Plans for Wednesday

The impression I am getting is that Es is not as good as yesterday. My plans are 10m WSPR TX with the 500mW beacon and 8m FT8.

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/

Sunspots - Wednesday May 31st 2023

Solar flux is 162 and the SSN 144. A=5 and K=1.

Clematis - NOT amateur radio

 

This picture shows clematis in flower in the garden at the moment. It is past its best now.

10m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

On 10m with 500mW WSPR TX. So far (at 0848z) already 36 unique spots!

UPDATE 1340z:   56 unique station spots of me today!! Incredible.

UPDATE 2017z:  63 unique station spots. QRT soon.

8m QRP FT8 and WSPR (Tuesday)

After a brief outing on FT8, I have decided to try 8m QRP WSPR all day. HC02 (1808km) has spotted me on FT8 and WSPR.

On WSPR I am using 2W on 40.680 MHz (DF about 1550 Hz).

UPDATE 1444z:  Several WSPR spots for HC02 (1808km) as well as a couple from DC1RDB (884km). No spots on 8m WSPR RX.

UPDATE 2035z:   More WSPR spots by HC02 this evening. QRT soon.

Sunspots - Tuesday May 30th 2023

Solar flux is 154 and the SSN 153. A=4 and K=1. 

What is it? - NOT amateur radio

This plant was in the herbaceous garden at Anglesey Abbey. 

I should know the name but I don't. 

UPDATE 2130z: See below it looks like it is called the King's Spear.

10m QRP WSPR (Monday)

As my 10m antenna is free, I am on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon. At 1051z, spotted by 4 stations with plenty of Es.

UPDATE 1807z:  19 stations have spotted me today. Lot of Es.

UPDATE 1947z:  22 stations have spotted me today.

QDX-M 630m - not yet!

Following a recent email from Hans it is clear they are concentrating on the 160m version first. The 630m version could be some time, as the toroids on the LPF will need lots of turns! Judging by the results of the higher band versions of the QDX, I have no doubt the 160m and 630m single band versions will be very good.

8m QRP FT8 (Monday)

A few moments ago, I QSYed to 8m FT8 QRP.  My thanks to Hugh HC02 (1808km) who has already spotted me in southern Portugal.

Stations spotting me
today on 8m QRP FT8

UPDATE 1900z: 6 stations have spotted me today so far on 8m FT8.  3 stations in Eire. Quite a good day really. Thank you to all reporters.  2 stations spotted on RX. One was an EA. I hope he was legal.

10m QRP FT8 (Monday)

At the moment (0824z) I am on 10m FT8 with the little QDX transceiver. I have yet to check conditions this morning! So far, just a couple of Europeans spotted, but nobody has spotted me yet.

UPDATE 09427z:  25 EU stations have already spotted my QRP 10m FT8 today, so I may QSY to 8m QRP FT8 and 10m WSPR with my 500mW WSPR beacon. On RX, stations as far as Western Australia have been copied on 10m FT8.

Sunspots - Monday May 29th 2023

Solar flux is 151 and the SSN 119. A=11 and K=1.

QDX-M 630m

When this is available, I quite fancy one. My transverter produces about 10-12W of WSPR on this band.  It would be good to try the QDX-M next winter, on 630m, if available. I think the output would be about 5W on the QDX-M.

See https://qrp-labs.com/qdxm .

15m QRP FT8 with the tiny QDX (Sunday)

At the moment I am trying 15m FT8 with the tiny QDX transceiver. Conditions are better than 10m, but still pathetic compared with yesterday.

UPDATE 1513z:  I have gone RX only after a brief period on TX. 

Stations spotted on 15m
FT8 RX today to 1518z

UPDATE 1618z:  326 stations spotted on 15m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1923z:  720 stations spotted.

UPDATE 2132z:  877 stations spotted. Now QRT. The QDX RX works really well.

10m QRP FT8 with the QDX (Sunday)

As 8m seems quiet compared with yesterday, I am on 10m FT8 with the tiny QDX transceiver. At most, it puts out 5W and it is probably nearer 4W. Conditions do not seem very great.

