10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

 My 500mW 10m beacon was turned on at about 0855z. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1626z: 2 stations have spotted me so far. No Es today.

UPDATE 2048z:  Spotted by 4 stations (see table). Now QRT.

8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My 8m 2.5W FT8 was turned on at about 0855z. So far (not exactly unexpectedly!) no spots.

UPDATE 1005z: Local G4WSZ (12km) has spotted me. No further spots today.

UPDATE 1315z: EI9KP (649km) has again spotted my 8m QRP FT8.   This must be aircraft scatter surely?

UPDATE 2044z:  No further spots. QRT now.

European Es

At the moment this looks poor. See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .

UPDATE 1642z:  Conditions are still dire.

8m yesterday

Yesterday was surprisingly good for me on 8m. In the end I was spotted by 4 stations including Poland that I was not expecting. Days of wall to wall Es have ended but clearly openings still occur, assuming it was Es!! 

Sunspots - Tuesday September 5th 2023

 Solar flux is 136 and the SSN 100. A=8 and K=1.

Sunflower - NOT amateur radio

We put some supposedly giant sunflower seeds in the garden. They were pathetic. 

At the weekend my wife bought some cut sunflowers. This is one of them.

Media and stories - NOT amateur radio

OK, I can only speak of what happens in the UK, but similar probably happens in many countries.

Have you noticed how the media grabs a story and sticks with it for days on end? 

The latest is RAAC concrete in schools. In the UK this lightweight concrete was used as a cheap material in schools and other public buildings. It was used extensively after WW2. It has been found to have a life of 30 years if poorly maintained and buildings can be vulnerable if water seeps into the concrete. Before this, something else was the focus of the media. Things that were once in our focus just drop out of the news.

I am worried that the media sets the agenda. 

Back in the late 1960s we were told that the Vietcong were evil and those defending South Vietnam were heroes defending democracy from evil communists. Now, no-one is perfect, but we were fed a line. With the luxury of history we can now see through to the truth.

What would be good is neutral, unbiased, news. The best I have found is "The Knowledge" which is a free email, daily, newsletter.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Monday)

 When I am on 8m FT8  I can use the 500mW W5OLF WSPR TX beacon on a different antenna on 10m. So far just local G4KPX (14km) and OZ7IT (853km) spotting me. 

Just been spotted in the Canary Is. I suspect this is F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1859z: 9 spots of me today (see table).

8m QRP FT8 (Monday)

My 2.5W to the dipole has been on since before breakfast. So far just a spot by a local G4WSZ/S (12km).  

UPDATE 1614z:   No further spots.

UPDATE 1850z: 3 stations have spotted me (see map). Es is now getting far less frequent so most of my spots are scatter (aircraft?), back scatter (F2), MS, tropo or local. I think my chances of being spotted across Europe are declining. My best hope is when F2 returns strongly. I have spotted South Africa by TEP, but my QRP has never made it!

Me in the shack 2013

This was me in the shack this time in 2013. There have been some changes! 

Sunspots - Monday September 4th 2023

 Solar flux is 131 and the SSN 79. A=25 and K=2. 

10m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

At about 1555z, I went on 10m FT8 instead of WSPR. One of the issues with QRP FT8 is you do not know if you are being swamped out by a much stronger signal you cannot see. You can choose a clear frequency here, but you have no idea what it is like 1000s of kilometers away. My technique is to choose a clear frequency (I hope!) but move if I get no spots. This is a real problem on the busy HF bands.

UPDATE 1618z:  40 stations spotted, but just 1 spot of me. I  am being swamped! QSY called for!

UPDATE  1653z:  Now QSYed and more stations spotting me (see map).

UPDATE 1855z:  24 stations have now spotted my QRP.

UPDATE 2046z:  83 stations have spotted me. Now QRT. Furthermost was PY2BL (9531km).

Belgian 8m AMATEUR band

Since September 1st, Class A amateurs in Belgium have now got access to the 8m band. This is an additional AMATEUR band. 

I hope this is a model that other PTTs soon follow. 

PSKreporter

When I go on FT8, I usually check PSKreporter maps to see if anyone has received me. Some people report spotting, but these sometimes do not appear on PSKreporter. There can be a number of reasons.

PSKreporter might be down, the internet link from the reporter to PSKreporter may be down, PSKreporter may have a delay. There may be other reasons too.

All I am saying is PSKreporter is not infallible. Just because you are not reported does not mean you are not being received far away.

Blackberry picking - NOT amateur radio

For breakfast this morning I picked some fresh, wild blackberries. They are on some bushes about 20m away. With other fruit they were delicious. I guess there are enough for several days. 

Later we hope to go to the next village. With luck these blackberries should be ripe ..... assuming nobody else has picked them all!

UPDATE 1403z: We went blackberry picking at Reach just before lunch. There were thousands. Plenty for another day. 

Beautiful sky - NOT amateur radio

Who would ever thought electricity pylons could be beautiful?  This was posted this morning by one of my friends on 365project, where a picture is posted every day. I have done it now for over 10 years.

8m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My 8m 2.5W FT8 was turned on about 20 minutes ago as there are several people monitoring across Europe. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1345z: No spots. 

10m QRP WSPR (Sunday)

My 10m 500mW WSPR TX beacon has been on since before breakfast. 3 stations have spotted me. These look like Es.

