Sunspots- Sunday October 20th

 Solar flux is 162 and the SSN 101. A=23 and K=1.

QDX and QMX+ issues

 With the "other" Windows 10 PC, everything seems to work on RX, but even though the QDX goes to TX there is no RF being sent. Also, I get a "rig control error" going to TX even though the CAT works and it is "seeing" the QDX. As far as I can see, everything is correctly set and I tried a power cycle on the QDX before starting the PC.  It should not be this hard.

Going back to the SignaLink USB and FT817ND I get no issues at all with the "old" PC. For now, I give up.

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

 My 2.5W 8m FT8 is on again. No spots, although I see far more stations are now monitoring the band.

UPDATE 1513z:  G4FKI (60km) and IZ1DYE (973km) spotted on 8m FT8 RX although nobody has spotted my 2.5W yet. The map shows the stations monitoring 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1609z: PJ4MM (7483km) spotted on 8m FT8 RX.

Detecting life in outer space - NOT amateur radio

As far as I know SETI, the search for intelligent life in outer space, has been going for about 60 years without success. 

According to a link in Amateur Radio Weekly there may be another technique. If we find intelligent life "out there" it could/should have a profound effect on life on Earth. 

Excuse the journalism in the link!

AI - NOT amateur radio

This morning I had an email inviting me to try Google’s new AI tool called Gemini. 

It makes some mistakes, but in the main it produces amazing text and images based on the information available in seconds.

In coming years it is likely to get even better. Used for good, it a powerful tool. In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous.

Peak of solar cycle 25

It looks like we are at the peak of this cycle. We have well exceeded the peak expected.

10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

RX on 10m
FT8 to 0940z

Don't ask me why but WSPR-X works with my older Windows 10 PC, SignaLink USB and the FT817ND. I have yet to try with the QDX.  

Stations all over the planet are being received and (so far) I have been widely spotted with 2.5W FT8 all over Europe. See map showing the stations spotted by 0940z on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1015z: First DX spot of me today by PU4TNT (9086km).

UPDATE 1135z:  77 stations have spotted me today with 2.5W 10m FT8.

Stations spotting me today
on 10m FT8 with 2.5W

10m 500mW WSPR (Saturday)

Shortly, I hope to go on 10m WSPR with my stand-alone QRP 10m WSPR beacon. I cannot try FT8 again until I sort out my PC. Maybe I should try downloading JTDX and see if that works? 

UPDATE 0947z:   I went on briefly.  No spots.

It’s coming - NOT amateur radio

At the moment most leaves are still on the trees, but they are starting to fall. 

The garden looks far more autumnal with it looking “soggy “.

What’s this?

Whilst rummaging through drawers in my shack trying to find a power supply for an unused PC, I came across this TX. I have no recollection of making it, but it looks like an OXO QRP CW transmitter. It must date from the 1990s or early 2000s. 

Climber - NOT amateur radio

Every winter I have grand ideas about replacing this climber but never do. It grows very fast, has no flowers but looks great in the autumn before it looses all its leaves. I cut it right back but always grows back!

B stock “bargains”

One of the biggest UK dealers is advertising B stock at considerable savings. To me, these still look expensive when you look at exchange rates against the Yen and US Dollar.

Sunspots- Saturday October 19th

 Solar flux is 165 and the SSN 132. A=14 and K=4.

Are we beginning to see a slow decline in sunspot numbers?

Is WSPRnet faulty?

Despite syncing to Internet time, I have again got no 10m WSPR spots with my 500mW stand-alone beacon whereas I usually get several. I am wondering if WSPRnet is faulty, not uploading spots, or there is a long delay?  Listening on another radio, it seems to be fine.

UPDATE 1737z:  No, it was a fault with my antenna coax. Since fixing it, 17 stations have spotted me with the furthermost DP0GVN/1 (13685km) in Antarctica. See chart that shows 15 stations.

UPDATE 2115z:  29 stations spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR.  Now QRT.

Friday plans

We have to go shopping, but I also want to find out if the PC or QDX is the source of my problem with the QDX not being recognised by the PC. As far as I know, everything is done in the correct order. 

It will be interesting to see if I get no problems with the FT817 and SignaLink USB. This has never given me problems in over 20 years . 

Assuming I can find a solution, my plan is to try 10m QRP FT8 later. We'll see!

UPDATE 1153z:  I shall be tackling the QDX and PC after lunch. Wish me luck!

UPDATE 1455z:  No luck. It is as if any external device is not recognised. Just to make sure the USB socket is OK (I think it is) I shall try a CF drive in it. For now, until I can fix this, I am confined to 10m WSPR. Somewhere I have another Windows PC that I must try without updating it just in case it is a Windows Update  that has screwed things.

UPDATE 1540z: I found the older Windows 10 PC. It is on charge. Later I shall give this a try.

Sunspots - Friday October 18th

 Solar flux is 174 and the SSN 146. A=8 and K=2.

Struggling

I deleted lots of WAV files from my PC (WSJT-X saves them all!!) and this allowed me to do a Windows update. 

However, for some reason, after doing a restart on my QDX I can receive OK, it does not TX on FT8. I checked this on my QMX+ and that does not TX either. It seems to recognise the QDX audio and CAT control works on the QMX+.

At the moment I am on 10m QRP WSPR with my stand-alone 500mW WSPR beacon (no spots on this as well!).

I think this must go down as a "bad hair day". In other words it's totally crap. My brain hurts!

