Shetland winter - NOT amateur radio

This photo was posted recently on 365project. It shows the Shetland Is (Scotland) in winter. This far north, days are very short.

Because of the wind, there are very few trees.

Practical Wireless article

In the February 2023 issue of Practical Wireless is my article about 8m. Practical Wireless now incorporates Radio User.  

The latter used to be a magazine mainly for SWLs. I hope the ending of Radio User is not the start of many magazine closures.

Wall map - NOT amateur radio

This wall map is in our small bedroom where our grandsons sleep. Occasionally it falls down and is a right pain to put back. It fell off a few days ago and was put back yesterday.

8m FT8 QRP (Tuesday)

For several hours, I have been on 8m QRP FT8. At 1335z, no spots today. 

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

Yet again, I am on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW W5OLF beacon. Already 4 unique stations spotting me at 1030z after a very short time. No surprises.

Stations spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR at 1030z today

UPDATE 1310z:  No further stations, but more spots.

Stations spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR to 1505z

UPDATE 1505z:   11 unique stations have so far spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR (see table).

UPDATE 1615z:  14 unique stations have spotted me.

Oscar 100 activity - terrible!

Every few weeks I give an update on activity levels on the narrow-band transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. It is very low! 

The only activity seems to be from Germany and these are just "59" exchanges. As far as I can tell, this is a total failure. The satellite works well, but people do not like talking through this "repeater in the sky".

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/.

Sunspots - Tuesday January 10th 2023

Solar flux is 191 and the SSN 142.  A=5 and K=1. 

Canon Powershot Zoom - NOT amateur radio

Just occasionally, I see a product that sort of "connects". One such is the Canon Powershop Zoom Monocular. 

It is a monocular and a zoom camera. It is available from several sources. 

As I already have micro-SD cards and a USB-C lead and charger, I would only need to buy the basic camera.

Winter garden - NOT amateur radio

At this time of year the garden looks dead. There are a few signs of new life with bulbs poking through. It will be very different in a few months. 

10m QRP WSPR TX (Monday)

At about 0925z, I turned on my 500mW W5OLF WSPR 10m beacon. So far (at 0957z)  4 unique stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1550z:   8 unique stations have spotted my 10m WSPR QRP today.

UPDATE 1650z:  11 unique stations have spotted my 10m QRP WSPR TX today.

UPDATE  1925z:  QRT.

SSB activity lower?

Every month I take part in the 2m and 70cm UKAC activity contests organised by the RSGB. My voice is poor and I only run QRP to my big-wheel omni antenna. I am usually on for less than an hour. I also have a go at the FT8 activity contests.

Although I rarely use SSB and FM outside contests, I gather activity with these modes is down on the past. I guess there are several reasons. Firstly, people can chat for free on the internet by video with anywhere on the planet, so there is less need to use the amateur bands just for chatting. Secondly, the average age of amateurs is increasing, with the hobby appealing to retired people. Some of these are now getting infirm so less active. Thirdly, there are more digital modes not needing much bandwidth. For example, the FT8 slot is often busy, but very little bandwidth is needed.

QSOs on 2m UKAC
last Tuesday

Certainly, SSB UKAC contest QSOs seem harder now on 2m than a few years ago. My average used to be about 10 QSOs whereas now even getting a couple is harder.

Change is inevitable, but you do not just chance upon FT8 as this needs specialist software. People will no longer just chance upon amateur radio. The danger is numbers decline over the next 10-20 years unless we can galvanise the interest of younger people.

8m FT8 QRP (Monday)

Later, I expect to be on 8m TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 with 2.5W QRP. The winter Es season seems to be in full swing, so I am hopeful some in Europe will spot me. 

UPDATE 1927z:  No spots. QRT.

Kingsbridge 1930s? - NOT amateur radio

This photo of where I lived as a teenager was probably taken in the 1930s although I am not an expert on vehicles. It certainly looks pre WW2 to me. 

Sunspots - Monday January 9th 2023

Solar flux is 184 and the SSN 117. A=8 and K=0.

The Yaesu FT81x transceivers

Yaesu has announced the ending of production of the FT818 transceiver claiming parts shortage as their reason. 

When the FT818 was launched, like many, I was completely under-whelmed. What a complete failure!! 

The FT818 offered none of the things people had expected and that would have been very easy to do. Instead, they opened the market to others and gave us the impression of a company that had totally lost its way. 

In my view they have one last chance in 2023. Based on their muddled performance in 2022 I am not too hopeful. If they are after profits, they have surely lost their chances already. Compared with, say, 10 years ago there are far more competitors.  At one time they ruled the QRP market and were leaders not followers.

In my time I have owned many Yaesu transceivers. I was a Yaesu fan. 

It would not surprise me at all if Yaesu left the amateur radio market within 5 years.

