Bolberry Down, Devon - NOT amateur radio

In my view this is one of the best places in the world. It is wild and unspoilt. 

8m experiment (Wednesday)

Once again, my intention is to stick with FT8 today on 40.680 MHz USB dial. So far, I have been copied in 4 European countries and expect this to increase during the Es season. 

The impression I am getting is that other than Es openings my QRP is not capable of being spotted at any distance. Also, I think there are fewer stations with TX permits this year. I was expecting more to be asking for these. Overall, I am a bit disappointed. Other than stations in the UK, Croatia, Slovenia and possibly Eire, I suspect the chances of exchanging FT8 reports are small. Once these countries are "worked", I suspect interest might wane.

If I am honest I was expecting stations across Europe to be active this Es season. Sadly, this is not the case. 

Personally I think a very small 8m, digital only, allocation to the amateur service would really help research in radio propagation science. I think OFCOM and the RSGB have been totally stupid over their attitude to this! You feel that they are not really interested in real self training and research. Talking about gardens and arthritic knees on 80m with Japanese commercial rigs is fine!!

UPDATE 0835z:  For about an hour I have been on 8m FT8 TX. I was spotted (yet again) by EI9KP (649km) in the west of Eire. Nobody spotted here, although I am currently RX only.

UPDATE 1320z:  No further 8m spots. Currently RX only again.

Sunspots - Wednesday May 4th 2022

Solar flux is 114 and the SSN 53 .  A=7 and K=2.

ON4KST chat?

This chatroom is often used to set up skeds etc. When I tried to log in earlier it came back with a 404 error and said, "not found". This may be just a temporary glitch. I hope this is just temporary as I normally post news of my 8m tests here as well as my blog.

See http://www.on4kst.com/chat/start.php .

UPDATE 1740z:  All working again - thankfully.

That free PDF G3XBM project scrapbook

It is pleasing to say that this book is on target to be completed by the end of May. 

My intention is to collect all my projects into a freely downloadable PDF book. I shall add the link on this blog and send it to the major radio magazines. I want this to be freely available so you can share my fun. It is a scrapbook as it is full of ideas that I am sure can be improved by experimentation.

Nothing would give me more pleasure than if someone took my projects further.

The reason for the free PDF is to avoid the copyright issues that might arise with a printed book. Also it means I can add additions and corrections easily at any time.

Cambridge bookshop - NOT amateur radio

When I first moved to Cambridge in 1970 there were loads of bookshops. With people choosing to buy online there are now far fewer. 

The photo shows one that has remained. One wonders for how long?

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

As my 10m antenna is free, I am again on 10m WSPR with the W5OLF 500mW TX beacon.  It is now 0842z and, so far, no spots yet .

UPDATE 0923z:  Still no spots.

UPDATE 1611z:   4 unique stations have spotted me with the furthermost FR1GZ (9724km).

8m experiment (Tuesday)

 Yesterday was hopeless with no stations spotting me and no stations spotted. 

As May goes on, Es should get better and more common. With my QRP, I am not expecting great things, but most active 8m stations in Europe should be in range at some time. There are also a number of stations monitoring , if not able to TX.

At the moment (0828z) I am on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX.

My usual pattern is TX FT8 in the first period around 1950Hz audio for about 30 minutes, then go on just RX for about 30 minutes, then QRT whilst the rig cools, then repeat.

UPDATE 0926z:  No spots given or received yet. Currently RX only.

UPDATE 1030z:  Currently QRT as the rig cools. Back on FT8 TX (40.680 MHz USB dial) at 1100z. No spots still today.

UPDATE 1550z:  Back on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX. My earlier attempts on 8m FT8 TX and RX have been unsuccessful today. I hope I catch some Es at teatime. It often peaks around noon and teatime - no idea why.

UPDATE  1748z:   It looks like today will pass without any 8m spots. Currently RX only.

Buttercups - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the view outside our village post office with lots of spring flowers. 

Sunspots - Tuesday May 3rd 2022

Solar flux is 112 and the SSN 69. A=6 and K=2.

Springtime - NOT amateur radio

All the seasons have their own beauty, but spring is my favourite. Everything  has a promise with new growth, new flowers etc.. 

The flowers and new growth were seen on walks recently.

GS3PYE/P

The Camb-Hams group is in Scotland again on the Isle of Skye (EU-008) until May 6th. They are being widely worked on VHF.

10m WSPR TX

With 500mW from the W5OLF beacon, I am on 10m WSPR TX. No spots yet. 

UPDATE 1523z:  6 unique stations have spotted me so far today. This looks like a mix of Es and single hop F2 propagation.

8m experiment (Monday)

 After a brief period on FT8 TX (40.680 MHz USB dial), I may try WSPR TX at 0900z on 40.662 MHz. 

