Already at 0836z, today is far more promising than yesterday. 3 stations already spotting my 500mW QRP WSPR beacon.
UPDATE 1118z: Spotted by 6 unique stations today widely across Europe. Far better than yesterday.
23 Jun 2022
10m QRP WSPR TX (Thursday)
8m experiment (Thursday)
My QRP TX has been on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 TX since just after 0800z. Already spotted by HC02 in southern Portugal.
UPDATE 1121z: 3 spots of my QRP FT8 so far today. Currently QRT as rig cools. Hope to be back on FT8 TX at 1130z.
22 Jun 2022
Poor Es day?
Certainly here, today was a very poor Es day, with no spots of me at all on 10m WSPR or 8m FT8.
As the season progresses, I guess we will get more poor Es days. Hopefully tomorrow will be better, although with sporadic-E (Es) things are "sporadic".
I have seen 6m Es QRP SSB as late as September. The main season is May, June and July.
10m QRP WSPR TX
Although I have had my 500mW beacon on most of the afternoon, nobody has yet spotted me. It almost feels as those long days of Es are coming to a close. Es will still be around, but we have to expect days when it will be absent.
In my experience, I have worked 6m SSB QRP DX as late as September.
Oscar 100 activity
Every few weeks, I give an update on activity on the narrowband transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. The last time I checked was early evening in Europe on Wednesday. Activity is still low.
As an example, 3B8GL was calling CQ on SSB with a decent signal for ages with no takers!
See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .
8m experiment (Wednesday)
Later, I hope to be on 8m TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 (first). It is now 1243z.
UPDATE 1439z: Now on 8m FT8 TX. Intensely frustrated that in the UK we have to pay for access to 8m, when OFCOM could have allocated 40.680-40.685 MHs (just 5 kHz), by NoV, to the amateur service, narrow digital only, no speech, to encourage self training and research. Frankly I find the OFCOM and RSGB position totally and unbelievably bizarre! No, totally STUPID!!!
Accessing DMR via your PC for free ?
There are great opportunities with DMR. However, like many, I have no wish to get a DMR portable or external to the PC unit to act as a bridge.
What I am wondering is is it possible to access DMR via the PC alone using some kind of gateway? If you know of a way, please let me know.
21 Jun 2022
OFCOM consultation
OFCOM is consulting on extentions to the Ku band spectrum available to satellites. See the OFCOM website for details.
10m QRP WSPR TX
My QRP (500mW) beacon was turned on at 0808z. No spots yet of me. Yesterday, I only had spots from the Canary Isles on 10m. These could have been F2.
UPDATE 0824z: One spot from Denmark.
UPDATE 1326z: 11 stations have spotted my QRP WSPR today. These look like Es.
8m experiment (Tuesday)
My QRP TX was turned on at 0807z on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8.
UPDATE 0815z: No spots.
UPDATE 1257z: 3 stations have spotted me so far on 8m FT8.
UPDATE 1932z: This will probably not happen with my low ERP, but I still hope for an FT8 spot by a station in the USA. I live in hope!!
East Anglian skies - NOT amateur radio
East Anglia is famous for not having hills. Well, there are some!
However, we have some great skies as the photo shows.
Super DX at VHF, UHF and microwaves?
On my website there is a page about super DX on VHF and UHF. Most, or every, summer there are 6m openings from Western Europe to the Far East. These are thought to be linked to noctilucent clouds in the mesosphere. It is possible these openings may occur at far higher frequencies. I am surprised nobody seems to be trying as there could be new records galore.
I am not sure how FT8 works with noctilucent clouds, although I have certainly copied Japanese stations on 6m FT8 by this mechanism with a very poor setup.
20 Jun 2022
Back lawn in June - NOT amateur radio
The rear lawn is still green, but starting to turn brown. It usually recovers in the autumn with dew and rain.
8m experiment (Monday)
Just EI9KP (649km) spotting me today. Certainly here, I am seeing no evidence of Es propagation from mainland Europe. The same is true of 10m. As I am spotted by EI9KP on 8m FT8 frequently, I am wondering if this really is Es?
Loose ends - NOT amateur radio
At the moment, I seem to be busy with loose ends.
Last week, we had my wife's 19th sibling reunion. Rather than take it in turns at our homes we went back to stay in an hotel in Barnsley, where they all grew up. It was a very successful get-together, but my wife said it was her last time in Barnsley. She also says she will never go to Devon again. I am compiling my legacy book of projects.
It looks like we are preparing for the worst! Any one of us could be dead tomorrow. On the other hand, we could live for many years. We just don't know.
The moral seems to be to live, and enjoy, every day as your last.
Thatcher's tag - NOT amateur radio
Often these are pheasants, but this unusual one of a cat made of thatch was seen recently.
The case for a small UK 8m amateur band
It is true to say that I am fuming by the attitude of OFCOM and the RSGB to a tiny 8m allocation. Let me explain.
OFCOM seems dead against an amateur allocation and the RSGB appears to just accept this. Our hobby is meant to be about self-training. In my personal experience of RF development, without any doubt the best RF engineers were those who were intrinsically motivated and "turned on" by RF. I have read countless CVs of electronics graduates who, frankly, were totally useless. I knew more at 16 than they did!! I learnt more from my RAE course than they did with a degree!
If we are really interested in future RF designers, we should be doing all we can to promote "self training".
These are my proposals:
- 40.680 - 40.685 MHz (5 kHz only). This is in the ISM band and widely used internationally
- Narrow digital only (e.g. WSPR, FT8, CW and no speech)
- By NoV only
- Strictly non-interference
- Power limited if need be.
