Optical Experiments

One of the fallacies going around is that optical communication is just "line-of-site" and that both the TX and RX have to be able to see each other. This is just not true! 

With very low power and simple, homemade, gear I could detect my beacon on a PC way over the horizon. In Australia, the "over-the-horizon" (NLOS) distance record is way over 100km. With my own very modest gear, I can well believe this. 

My tests were done on cloudless nights, suggesting the propagation was scattering off atmospheric dust. There was no sign of the light from the TX in the sky at all.  This is definitely where everyone, licenced or not, may experiment. It would be good to find out how far we could achieve non line of site (NLOS) in the UK. Incidentally LEDs are generally considered better than lasers due to scintillation (look it up!).

My own beacon and optical gear were made in the back of the garage. If I was fit, I would be experimenting now.

My optical gear used LEDs bought off eBay. Far more powerful ones are available. I used 100mm lenses used in magnifying glasses bought at Poundland. Better equipped stations used Fresnel lenses. My tripod was hopeless. With better LEDs, lenses and tripods, ranges could be increased a great deal. Even with my system ranges could be considerably greater than the nearly 9km I managed.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/optical-nanowaves/over-the-horizon.

Isleham priory - NOT amateur radio

Until the Reformation this was a priory. Afterwards, it was used as a barn. 

In my view the Reformation did a great deal of harm in England. Looking back, it seems pure vandalism. 

In my view, we have to look at history, reflect on it, but not destroy it.

Rowan tree - NOT amateur radio

We have 3 rowan trees in our front garden. The one nearest the drive is filled with berries that fall everywhere. It is also leaning heavily. 

8m 2.5W FT8 (Monday)

 My 2.5W FT8 to the dipole on 40.680 MHz was turned on about 0830z. So far, no spots.

UPDATE 1206z:   2 Polish stations have spotted my QRP 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1544z: No further stations spotting me.

10m 500mW WSPR (Monday)

 

My 500mW W5OLF WSPR beacon was turned on at about 0830z. 

UPDATE 1546z: 31 stations have spotted me. No further stations spotting me recently.

Sunspots - Monday August 28th 2023

Solar flux is 142 and the SSN 69. A=11 and K=2.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) - NOT amateur radio

Until this year, most had not heard of AI. Now it is widespread.  

There is no doubt that with big computers that learn we can all benefit from the huge processing power. What a human brain can do in days could be done by an AI computer in seconds. This could really help in such things as fast cancer diagnosis.

At the same time it could be a great cause of harm in the wrong hands. 

Some time ago, I did an experiment with AI. I put my name and callsign in and within seconds it produced line after line about me, most which was accurate. I then put my son's name in (he is an internationally famous jazz musician) and it came back with rubbish. The danger is that people may accept what AI tells them as absolute truth. Imagine a hostile power using AI. We can be sure the military services both east and west are "on the case".

I can see both good and bad. We have interacted with AI for years e.g. with chat bots and phone chats that, for example, ask you to "press 2 if you need to discuss future cruises".  In the future they will be far better.

At the moment, I am reserving judgement.

Crabapple jelly (continued) - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago I mentioned that I had made some crabapple jelly from the crabapples on our one tree. Despite a good crop, the amount of jelly produced was very small.

Yesterday I tried some and it was very good. It is just a pity there is so little!

European Es

The main Es season is now over, but Es is still with us. I find this site extremely useful to get a snapshot of conditions. It looks like there is a good opening in Eastern Europe this afternoon.

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .

Ickworth (National Trust) - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we visited this vast estate near Bury-St-Edmunds. It must have cost an enormous amount to own and run it centuries ago. 

I have no idea where this wealth came from, but I hope not slavery. These days it can be enjoyed by everyone.

In praise of Chromebooks - NOT amateur radio

For almost 3 years now I have mostly used a Chromebook. It has been truly excellent and does almost everything I can ever want and is blisteringly fast. 

Mine is an Asus and came with a 3yr "at home" warranty. It is an 11.6 inch model with rubber bumpers. The Chrome updates and virus protection are valid until next year, when I shall probably get the latest version. 

It was about a third the price of the nearest Windows machine. The battery still lasts for hours. It really is very good and I have not once regretted buying it.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Sunday)

Although my QRP beacon has been on since breakfast, no spots yet.  It is now 0942z.