UPDATE 1712z:  In desperation, I am doing a full PC reset to factory settings to see if this fixes it. The PC is really only used with WSJT-X.

UPDATE 2151z:  For some reason the PC still refuses to recognise the QDX. Tomorrow I shall try with the SignaLinkUSB and the FT817ND which should work.  With Windows there must be some magic that I am missing to get the PC to “see” the QDX. Apparently it is all to do with the USB port recognising the QDX whereas with Linux there is no issue.

Upcoming rally this weekend

 The following rally has been notified to me. As usual, check details.

Saturday October 19th - Mexborough and District ARS Rally,  Conisborough, DN12 3HJ. Contact madarsrally@gmail.com  .

Amazon algorithms - NOT amateur radio

 After buying things from Amazon, I get bombarded with suggestions of things to buy of very similar items to what I have just bought. As an example, I recently got a new electric razor and I am now getting lots of suggestions for similar electric razors. Having just bought one, a new electric razor is the very last thing I want!

Surely their algorithms could be changed to exclude items similar to ones bought recently? This would not be rocket science.

Sunspots - Thursday October 17th

Solar flux is 168 and the SSN 135. A=15 and K=3.

Sorting out the QDX and PC

 As we are out later, I think working on the QDX and PC will have to wait until Thursday now.

Lunchtime - NOT amateur radio

This lunchtime we met up with old friends. My wife used to teach with the husband in 1972. I did say “old“ friends!!

Plans for Wednesday

 Later this afternoon I hope to sort out my PC and QDX. As you know I had planned to do this earlier in the week, but events overtook this. 

Assuming it all works and there is no thunder (!) I shall try 10m QRP FT8.

QDX videos

There are lots of videos on YouTube singing the praises of the tiny QDX digital transceiver from QRP Labs. This is just one as an example. It really is tiny and for many it will be all you ever need on HF.

Last ones? - NOT amateur radio

We try to have a small bowl of fruit each morning with breakfast. For several weeks this has included wild blackberries picked from a bush about 25m away. 

I think the last ones have been picked for this year, but will see if there are any more, but I am not hopeful.

Yesterday

Yesterday I planned to sort out my PC and QDX. Instead I helped someone else with their PC and service provider. Can you imagine someone who is more ignorant about PCs than me!!? They exist! Later today I hope to do what I hoped to do some days before. 

Sunspots - Wednesday October 16th

Solar flux is 172 and the SSN 141. A=15 and K=2.

Middle East - NOT amateur radio

Although I understand Israel being aggrieved that certain countries want the nation wiped off the face of the earth, I have no sympathy at all for this endless cycle of violence that sees so many innocent people killed or wounded. It must stop.

In the end the only viable solution is for Israel to be accepted as a state with a right to exist and the people of Palestine also having a right to statehood and a right to live in peace.

Recent pronouncements about doing things in the interest of Israel by the Israeli leader don't exactly sound like words of peace. It seems to me that violence will lead to more hatred, more violence and probably Israel in even more peril. If Israel attacks Iran, Iran and all its proxi groups will lash back at Israel.

Jaw jaw, not war war!! 

Through the ground

 Back in 2012 I was busy with earth mode VLF through the ground before my stroke got in the way! On QRSS3 I managed 6km but had the feeling much further would have been possible with more power and a bigger baseline.

Plans for Tuesday

 My intention is to go on 10m FT8 with my Windows 10 PC and QDX. This is conditional on:

• Being able to get my USB connection to "see" the QDX. I am told there is a known issue with how Windows recognises devices connected to the USB port.
• Being able to upgrade PC protection without going to Windows 11.

Apparently there is a fix for the first by connecting and powering up the QDX first. There is not an issue with Linux, just Windows.

Peak of solar cycle 25?

The jury is still out on the smoothed peak of solar cycle 25. At one time it was last year, but now it is thought possible it could be October 2024 according to Solan. 

What is certain is solar conditions are good and likely to remain so for some years to come.

Sunspots - Tuesday October 15th

 Solar flux is 182 and the SSN 146.  A=8 and K=2.

Inclusivity - NOT amateur radio

It would appear one of the major shops in Cambridge is trying to be inclusive with lots of signs up to celebrate the Hindu festival of light in early November called Diwali. 

There are also lots of lights that could be for Divali........or Christmas. Am I being cynical thinking this is a way to increase profits, reduce costs, and look good?

Plans for Monday

 You can tell it is October in the UK! Drizzle, cold and miserable. 

As I am in Cambridge much of the day for my U3A courses I do not expect to do much radio today.

1940s coach - NOT amateur radio

 

Our local museum had some visitors who arrived in this vintage coach.

Sunspots - Monday October 14th

 Solar flux is 195 and the SSN 108. A=5 and K=1.

10m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

 Assuming it all works, I intend to go on 10m QRP FT8 after breakfast with my QDX.

UPDATE 1744z: It did not work! Apparently the QDX has to be power cycled. Not only that, but the Windows update wants to move to Windows 11 and the PC has not enough disk space. If I was more confident, I would convert it to Linux, but I do not understand how to do it and then install WSJT-X under Linux. Ideally, I would like someone locally to do it!

Shield bug - NOT amateur radio

 

This says today, but it was first on Facebook in 2017. 

Sunspots - Sunday October 13th

Solar  flux is 214 and the SSN 95. A=20 and K=1.

Granddaughter's visit - NOT amateur radio

Our granddaughter is sleeping here tonight. 

This photo was taken whilst she was watching "Strictly Come Dancing" on TV.