10m WSPR 10mW ERP (Sunday)

 Yet again, I am on 10m QRPP WSPR this morning and already 3 stations spotting me.

UPDATE 1117z:  7 stations spotting me. It would see any power would do!! 10mW ERP QRPP WSPR seems to work just fine!

Plans for Sunday

In a few moments, I expect to again go on 10m WSPR with my 10mW ERP. After lunch I shall probably  try the 22m (HiFer) band with ISM conditions. I shall probably use my G3XBM call still as I know that works with WSPRnet.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

In all, 22 stations  have spotted my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground on 630m in the last 24 hours. No astounding DX, but a good haul.

Sunspots - Sunday February 4th

 Solar flux is 156 and the SSN 123 . A=3 and K=1.

Crab apple jelly - NOT amateur radio

Each autumn, I try to make crab apple jelly with the crab apples on our one tree. Last autumn was pathetic. Looking around the shops, we found it impossible to buy.

In the end we turned to Amazon who had some. We ordered it and it was delivered next day. Some are dead against online shopping. There is little doubt our shopping habits are changing. Having things delivered to the door next day is very convenient!

Having used them for many years, I have never been disappointed.

630m QRP WSPR (Saturday)

 My 10mW ERP WSPR was turned on about 1855z.

UPDATE 2145z: 10 stations have spotted me in the last 12 hours.

Clunch cottage - NOT amateur radio

Many of the older cottages in our village are made of clunch. This is a kind of chalk. 

On the way to the shops today, we noticed this cottage that had been stripped of its rendering. It looks really good. 

Clunch is quite strong, but needs to be protected to stop weathering.

10m 10mW ERP WSPR (Saturday)

 

Yet again, I am trying 10m with 10mW ERP. 7 stations have spotted me at 1257z. Every day for several days now DX spots have been obtained.

UPDATE 1450z:  It seems 10mW 10m WSPR gets me spotted in the USA daily!

Birdwatch - NOT amateur radio

This was last weekend in my shack counting birds in the garden. No small birds, yet there were plenty this morning!

22m ISM band

WSPRnet includes the 22m ISM band. In the last couple of weeks, there are plenty of reports, mostly from stations using a few milliwatts. I have never tried this band. I guess if you have a 20m antenna it will work just below the band.

Personally, I find this sort of propagation research far more rewarding than chatting on 80m about carrots with commercial gear. If legal, I shall give it a try next week with the call probably 22M3ISM.

UPDATE  1055z:  Reading IR2030 /1,/2 it would appear it is legal to run a device with an output less than 42 dBµA/m at 10 m in the 22m band. Does anyone know what that represents as an ERP please? In the EU the spec is EN300 330. I think if you later intend to place a product on the market (only) then you have to submit a product for type approval. Otherwise I think you can self-declare compliance.

UPDATE 1440z: According to Rik Strobbe ON7YD, this is equivalent to 7.5mW EIRP.

UPDATE 1444z: Starting tomorrow, I shall try WSPR beaconing in the 22m ISM band (so called HiFer band). Need to find out the best frequency for WSPR beaconing. 

UPDATE 1515z: It would appear 13.5539 MHz USB dial is the setting for 22m ISM WSPR. I shall start beaconing properly on Sunday, but it is on now.

UPDATE  1550z: See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effective_radiated_power.

Sunspots - Saturday February 3rd

 Solar flux is 143 and the SSN 131. A =3 and K=1.

630m QRP WSPR (Friday)

My 10mW ERP WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was turned on about 1950z. All the usual suspects have spotted me.

UPDATE 2138z: 2 spots already from Norway.

Evening light - NOT amateur radio

In the UK, the days have extended by almost an hour in the evenings since the shortest day. Even in the mornings things are getting better. 

It will be a few months before spring really comes, but the light has changed for the better. We may yet have snow and ice, but it is as if a corner has been turned. 

The end?