UPDATE 0914z:   Now spotted in the Canary Is as well. 6 stations spotting me.

European Es (Sunday)

At  the moment, there is quite good Es in Europe. It is 0823z. I hope it lasts!

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

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My 2.5W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna was turned on just after 0600z this morning. Plenty of Es with my QRP spotted by 12 stations including several in southern Europe. I have since QSYed to 8m.

Sunspots - Sunday September 3rd 2023

 Solar flux is 131 and the SSN 77. A=38 and K=3.

Sunday plans

At the moment, it would appear most propagation on 10m is F2. Just occasionally there is a burst of Es, but it is far rarer than a few months ago.

My plans for tomorrow are 500mW beaconing on 10m WSPR TX and 6m QRP FT8. If thing look really promising, I may try 8m QRP FT8.

Incidentally, Belgian Class A stations have now got access to 8m.   I hope to be copied in Belgium and spot some Belgians, probably by tropo. I hope many administrations follow suit.

Slippery - NOT amateur radio

 

This was seen on our walk earlier. It was about 5cm long. 

September swift - NOT amateur radio

Today, with lots of young swallows, I saw one late swift. I think this is the latest I have ever seen one in the UK. Most have now gone. 

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

At 1103z I QSYed to 8m FT8 QRP on 40.680 MHz. No spots. 

UPDATE 2042z:   QRT with no 8m spots all day. I think I shall concentrate on QRP 6m FT8 unless there are clear signs of Es about. 8m has too few monitors, which is a shame.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Saturday)

4 stations spotting me today on my 500mW 10m WSPR TX. 

UPDATE 2052z:   10 spots of me today. Now QRT.

6m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

Mostly Gs spotting my 2.5W but one station from S. Spain. 

Sunspots - Saturday September 2nd 2023

 Solar flux is 136 and the SSN 83. A=12 and K=5.

OFCOM publications

A reminder that every week OFCOM updates the data it holds on licences etc.  They also have some new publications. See the OFCOM website. 

Changing interests?

At one time, I got very excited about working new DXCC countries. A 2-way QSO with a DXCC entity with QRP was important to me. In recent years this aspect of our hobby has become far less important. 2-way voice QSOs are hard for me nowadays as my voice is poor following my 2013 stroke.

However, I suspect I am not alone, especially with those of "advancing years".  To me, I am far more interested in beaconing using WSPR or FT8 and seeing where my signal is picked up. My favourite bands for this are 10m, 8m, 6m and 2m. 

Although I still use FM (for local nets) and SSB (for 2m and 70cm contests) these aspects are now less important to me. I am far more interested in propagation research.

Fuel Prices - NOT amateur radio

 Certainly in the UK, and I suspect elsewhere, fuel prices have been climbing up. Members of OPEC+ including Saudi Arabia and Russia are cutting production in the hope of stabilizing prices. Earlier this year prices were falling. 

Those who use cars and vans for work are the hardest hit. Personally, I hope there is a competitive price war and prices are driven down.

Amusing short video - NOT amateur radio

 The link to this video joke was sent to me earlier.

Solar cycle peak still this year?

My favourite site for solar data was updated today. It still shows the peak of solar cycle 25 as November 2023. This is early and conditions of late were on the slide. Unless we get a higher peak we could already be on the downward slopes. As mentioned before, solar conditions could be good for several years still.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Friday)

 My beacon has been on since before breakfast, but no spots yet.

UPDATE 0959z:  Just a single spot of me from Italy so far today.

UPDATE 1245z:  Just 14 spots of me in total today. The Es season is well and truly over!

UPDATE 1604z:  No further spots.

6m QRP FT8 (Friday)

My 2.5W 6m FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni was turned on just before breakfast. Already spotted by 8 stations with the furthermost DK8NE/6 (702km). Was this random MS? All the other spots were G.

UPDATE 1000z:  12 spots of me in 3 countries so far (G, DK and EI).

UPDATE 1845z:  24 spots of me. I suspect the OH stations are Es.

UPDATE 1955z:  OH7EBY (2107km) spotting my 2.5W to an omnivertical is not bad for September. QRT soon.

Sunspots - Friday September 1st 2023

 Solar flux is 140 and the SSN 77. A=6 and K=3. Are we over the peak already? 

How NOT to - NOT amateur radio

Last night we were treated to a very rare blue super moon. I tried to take a photo. What a dismal failure!

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Thursday)

Most of the day, I have been on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW WSPR TX beacon. 4 unique stations have spotted me, but no Es I think. It is now 1601z and the beacon will be on for several hours still.

Rallies and Conventions this weekend

The following should take place this weekend. As always, I strongly recommend checking the information is correct.

1. Saturday September 2nd - GQRP Club plus Telford and District ARS Convention. Telford,  TF10 8NB. Contact 01952 255416 or 07824 737716.
2. Sunday September 3rd - Annual Telford Hamfest and continuing GQRP convention. Contact and postcode as above.

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

For about the last hour, I have been on 6m FT8 with my 2.5W and V2000 vertical omni antenna. Nine stations have spotted me today so far, but I suspect these are all aircraft scatter as they are all UK. 

UPDATE 1608z: 12 stations spotted .

UPDATE 1946z:  14 spots of my QRP FT8.  Es? (See Map).

UPDATE 2118z: QRT.