Apart from a single spot by OE3GBB (1233km), there have been no spots of my 10mW WSPR today. I expect this was a brief patch of Es.
UPDATE 1830z: EA8BFK (2880km) has now also spotted me.
1 May 2024
10m 10mW WSPR (Wednesday)
630m WSPR going "off the boil"
With only 3 stations spotting my 10mW ERP 630m WSPR overnight it looks like 630m WSPR is getting worse. I shall try again overnight, but it would appear only the true diehards are still monitoring. Also, noise levels are probably higher as we approach summer, making copy of weak signals harder.
Beetle - NOT amateur radio
This small beetle was seen in the Cambridge Botanical Gardens earlier. At a guess I would say it’s about 1cm long.
Police and crime commissioner - NOT amateur radio
This Thursday in the UK there are some local elections and the election of new police and crime commissioners. As in 2016, I have no idea who my police and crime commissioner is and I have had nothing through the mail.
In my view, police and crime commissioners are a total waste of time and UK tax payers money. I shall NOT be voting for this government quango.
Oscar 100 activity
It seems ages since I gave an update on Oscar 100, which is the Qatari geosynchronous satellite. When I looked mid afternoon UK time there was some activity, but it was hardly busy.
Probably the lack of "black box" solutions puts many off, although it allows much of the planet to be worked without QSB and with a small fixed antenna at any time. I remain surprised that it is still so quiet. No need for linears or towers!
Sadly, many in the amateur radio community are "black box" operators who would rather spend money than experiment. In my view this will lead to the death of the hobby.
Solar predictions
Usually, near the start of the month my favourite site for solar data has a major update. This last few weeks have seen days with high solar flux and sunspot numbers, so it will be interesting to see if forecasts have changed much.
30 Apr 2024
Internet speeds - NOT amateur radio
When I first had the internet and a website (mid 1990s) my download speed was 2.5k and I had to pay for a phone connection (long distance) to London. My website is still on the Wayback Machine. It was first created in 1996.
My download speed is now over 100M and many with full fibre have download speeds of around 500M or even greater. How times change.
One wonders what our grandchildren will experience. My father, who died in 1987, would have had no concept of the internet or mobile phones. It is impossible to conceive of something we can have no concept of at all.
Leak - NOT amateur radio
UPDATE 1332z: It looks like it could be an issue with the water meter, so no new plumbing may be needed.
Still no swifts - NOT amateur radio
Once they arrive they are very common overhead.
Often they are heard screaming first.
Many of their traditional nest sites have gone and numbers are down. Once they arrive, I feel life is still OK.
Shetland spring - NOT amateur radio
Some use it to improve their photography. We use it as a visual diary.
It is totally free, although access may be made private for a small annual fee.
My wife and I have each done it for 13 years. It is good to look back over the years. I love it.
630m interest waning?
Last night I was spotted by only 5 stations. I was late on but the impression I am getting is interest in the band is waning as we approach the summer.
10m WSPR at 10mW (Tuesday)
Late yesterday afternoon I decided to try 10m WSPR at 10mW which is some 13dB up on the power used in recent weeks. Spotted by EA8BFK (2880km) yesterday. I think the extra power must help. Probably stay at this power level to see how it goes in the Es season.
UPDATE 0821z: No spots this morning.
UPDATE 1325z: Spotted by 4 stations. Interestingly, at 10mW all 4 copied me, whereas at 500uW (0.5mW) only EA8BFK would probably have spotted me.
UPDATE 1442z: Now 5 stations are spotting me with 10mW. Note my beacon is pre-programmed to report 0.5W, even though with the attenuator in it is actually 10mW.
How it was
All gear was homemade back then. No Japanese or Chinese transceivers! Real experimenters.
29 Apr 2024
630m QRP WSPR (Monday)
Once again I am on 630m WSPR with my 10mW ERP. I was puzzled that nobody was spotting me then I realised: in the settings I still had the callsign used for 8m ISM. Now plenty of spots!
Muntjac deer - NOT amateur radio
Suddenly a Muntjac deer appeared and I just managed a hasty photo. At one point it was only about 3m from me.
It was near the windmill next door.
Muntjacs are quite common. Luckily, they have not managed to get into our rear garden. They are about the size of a medium sized dog. They make a very boring bark!
South Hams, where I grew up - NOT amateur radio
This is Bolberry Down.
40.680 MHz QRPP WSPR
My dipole for 8m has still to be replaced, but I am again on 40.680 MHz QRPP WSPR under ISM rules. My power is 10mW ERP.
630m QRP WSPR overnight
7 stations spotted my 10mW ERP 630m WSPR yesterday with the furthermost the north of Scotland.
10m QRPP yesterday
 |
| People spotting my 500uW 10m WSPR yesterday |
Based on these results, this tiny QRPP power should be copied across Europe when Es is good.
Map courtesy of Phil VK7JJ at WSPR Rocks!
28 Apr 2024
8m - more and more countries on TX
Yesterday a club station in Malawi was reported to be TXing on the 8m band. Several countries have issued experimental licences for the band. Some stations, where the licencing authority is rather poor, have come on the band illegally.
