2m 4W FT8 (Wednesday)

Earlier this morning I went on 2m FT8 very briefly. I must have been on for about 15 minutes. In all, I was spotted by 19 stations in 5 countries with the furthest GI6ATZ (491km).

Human memory

Nobody really knows what happens when we die. 

On a purely scientific basis, our neurons cease to work so we cannot experience anything: we just cease to exist.  Some estimates put the brain memory size as 2.5 million gigabytes, which is huge.

What amazes me are the maps we have in our heads (at least in mine!). One technique I use to get to sleep is to go from A to B on a journey. It is fascinating what is there.  I have a mental image of many of all the places I have been to. Some of these must be very old.  Also, it is surprising how a snippet of music triggers a memory.  You wonder what else lurks there waiting to be triggered. I guess one day, we will understand how the brain memory is so huge and efficient and make AI based on this.

Others with a religious persuasion believe something of "us" survives after we die.

The truth is nobody really knows. I am sure those with a deep faith (whatever their religion) will have faith that what they believe will be correct.

Long-tailed tits

These are fairly common UK birds. They are often heard with their high pitched squeak before they are seen.  

They often flit from tree to tree in flocks together. The photo shows one on our nuts a few years ago I think.

They are called log-tailed tits as they have long tails!

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/long-tailed-tit .

70cm UKAC last evening

Last night was the 70cm activity contest organised by the RSGB. 

I can only run 10W to a 144MHz big-wheel omni antenna, but I still worked as far as Wales. 

There was a station in N.Ireland, but I could not stay on long enough to work him because of my poor voice. 

In all, 7 stations were worked in about 45 minutes before I stopped.

Sunspots - Wednesday October 15th

 Solar flux is 154 and the SSN 108. A= 8 and K=3. 

10m 500mW WSPR (Tuesday)

 When on 6m FT8, I can go on 10m WSPR with my stand-alone 500mW beacon.

UPDATE 1322z:  So far,  9 spots with the beacon in the last hour.

UPDATE 1345z:  At the moment, 16 stations have spotted me in the last hour. All reports suggest 10dB weaker would be decoded, although I guess this assumes a low local noise floor.

Where I have been spotted today with 500mW 10m WSPR

6m 5W FT8 (Tuesday)

At 1226z  I QSYed to 6m with 5W FT8.

UPDATE 1328z: So far, 15 stations in the British Is. have spotted my 5W.  

UPDATE 2041z:  22 stations have spotted me including 2 in Portugal and one in Kuwait. See map. Now QRT.

How times change

Today, we found a book we bought years ago from a second hand bookshop.  It was published in the late 1800s.  

At that time the British Empire was at its height.  

Today, things are different, but we must all remember that we are frequently wrong. We have been in the past and frequently are today. 

Every nation must be respectful of others.  

10m and 12m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

Today I am trying 2W frequency hopping WSPR on 12m and 10m.

UPDATE  0938z: Plenty of spots on 10m, and 2 stations spotting me on 12m with the furthest Brazil.

WSPR and frequency hopping

Yesterday I tried WSPR frequency hopping at 10, 12 and 15m with 2W. Furtherest was Antarctica. This could be really useful. 

24GHz radar module

 Yesterday I mentioned a very low cost 10GHz radar module ripe for hacking into a 10GHz WBFM transceiver. I see there’s a 24GHz version too! If only I was fitter 😢. 

Outside St John’s, Cambridge

 This was outside St. John’s College in Cambridge yesterday.

Sunspots - Tuesday October 14th

 Solar flux is 141 and the SSN 122. A=23 and K=1.

10GHz radar module

These are available very inexpensively (just £1.25 on Ali-Express!), so I am wondering has anyone adapted these to 10GHz wideband FM (WBFM) transceivers? These look as if someone will "hack" them!

WSPR and band hopping?

As we approach declining sunspot numbers, many just give up on the higher HF bands. 

Often, these bands are "open" (just listen to the CB band next door to 10m!) whereas a lack of activity is the real cause. Especially on N-S paths the bands are open far more often than we think. 

With WSPR we can check how good our higher HF bands really are. WSPR is widely monitored so we could send WSPR on several bands in sequence into an antenna that covers these bands (like an EFHW) and watch who spots us around the world on various bands using WSPRnet.

FT7 Yaesu transceiver

My very first HF commercial transceiver was the 10W Yaesu FT-7 bought second hand in the late 1970s. 