481 THz "over the horizon" communications

Since my 2013 stroke, I have felt too wobbly to do field work. One of my great pleasures was trying optical communications over the horizon where I was astounded by what was possible, even though there was no sign of any light visible. Had I been fit, far further would have been possible.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/optical-nanowaves/over-the-horizon for some ideas. 

In many ways optical communications are easier than microwaves as all the gear (test gear and working kit) may be homemade at low cost.

The photo shows my first tentative steps in daylight along a road. Little did I realise what fun was to follow!

"Our" windmill - NOT amateur radio

We see the windmill right next to us at breakfast and from the lounge. 

This photo was taken yesterday when we had showers and sunshine. Well worth a visit as it is fully restored. The museum is excellent. 

Few people have a fully restored windmill right next door!

See https://burwellmuseum.org.uk/.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Sunday)

At 0956z, my 500mW WSPR beacon was turned on.

UPDATE 1808z:  30 stations have spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR TX today as shown below in the table.

8m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

It is now 0950z. In a few moments I expect to be on 8m TX on 40.680 (TX first) with my 2.5W FT8 QRP and low dipole. 

UPDATE 1101z:  On now. No spots.

UPDATE 1335z:  G0HVQ (181km) has spotted my QRP 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1452z:  EI9KP (649km) has spotted me ....again ... on 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1815z:  S50B (1220km) has now spotted my 2.5W FT8 on 8m today. Today is probably my best day on 8m for several months. Winter Es for S50B? The propagation to EI9KP still puzzles me. It must be some sort of scatter - aircraft, random MS or tropo?

Grandson's bellringing videos - NOT amateur radio

Our elder grandson has a video channel about bellringing. He has new rung in well over 80 towers in London and in the Cambridge area. His channel is called StedmanTriples783.

See https://www.youtube.com/@stedders783.

Sunspots - Sunday January 8th 2023

Solar flux is 179 and the SSN 104. A=6 and K=1.

King's College Chapel in Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

Even though much of it has scaffolding on it, it is still a wonderful building. 

WSJT-X 2.6.0 on general release?

I have been told that WSJT-X has been generally released as V2.6.0. I use WSJT-X for both FT8 and WSPR. Later today I expect to download this version if it is generally released. 

On the official website, it is still shown as a release candidate. Usually a new version is released about now, so perhaps my informant has advanced information?

Where I come from - NOT amateur radio

This photo was posted on the internet yesterday and shows where I come from in South Devon. Salcombe is left and this shows the Kingsbridge Estuary as the main focus. It is still a very beautiful part of England, and still very rural.

Rain gauge - NOT amateur radio

One of my wife's Christmas presents was a rain gauge, so we can record the rainfall over the year. I have created a spreadsheet. The biggest issue is to record the rain each day and empty it!

Apart from today and yesterday, we have had very little rain. More is forecast later.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Saturday)

 At 1020z, my 500mW WSPR TX beacon was turned on. At 1035z, just SV9KI (2639km) spotting me.

UPDATE  1247z: 6 unique stations have spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon.

UPDATE 1445z:  7 unique stations spotting me today.

Stations spotting me to 1718z

UPDATE 1718z: 14 unique stations have spotted me today. The GMs especially suggest winter Es.

UPDATE 2220z: 15 unique stations spotted me. Now QRT on 10m QRP WSPR TX.

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

At 1020z my 2.5W 8m FT8 was turned on 40.680 MHz (TX first). No spots today at 1025z. 

Yesterday EI9KP (649km) again spotted me strongly. This is a really odd distance being (probably) too close for Es and too far for tropo. Perhaps it is MS or aircraft scatter. I would have thought the 15 second transmit period would have been too long for these? The signal report suggests aircraft?  Phil is definitely the person who most frequently spots on 8m.

UPDATE 1240z:  EA3ERE (1153km) has spotted me several times on 8m FT8 this morning. Winter Es I guess. 

Sunspots - Saturday January 7th 2023

Solar flux is 172 and the SSN 101.  A=4 and K=2. 

Winter - NOT amateur radio

These plants were seen in the grounds of King's College, Cambridge. I am not sure what they are. 

In the summer they will look great I am sure.  At the moment they look like mop heads!

QDX arrival date

This QRP FT8 transceiver from QRP Labs is on order. I have asked for a built version covering 20-10m as I can no longer build things, sadly. It will mostly get used on 10m.

When I ordered it just before Christmas, the lead-time was expected to be about a month. At present I am 105th on the list. It is going down. I just have to be patient! Hans makes some good kit. 

Warning - NOT amateur radio

People come from all over the world to see the famous King's College Chapel in Cambridge. Imagine coming thousands of miles and seeing.... scaffolding! Much of the building has scaffolding both inside and out. Some side chapels are closed.

