Roger G3XBM's (Mainly) Amateur Radio Blog

Using my 2.5W 160m FT8 and the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground I was widely spotted across Europe by 113 stations. On 160m FT8 RX the furthermost was K1ZM (5238km).

Sunspots - Thursday December 21st 2023

Solar flux is 195 and the SSN 133. A=11 and K=0.

20 Dec 2023

160m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

For a change, I am on 160m QRP FT8 (2.5W) using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

UPDATE 1750z: 8 spots of my 2.5W FT8 160m TX already including Germany and Switzerland.

UPDATE 2045z: 40 spots of my 2.5W FT8 this evening so far. Surprisingly effective.

UPDATE 2238z: 64 spots of me this evening so far with 160m 2.5W FT8 using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground (see map). It certainly works!

8m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

On returning from Ely, I went on 8m QRP FT8.

UPDATE 1715z: No 8m spots today.

Ely - NOT amateur radio

We went to Ely earlier today. This included eating in the Almonry restaurant that has been serving food since the 1200s. The food is fresh (not from the 1200s!).

The collage is of Ely Cathedral.

GQRP SPRAT

My latest SPRAT magazine has just come. The winter edition usually comes about now.

I have said this very many times, but if all other magazines had to close, I hope SPRAT would survive as it is filled with good QRP projects and news.

It is put together by volunteers and comes out every quarter as an A5 colour magazine. It is excellent value. Back issues are available on a flash drive. It is worth it for this alone!

It is my ethos entirely.

See https://www.gqrp.com/ .

The results of this friendly contest have been published In the low power section I was 75th out of 172 using 10W PEP for less than an hour each time to the omni big-wheel antenna and the Cambridge Club was 37th (to which I give my points). This is one of the few occasions I use my voice.

10m 500uW WSPR TX test continued (Thursday)

My 10m WSPR RX beacon with the PA off is turned on.

UPDATE 1720z: No spots.

Old friends - NOT amateur radio

Last night we had a knock on the door and we assumed it was our grandson. In fact it was friends who used to live in our village years ago, We had not seen them for a very long time so it was a nice surprise.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

Maybe it is because people are away from home for the Christmas/New Year holidays, but there were fewer spots on 630m WSPR than previously overnight.

FT-817/818 replacement?

Since before the peak of the last solar cycle (24), I have been speculating about Yaesu launching a replacement to the flagship FT-817/818 series. As most know, these are QRP, all band, all mode, portables. The same basic rig has been around since about the year 2000. Worldwide, it has been very successful.

The Facebook FT-818 user group and QRPer website talk about the FT-818 being discontinued. Yaesu has all the things it needs to do a good replacement.: an SDR RX architecture, DSP technology, LiIon battery packs, and auto ATU design, speech processing etc.. They could even use the same case!! It needs to be a market disruptor with unique selling points. The IC-705 has no auto ATU or 2m and 70cm bands. Could they consider a "killer" app that really makes people want one? It is also not a real handheld. My puzzlement is why has a replacement not appeared already?

There is a great danger of Yaesu missing the boat (yet again) as sunspots decline. This, as a QRPer, at the right price and spec, is the one rig I might consider for a trade-in. At the right price and spec, this could be Yaesu's saviour, but they need to launch very soon.

Does anyone have any inside knowledge? Spec, launch date, etc..

UPDATE 2055z: No inputs yet from anyone.

UPDATE 2110z: I took look at the Yaesu Japan website. All they could manage was the 2011 catalogue!! Does not fill one with confidence. If they want to make profits, you would think they would have a 2023 catalogue at least! Come on Yaesu - wake up!!

See https://qrper.com/2023/01/if-yaesu-designed-an-ft-818-replacement-what-would-you-like-to-see/

Sunspots - Wednesday December 20th 2023

Solar flux is 179 and the SSN 144. A=12 and K=3.

19 Dec 2023

630m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

My 10mW ERP 630m WSPR gear was turned on at about 1710z. So far, just one spot.

Lighter evenings - NOT amateur radio

Although here the mornings continue to get darker for a few more weeks, from tonight it starts to get lighter at night. By the end of the month it is about 9 minutes lighter. A corner has been turned.

Immediate plans

For a very long time, I have owned an SDR dongle. One of the things I really must do this next few weeks is to get this set-up.

My birthday is just before Christmas and my XYL (well actually me!!) got me a manual QRP ATU. I shall use this to try WSPR or FT8 on some different bands.