It was a great rig and allowed me to work 10m QRP DXCC with 10W SSB back in the 1980s. This was with low wire dipoles and a CB  half wave antenna. 

By comparison with modern rigs it was big but it was very quiet on RX. If I had to rate it I would give it 11/10. In all my years it was the best transceiver I have ever owned. No synthesisers, no memories, fully analogue …just great.

Sunspots - Monday October 13th

 Solar flux is 143 and the SSN 127. A=29 and K=4.

Times Radio

Quite often, I watch Times Radio on YouTube. They interview some interesting characters on the world stage and often, their views are full of incite, even if you may not agree. 

In my view it is worth getting world news from several sources as often one source  may be biased.

10m 500mW WSPR (Sunday)

My beacon has been on since about 0910z.

UPDATE 0935z:  Spotted in the Canary Is. by 2 stations.

6m 5W FT8 (Sunday)

My gear was turned on at about 0910z.

UPDATE  2010z:  29 spots of me so far today.  See map.

The current station

Mostly I am active on 6m QRP FT8 and 10m QRP WSPR with my beacon (which is out of shot). The photo shows my current setup.

Sunspot predictions

We are now on the downward slope of the solar cycle. NOAA has a graph showing their predictions.

See https://www.noaa.gov/

Rooster transceiver

Kanga UK make a range of simple QRP transceiver kits for either 40, 30 or 20m CW. All the SMD parts are already fitted leaving about 20 parts to be added. They are very reasonably priced. I have no idea how they perform.

Sunspots - Sunday October 12th

 Solar flux is 131 and the SSN 108. A=17 and K=4.

Farm shop and cafe

This is about 10km from us. It was very busy this morning. I guess it is the weekend.  It is very expensive, but the quality is good. 

We haven't been there since January.

10m 500mW WSPR (Saturday)

 My beacon was turned on at about 1030z.

UPDATE 1625z:  So far spotted by 29 stations, most in the USA.

UPDATE 1748z:  Yet again I was spotted in Antarctica. 

6m 5W FT8 (Saturday)

My gear was turned on at 1034z.

UPDATE 1800z:  25 spots mostly GW and G. See map.

Saturday plans

 Later I expect to go on 6m 5W FT8 and 500mW 10m WSPR. 

Fenland pub and the restaurant

This has been a pub since 1620!! These days it’s mainly a restaurant.

Sunspots - Saturday October 11th

 Solar flux is 121 and the SSN 87. A=9 and K=3.

USA call areas

Maybe I am just too old, but I remember when W7 or W6 was on the west coast and W4 was on the east coast. These days it could be anywhere! In many ways we have gone backwards not forwards.

Sinclair portable

This dates from the 1960s I think and was a medium wave AM radio in kit form.

10m 500mW WSPR (Friday)

 When on 6m FT8 I can go on 10m WSPR with my beacon.

UPDATE 1415z:  11 spots mainly from the USA and Canada.

6m 5W FT8 (Friday)

I have now gone QRT on 10m FT8 and am now on 6m 5W FT8.

UPDATE 1540z:  33 stations have spotted me.

Wicken Fen

This is either the oldest, or nearly the oldest, National Trust reserve in England. 

It is about 6km from us.  It has a rich diversity of wildlife and they try to maintain the water levels so it is as the fens used to be before it became rich lands of agriculture. 

I have just been lent a book all about it. It is hard reading!

10m 4W FT8 (Friday)

For a change, I am on 4W 10m FT8 today. My gear was turned at breakfast time.

UPDATE 1222z:  Spotted by 202 stations with the best ZS2PA (9870km) in South Africa. See map.

Sunspots - Friday October 10th

Solar  flux is 122 and the SSN 87. A=5 and K=2.

10m 500mW WSPR (Thursday)

My beacon was turned on at about 1150z. The USA is starting to come through.

UPDATE 2142z:   27 stations are spotting me, including most of these in the USA or Canada. Best DX was a spot by ZD7GB (7611km). Now QRT.

6m 5W FT8 (Thursday)

My 5W 6m FT8 was turned on at about 1150z.

UPDATE 2135z:  22 spots with the furthest SM4VBO (1310km). Now QRT.

Is Russia in deep trouble?

Apparently OPEC+ has agreed to increase production still further, which is likely to result in a further fall in oil price per barrel. Also Ukraine drone strikes have been targeted at Russian oil processing leading to shortages at pumps. As Russia depends heavily on oil exports, this could really hurt.