8m FT8 RX (Thursday)

My "proper" 8m dipole has still to be erected as I need some help putting it up as I am very giddy now on a ladder. 

Instead, I am on my endfed Par antenna on 8m FT8 RX where the match on 8m is not very good. This was the antenna with which I worked 2 Spanish stations on 8m FT8 over the summer. As the match on 8m is poor, I do not like to TX on 8m FT8 with this antenna for too long.

I hope to be on 8m QRP FT8 TX very soon with the dipole and a good match.

Stations monitoring
8m FT8 today

UPDATE 1435z:  No spots on TX or RX. I am briefly on 8m QRP FT8 TX. It is encouraging to see so many stations in Europe now monitoring 8m FT8 (see map). If you want to monitor this autumn 40.680 USB dial is where the FT8 activity is. The European DX record with just 10mW and a 35m longwire is now HA to EA8 (Canaries) which is a long way! Under ISM rules you do not need a permit, licence or even a callsign (certainly in the UK). In the UK ISM rules mean 2-way contacts are not the intention although I imagine OFCOM are unlikely to police this, especially if the intention is scientific research.

UPDATE  1723z: ZS3/V51NJ  in Namibia spotted calling CQ. No spots of me.

70cm FT8 activity contest

Last night was the September 70cm activity contest (UKAC). I usually TX for a short while and then go RX only. I usually do not submit an entry for this contest, coming on for the activity. 

It never fails to amaze me what distances can be spotted at any time on 70cm. My antenna is just a 2m omni big-wheel. Imagine if I had a 70cm yagi on a mast! It is a great pity 70cm is underused. Especially with FT8, I would expect it to be a great band for working Western Europe and the UK.

The disappearance of AM broadcasters

Many AM broadcasters are closing down. 

In 10 years' time the MW and LW broadcast bands may be empty of AM stations. This is a great pity as many of us came into RF via simple MW and LW crystal sets. These are easy to make.

Many AM shortwave broadcasters are also closing down as many now prefer to access these stations via the internet. This is also cheaper.

In 20 years' time I wonder what MF and HF will sound like? I suppose much of this spectrum will be kept by the military "just in case" it is ever needed if the satellites were jammed or destroyed.

It seems the shortwaves will largely be abandoned. In this case, I do hope amateurs (or licence free services) are granted access to a wider array of frequencies. Not that I can see it ever happening, but wouldn't it be great if we were granted access to all of HF at low power on a non-interference basis?

Sunspots - Thursday September 12th

 Solar flux is 207 and the SSN 179. A=8 and K=4.

365project - NOT amateur radio

One of the pleasures of 365project.org is seeing some wonderful photos from around the world. 

One of my friends is Elizabeth Saeter who lives in Norway and posts some splendid photos especially of sunsets. As an example, see the photo attached.

Tomatoes- NOT amateur radio

When we got back from holiday we found these growing in our two tomato bags. Home grown always smell and taste delicious.

Holiday over - NOT amateur radio

We returned from our week in Malta yesterday to the cold, rain and green countryside. Everyone we met was kind and helpful. It was hot and sunny almost all the time we were there. The hotel and food were excellent.

However, Malta is very built up (the most dense in Europe) and what little countryside there was was rocky and barren.

If you go on holiday for sun, swimming pools and food it might suit you. Overall, I am glad we went, but I doubt we will return.

70cm activity contest entry

Often I forget to submit my entry into this UKAC session. With my pathetic score I shall never even be close to winning, but it is good to show my support. 

It is great to see the activity. The "real" stations were working some serious DX.

6m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

Just 3 stations in the UK spotting me so far today.

UPDATE 0940z:  Just 5 UK stations spotting me.

UPDATE 1445z:  16 stations have spotted me today, including several in mainland Europe. See map.

UPDATE 1840z: 25 stations have spotted me. See map.

10m QRP WSPR (Wednesday)

My 500mW beacon has been on since just before breakfast. Just EA8BFK (2880km) spotting me multiple times. I assume this is F2 propagation. 

UPDATE 1427z:  16 stations have spotted me today. A lot of these are in the USA. See table.

UPDATE 1855z:  23 stations have spotted me today. See table.

WSPY and 10FT8R

 One of my Facebook memories today was the circuit for my 10m WSPR RX on which my 10m FT8 RX was based. See my website for details.

Sunspots - Wednesday September 11th

 Solar flux is 205 and the SSN 147. A=7 and K=1.

Malta cathedral - NOT amateur radio

This was St John’s Co Cathedral in Valletta yesterday. I prefer East Anglian simple churches! It seems there is gold leaf everywhere.

Most churches on continental Europe seem highly decorated - not to my taste.

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My 2.5W 6m FT8 has been on for the last few hours. Spotted by 7 stations (mostly England) with the furthermost DK8NE/6 (702km). See map.

10m 500mW WSPR (Tuesday)

Since returning home again from Malta this afternoon, I have been on 10m QRP WSPR with my little beacon. Already spotted by 5 stations with the furthermost the German research station in Antarctica.

70cm activity contest

 This is this evening starting at 1900z. I usually go on for a short time with 10W to the 2m big-wheel.

