What CAN I still do?

Since my 2013 stroke I have been giddy all my waking time, had a very poor voice and get exhausted very quickly. 

All the time I am conscious of all the things I used to be able to do without effort that I can no longer do. Some of these things may still be as a result of my stroke, whereas others may just be because I am getting older.

Maybe I need to change the way I think and focus on all the things I can do rather than the things I cannot.

For example:

• I still manage 2 weekly 2m FM nets.
• I still manage the 2m and 70cm UKAC activity contests each month.
• FT8 and WSPR operation is fine.
• Cutting the grass is still possible.
• Getting breakfast ready is still possible.
• Gardening for short periods is still possible.
• Washing the dishes is still possible.
• Ironing is still possible.
• etc...

Quite a few things are still possible. Getting older, I should expect to find some things harder, so maybe I should accept these and alter my focus. I need to look harder at the things I can do! Making this mental leap is not easy.

10FT8R - 10m FT8 RX

Some weeks ago I mentioned that I wanted to make a DSB transceiver for 10m FT8 based on the WISPY rig that I designed some years ago for 10m WSPR. In the coming years 10m should return to form as a great DX band. In every Es season single hop DX up to about 1500km should be possible.

All being well, I hope to start on the RX section later today. This RX is very simple and should allow me to monitor 10m FT8 RX without having to use the "big rig".

The photo show the original WISPY RX.

UPDATE 1506z: A start has been made. Some of the "meSQUARES" pads have been stuck down. I am thinking that "little and often" is my best approach. Years ago I would have done the lot in one go! See http://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=MeSl

IC-705 - getting to know you

There is so much to learn about my new rig, the IC-705. The firmware needs updating and I have yet to connect the PC. There are so many hidden features that I have hardly scratched the surface. I am taking my time.

First impressions are this is some radio. It can do so much!!

Wild walk - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we did a nice walk along Burwell Lode. We saw several marsh harriers. The photo shows where Burwell and Reach Lodes meet. Lodes are very ancient waterways that once carried important trade thousands of years ago.

Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

We live not far from Cambridge. At the moment there are no foreign visitors. It is still a beautiful place. 

Sunspots - Saturday April 3rd 2021

 Solar flux is 72 and the SSN 0. A=6 and K=1. 

5MHz (60m) band

 Despite a small slot being allocated to the amateur service at a WRC meeting many years ago, this slot is not universally available. As an example, it is not allocated in the UK. Other 5MHz allocations with higher power are available at 5MHz in the UK. 

As a dedicated QRP man, and speaking personally, I would trade the bitty allocations for a smaller, contiguous band with lower power. I have only been on the band with WSPR, so am not well qualified to comment!

See https://rsgb.org/main/operating/band-plans/hf/5mhz/ .

Sub-9kHz amateur radio

Some years ago I experimented on amateur radio below 9kHz. To receive amateur radiated signals at range needs very stable TX signals, very narrow filters and integration periods measured in hours or days. Just listening will not work! Luckily the software needed is freely available on the Internet. 

The photo shows G3XIZ. The frequency is Hertz!! My antenna was the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. 

It is some years since I last experimented on real VLF. As I recall, I copied amateur sub-9kHz signals from several European stations including 2 in Germany and 1 in Austria I think.

In the past I have successfully experimented at the far ends of the spectrum from visible light to far ELF. There is no doubt that we still have a lot to learn. At both these ends of the spectrum the equipment and test gear can easily be home-brewed. In many ways this is one of the attractions. My own VLF earth-mode gear was fabricated in the back of the garage as was my light beam gear: low cost and great fun. The second link includes a link to the files on my earth-mode article in RSGB RadCom in 2011.

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf

Some very old blog pages (which are not maintained so do not follow the links on the left) are at https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/Home/earthmode. This is a blog about my own experiments with VLF earth-mode.

Narrowboat - NOT amateur radio

This morning we did a walk along Burwell Lode. The photo shows a narrowboat on the Lode. The people on the boat were enjoying the birds including several marsh harriers.

 It feels much colder. 

Sunspots - Friday April 2nd 2021

 Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 0. A=8 and K=1. 