UPDATE 1730z:   A very quiet day. No spots given or received. Most of the day I was on FT8, sometimes TX and sometimes RX.

Sunspots - Monday May 2nd 2022

 Solar flux is 109 and the SSN 36. A=9 and K=2. 

Quantum Mechanics - NOT amateur radio

 Quantum mechanics is hard and in many ways counter-intuitive. This YouTube video may help.

Outside King's Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

This morning we went to Cambridge with our grandson. He was hoping to ring the bells in St Edward King and Martyr church which preached one of the first sermons of the English reformation. He was unsuccessful sadly as they were not ringing the bells. 

We had brunch opposite King's where we saw these postcards.

See http://stedwardscambridge.co.uk/ .

10m QRP WSPR TX

Most of the day I have been on 10m WSPR Tx with the W5OLF WSPR beacon at 500mW. 4 unique stations have spotted me. Most appear to be single hop F2 propagation.

8m experiment (Sunday)

My 8m adventure continues. 

As I was out most of the morning I was on 40.680 MHz QRP USB dial FT8 TX earlier, but RX only until a few minutes ago. No spots given or received.  

I am again on FT8 TX (it is now 1215z).

UPDATE 1356z:  EI9KP (649km) in the west of Eire has, again, spotted me. Currently, I am RX only on 8m FT8.

Oscar 100 narrowband activity

Every few weeks I take a peek at activity levels on the geosynchronous Oscar 100 satellite. Activity levels seem very low. My peek was at breakfast time in Europe on Sunday when I thought it might be better. 

It seems to me that this has not "taken off" (no pun intended!). When it was first put in orbit, people had high hopes that, alas, have not been matched. 

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

St Ninians Isle (Shetland) - NOT amateur radio

This photo was posted on 365project yesterday. 

Solar forecast

My favourite site for solar data is usually updated early in the month. Based on the last few days, things are looking promising. It has been updated earlier today.

At the moment, this solar cycle looks a bit better than the last one.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

Sunspots - Sunday May 1st 2022

Solar flux is 120 and the SSN 50. A=18 and K=3.

Fuel prices - a con? - NOT amateur radio

Since early March fuel prices have dropped considerably. Have retail prices followed suit? NO!!! 

Whilst I can understand retailers trying to claw back losses suffered during the Covid-19 pandemic, I hope retailers follow suit and drop their prices too.

It seems to me that consumers are being taken for a ride - well actually not as the fuel is too expensive!! 

The last ones - NOT amateur radio

These daffodils were at Anglesey Abbey yesterday. I suspect these will be the last ones until next winter. Anglesey Abbey is owned by the National Trust and has extensive grounds.

10m WSPR QRP TX (Saturday)

For about 45 minutes (it is now 0901z) I have been on 10m WSPR TX with the 500mW W5OLF beacon. Just local G4KPX (14km) currently spotting me.

UPDATE 1304z:  Still just G4KPX (14km) spotting me. So far, Richard has spotted me 123 times today.

8m experiments (Saturday)

It is now 0857z. I have been on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX.  No spots on RX or TX.

UPDATE 0941z:  Currently RX only. As far as I know the following countries have granted limited access to TX on 8m:

  USA (a limited number of special permits issued by the FCC)

  Canada (1 special permit)

  South Africa (special permission?)

  UK (a limited number of special T&I licences)

  Slovenia (allocated 40.66-40.70 to amateurs on a secondary basis)

  Croatia (special permission?)

  Eire (full allocation to the amateur service)

  Denmark (beacon only).

Others may be active, but I am unsure of their legality. I am unsure of the legal position of operating with very low ERP in the ISM band in almost any country.

UPDATE 1220z:  Still no spots today.  Will be on FT8 TX at about 1240z.

UPDATE 1243z: Now on 8m FT8 TX (40.680 MHz USB dial). Reports welcomed.

Shetland sunshine - NOT amateur radio

There cannot be many perfect days on the Shetland Islands. Often it is cold and windy. This photo was on 365project yesterday. 

Yesterday on 10m WSPR TX

Yesterday, I was spotted by 15 stations on 10m WSPR TX when running 500mW. The Es season really has started. 

Sunspots - Saturday April 30th 2022

Solar flux is 124 and the SSN 90. A=15 and K=5.

G3XBM video channel

This is my usual reminder that I have a G3XBM video channel which has more data on many of my projects. Many of these videos are years old, certainly before my 2013 stroke.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/video-channel .

Ely cathedral - NOT amateur radio

They call this "the ship of the fens" and you can see why. It can be seen from miles away standing high on the Isle of Ely. There has been a church here for well over 1000 years. 

It is the only medieval wonder in England. It truly is a splendid piece of architecture, built way before our times with lots of tools and machines.

Mill leat - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows the view looking down the mill leat at Anglesey Abbey earlier. 

