6m 5W FT8 (Wednesday)

My IC-705 at 5W has been on since mid-morning. Lots of Es about with me being copied widely around Europe.

UPDATE 1608z: So far spotted by 205 stations. 92 stations spotted here.

IC-705 remote

My main rig is an IC-705. I have never tried this using wi-fi or Bluetooth. 

Apparently there is an iOS version to remote the rig using Bluetooth and I hope there is one over wi-fi allowing the rig to be used from an iPhone. There is a video that show the Bluetooth version of this. I must try this.

Sunspots - Wednesday July 9th

 Solar flux is 115 and the SSN 88. A=13 and K=1.

10m 500mW WSPR (Tuesday)

 My beacon has been on since late morning.

UPDATE 1502z: Spotted by 58 stations today.

6m 5W FT8 (Tuesday)

My 6m QRP FT8 was turned on late morning.

UPDATE 1630z:  345 stations have spotted me today, mostly via Es.

VLF Sferics RX

 Listening to the natural emissions at VLF can be fascinating.  Not much is needed as this video shows. Of course, if the recorder does not provide DC power, you will need a source. In this case DC is provided by the recorder, so only 3 parts are needed.

I think this audio recorder is available on Amazon. On the DXexplorer site is another sferics receiver to drive headphones.

Sunspots - Tuesday July 8th

 Solar flux is 118 and the SSN 111. A=22 and K=3.

Wild blackberries - NOT amateur radio

We are lucky to have a wild blackberry bush within a few metres of our home. 

I usually pick a few to have with breakfast. 

They are nearly ready to pick.

UPDATE 1432z:  Picked first 6.

10m 500mW WSPR (Monday)

My W5OLF beacon was turned on just before breakfast.

UPDATE 1411z:  34 spots of me already, presumably by Es.

Fossil sponge - NOT amateur radio

About 12 years ago I found this fossilised sponge inside a piece of flint in Kent. 

Experts at Cambridge University confirmed it. 

It is many millions of years old. I had no idea you could get fossils inside flint.

6m 5W FT8 (Monday)

My 6m FT8 was turned on just before breakfast.

UPDATE 1707z:  233 stations have spotted me, most I think by Es. Furthest on RX is Kazakhstan.

Quantum theory and life - NOT amateur radio

One of the counter intuitive aspects of quantum mechanics is that things may be described as a wave function that exists in all space and all time. Things most probably exist in the here and now. Our usual interpretation is that we are here "now". 

Oddly tunnel diodes only work because of quantum mechanical tunnelling. There is a finite probability that some electrons exist where they would not with Newtonian mechanics.

It occurs to me that this also applies to life. We may exist in all space and all time. This is definitely counter-intuitive! We may be aware of us being here, now.   But perhaps we are everywhere, for ever.

Whatever, we really understand so very little.

Sunspots- Monday July 7th

 Solar flux is 118 and the SSN 81. A=26 and K=4..

10m QRP WSPR (Sunday)

My beacon was turned on at about 1635z.

UPDATE 1911z: 6 stations have spotted me.

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

As the storms seem far away I have turned on my IC-705 at 5W at about 1635z.

UPDATE 1910z:  178 spots of my QRP so far. 

Receiving SAQ CW on 17.2 kHz VLF

This is a video about receiving the 100th anniversary transmission message in eastern Europe from SAQ in Sweden.

I did this some years ago and have a QSL card from them (see photo).

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vlf/vlf-converter .

Blog views - NOT amateur radio

According to Google I have had huge numbers of visits to this blog. The trouble is I am sure this is total piffle! 

If I got a tenth of these I would be amazed.  

Perhaps they have a new way of calculating. Maybe it is just an error, again.

Coastal train - NOT amateur radio

Last week I went by train to see my brother in Devon. For several miles, the track hugs the coast near Dawlish and Teignmouth and the views are spectacular. 

In the next 100 years this will probably be washed away. The line to Plymouth and Cornwall will probably have to go inland, north of Dartmoor at great expense.  Stations like Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot and Totnes could well suffer.

Thunder and lightning?

At 1111z today

As storms are forecast for later, I have decided not to go on the radio today. I shall keep an eye on the lightning maps (see photo).

At the moment, they are tracking further south and east.