IC-705 antenna tuner

The ICOM AH-705 auto ATU sells for about £300. It is not small and not low cost. They do not even guarantee it is water and dust proof and they do not even quote the worst-case VSWR it can match. 

In my view this is not a great auto ATU. I have no plans to buy one.

See https://www.icomjapan.com/support/manual/3231/

Tea in the garden - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we had tea in the garden in the sunshine as the photo shows. Today is much cooler and over the Easter weekend it is expected to be even colder. 

This is our older son on the right. He lives in the same village. Until recently he has only been to the door with his mask on.

5.5G and 6G

We are just rolling out 5G. Already there is talk of 5.5G and 6G!  I cannot imagine what this would be.

Southgate News has a piece about an upcoming talk.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/march/5-5g-and-6g-for-2030.htm#.YGXV12jYrrc

IC-705 on the air

IC-705

Last night, I tried my IC-705 on the air for the first time.  I accessed the GB3PI repeater and went on the FM CDARC net on 2m. At first I did not know how to set up the CTCSS tone for the repeater. I have lots to learn. 

In the coming days I want to try FT8 and D-star. 

The RX seems to work well even on LF with good reception of DCF77 on 77.5kHz with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.  It, so far, fits my operating well. I was surprised to get so many GPS satellites with the rig indoors in the usual operating position.

ICOM has done a great job.   

I have ordered the Radio Today guide to the IC-705 from the RSGB.

Solar data

My favourite site for solar data is usually updated very early in the month. This usually happens on the first or second day of the month.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

UPDATE 1011z:   I see the page has just been updated.

UPDATE 1910z:  See http://www.solen.info/solar/images/comparison_recent_cycles.png . At the moment we do not look on track for a great cycle 25. It looks very similar to the last cycle.

Outside King's - NOT amateur radio

Usually Cambridge is a "must see" for foreign visitors. This year things are very different without visitors from overseas.  It is good to see people social distancing.

Sunspots - Thursday April 1st 2021

Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 0. A=10 and K=3.

Another view - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows another view of Moulton village, this time with the famous packhorse bridge. At one time this was the main route from Cambridge to Bury St Edmunds. 

Radioshack

At one time, Radioshack was very big in the USA. I was told about a comeback, although most of the products look as if they were made in China. 

Maplins, that was a near equivalent here in the UK, closed some years ago. These days, many people buy direct from China!

At one time Radioshack sold a nice single band 10m SSB rig. The name escapes me.

See https://www.radioshack.com/

Heathkits

Way back in 1961 I was bought a Heathkit electronics workshop for Christmas. Little did I know then that this was to be the start of an absorbing hobby and career. Heathkit is trying to make a comeback although the offerings I have seen have definitely not been impressive. These kits are overpriced and I am surprised they are still around. They must have some very loyal customers!

See https;//shop.heathkit.com/shop

See also https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/Home/ew on my very old (not maintained) website. The links of the left cannot be relied upon.

Sunspots - Wednesday March 31st 2021

Solar  flux is 80 and the SSN 0.  A=3 and K=3. 

Succumbed

For a long time I have been coveting an IC-705 from ICOM. In the end I traded my FT991A in and bought one with the PSU, desk stand and 5 year warranty.

It was far more expensive than I wanted to pay from a UK dealer, but I rarely buy gear and I probably haven't that many years to enjoy it. It should give me years of fun. I cannot see the prices falling any time soon. The IC-7300 hasn't dropped in years.

In the end, the review by Peter Hart in the latest RadCom persuaded me. So, I have succumbed.  At the moment I am still reading the manual and will probably try it later.

More later....

Lunch in the garden - NOT amateur radio

 

For the first time this year we had lunch in the garden. It was a beautiful day although things are due to get far colder over Easter. 

Moulton walk - NOT amateur radio

 This morning we did a nice walk around the village of Moulton as the photo shows. 

British humour - NOT amateur radio

This character may be familiar to many in the UK. He features in a well known comedy programme on TV. 

Sunspots - Tuesday March 30th 2021

 Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 13.  A=4 and K=1.