The USA in decline? No - NOT amateur radio

This appeared in The Knowledge today. This comes as a daily email using various sources for this news compendium. As far as I can tell, it is pretty neutral.

" Most Americans think their country is in decline,” says Fareed Zakaria in Foreign Policy. The share who are “satisfied” with the way the country is going has not risen above 50% in 20 years; today it stands at a miserable 20%. Donald Trump won in 2016 by capturing this mood and preaching “doom and gloom”. Now he’s at it again – three months before entering the 2024 presidential race, he released a video titled “A Nation in Decline”. The Biden administration isn’t much better, blaming decades of globalisation for “hollowing out” American industry and exporting manufacturing jobs. The suggestion is that poor old Americans need protecting with epically expensive subsidies and stiff tariffs.

Yet for all the talk of “dysfunction and decay”, the reality is that American supremacy has never been greater. In 1990, US per capita income was 17% higher than Japan’s and 24% higher than Western Europe’s. Today, it’s 54% and 32% higher respectively. The US economy was roughly the same size as the Eurozone’s in 2008; today, it is nearly twice the size. Nine of the 10 most valuable firms in the world are American, up from only four in 1989, and the US is the world’s largest producer of oil and gas. As for the industries of the future, American AI startups have attracted six times more venture funding than their Chinese equivalents. Why don’t we hear more about any of that? If Washington keeps turning inward, tyrants will be emboldened and the rest of the world will suffer. The only danger to American dominance is the myth that it’s on the wane."

Christmas food - NOT amateur radio

At this time of year we make lots of minced pies and savoury tarts. I am responsible for rolling the pastry (the secret is to roll it very thin!) and doing the savoury tarts. All these go very very quickly. The savoury tarts have mushrooms, tomatoes and onion plus a small amount of chutney topped with cheese. Some have ham too.

500uW 10m WSPR TX tests continued (Tuesday)

Today I decided to continue my 500uW (0.5mW) WSPR TX tests on 10m. No spots today at 0945z.

UPDATE 1527z: No spots today.

8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

Yesterday was a surprise with 2 spots of my 2.5W QRP from the Caribbean. My QRP FT8 is already on 40.680MHz (at 0930z). Who knows what today will bring?

UPDATE 1555z: No spots. I get the feeling there will be no spots today.

Sunspots - Tuesday December 19th 2023

Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 165. A=28 and K=2.

18 Dec 2023

Reflections on 2023 and plans for 2024

Looking back on 2023, the stand-out things are my 8m QSOs with 2.5W and a dipole with stations in the Caribbean and my 0.5mW WSPR tests on 10m. At the moment, I have no firm plans for next year. What is clear is that I prefer WSPR and FT8. There are several reasons.

1. My voice is poor and it is a strain to talk.

2. DXCC was worked back in the 1980s with QRP SSB on 10m. DXCC is no longer a priority.

3. I prefer experimenting to just talking with stations.

4. One-way signals (looking on the internet to see when I am being received) are as important for me than two-way QSOs.

Everyone is different and I can totally understand that working DXCC and new countries is important to some. It is just that, for me, it is no longer important. When I was fitter going out in the wilds on 481THz or VLF was good fun. These days I try to do experiments from home.

United Ireland? - NOT amateur radio

It won't happen in my lifetime, but I can see Ireland and Ulster becoming united again at some point this century.

Power sharing has been suspended for 2 years because the DUP is not happy with the BREXIT deal. They are already the minority party. Over time, they will be even smaller as a result of the birth rate.

There will be some political fudge that ensures the Protestants in Ulster are safeguarded.

I have no strong views on this. All I want is peace and fairness for all.

8m QRP FT8 (Monday)

My 8m FT8 2.5W is currently on. No spots until 1330z (TX or RX).

As there is a small Es peak in mid winter, there is a chance of some European spots if there are people monitoring. I suspect there are fewer people monitoring at this time of year.

UPDATE 1725z: Surprisingly, 2 spots of my QRP 8m FT8 from the Caribbean this afternoon.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Monday)

My 500mW WSPR TX beacon is on and has already been spotted by 4 stations. The best suggests I might have been copied with the PA off.

UPDATE 1123z: I have reverted to 500uW as it was too easy at 500mW!! 😄😄

UPDATE 1730z: No spots at 500uW.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

In all, 14 stations spotted my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. No astounding DX, but it works and is invisible to XYL and neighbours.