Rabbit hole? - NOT amateur radio

 

On our walk on Friday we saw this hole. It is too small for a badger so I assume it’s a rabbit hole. 

I could see it extended at least 25cm underground although I could not see further.

Hamsphere

Virtual amateur radio has never really attracted me. 

If people cannot erect outside antennas or just want to keep in contact with others, this may be the answer. Also, at the bottom of the solar cycle it may appeal to me more.

Hamsphere uses the internet as the communications medium rather than the ionosphere. To my mind it is not sufficient. I prefer experimenting.

See https://hs50.hamsphere.com/ .

Sunspots- Sunday July 6th

 Solar flux is 117 and the SSN 82. A=18 and K=4..

IDF - NOT amateur radio

“In a revealing written parliamentary answer dated 11 June 2025, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that British forces are currently training personnel from the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on UK soil. The response, delivered by Labour MP Luke Pollard, stated this is part of “routine Defence engagement with Israel”.”

Many of my best friends are Jewish but I didn’t know this was allegedly happening. 

Whilst the October 7th massacre was utterly wrong, so is destroying Gaza and very many innocent people and children. 

Everyone has the right to live in peace and nobody has the right to bully others. After all, we are all human beings.

In my view we should not sell any arms to Israel or train any IDF troops until there is a just peace.

1970s station

Looking back I came across this photo that must be well over 40 years ago. It shows my station in the 1970s. 

It also shows the EC10 receiver and my Liner-2 2m SSB transceiver. 

My son looks very young (under 2?). Judging by my son I would date this to the very late 1970s.

Pokeweed? - NOT amateur radio

Most definitely, I am not a plant expert! 

On our walk yesterday we saw this curious plant growing at the side of the path. 

It is supposed to be a Pokeweed, but, as I said, I am no expert. Certainly I have not seen one before. 

It looked a bit like a lupin.

10m 500mW WSPR (Saturday)

In the last hour 35 European stations have spotted my QRP beacon, probably by Es. 

UPDATE 1035z:  40 European stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1431z: V51RS (8481km) has spotted me multiple times.

UPDATE 1808z: 45 stations have spotted me today. QRT soon.

6m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

 

My 5W FT8 was turned on mid-morning.

UPDATE 1812z: 215 stations have spotted me today. QRT soon.

Summer harvest - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we went for a walk in the nearby village of Reach. The  corn fields are maturing well. 

Sunspots - Saturday July 5th

 Solar flux is 119 and the SSN 87. A=10 and K=3.

New radios at Friedrichshafen

The MLS video is about new radios on display at Friedrichshafen.  

It never fails to amaze me how much some people are prepared to spend on our hobby. 

Each to their own, but as I keep saying, spending a lot is not a requirement. At a fraction of the cost of these radios the whole planet may be contacted.

Roses at Anglesey Abbey - NOT amateur radio

After (for us in the UK) a very hot and humid spell, we have had some rain. These roses were seen at Anglesey Abbey yesterday.

10m 500mW WSPR (Friday)

My beacon was turned on at about 1120z. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1625z:  37 stations have spotted me.

6m QRP FT8 (Friday)

My 5W was turned on at about 1120z.

UPDATE 1611z:  323 stations have spotted me. See map.  Great Es.

Sunspots - Friday July 4th

 Solar flux is 125 and the SSN 118. A=16 and K=2.

10m 500mW WSPR (Thursday)

 Even though my QRP beacon has been on all morning, just spots by local G4KPX (14km). No Es evident.

UPDATE 1758z:  V51RS (8481km) and 3 other stations have spotted me.

Wet! - NOT amateur radio

This was Anglesey Abbey yesterday when it rained after a very hot and humid spell. 

The temperature is about 10 degrees C lower.

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

My 5W was turned on before breakfast.

UPDATE 1927z:   108 stations have spotted me. See map. I think most were by Es.

Sunspots - Thursday July 3rd

 Solar flux is 130 and the SSN 148. A=7 and K=3.

A splash of colour - NOT amateur radio

This morning (in the rain!) we went for a walk at nearby Anglesey Abbey. On the way out we walked though the garden centre there and saw these colourful plants.

6m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

My 5W 6m FT8 was turned on mid-morning.

UPDATE 1842z:  106 stations have spotted me. Most look like Es.