At the moment my furthermost report is from IM0LZK (1589km) on Sardinia.  To be honest, conditions seem really poor on 10m. On 15m, I was spotted in the central USA, but I did not stop on very long.

Good quote - NOT amateur radio

This quote was in the Knowledge today. The Knowledge is a free email newsletter that condenses the news from various world sources. As far as I can tell, it is pretty neutral. I find it very good.

"Remember yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present."

ICOM IC-705 transceiver

One of these was owned by me until last year when I traded it in for a Yaesu FT710. At the last minute ICOM dropped the internal auto-ATU and 4m in the European version. Personally, I find the auto-ATU feature in the FT710 useful as well as 4m. Sadly, the FT710 does not cover 2m and 70cm.

The IC-705 is a great rig, although it did have noise issues when a USB cable was connected between the rig and a PC. This issue was overcome with a decent, filtered, cable, but this was a design fault that should have been fixed.

I am still surprised Yaesu seems to have dropped out of the HF QRP market when they were clear market leaders at one time.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/icom-ic-705 .

10m QRP WSPR TX (Sunday)

At about 0840z, I turned on my 500mW W5OLF 10m TX WSPR beacon. So far, just FR1GZ (9724km) spotting me.

Internet time sync - NOT amateur radio

For 10m WSPR, I usually sync time using my atomic clock in the shack. For 8m FT8 and WSPR, I usually sync to internet time using the built-in sync with Windows 10. For some reason (too busy?) this sync was not happening earlier. I shall try again later. As far as I can tell my PC clock error is just a few seconds at most, so I hope this is OK for now.

Sunspots - Sunday May 28th 2023

 Solar flux is 157 and the SSN 125. A=4 and K=3.

QDX transceiver

This is a tiny, digital only, HF transceiver that may be used with free software like WSJT-X or JTDX.  It is available in a version for the lower HF bands or 20-10m. Most people buy it as a kit, but I bought mine ready-made as my soldering skills are poor these days. Years ago my fine motor skills were very good. My wife once said that I could write the Lord's Prayer on a postage stamp. She was probably right!

It produces 5W and is very small.

With the popularity of digital modes, this is all most people really need. It works extremely well. Hans makes some excellent pieces of kit.

Mine is regularly copied all across the world on a very basic antenna.

See https://qrp-labs.com/qdx.html .

Murder - NOT amateur radio

We saw this dead pigeon (or rather what remains of it!) at Anglesey Abbey, near Cambridge, this morning. It looks like it was killed by a sparrow hawk or buzzard.

Football - NOT amateur radio

Although I rarely go to a football (soccer) match, I take an interest. 

Coventry and Luton were at Wembley battling for a place in the Premier League. It was a hard fought match that Luton eventually won after extra time and a penalty shoot out. 

This was very tense and your heart bleeds for Coventry man who missed his penalty. It was a very close fought match that both teams deserved to win.

Network radios

A network radio has been owned for several years - 5 to be precise! Mine looks just like a 2m or 70cm handheld complete with PTT and antenna. It has been used on Echolink, and on DMR with an app called Droidstar.

The phone is essentially an Android smartphone, so it can run all sorts of apps too.

I'll be honest, I prefer "real" radio where the link is open to the variations of the ionosphere or troposphere. I can see they have their place where conventional RF radio is not possible such as in hotels or care homes, or where external antennas cannot be erected. At the depths of solar mimima, I can see them having a place too.

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

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Saturday)

For about 2 hours I have been on 10m WSPR with my 500mW beacon. Lots of Es and F2 reports already as the table shows.

UPDATE 1400z: So far today, 45 unique station spots of my QRP with the furthermost FR1GZ (9724km).

UPDATE 1853z: 48 unique stations have spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon today (see table).

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

Since about 0950z, I have been on 40.680 MHz FT8 (DF about 1950 Hz, TX first). It is now 1038z and no spots.

UPDATE 1153z:  Spotted by S50F (1205km).

UPDATE 1402z:  Now EI1CAH (690km) also spotting me.