Even though it is only January 6th there were some daffodils and aconites in flower in the grounds, and a kite (bird) overhead. Seeing a kite in central Cambridge would have been amazing 30 years ago.

8m QRP FT8

Since 1359z, I have been on 8m FT8 QRP. So far,  no spots.

UPDATE 1505z:  No spots.

10m QRP WSPR TX

Since 1358z I have been on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW W5OLF beacon. It is now 1310z and so far no spots.

UPDATE 1326z:  Spotted several times in the Canary Islands. 

UPDATE 1546z:  First spot today from the USA received on 10m WSPR. It is a pity the USA stations no longer have prefixes that point to locations. In years gone past W7 would have meant western USA. No longer!

UPDATE 1707z:  Just 3 unique stations spotted today.

Sunspots - Friday January 6th 2023

Solar flux is 154 and the SSN 103. A=8 and K=1.

Spring coming - NOT amateur radio

We went for a walk at nearby Anglesey Abbey. There are some spring flowers coming. 

As the weeks progress we will see more. In the last 7 days many more snowdrops have appeared and we saw the first daffodils of the season. 

Tactile tree bark - NOT amateur radio

This tree at Anglesey Abbey, not far from us, must be one of the most touched trees in the world. It is on the winter walk there and many people who pass it feel compelled to touch it.

8m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

Since doing a system restore on my shack PC, I have been on 8m with 2.5W FT8 on 40.680 MHz, but no spots at 1030z.

UPDATE  2014z:  Spotted by WESSEXSDR (265km) earlier. Now QRT.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Thursday)

For about an hour I have been on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon. So far, spots of me from 2 unique stations at 1022z. 

UPDATE 1036z:  FR1GZ (9724km) is now spotting me too.

UPDATE 1241z:  7 stations spotted so far.

UPDATE 1448z:  The 10 spots of my 500mW so far today are shown on the map.

UPDATE 2020z:   14 spots of me today.

See http://wspr.rocks/ .

System restore - NOT amateur radio

As my PC was not communicating with my SignaLink USB since installing the driver for my SDR, I did a system restore. FT8 is again working. I shall try the SDR on a different PC!! 

Sunspots - Thursday January 5th 2023

Solar flux is 151 and the SSN 86. A=21 and K=1. 

SDR issues

About a week ago I bought an Neoelec SDR (highly rated) from Amazon. For various reasons, I have not been able to set this up.

It seems incredibly difficult to install the driver. In my view, the instructions were useless. I have now installed the driver, but it no longer recognises the SignaLink USB, so I cannot, at present, operate FT8. I am sure the solutions are relatively easy, but I was expecting this to be dead easy.

Although I have installed the recommended SDR software I have still not got it working.

It is all not helped by having brain fog as a result of my 2013 stroke. It is like wading through treacle and I cannot think clearly.

8m QRP FT8

 Much of the day, I have been on 40.680 MHz FT8 with 2.5W to a dipole. No spots. QRT.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Wednesday)

 

Stations spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR today

This morning I am again on 10m (500mW) TX. At 1210z,  6 stations have spotted me.

8m winter Es

 

This report came yesterday from Borut S50B in Slovenia. Signals were obviously just on the edge, but it shows even 2.5W to a low dipole is enough for winter Es on 8m FT8.

Sunspots - Wednesday January 4th 2023

 Solar flux is 149 and the SSN 89. A=6 and K=4.

2m activity contest this evening

Not sure about you, but I am all mixed up over the days of the week! I thought yesterday was Tuesday.  

Tonight is the first 2m activity contest organised by the RSGB. I usually stay on for less than an hour and enter the low power section with my ICOM IC-705 and big-wheel omni antenna.

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?contest=2mukac .

Chromebook - NOT amateur radio

This is being written on my Asus Chromebook. It has been owned and used for over 3 years. It still has a good battery life, boots up in seconds and does most things I ever need. 

When I first got it, I wondered if I was going to make a big mistake. Instead, it has been brilliant and I have no regrets at all.

8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

Since just before lunch, I have been on 40.680 MHz FT8 with my 2.5W to the dipole. 

UPDATE 1804z:   No spots on TX or RX today. QRT soon.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

 Since just before lunch, I have been on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon. So far just local spots.

8m T&I permit

OFCOM has informed me that my T&I permit (and all similar) are not renewable, but I am free to apply for a new one. 

My current permit expires in early April. As there seems little prospect of even a very tiny 8m amateur band, I guess I have little alternative but to pay £50 to do experiments that should be free. 

Perhaps I should ask for 10kW from 1 kHz to 300 GHz, all modes, to show how utterly stupid this is. 

Remember, no callsigns or locations are needed!  How totally stupid!  I could cause horrendous interference to vital services and be totally untraceable!!