OFCOM and RSGB, wake up!!
19 Jun 2022
10m QRP WSPR TX
My 10m 500mW WSPR beacon was turned on at 0810z. Yesterday I got 7 unique station spots all in Europe by what I assume is Es. No spots yet today.
UPDATE 1656z: 32 unique stations have spotted me. This looks like a mixture of Es and F2.
8m experiment (Sunday)
My 8m QRP gear was turned on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 (first) TX at 0810z.
UPDATE 1153z: Spotted by 2 stations with 1 FT8 "QSO" with a station in Slovenia. As this is a simple exchange of reports and QTH, I am treating this as completely within the terms and spirit of my 8m licence. I want to know how my QRP signal in received in Slovenia. This is a perfect way.
UPDATE 1839z: Spotted 6 stations in 6 EU countries.
18 Jun 2022
That book
This week I was in Yorkshire for my wife's sibling reunion, so progress on the book was limited. My new deadline is June 27th when I hope to go to Devon to see my brother for the first time since 2019. My wife is still at home.
So, the deadline is now June 27th before I leave. This time I am going by coach as the train may be unreliable. The book is coming on, but there was more work than I expected. In a way it is my legacy. I hope you have as much fun as I had.
Sheffield Station - NOT amateur radio
This week we went by train to Barnsley for our annual sibling reunion changing at Sheffield. We have met on 19 occasions.
Rybakov HF verticals
Some years ago I bought one from SRC in Wales. Although I believe this is no longer available, they all have one thing in common: the end of the antenna is a high impedance, so a transformer is needed to get the SWR into the range of auto ATUs found on modern rigs. Usually this is an UNUN built into the antenna.
In getting things together for my free PDF book, I realised this was absent from my website! This is now corrected. As mine had been unused in the back of the garage, I swapped mine for an active RX antenna that works well. The swap was with Jason M0NYW.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/x80_1 .
8m experiment (Saturday)
As usual, I am on 40.680 MHz USB dial QRP FT8. Already spotted very strongly by EA3ERE (1153km) in northern Spain.
My usual pattern is to be on for about one hour. let the rig thoroughly cool and then come on again afterwards. It would seem Es allows modest QRP stations, like mine, to enjoy the fun.
It is now about 0931z.
UPDATE 1230: Still just EA3ERE spotting me and nobody spotted here. Now QRT as the rig cools.
Sporadic-E (Es)
We are currently at the peak of the Es season in the northern hemisphere. Yesterday 14 stations spotted me on 10m WSPR TX. All these look like they were by Es. My reports on 8m FT8 also look like Es. By the end of the summer the Es season will be over.
The Es season usually lasts from April to August. The peak months are May, June and July. However Es can occur at any time. There is usually a much smaller peak just after Christmas.
17 Jun 2022
Normality - NOT amateur radio
Every June a local village holds a Gilbert and Sullivan performance in a barn. With Covid-19, this was not possible, so this was the first production since 2019. It was great to return to normal. They did "The Mikado".
Young birds - NOT amateur radio
This is the season for nests and young birds. Yet again, we have some house sparrows nesting in our roof (they were there last year too) and we have dunnocks, robins, blackbirds, pigeons, collared doves and goldfinches nesting in our hedges or very nearby. There are probably others as well. This young thrush (I think) was being fed on our back lawn.
8m experiment (Friday)
Later this morning, I expect to be on 8m QRP FT8 TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial (first).
UPDATE 1016z : No spots given or received.
10m WSPR QRP TX (Friday)
Yesterday I was spotted by 22 stations on 10m WSPR despite only going on after 1600z.
Today I expect to be on again with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon.
UPDATE 1013z : 4 unique stations spotting me today so far.
Rallies
The following rallies are due to take place this weekend. As always, please check with the organisers before travelling any distance.
Saturday June 18th - Bangor and District ARS. Contact Andrew 07980846272.
Sunday June 19th - East Suffolk Wireless Revival. Kevin 0771 0046846.
16 Jun 2022
FY5KE 10m WSPR reports
Some time ago I queried if my WSPR reports by FY5KE in South America were just by a European pirate. Yesterday I had an email and these reports look like they were genuine. I get these reports quite often.
8m experiment (Thursday)
All being well, I should be home again later this afternoon. I intend to be on 8m TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 then.
UPDATE 2111z: Spots of my QRP 8m TX by 2 stations and I have spotted 2 stations here. 1 station in Slovenia "worked". Oops sorry exchanged FT8 reports and locations, sorry OFCOM!! Silly me thinking UK stations engaged in self training and research could be worked. My hand slapped!! 😉😉
Catch them young
This was 2010 when I had "help" in the back of the garage from my grandson. Sadly I didn't manage to get him interested in electronics: his main passion is ringing church bells. See his YouTube videos under Ringer Luke.
15 Jun 2022
Barnsley - NOT amateur radio
We're having our 19th sibling reunion in which my wife gets together with her 2 brothers. In the past, we have taken it in turns to meet in each others homes. This year we are staying in an hotel in Barnsley which used to be their home.
Finningley optical transceiver
This was built in June 2013, but because of my stroke it was not used. With 100mm lenses, it has a range of at least 65km. This was my only SMA project.
Memory costs - NOT amateur radio
It is amazing how far memory has come. Not many years ago we were amazed by CF cards with 1GB of memory. These days you can get 512GB on a micro SD card. I think you can even get 1TB micro SD. In 10 years time I wonder what will be the norm?
14 Jun 2022
Window display - NOT amateur radio
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