiorally.com.
11 May 2023
8m QRP FT8 (Thursday)
It is now 1140z and I have been on 40.680 MHz QRP FT8 for about 50 minutes. So far, one spot from Poland by Es. So far this year 3 countries have spotted me via Es.
UPDATE 1345z: 3 stations have spotted my QRP 8m FT8 so far today and I have spotted 2. One exchange of FT8 reports was with S77A (1194km).
Thatched cottage - NOT amateur radio
Last evening on 70cm FT8
As far as I know, conditions last night were normal on 70cm.
Imagine what would have been copied if I had had a typical 70cm beam. If this works at 70cm, what about 23cm or even 13cm? On these bands ERPs of kilowatts are possible with average beams.
No, FT8, has transformed VHF/UHF, making DX possible at any time with very modest stations. If activity was higher people would be making DX QSOs at any time, irrespective of conditions.
10 May 2023
70cm FT8 activity contest
The map shows the activity on 70cm FT8 well before the UK contest starts!
My antenna is just a 2m big-wheel omni too!
Ely cathedral - NOT amateur radio
At one time, it was surrounded by marshy land hence the name "Isle of Ely".
8m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)
At about 1530z, my 8m FT8 was turned on. I am on 40.680 MHz with a DF of about 1950 Hz TXing in the first period. No spots.
160m QRP FT8 (Tuesday evening)
With SSB bandwidths my noise level on 160m is around S9. On FT8 (50 Hz bandwidth) I have no trouble getting across Europe with 2.5W and my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. Last night my CQ calls were answered by stations in France and Germany.
If you have noise issues try FT8 (50 Hz) or WSPR (6 Hz).
Oscar 100 - getting better?
Every few weeks I look at activity levels on the narrowband transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. Most times it is a tail of woe with activity levels far below what I would have expected. My last peek was at 1410z on a weekday afternoon in Europe.
This time, activity seemed better. In fact, I have never ever seen it busier!
9 May 2023
160m QRP FT8
UPDATE 2116z: 12 stations have spotted my 2.5W QRP 160m FT8. (see map).
Frustration - NOT amateur radio
Several times in the last few days I have had to ring about house insurance. After about a minute of time wasting drivel I was asked to say in a few words what my call was about.
Clearly they were using voice recognition or AI. Without fail my few words were not understood! When asked was I asking about car insurance "is that right?" I replied "no!!".
In the end I was put through to a human being. I hate AI. With a poor voice, I am on to a loser every time!!!
10m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)
A few moments ago, I swapped to 10m FT8 instead of WSPR. I am running 2.5W. Both on TX and RX, spots received. Either the band has just woken up or most are now on FT8 rather than WSPR!
UPDATE 1405z: 5 stations have spotted me with the furthermost being 4X1UF (3513km). On RX, all over copied.
UPDATE 1704z: 8 spots of my QRP.
10m Es operation
As we approach the late spring and summer in the northern hemisphere we are entering the Es season. This usually means propagation out to about 1500km is possible on all modes, often with very strong signals. Es is good at any point of the solar cycle at this time of year.
Most days at this time of year 10m and the low VHF bands will open to somewhere. Not every day is good. Some days will be disappointing. Often antennas like CB whips work perfectly well. Usually a few watts is quite enough whatever the mode.
8m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)
For a change, I am on 8m WSPR in the WSPR window just above 40.680 MHz. Yesterday, my 2W 8m WSPR to a low dipole was copied in Germany and Portugal.
UPDATE 1207z: No spots.
UPDATE 1848z: About an hour ago, I went back on 8m WSPR. No spots.
70cm activity contest tonight
As this is the second Tuesday in the month, at 1900z tonight should be the 70cm UKAC activity contest organised by the RSGB.
As I can only run 2.5W to a 2m big-wheel and my voice is poor, I usually stay on for much less than 1 hour.
As I recall, activity last time was down with many preferring the FT8 activity contest that is usually on the Wednesday. Usually, the activity contest sees SSB activity higher than usual.
10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)
Since about 0800z I have been on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon.
UPDATE 0842z: No spots yet.
UPDATE 1208z: No spots. Bad Es day?
UPDATE 1251z: Still no spots, so probably swapping to 10m FT8.
The South Hams of Devon
From this picture you can see why I think the South Hams is the best place on Earth.