What is becoming clearer and clearer is that more and more countries are supportive of research at 8m.
It seems odd to me that places like the USA and UK seem so backward on research at 8m. Just a 5kHz slot with limited power by NoV or equivalent, narrow digital only, with no interference created is surely not too much to ask?
Why the negativity?
Xiegu G106 price reduction
It was good value before, but even better value now. I can see many people buying this. Yaesu and ICOM must be seriously worried. Even I am tempted!
If the quality is good this is a serious player much like the Yaesu FT817 was nearly a quarter of a century ago.
It is my view that within 5 years the Chinese will be very important in the amateur radio market. At the next sunspot peak, it would not surprise me at all to see Chinese products becoming far more common than Japanese. If they are to survive in the amateur radio market, I can see the likes of Yaesu and ICOM designing in Japan, but manufacturing elsewhere where costs are lower.
See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/g106 .
See also https://www.cqxiegu.com/ .
Wells last week - NOT amateur radio
The photo shows part of the moat around the Bishop's Palace.
2-way or 1-way?
Perhaps it is because my voice is poor these days, but I actually am quite happy to get 1-way reports on WSPR or FT8. Seeing where my signal gets is quite enough nowadays having worked QRP DXCC way back in the 1980s on 10m SSB.
Some chase DX QSOs, but this is not important to me.
2m QRP FT8 (Sunday)
For a change, I am on 2m FT8 with my 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna. I cannot believe conditions are "up" at all. 2m FT8 seems very busy. There is an MGM contest on. Furthermost is EI9KP (649km)
UPDATE 1410z: 36 spots of my 2.5W 2m FT8.
Reality? - NOT amateur radio
On a couple of occasions recently I could swear I was told something in a WhatsApp message.
However hard I try I have been unable to find the message and there is no proof saying the sender had deleted it.
My only conclusion is that I must have had a dream. This has happened more than once in the last few months. It is as if reality and dreams are sometimes merged. It makes me question reality.
Forces of evil? - NOT amateur radio
For all of my lifetime I have lived in peace, although until 1989 we lived under the shadow of nuclear war.
These days I sense evil is abroad. Russia has invaded Ukraine. Israel has hit Gaza hard in response to the Hamas attack of October 7th. China is threatening Taiwan where I have been twice. In many countries there is a move to the right. There is every possibility of Mr Trump being the leader of the USA for the next 4 years.
The world seems more unstable than at any time I can remember, perhaps with the exception of the 1962 Cuba crisis.
Western democracy is far from perfect. Unhindered capitalism has many faults. What I hope is that across the world a fairer society emerges.
630m QRP WSPR overnight
Just 7 stations spotted me overnight. I suspect people are looking elsewhere.
27 Apr 2024
Back on 630m QRP WSPR (Saturday)
For the first time in about a week I am back on 630m WSPR with my 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. So far, at 1805z, just spotted by G8OCV/SDR (65km) 14 times.
8m antenna replacement
All being well, I hope to replace my 8m dipole in the coming days.
This Es season, as an experiment, I am trying 10mW ERP WSPR under ISM rules. This power should certainly get me into Europe on better days, but will there be people monitoring 40.680 USB dial WSPR?
When the band is really "open" I shall be competing with other ISM sources! At the other end, there is no knowing what interference levels I shall be competing against.
The MFJ announcement
As mentioned, there was a major announcement about the future of MFJ. The owner is now aged 80.
The future of amateur radio
In an earlier post I mentioned that CQ magazine was ceasing production. MFJ can no longer be competetive making on-site.
In my view, amateur radio is reaching a critical point. There is no denying that amateur radio is a hobby that (mainly) appeals to older men. There are a few younger people interested and there are now very few radio magazines on sale in newsagents, whereas there are many about PCs and gaming. In the main, much as many would wish otherwise, younger folk get "turned on" by other things. Younger people are not fascinated by the magic of radio.
As we age, fewer pieces of commercial gear will get made (fewer profits to be made), fewer ads will appear from dealers, magazines will have less revenue, these will shrink or disappear and amateur radio as we knew it will cease to be.
This sounds gloomy and I hope I am proved wrong, but, so far, everything I expected is coming true.
What will the future look like? Many PTTs are losing interest in amateur radio, preferring to concentrate on things that can make them money.
If I had to guess, these are what I expect will happen in the coming years:
- Fewer new products dedicated to the amateur radio market will be produced.
- Fewer dealers will remain around.
- Fewer magazine adverts will be needed.
- Fewer magazines will exist.
- Those magazines that survive will become smaller.
- PTTs will "wash their hands" of amateur radio.
- Amateur radio will become a free-for-all.
- National radio societies will issue callsigns to those that want them.
- CB and amateur radio (possibly ISM) will become the same thing.
- All amateur radio frequencies will become CB frequencies and licence free.
- Creating no interference to revenue generating services will be the important thing.
Is it all bad? I don't think so. To many people CB and amateur radio are different ways of chatting. Experimentation will carry on.
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