Club Log

As many will know, I am not a great DX chaser these days. If I work DX great, although I rarely go looking for it. To some, it is an important aspect of our hobby. Working rare DX on multiple bands can be a source of great excitement. 

If I remember correctly, I achieved DXCC on 10m SSB QRP way back in the 1980s. My greatest thrill was working New Zealand with 10W SSB on 10m early one morning with a simple sloping wire dipole. The other thrill was working a VP8 in Antarctica.

If you are a keen DXer you may like Club Log. It seems an ideal resource for keen DXers.

FT8 dominance

In the last few years, FT8 has become the dominant mode on many bands. 

Unlike speech modes, FT8 is definitely not a chatting mode. Basic QSO data only is exchanged. To use FT8 needs special software like WSJT-X that can be got for free on the internet. 

Whilst this mode is great for simple stations and those who find talking hard (like me), it is not a mode that you just stumble across. Many years ago I "found" amateur radio by chance hearing AM stations on 160m and 15m. 

In the end FT8 and similar could kill our hobby. What I am advocating is FT8 should be seen as complementing speech modes, not instead of speech modes.  I hope, as HF conditions improve, more people will use SSB, FM and AM again.

Coming on - NOT amateur radio

Like many English villages, we no longer have a bank. Thankfully, there are several options for getting cash from our bank including our local Post Office, which is actually easier than traditional "holes in the wall". 

After many years, our old bank is being converted to commercial units. One of these is to be a hairdressers. People who know me know that I cannot take advantage of this!

English humour - NOT amateur radio

This was on Facebook earlier. It will appeal to British humour, although I am not sure what others will make of it. 

FT8 QRP today

Shortly I hope to go on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop.

At present (0820z) I am on 160m FT8 RX. As we have daytime conditions, there is no DX, in fact no spots at all!

UPDATE 0836z:  17m gear turned on. 10 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost 5Z4VJ (6858km) in Kenya.  Nobody yet spotting me on TX.

UPDATE 1228z: 246 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost YB7OO (11788km).  On TX my QRP has been spotted by 2 stations with the furthermost R2ASY (2426km) near Moscow. 1 QSO today.

UPDATE 1420z: 326 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 4 stations spotting my QRP on TX.

UPDATE 1720z:  465 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 6 stations have spotted my QRP TX.

Sunspots - Monday March 29th 2021

Solar flux is 75 and the SSN 11. A=6 and K=2.

160m FT8 overnight

Overnight I was on 160m FT8 RX. 193 stations spotted including 3 USA stations. No South Americans last night. The antenna is still the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. 

160m FT8 RX (Sunday)

Since about 1930z I have been on 160m FT8 RX. It is now 2005z and 42 stations have been spotted. The antenna is still the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

UPDATE 2245z: 90 stations spotted this evening. 

FT8 slots

In the last few years FT8 has taken off like crazy.  It is very sensitive and works with very weak signals, much weaker than SSB and CW. It is not a chatting mode. It allows the minimum details for a QSO to be exchanged. There is a spin-off called JT8call that does allow free form messages, so chats could be had. 

Sadly FT8 has resulted in fewer speech mode chats. Although not a QRP mode per se, it does allow worldwide QSOs with QRP and simple antennas. Most find far less than 100W is sufficient to work the world.

One thing I have noticed is just how busy the narrow FT8 slots get. Although the transmissions only need about 50Hz, it is quite possible to find 20 or more stations in the FT8 window. The advantage is all signals get decoded by the (free) software and split operation within the FT8 window is encouraged.

There is a case of several FT8 slots in each band. The disadvantage is you may have to monitor more slots. There is a case for 2 or 3 FT8 slots on each band. This is still narrower than a few SSB signals.

UK and Covid-19 - NOT amateur radio

Rules within the UK nations vary, so what follows applies to England only. At the moment, the plan is to cautiously relax some rules on March 29th. This is part of a roadmap to complete relaxation of the rules. 

Dates could slip, although at the moment things are still on track. A lot depends on how people behave, vaccines and the 3rd wave in Europe and of course variants emerging.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56553128 .