For several years now, I have been predicting the decline of our hobby. In this case I hope I am very wrong! An undeniable fact is that ours is (mostly) a hobby that interests older males. In itself, this is no bad thing: people retire, want new interests and tend to have more disposable income as children leave home and education.

What bothers me is we are all getting older. As we age fewer rigs will get bought, there will be little (or no) profit in our market. Dealers will disappear, magazines will shrink or stop.

Already our hobby is less about self-training and research and more about appliances and who has the deepest pockets.

What do I think will happen?

• Fewer new rigs
• Fewer and smaller magazines
• CB and amateur radio will merge (possibly ISM too).
• Amateur radio (as we knew it) will go.
• Callsigns (for those that want these) will be issued by national societies.
• Organisations like OFCOM and the FCC will wash their hands.
• A free for all will follow.

Am I worried?  No. 

Personally, I have always preferred research.  Those that want to do this will still carry on in a deregulated world. In some ways it could be better.

Views?

630m QRP WSPR overnight

My 10mW ERP 630m from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was on again last night. In all, 14 stations spotted me with the furthermost DL4RAJ (990km).

10mW 10m WSPR (Friday)

This morning I am continuing my 10mW WSPR TX on 10m. Already I am being spotted well by 2 stations, I confidently expect to be spotted in the USA for a 4th day in a row. 

UPDATE 1427z:   6 stations have spotted my 10mW 10m WSPR today. It seems stations in the USA copy my 10mW 10m WSPR every day.

UPDATE 1935z: 7 stations spotted my 10mW 10m WSPR today, including 3 in the USA.

Yesterday’s walk - NOT amateur radio

 

We saw this on our walk yesterday.

Sunspots - Friday February 2nd

 Solar flux is 137 and the SSN 113. A=5 and K=0.

630m QRP WSPR (Thursday)

 My 10mW ERP was turned on at 2050z.

UPDATE 2133z:   6 spots of me tonight. Furthermost is GM3YXM (425km).

Pauline's Swamp - NOT amateur radio

Today, on a cold bright morning, we walked through the village to a nature reserve known as Pauline's  Swamp.  

It was created several years ago in memory of someone's wife. What a way to remember them!

Sunday rally

 The following rally has been notified to me. The usual caveats apply about contacting before travelling far.

Sunday February 4th - Canvey Island Rally, Essex, SS8 9QS. Contact  g7oed@icloud.com .

630m 10mW ERP WSPR overnight

20 stations spotted me overnight using 10mW ERP WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

10m 10mW WSPR (Thursday)

 Yet again, I am trying 10m WSPR with 10mW, simulating the 8m ISM rules. On the first transmission already spotted by EA8BFK (2880km).

UPDATE 1027z: EA8BFK has already spotted my 10m 10mW WSPR 7 times!

UPDATE 1541z: For 3 days in a row, my 10mW 10m WSPR has been spotted in the USA. So far today, I have been spotted in the USA on 8 occasions and I have been spotted 96 times already at 10mW.

Sunspots- Thursday February 1st

 Solar flux is 136 and the SSN 75. A=6 and K=1.

630m QRP WSPR (Wednesday)

My 10mW ERP 630m from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was turned on about 1640z. So far, 3 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 2145z: So far this evening, I have been spotted by 10 stations on 630m QRP WSPR with the furthermost LA1TN (1305km).

17m WSPR at 10mW ERP (Wednesday)

As my Par end fed antenna is a good match, I tried 10mW ERP on 17m. So far, 4 stations have spotted me after about 20 minutes. 

As frequency is reduced, local noise floors will become more significant with weaker signals buried in the noise. At higher frequencies this will be less of an issue.

UPDATE  1635z:  10 stations have spotted my 10mW WSPR

International conflicts - NOT amateur radio

On the whole, I prefer a quiet life. 

In many of the conflicts in the world, the West is shown as the good, whereas "the axis of evil" is shown as the bad. The truth is more nuanced. 