UPDATE 1005z:  Doh!! It helps if you turn the PA on too! Without this, I was probably running a just few microwatts. PA now turned on and resynced time.

UPDATE 1047z:   The map shows the stations that have spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon in the last few weeks.

UPDATE 1328z: 23 spots of my 500mW WSPR so far today.

UPDATE 1937z:  26 spots when I went QRT.

8m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My 2.5W to the dipole has been on since 0700z. No spots. 

UPDATE 0848z: Already spotted by WESSEXSDR (266km) and SR4BBX (1217km).

UPDATE 1312z: Spotted by 3 stations so far. 2 are in the EU.

UPDATE 1831z: 4 stations have spotted me today on 8m FT8 TX. 

UPDATE 1941z:  QRT.

Sunspots - Sunday August 29th 2023

Solar flux is 139 and the SSN 75. A=7 and K=3. Have we passed the peak already? 

WISPY RX

One of my Facebook memories today was this photo of my WISPY 10m WSPR RX. I think this was first created in 2011.  Later it formed the basis of a really simple 10m FT8 receiver.

Rant time

Today must be a bad day. 

In an earlier post I moan about the future of our hobby. Before my stroke in 2013, I had the honour of giving talks at radio clubs throughout East Anglia. Sadly, I can no longer do this as my voice is poor.

One of the things I noticed time and time again was that old men outnumbered young people overwhelmingly. As for females, maybe one or two. By far the most interested were old men. Some had been in the hobby for years, whereas some had recently become interested with family cares and work behind them.

Thinking to the future, the writing is on the wall. In 20 years' time most radio amateurs will be dead or past caring. A few might be in care homes. Amateur radio will be a distant memory, assuming we can remember at all!

Time and again I hear calls to really understand young people of today. If we really understand younger people we have chance to attract them and keep them in the hobby.  Sadly, most old men are not trying, so the downward spiral has started.

Rant over!

Blogs - NOT amateur radio

Just now, I looked at my profile, but had forgotten some of the blogs I created years ago!  

Usually, one is created when we go on holiday, as it is easy to forget things later. One was created shortly before we moved here 10 years ago. It is interesting to look at these again.

Storms stop play

We have just had a clap of thunder and looking at the lightning map, there are storms all around. As a precaution I have disconnected antennas, PSUs and the PC in the shack. when the danger has passed I may reconnect things. I have seen no flashes of lightning, so assume the storms are some way away.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;ts=0; 

UPDATE 1739z:  We have not had thunder for several hours, so things in the shack have been reconnected. The storms look to be moving away now.

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

 Although the 2.5W to the dipole has been on all morning, no spots on TX or RX at 1150z.

UPDATE 1434z:    No spots. 

UPDATE 1517z:   It seems odd that real experimenters have to pay to do experiments in the UK because OFCOM and the RSGB seem so stupid and short-sighted, for example, about 8m. I despair for the future of our hobby that is meant to be all about self-training. Tell that to OFCOM, the RSGB and the FCC!! I have said this many, many times: when most radio amateurs are very old, forgetful, men (most amateurs are old men), I can see our hobby just dying out. 20 years? Fewer (or no) profits, fewer adverts, fewer magazines, fewer new transceivers..... Am I bothered?  Not really. I have enjoyed experimenting, but many prefer to talk about gardening on 80m with commercial gear or chasing DXCC. Neither appeal to me. If this is amateur radio, sorry it is not for me.

UPDATE 1916z:  S50B (1220km) has spotted me.

UPDATE 1953z:  QRT shortly.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Saturday)

 

My beacon was turned on about 0810z. At 1145z, 9 stations had spotted me. These look like Es.

UPDATE 1455z:  11 spots of my 10m 500mW beacon today.

UPDATE 1934z:  14 spots of me today.

UPDATE 2000z:   QRT.

Eddystone EC10 receiver

This was the first transistorised communications receiver. Back in the 1960s, many lusted after one. I eventually got one in the 1970s. 

Actually it was very poor. By modern standards I expect a very low cost SDR is better. They still pop up on auction sites from time to time. They use germanium OC171 transistors which often get leaky and need replacing.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/eddystone-ec10 .