Local museum - NOT amateur radio

We are very lucky to live right next door to a windmill and local museum. These are open Thursdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays from Easter until the end of October.

Recently, the vehicle shed has been redone. There are plenty of old vehicles in here!

The photo shows me volunteering at the museum cafe yesterday.

See https://burwellmuseum.org.uk/ .

10m Es

For about an hour, I have been on 10m WSPR QRP TX with 500mW from my W5OLF beacon. Already, there have been 9 unique people spotting me. The Es season is underway!

UPDATE 1130z:   12 unique stations have spotted me so far. Definitely mostly, if not all,  Es.

Low cost modules for experimenters

My Facebook memories for today showed the low cost 70cm AM modules that you can buy on eBay. Others have used the HB100 10 GHz Doppler radar modules. Others have used 5.6GHz modules for TV. I am sure there are others. 

Since my 2013 stroke, I have been unable to do much building work. For serious experimenters there is a lot of choice.

These modules could form the heart of many projects and are well worth a look.

8m experiments (Friday)

My QRP signal has now been copied in 4 countries (UK, Eire, Portugal and Croatia).  With the Es season upon us now, I should reach Slovenia OK. If I am copied further, that would be an unexpected bonus.

Earlier today (around 0650z) my 40.680MHz FT8 gear was turned on. This was spotted by EI9KP (649km). It is now on RX only (no spots).

My rig is a widebanded FT817ND and the antenna a low wire dipole.

UPDATE 1232z:  S59F (1205km) spotted on 8m FT8 RX. Definitely Es.

UPDATE 1527z: EI9KP has copied me more than once today and at times very strongly Currently QRT (TX cooling!), but will be back on FT8 TX shortly on 40.680 MHz USB dial.

Sunspots - Friday April 29th 2022

 Solar flux is 132 and the SSN 118. A=14 and K=4.

Rally news

The following rallies have been notified to me.  As always, it is worth checking with organisers to ensure that the information is correct and the rallies are taking place.

       Sunday May 1st - Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre (not sure of the name). Contact 07956 654481

       Monday May 2nd - Dartmoor Radio Rally, Yelverton, Devon. Contact 2E0RPH@gmail.com. 

Still no swallows (barn) - NOT amateur radio

Last year I saw just 2 all year.  It is already April 28th and I have seen none at all. In the past I had definitely seen some by the middle of the month. Perhaps it is climate change or fewer nest sites? 

The next milestone will be the swifts arriving. They are usually a common sight and sound by mid-May. Will they be here next month? 

There are some swallows around, but I suspect there must be far fewer this year.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/swallow/ .

Shack 2015

 

When clearing some old photos yesterday, I cam across this photo of the shack in 2015. 

How time flies!

10m QRP TX (Thursday)

 Yet again, I am on 10m WSPR TX with the W5OLF beacon. So far just local G4KPX (14km) spotting me.

UPDATE 1033z: Just local spots still. I think even Richard has given up!

8m experiment continued (Thursday)

My 8m TX experiments are continuing today with FT8 transmissions on 40.680 MHz USB dial regularly. 

UPDATE 0903z:   Sadly no spots given or received so far. Currently on RX, but expect to be on 8m FT8 TX again at 0930z.

UPDATE 1030z:  Still no spots.

UPDATE 1702z: FT8 exchange with 9A2Y (1567km).

Sunspots - Thursday April 28th 2022

Solar flux is 142 and the SSN 95.  A=21 and K=3.

Grand Arcade, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

 

The Grand Arcade in central Cambridge is a covered, pedestrian only, shopping area. 

It is one of the few places with a Raspberry Pi shop. Well, it is Cambridge!

80m FETer transceiver

It seems like yesterday, but this was designed in 2008. Starting from the 40m design by W2UW (SK) I wanted to see how simple a transceiver could be made for 80m. The result was the 1 FET FETer transceiver. My main issue was netting on RX. 

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/80m-feter-transceiver  .

10m QRP WSPR TX (Wednesday)

 As my 10m antenna is again available, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. So far just 1 spot by TA4/G8SCU (3010km).

UPDATE 1617z: Just 3 unique stations spotting me all day. Nothing further than the TA4 above.

8m experiment (Wednesday)

At about 0742z, I turned on 8m FT8 TX QRP at 40.680 MHz USB dial. 

UPDATE 1035z: No spots so far today. RX only now.

UPDATE 1620z: Despite further TX periods, no spots TX or RX all day.

Sunspots - Wednesday April 27th 2022

 Solar flux is 150 and the SSN 126.   A=3 and K=2.

10m WSPR QRP TX

 At 0852z, I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. Nobody has yet spotted me.

UPDATE 1902z: 5 unique stations spotted me today with the furthermost FR1GZ (9724km).