V2000 vertical omni
8 May 2023
10m QRP WSPR TX (Monday)
When on 8m, I keep forgetting that my 10m antenna is free and I can go on 10m 500mW WSPR TX with my beacon. 10m WSPR QRP TX was turned on at about 1530z.
UPDATE 1545z: Widespread reports by Es of my 500mW 10m WSPR TX now being received. Some reports suggest just uWs would be sufficient! This suggests widespread reception by Es of unlicenced 8m ISM WSPR beacons.
UPDATE 1842z: 27 unique stations spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon in just a few hours. Es is definitely back. It is still on TX. Furthermost was TA4/G8SCU (3010km).
The future of amateur radio
This is a subject I have discussed before. These are my current views. I may well be proved wrong.
- National authorities like OFCOM and the FCC gain nothing from amateur radio and have no real interest.
- In 20 years' time most of the people currently active in amateur radio will be dead.
- In the future, all amateur radio will be run by national radio societies like the RSGB and ARRL who will allocate callsigns for those that still want them.
- Exams will not be needed. Who needs exams to talk about gardening on 80m with commercial gear?
- Deregulated services like ISM and CB will merge with a deregulated amateur radio service.
- There will be fewer dedicated amateur radio products.
- There will be fewer, and smaller amateur radio magazines.
Amateur radio as a service is changing. In my view, the future is about deregulation and as long as you don't interfere with others, it may be allowed. Access to all (current) amateur bands will be open to all.
Does it bother me? Not really. Experimenters will continue to experiment and those that want to natter about gardening can just get on with it.
Cynic, me?
Mr Putin, what are you hoping to achieve? - NOT amateur radio
The "special operation" by Russia against Ukraine is now in its second year. At one time the Ukrainian people had a certain respect for Russia. Indeed many in both nations have relatives in the other country. All respect by the Ukrainian people for Russia has gone. The Ukrainian people HATE Russia.
In my view, this war/invasion is totally and utterly stupid. What good can ever come of this? Every country has the right to determine its own future. By free and fair elections the people can choose their own future without external interference. I sincerely hope peace can be created.
New page on website
For the last month or so, I have been having great fun using my tiny QDX digital transceiver from QRP Labs. I am amazed that something this tiny works so well. If is so much smaller than my other rigs! A webpage has been created.
Mine is the version covering 20m to 10m. Other versions are available.
Just imagine a good multi-band transceiver with case with change for less than $100. Every amateur home should have one! If your soldering skills are normal this should be a straightforward build.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/qdx
8m QRP FT8
My gear (2.5W and a low dipole) was turned on at 0810z. In the last few days I have been spotted on every day without any Es DX and I spotted a newcomer to 8m G3WCS in IO83 square.
I just wish the RSGB and OFCOM would see the value of a very narrow band around 40.680 MHz by NoV for the Amateur Radio Service instead of both being so "anti". 5kHz would be so useful for research. Instead, we have to pay to do useful research!! Madness.
Sorry, I have no sympathy with this position. Yes, I know weather radar may use some of these frequencies, but I gather these are at night to minimise interference to/from other services. The ISM band is protected by limits and international law. The RSGB should be actively fighting for us on our behalf. Instead, they seem to be meekly accepting OFCOM's position rather than causing a fuss. Yes, protect our existing bands by all means (personally I would prefer more, narrower bands BTW), but please understand that some of us wish to contribute to genuine research and not talk on 80m with commercial gear about growing carrots . Rant over.
Keeping within the law, I hope as many as possible will operate legally within the 8m ISM allocation 40.66-40.70 MHz with WSPR or FT8 beacons without a licence.
UPDATE 0834z: No spots.
UPDATE 1258z: Just G3WCS (223km) spotted on RX. No spots of me on 8m FT8 TX.
UPDATE 1437z: No 8m FT8 spots of me today so far. Disappointing.
UPDATE 1450z: At last! Some Es with a spot of me by HC02 (1808km) in Portugal. Thank you Hugh.
UPDATE 1557z: Spotted in 5 EU countries so far today on 8m FT8. It took a while, but Es is definitely here!
UPDATE 1820z: Just did a series of 8m WSPR tests with HC02 in Portugal, gradually dropping power to 50mW. probably 10dB in hand suggesting 10mW ERP in the ISM band will definitely be widely spotted in Europe.
