My QRP FT8 has been on for a while after breakfast. 6 English stations have spotted me. One VU was spotted at the end of a QSO.
UPDATE 1438z: 36 spots of my QRP 6m FT8 (mostly English) with the furthermost spotted by VU2MSA (8178km). Obviously F2 to India is reaching 6m.
UPDATE 1940z: 41 stations have spotted me today.
18 stations have spotted me so far this morning at 1008z on 10m QRP WSPR TX. Most look like F2 propagation.
UPDATE 1730z: 82 stations have spotted me with the furthermost F61695 (9729km) in the Indian Ocean.
This evening is the November 70cm activity contest organised by the RSGB. I go on briefly with my 10W SSB and the 2m omni big-wheel.
UPDATE 2019z: 2 stations worked, then I gave up! Furthermost was G4CLA (105km).
Some months ago Yaesu announced the FTX-1F which was hailed as the successor to the FT817/818 range and a competitor to the ICOM IC-705. Since then I have heard ..... nothing! Even on the rumour mill, it has been deadly quiet.
Is there any information out there?
At the right price (below £1000) and with the right features, it could be a serious player.
In my time I have owned very many Yaesu products. They have all been very good and very reliable, although I have the feeling Yaesu lost its way and market leadership in recent years.
The Yen is extremely competitive against the US dollar and UK pound at the moment.
Maybe, just maybe, they will get it right this time. I do hope so.
There is an enormous quantity of stuff on YouTube. Whether your interest is amateur radio or something else, a quick search is almost sure to throw up something. The video attached is just an example.
UPDATE 1425z: 22 stations have spotted my QRP 6m FT8 today.
Most beacons use PI4 whereas I would have expected them to use FT8.
Does PI4 confer some advantages? Maybe better sensitivity? In my view, unless there is something about PI4 I don't know about, I would prefer beacons to use FT8 or at least have an FT8 sequence.
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Take, for example, the horse chestnut trees in the churchyard shown in the photo. A few weeks ago the leaves were there.
Now there are very few revealing the rook's nests. I look forward to these being repaired in the early spring and the first buds.
This digital-only transceiver from QRP-Labs is really tiny. It can produce 5W, but I have added diodes in the power lead to ensure the RF PA is working without being stressed. This reduces the power out still further, but makes very little difference.
Tomorrow should be sunny when this "anticyclonic gloom" moves away.
The photo shows our churchyard earlier.
We have had a very mild autumn so far with little sun or rain.
My QMX+ on 6m was turned on about 0945z. At 1033z, I have been spotted by 12 English stations.
Looking at https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ it looks like I could be spotted in mainland Europe.
I am less hopeful of being spotted "across the pond" today on 6m FT8.
My QRP 10m RX beacon was turned on at about 0945z. So far a single, strong spot in Germany.
It looks like I am seeing no 10m WSPR spots today from the USA, so I very much doubt there will be any F2 6m propagation "across the pond" today.
This is where FT8 is so useful. It works with weak, fleeting signals and is well monitored. If it even briefly opens on 6m, we would know about it. This is why this mode will be good on 10m in the quiet years.
Clearly the ISM band has other users! Those that permit operation 40.66 - 40.70 MHz have to accept this.
As this photo from a friend on 365project shows, they have had better weather in the Faroe Islands.
My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been on since about 0730z. So far, multiple spots by EA8BFK (2880km) as usual, but nobody else.
My QMX+ is initialising.
Someone kindly suggested it might be due to slow charging of capacitors in my PSU. I tried simply plugging in the power lead to the QMX+ with my PSU well and truly at the correct voltage, but this made no difference. After a time it just initialised. I suspect it is something to do with the way the microprocessor initialises, but I am no expert.
Anyway, the QMX+ in now on 6m FT8 and, so far, just 17 English stations are spotting me at 1540z.
It surprises me that more use of some ISM bands is not utilised for beacons. In many countries around the world this is licence free with a very low ERP, yet we know worldwide coverage is possible.
Some countries require the use of type approved equipment, although I am unsure if in some countries you can type approve by yourself that you comply.
It seems an easy route for many. Certainly a few have done this on the 13m and 8m ISM bands with great success.
When my 8m TX permit expires next year, this is the route I propose to take here in the UK, where OFCOM has indicated its approval.
In January, Mr Trump becomes US president for the second time.
He has won the popular vote and the Electoral College. There is little doubt he has gained a mandate from most in the USA. Clearly the majority in the USA back him. For those in the USA his policies and promises "ring a bell".
Yet the odd thing is I have met not one (really not one in hundreds) outside of the USA that likes him. Most say he is unpredictable, a liar and thinks only of himself.
I remain puzzled why he is so popular. Perhaps his promise of "the American dream" rings true with the majority in the USA? It is the American people that choose their leader by democratic means, not me.
However, there are issues on a global scale that need his input as the most powerful man on the planet. No longer can the USA live in isolation. The world is very much interconnected.
You are left wondering how such huge flowers and stalks can come from that bulb!
We grow several each year, slightly staggered so they are not out at the same time.
Often, if the leaves are left to dry and die, they are good for more than one season.
The QDX is about the size of a pack of cards i.e. tiny.
Also, I am having issues booting up my QMX+ rig today. It keeps coming up with a dim display and not initialising.
Without the SignaLink interface or QMX+ I am unable to use FT8 at 8m or 6m, which is a pity. I suppose I could use the IC705 at 6m for FT8. At present I was using the QMX+ for 6m and the FT817ND (dealer modified) for 8m.
This gets on my nerves. It is yet another way to get us to part with our money by extending the time during which we spend. In my view, this rarely really saves us much money. A few years ago we knew nothing of this nonesense.
In the summer this beach in S.Devon is busy whereas at this time of year it’s quiet. We can trace our family history continuously continu...