Friedrichshafen 2021 - off

Although I have looked quite hard, I have failed to find out if this years grand show in June is definitely cancelled. 

2022 is on and I would be extremely surprised if this years show was on, especially with rising Covid-19 cases across Europe. Putting on a show would be expensive and it is unlikely many would want to be there in big crowds with the pandemic, even if they could travel.

The last definitive information I saw was that Dayton, USA was cancelled and Friedrichshafen 2021 was to be decided still. However, Southgate News is reporting that it is cancelled this year.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/march/ham-radio-exhibition-once-again-suspended.htm#.YGBoEyvYrrc .

It is definitely not happening in 2021. I have found the official announcement of this. A pity, but understandable. 

See https://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/no-get-together-in-2021-ham-radio-exhibition-once-again-suspended

Notice the word "suspended" . There is an online event June 25th - 27th 2021.

17m FT8 QRP (Sunday)

 At 1109z I went on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W to the tiny indoor loop on the shack windowsill. It is now 1116z and so far today, 18 stations have been spotted on RX with nobody spotting my QRP on TX.

UPDATE  1425z:  So far today, 2 spots of my QRP with the furthermost being  UW5ZM (2317km) from the Ukraine on TX and 185 stations spotted on RX. At some point I shall remember to convert BST to GMT. Give me a few days!

Best friends - NOT amateur radio

These were hand reared and are now best friends. Aghhh... 

Sunspots - Sunday March 28th 2021

 Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 11. A=8 and K=1.

Lode - NOT amateur radio

Lode is a sleepy village about 5 miles from Cambridge. Buses are every 2 hours in the weekdays with none on Sunday. 

17m FT8 QRP (Saturday)

 For most of the day I have been on 17m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop. So far (it is now 1510z), just 1 station has spotted me on TX and I have spotted 267 stations on RX with the furthermost YB3EDD (12235km).

Village cottages - NOT amateur radio

 

Burwell (our village) has a total mix of old and new homes. These cottages are on the main High Street. I am not sure how old these are, but I guess most date from the 1800s.

Oscar 100 geosynchronous satellite

Every few weeks, I give my impression of activity on the narrowband transponder of this satellite as seen by looking at the webSDR at Goonhilly. 

As said many times before, this is not a scientific look. It is more of a "quick peek" impression, in this case looking mid-afternoon on a Friday in Europe. 

My impression is activity is very slightly up on the last time I looked. There is still plenty of room.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

Sunspots - Saturday March 27th 2021

Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 24.  A=12 and K=1.

Spring colours - NOT amateur radio

 

Spring has sprung as witnessed by this blossom photographed by my wife yesterday.

/P and contests

 According to Southgate News, the RSGB is to accept /P entries in contests from March 29th. They state you have to obey local Covid rules, but the "stay at home" message is to be replaced (we hope) by "stay local" in England. This would mean /P operations would be legal if local.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/march/rsgb-contest-committee-agree-to-accept-portable-entries.htm#.YF3yKiuTLrc

OFCOM plan of work

I am definitely a grumpy old man! 

OFCOM has just posted its plan of work for the next financial year on its website. If I was still working and not retired I would have been told the statement is full of "motherhoods" !

Personally, I would prefer if they concentrated on real enforcement and less on such statements.

It is very easy to criticise, but the impression this gives me is a total lack of RF knowledge and a bunch of children, trying to be "grown ups". Your views may well differ, and these are my impressions only.

As I was always told "don't judge a book by its cover".

See the OFCOM website and make up your own minds.

17m FT8 QRP (Friday)

At 1217z, I turned on the FT8 QRP  with 2.5W and the windowsill tiny loop. It is now 1222z and, so far, 20 stations have been spotted on RX but no spots of me on TX.

UPDATE 1435z:  127 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost YB8ADX (12413km). On QRP TX 2 stations have spotted me so far today.

UPDATE 2212z:  Now QRT.  Altogether, 204 stations spotted on RX and 2 stations spotted my QRP on TX.

Rainbow - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday was typical spring day with a mixture of sunshine and scattered showers. We were treated to a rainbow shortly before dark as the photo shows.