Often we support regimes that are corrupt and evil. Time and again, we get involved only when our (often dubious) vested self interests are threatened.  Russia was able walk into Crimea in 2014 with most of us in the West barely noticing.

What I think I am saying is this. We can only act as the world's policemen if we are morally right. Where this is in doubt, we often do more harm than good.

We like to think we get an honest, unbiased view of world affairs. I somehow doubt this.

Yesterday - NOT amateur radio

On Tuesdays, we go to a lunchtime university concert in Cambridge. This is free with a retiring collection. This involves a walk through the grounds of King's College, and we grab a bite to eat for lunch beforehand. We travel in to Cambridge by (free) bus. It is usually a very enjoyable day.

630m 10mW ERP WSPR overnight

 

In the last 24 hours, 14 stations have spotted my 630m 10mW ERP WSPR.

10m 10mW ERP WSPR (Jan 31st)

 Once again, I am trying 10m WSPR at 10mW ERP.  Already, after a few transmissions, spotted by 3 stations although these would not have spotted me on 500uW.

UPDATE 1524z:  12 stations have spotted me so far when I was running 10mW ERP. Most of these were via F2 including some in the USA.

Sunspots- Tuesday January 31st

 Solar flux is 135 and the SSN 53. A=8 and K=2.

630m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

 My 10mW ERP 630m WSPR from the earth-electrode "antenna" was turned on at 2220z.

UPDATE 2225z: 2 stations have spotted me so far.

NanoVNA and TinySA

These amazing pieces of test gear bring some otherwise very expensive test equipment within the reach of radio amateurs. Years ago, these would have been out of my price range. I now have both.

By King's - NOT amateur radio

At the end of January there are few punts on the River Cam. These Canada Geese have the river almost to themselves.

630m QRP WSPR overnight

My 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground was left on overnight. In the end, 21 stations spotted me.

10mW ERP on 10m WSPR

After breakfast, my priority is to make a 17dB attenuator so I can try WSPR at 10mW ERP on 10m today. This is to simulate this power in the Es season in the 8m ISM band without a licence. I have the coax, but have to find the resistors.

UPDATE 0930z:  Attenuator made and added right next to FT817ND on 500mW setting, so WSPR power now very close to 10mW ERP.  WSPR TX set to 50% TX. Already spotted by 2 stations on first TX burst!

UPDATE 1640z:  My FT817ND  is on the lowest (500mW) setting. Also, I have a 17dB pad within about 10cm of the FT817ND, so the output is about 10mW. With about 1dB coax loss the ERP is about 10mW or less. Despite this, I have been spotted by 14 unique stations. This is to simulate 10mW ERP on 8m, which is the legal 8m ISM legal limit in the UK without a licence. It is my view that anyone in the UK may legally beacon on the 8m ISM band as long as IR2030 is met.

UPDATE 2236z:   Using the FT817ND, I was 50% of the time on RX today. Despite the 17dB pad in the antenna line at the rig end I still spotted 99 stations!! The furthermost was PY2FXE (9593km).

WiFI HaLow - NOT amateur radio

Increasingly, the Internet of Things (IoT) is driving new ways of doing Wi-Fi. One standard (new to me at least) is 802.11ah which has been around since 2015. This operates around 900 MHz with a range of up to 1km. It will be interesting to see if there are spin-offs for amateur radio.

Sunspots - Tuesday Janauary 30th

 Solar flux is 140 and the SSN just 48. A=9 and K=3.

Oscar 100 narrowband transponder

Every few weeks I take a peek at activity levels on the geosynchronous satellite. I do this by looking at the webSDR at Goonhilly Down. My impression is this is well underused.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

Attenuators

To get to 10mW I shall probably run my FT817ND at 500mW, and add an attenuator right on the output of the rig. The attenuation needed will be 500/10 i.e. 17dB. There are several calculators on the internet. Using the FT817ND will allow me to declare the correct output power.

See https://www.everythingrf.com/rf-calculators/attenuator-calculator as an example.