Wisdom - NOT amateur radio
Back in the 1960s, I was invited by a friend to a Billy Graham crusade, that was televised to a cinema in Plymouth. Evangelical Christianity was not for me, but one thing has stuck with me to this very day. This was the difference between being clever and being wise. Many are clever, but not many are wise. My Auntie Kitty was not clever, but she was wise.
Some people are graced with wisdom. They can see beyond the obvious and discern what lies beyond. They have an inner sense of the ultimate truth that lies beyond the surface. These people have real wisdom.
The ultimate message is you do not have to be clever to be wise.
Wisdom is a gift.
7 May 2023
8m access without a licence
Following correspondence with OFCOM here in the UK, it is my view that anyone at all may use the 8m ISM band 40.66 - 40.70 MHz for beacons without a licence as long as they comply with the technical requirements and IR2030. In the UK this means 10mW ERP .
At times this will cross Europe on WSPR, possibly even on FT8. In your own country, rules may be different. If you are unhappy, seek your own legal advice as I am not a legal expert. In the UK callsigns and locators are not required by law in the ISM bands, but I advice using a callsign and QTH locator that can be reported on WSPRnet.
What this could mean is many more stations beaconing on 8m.
This is NOT the Amateur Radio Service.
As I see it, it is a legal way to do experiments and research on 8m.
Where is this? - NOT amateur radio
This photo was taken 7 years ago. It is almost certainly somewhere in East Anglia, although I cannot recall where. If you recognise it, please put me out of my misery!
Bellringing bonkers - NOT amateur radio
One of our grandsons is totally mad on bellringing. At the last count he had run in 109 places!. This video shows him ringing nearby. I think he is doing a full peel somewhere this weekend. This takes several hours.
Changes
When I was first involved with amateur radio it was 1962.
My first venture into radio was when my dad bought me a Heathkit Electronics Workshop for Christmas 1961. This allowed you to make a variety of circuits without soldering. That first Christmas I was DXing on Medium Wave. I joined the RSGB shortly afterwards. My first G8 call was in 1966 and I became a G3 in 1967, taking my Morse test in the famous Liver building in Liverpool.
My first serious TX activity was when I moved to Cambridge in the early 1970s. My first outings were on 2m AM, then 70cm AM with a simple homemade QRP transverter. In those days most people were crystal controlled, so it was "tuning high to low" to get a contact.
These days, people rarely come on just for a chat. Times are changing.
My 2m-70cm transverter was based on this circuit in the old "VHF Communication" magazine. It produced about 100mW on 70cm. From a local hill you could almost guarantee a QSO with this in the 1970s.
OFCOM updates
A reminder that OFCOM updates the information it hold on licences etc. every week. See the OFCOM website for the latest data.
Incidentally, I enquired about changes to my T&I 8m licence. A month later, I am still awaiting a response. They say they are incredibly busy. At this rate, the Es season will be over before they respond! I know from work days how this can feel, but a response email would take just a few minutes!
8m QRP FT8 (Sunday)
After breakfast, my plan is to go on 40.680 MHz QRP FT8 again in the hope of catching some Es.
UPDATE 0854z: Gear turned on at 0820z. No spots.
UPDATE 0948z: G3WCS spotted (IO83). Is this genuine?
UPDATE 1046z: It turns out G3WCS is genuine, Also WESSEXSDR (265km) has spotted me on RX. In the last few days I have been spotted on 8m FT8 every day, and not one of these was Es, despite using just 2.5W FT8 and a low dipole.
UPDATE 1918z: 2 stations have spotted me today on 8m FT8 and I have spotted 2. No Es. QRT soon.
6 May 2023
2m activity contest last Tuesday
As usual, I go on the 2m activity contest on the first Tuesday evening in the month. As I run 2.5W and an omni big-wheel antenna and my voice is poor, I am usually on for less than an hour. Conditions seemed a bit "up" and it was quite busy. In 37 minutes 7 contacts were had (see map). Next Tuesday is the 70cm activity contest.
4m personal beacon
Jason M0NYW has a personal 4m beacon. I predict he will see lots of spots this Es season.
It is on 70.093 MHz (70.092 USB-D) sending FT8 + CW ID + dashes. It has an output of 1W to a halo. I hope I can spot it. It runs pretty much 24/7.
See www.qrz.com/db/M0NYW/b for more details.
Just popping down for golf - NOT amateur radio
Sir John Beckwith's helicopter at Thurlestone. How the other half live!!
Next door - NOT amateur radio
We are lucky to live just next door to a fully restored windmill. This is the view from the lounge window.
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