UPDATE 1956z: I did not stay on long, but worked 3 stations with the furthermost G4CLA (105km). It was a miserable evening with lots of rain.

Sunspots- Tuesday September 10th

 Solar flux is 215 and the SSN 213. A=9 and K=3

472kHz transverter

 It will soon be time to go back to 472kHz. For some reason a myth has grown up that you need very big antennas and extensive ground systems. Also that high power helps! Nothing could be further from the truth.

I can only speak from personal experience. My transverter produces about 10W into 50 ohms and gave about 10mW ERP into my earth-electrode antenna in the ground. My earths are about 10m apart. It has been received on WSPR as far away as Finland and I got spotted in Norway most nights. It was in QST about 10 years ago. It is also described on my website.

Valletta- NOT amateur radio

 We visited the capital of Malta called Valletta. We had torrential rain ☔️ earlier but it was hot and sunny ☀️ whilst we were there. Home tomorrow where I gather it’s turned autumnal.

VLF converter

 Many people want to have a dabble at VLF reception and want to know what is down there but most receivers don’t go that low. Many years ago I designed and built this up converter so I could take a listen. Receiving commercial stations such as time signals and MSK signals is easy . Reception of AMATEUR VLF signals is highly unlikely to work as this usually needs very narrow bandwidth and precise frequency setting. Details of this upconverter and how to improve it are on my website.

Malta rain - NOT amateur radio

 

All week we’ve had hot sunshine ☀️ until today when we had heavy rain.

Sunspots - Monday September 9th

Solar  flux is 228 and the SSN 176. A=9 and K=2.

Marsaxlokk, Malta - NOT amateur radio

 Today we visited the fishing “village” of Marsaxlokk in SW Malta famous for its colourful fishing boats. It was not what I would call a village!

Over the horizon optical tests

 It’s many years since I last did these tests and I remember being amazed that on a cloudless night I could clearly receive my 481THz beacon way over the horizon without any signal visible. Had my stroke not got in the way, I am sure much much further would have been possible even with my simple QRP system. The receiver I used is attached. It was also in RadCom. It is also on my main webpages.

Typical on Malta - NOT amateur radio

 It’s probably fair to say the countryside on Malta 🇲🇹 is barren. In the hot summer months it looks dry and arid. This cactus 🌵 is typical of Malta.

Original 10m WISPY TX

One of my Facebook memories today was of the original breadboard version of my WISPY WSPR TX on 10m. The date was 2012. I think the PA originally had a 2N3866 which I later replaced with several 2N3904s in parallel which was far less expensive.

2m beam?

What looked like an 8 over 8 yagi for 2m was spotted this morning on a rooftop somewhere in Malta 🇲🇹. It was on an extendable mast. I guess Italy 🇮🇹 and North Africa are in range. I am not sure what town it was.

Sunspots- Sunday September 8th

Solar flux is 222 and the SSN 179. A=7 and K=1.

Rooftop meal ( Malta) - NOT amateur radio

On Saturday evening we ate at this (very posh!) restaurant on the 11th floor of our hotel. With our inclusive deal we were able to eat here for “free”. Both food and service were excellent as was the view.

Expensive tipple - NOT amateur radio

Apparently this bottle of cognac was bottled in 1696 and sold at auction recently for a stupid price. Imagine accidentally dropping it! It probably tastes like vinegar, not that anyone would open it.

Bird wattmeters

MLS is advertising Bird wattmeters and inserts . Now, I understand dealers have to make a profit, but what incredible prices! At work we just used them and I had no idea how much they cost. There is no way I would buy one now!!

Holiday amateur radio

 One of my favourite activities on holiday when in a car or coach is counting the HF beams. This is probably a good indication of amateur radio activity, although many will use wire antennas and go unnoticed. I have also been kindly invited to an eyeball QSO with someone on Malta 🇲🇹 that I have to decline as we have so much to pack in. I must say that everyone has been so friendly and helpful.

Sunspots - Saturday September 7th

 Solar flux is 249 and the SSN 188. A=8 and K=1.

Gozo, Malta earlier in the week

These photos were taken on Gozo earlier in the week. Gozo is less crowded than Malta but there were more buildings than I expected and it was still very barren.

OFCOM publications

A reminder that OFCOM publishes many documents about the licences we hold as well as many publications on matters of importance. See the OFCOM website for details.

Inland sea - NOT amateur radio

 This was Gozo, Malta 🇲🇹 yesterday. You go through this cave to access it.

Rally this Sunday

The following has been notified to me. As always, check details are correct.

Sunday September 8th - Caister Lifeboat Radio Rally, Caister on Sea, NR30 5DJ. Contact m1bfi@outlook.com .

136kHz beacon

 Earlier this year I tried to resurrect my 136kHz CW beacon. Then I blew it up!

English churches - NOT amateur radio

 At the moment I am enjoying our holiday in Malta which involves visiting historic sites including churches. I have to admit that I prefer the simplicity of English churches. Many of the churches here are very beautiful but ornate.

Sunspots - Friday September 6th

 Solar flux is 241 and the SSN 167. A=7 and K=1.