Life after death? - NOT amateur radio

As I get older, I am more aware than ever that life is time limited. Most (if not all) religions point to some sort of life after death. I think most people hope for this. 

At the same time, I cannot square this with the fact that when I die, I can have no memory. If I just ceased to exist how would I know? At the same time the whole concept of "I" has no meaning. Also, I am puzzled by the vast number of planets in the universe and the smallness of our brains. 

Death remains a mystery. Most religions fail to answer my questions.

Sunspots - Saturday August 26th 2023

Solar flux is 139 and the SSN 77. A=5 and K=2.

OFCOM reminder

Just to remind you that OFCOM publishes updates to the data it holds on licences etc every week. They also list the publications they produce. See the OFCOM website.

Brunch - NOT amateur radio

Before Covid, periodically we went to a local restaurant for a meal with friends. It was called the Merry Monk in Isleham, near Ely.  We went there for brunch this morning. It was great to be back. They have excellent food and service.

8m QRP FT8 (Friday)

My gear has been on since late morning. No spots. 

UPDATE 1515z:  Still no spots.

UPDATE  2044z:  WESSEXSDR (266km) spotted me. Now QRT.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Friday)

 

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was turned on late this morning. So far just spotted by a station in Eire.

UPDATE 1300z: No further spots.

UPDATE 1603z: 6 spots including 2 in South America. Yesterday my 1st North American (a VO1) this season, probably by F2.

Sunspots - Friday August 25th 2023

 Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 86  A=9 and K=1.

Old university friends - NOT amateur radio

Today, we met up with old university friends that we have known since the late 1960s. We met up in Anglesey Abbey and they came back here for lunch. 

With old friends we pick up where we left off as if we last met just yesterday.

Rallies this (long) weekend

In England, Monday is a public holiday. I have been notified of the following rallies. As always, I advise checking the information is correct and the rally not cancelled before driving a long way. Where possible, I add contact details.

Sunday August 27th - Torbay Annual Communications Fair, Newton Abbot Racecourse, TQ12 3AF.  Contact  01803 864528.

Sunday August 27th - Milton Keynes ARS, Heron's Lodge Guide Activity Centre, MK8 9AA. No contact details given.

Monday August 28th - Huntingdonshire ARS, St Neots, PE19 2SH. Contact events@hunts-hams.co.uk .

More crapapple jelly - NOT amateur radio

After all the effort I managed just 2 very small jars of crabapple jelly. Really not worth the effort. As my wife said quoting Shakespeare "Much ado about nothing". 

10m QRP WSPR TX ( Thursday)

 My 500mW 10m WSPR TX beacon has been on for about 20 minutes. Spotted by 3 stations. 2 look like F2. 

8m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

 Been on for about 20 minutes. No spots yet. 

Sunspots - Thursday August 24th 2023

Solar flux is 147 and the SSN 99. A=4 and K=0.

Russian plane crash -- NOT amateur radio

It must be clear that Vladimir Putin would never harm his once hero, Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66599733 .

Crapapple jelly - NOT amateur radio

Yes you read correctly. 

Yesterday I picked the crabapples on our tree. It looked a good crop. Following the recipe in BBC Good Food, I simmered them and dripped them through muslin overnight. The resulting juice was ....... pathetic. If I get just one very small jar I shall be amazed.

I am seeing if I can salvage something, although I am not holding my breath. Perhaps I should stick to radios?

Reach walk - NOT amateur radio

 

We did a nice walk around the village of Reach about 3 km from us. My wife created this collage. Fields of corn are cut and there are blackberries in the hedges.

8m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

My gear was turned on just after breakfast. At 1050z, only spotted by WESSEXSDR (266km). I assume this is aircraft reflection. 

I am sure the many spots in the past by EI9KP (649km) must be by aircraft reflection. These appear random as there are many so many aircraft on this route.

UPDATE 1254z:  No further 8m spots.

UPDATE 1820z:  Just 2 G spots of my QRP.  Aircraft scatter?

10m QRP WSPR (Wednesday)

The 500mW WSPR TX beacon was turned on just after breakfast. At 0932z, 3 stations spotted. Apart from a local, these look like F2.

UPDATE 1250z:   6 stations have spotted me, mostly via F2 I think.

Sunspots - Wednesday August 23rd 2023

 Solar flux is 151 and the SSN 96.  A=8 and K=1.