Once again my 2.5W and a dipole is on 40.680 MHz FT8. So far, just local G4WSZ (12km) spotting me.
UPDATE 1220z: 3 spots of my 8m QRP FT8 today (2 on PSKr). I see G9PUV has been spotted in S.Africa.
Following the experiment yesterday with my beacon PA turned OFF, I am again on 10m WSPR with microwatts (even though the beacon is preprogrammed to say 0.5W). No spots!
UPDATE 0850z: EA8BFK (2880km) has spotted my microwatts!
UPDATE 1504z: EA8BFK has spotted my 10m WSPR microwatts 3 times today.
OFCOM regularly updates the figures it keeps on things like licences. They also announce details of new publications. See the OFCOM website for details.
As per previous recent evenings, I have QSYed to 630m WSPR RX using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. So far, just G1GKN (54km) spotted.
Politically, I have always been what they call "a floating voter". This means I have no idea who I shall vote for in a local or a General Election.
I was amused to read in The Knowledge today of some view of the UK Labour Party leader, who expressed a view that the UK is gradually losing its status in the world. I think this is true and in the 21st century it is more likely we will see China and India on the rise.
It was strange to see Keir Starmer suggest last week that the UK is “drifting off the international stage”, says Dominic Lawson in the Daily Mail. Has he forgotten about the AUKUS deal, signed earlier this year, uniting the UK, US and Australia in a pact to use nuclear-powered submarines as a counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific? Or the new UK-Japan Hiroshima Accord, which includes plans to collaborate on a next-generation fighter jet? Or indeed that Britain has become the first European member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement? The Labour leader has always been “intensely Eurocentric”, so he’s probably thinking about the EU. But even the Europeans acknowledge that, as the German magazine Internationale Politik Quarterly puts it, “Britain is Back”. Why can’t Starmer see it too?
My 2.5W to the dipole was turned on about 0825z. I am hoping to spot some Belgian stations. Once again I am on 40.680 MHz DF about 1950 Hz TXing in the first period.
UPDATE 0852z: 8m spots by local G4WSZ (12km). Running QRP, I am grateful for all spots.
My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was turned on at 0824z. Already F2 spots from the Canary Is.. Earlier spots were with the PA off, so would only be low microwatts. If genuine, these are remarkable. I might try again with the PA off!
UPDATE 0845z: I have turned OFF my beacon PA, to see if there are any spots! An interesting experiment.
UPDATE 0941z: Already one spot from the Canary Is. with the PA off!! My beacon still says 0.5W (preprogrammed) but my actual power must be just microwatts. At some point I must find out what it really is. EA8BFK's report (-24dB S/N) suggests microwatts. Amazing.
UPDATE 1552z: Quite a few spots from 2 stations in the Canary Is. despite my beacon PA being OFF!! As I said before, although my beacon is preprogrammed to say 0.5W, the actual power transmitted must be microwatts.
Since going on holiday to Montenegro, I am even more conscious that there are two sides to an argument, Clearly the Russian people are fed a line that the invasion of Ukraine is a "special military operation" and the evil West continues to supply weapons and wants the downfall of Russia. We in the West are told the brave Ukrainian people are the heroes, fighting the invaders.
In Kosovo, NATO is trying to stop the Serbs taking it back by force. I did not realise that Kosovo was once populated mainly by Serbs and in more recent times there is an Albanian majority.
What I am saying is we, and all people, need to see the whole context in an unbiased way. Of course ethnic cleansing of any kind is totally wrong, and most wars achieve little. Too often people in many nations are fed a line by the media.
Get your information from multiple sources and take what you read and hear with a degree of questioning.
Last night I was again on 630m WSPR RX. However just 3 unique stations were spotted.
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Today, for free, we went on the guided bus to St Ives in Cambridgeshire in bright sunshine. The guided bus is fast, traffic free, and uses the same route as the old St Ives branch railway from Cambridge.
After an excellent lunch in the URC church cafe, we sat by the river and went to the local museum.
In the end, 6 stations were spotted. There was nothing new spotted after midnight.
My 500mW beacon is on. Just a single spot by DK6UG (633km) early this mornig.
Although I am not expecting much, I am again on 40.680 MHz QRP FT8. Any reports would be welcomed.....from anyone!!
UPDATE 1549z: Today I was spotted for the first time in Luxembourg and I spotted one of the Belgian stations now able to TX legally with an amateur call on 8m. Altogether, 2 spots of my 8m QRP FT8 today.
At one time you knew a W6 was on the west coast, probably California. If you spotted a W1, chances were it was in New England and W4 was probably Florida. Not any more!!
Yesterday I was spotted on 10m QRP WSPR by a W7. He was on the east coast! Whereas at one time the USA prefix gave you a clue to where the person was, you now have no way of knowing.
Yet another step backwards.
As you know I take a regular peek at activity levels on the narrowband transponder of Oscar 100. It has been pointed out to me that this has encouraged microwave activity especially in Europe. This is certainly true.
My immediate thoughts were than the TX would be fine, but the RX very deaf. For local QSOs and experiments fine, but it could not be seriously used as the RX would not be able to hear who is on the channel. If the other station TXed first, you would know the channel was clear.
See https://semara.org/tech-talk-a-one-transistor-marvel-transceiver/ .
At about 1900z, I QSYed to 630m WSPR RX with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. Just G1GKN (54km) spotted so far this evening at 1917z.
At about 1250z, my 6m QRP FT8 was turned on. So far, at 1255z, spotted by just 1 local G6KWA (22km).
UPDATE 1333z: Spotted by OH7PS (1698km) a burst of Es or even F2? I suppose it could have been random MS.
UPDATE 1417z: 2 locals have spotted me, 1 G further afield and one OH.
Sunday October 1st - Welsh Radio Rally, Newport, NP18 2YE. Contact rackmone@aol.com.
It is always worth contacting to confirm details.
At the moment, conditions in Europe do not look too promising. At the moment, I am inclined to try 6m FT8, although I suspect most or all of the reports of my 2.5W to the V2000 will be from England.
My wife took this photo of an old boat at Wicken Fen. We usually walk there, have a break in the cafe there and walk back.
We usually see Konik ponies, but we saw none.
It is only September, but I am inundated with emails urging me to book pubs meals for Christmas.
To me the Christmas season does not start until December. This is pure commercialism. I have deleted these emails.
One of the major retailers in Cambridge often puts up Christmas decorations in October. I boycott them!!
My 500mW beacon was turned on at 0726z. So far,just spots from local G4KPX (14km).
Once again, I have QSYed to 630m WSPR RX with my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. So far, no spots.
As I am not using the 10m antenna, I am on 10m WSPR with my QRP TX beacon. So far local G4KPX (14km) and the 2 monitors in the Canaries.
UPDATE 1035z: More spots by the same stations.
This morning, I am on 6m QRP FT8 with my 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. At 0831z, I have been spotted by 2 stations and I have spotted 1 station. All these were in England.
UPDATE 0927z: Still just 2 UK stations spotting me. I have spotted 2 stations on PSKreporter and I spotted EI2CN working a French station.
UPDATE 1037z: 3 English stations have spotted my 6m QRP. No further spots on RX.
UPDATE 1250z: No further spots.
The windmill is right next door, about 15m from our house.
As I have still to fix my 630m transverter, I went on 630m WSPR RX last evening. 4 different stations spotted.