Stations spotting my 2.5W to
a low dipole on 8m FT8 today

UPDATE  1822z:  6 stations have spotted my 2.5W 8m FT8 to a low dipole today. There are some notable stations missing this year. G9PUV and EI9KP have not been seen on 8m TX this year.  G3WCS appeared briefly earlier in the spring, although I have not spotted him recently. So far, today has been a good day with plenty of Es on 8m. 

Es promising (Saturday)

As the indications are that we could have a decent day in Europe with Es, my proposal is still to try 8m FT8 on 40.680 MHz and 10m QRP WSPR with my 500mW beacon. I shall probably turn these on in the next 10 minutes. Later, I might try 8m WSPR on 40.680 (DF about 1550 Hz)

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/.

Sunspots - Saturday May 27th 2023

 Solar flux is 149 and the SSN 127. A=6 and K=1.

8m Saturday

Today seems to have been the best Es day in Europe this season. 

Even on 4m with an 8m dipole (tuned via an internal auto-ATU) I have been spotted widely in Europe and I have spotted 4m FT8 stations all over Europe.

So, assuming Es will be as good tomorrow, I hope to try 8m QRP FT8 on 40.680 MHz. I may also try some 8m WSPR.

I am convinced that very low powered 8m stations operating on WSPR using ISM rules will be widely copied across Europe. 

In many countries a licence is not needed for beacons on the 40.66-40.70 MHz ISM band as long as national rules are followed. In many countries this means 10mW ERP. On 10m WSPR just uWs have spanned Europe. We know from Australia that 5mW of 8m WSPR has spanned 5000km.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Friday)

As my 10m antenna is free, I am on 10m WSPR TX with my 500mW WSPR TX beacon.  Already, a couple of Es spots.

UPDATE 1024z:  Already 10 unique stations spotted.  Es seems good today.

UPDATE 1517z: 31 stations have spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon today. Most are Es. See the table.

UPDATE 2120z:   62 unique stations have spotted me today. I think this is a record number.

Spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR today

4m FT8 (Friday)

 As I have no 4m antenna, I am using my 8m dipole, tuned via the auto ATU in the FT-710 So far just spotted today by G3SHK (200km) and no Es.

UPDATE 0935z: One G QSO with a station in the UK near Coventry - G4AEH (124km) and again a spot of me by EA6SA (1423km).

UPDATE 1030z: 3 spots of me with 2 QSOs, the furthermost being EA6SA (1423km). Several spots of Spanish stations plus ZB2GI (1848m).

UPDATE  1301z:    Spotted by 10 stations on 4m FT8 (see map). As HC02 (Portugal) was concerned by my timing (even though it should be sync'd to internet time), I have just done a re-sync.

UPDATE 2012z: 65 stations spotted my 4m FT8 today, even with my 8m wire dipole (see map)!

Gobbledegook - NOT amateur radio

I have just received an email from Google AdSense and I am none the wiser!  In my view it is total rubbish. To my mind, it was total gobbledegook.  

Please may I have this in plain English?  

Rallies this weekend

For once, a good weather forecast for a Bank Holiday weekend!

The following rallies have been notified to me, although I always recommend checking the details with organisers before travelling.

Saturday May 27th  - Barry Amateur Radio Society Rally , Sully, CF64 5SP. Contact Steve 07368 140795.

Sunday May 28th    - Durham and District ARS Radio Rally, Bowburn Co. Durham, DH6 5AT. Contact dadars@gmx.com 

8m disappointment this Es season

Both FT8 and WSPR have been given a try on 40.680 MHz.  Apart from Hugh HC02 in Portugal, I have had few spots this season.  My impression is there are fewer people on than last year. 

I know Es has been less good until recently and things could change. For those experimenting on 8m, the more stations on the better, with widespread monitors, even if unable to TX. 

Some quite odd antennas may well be good enough with Es, so if you have a RX capable of monitoring 40.680 MHz, that is probably all you need. 

If 28 MHz looks promising, it may be worth monitoring 40.680 MHz.

This is the real boundary between HF and VHF and a lot may possible.

Sunspots - Friday May 26th 2023

Solar flux is 152 and the SSN 150.  A=11 and K=2. 

10m QRP WSPR (Thursday)

 When on 4m FT8, I am on 10m WSPR QRP TX with 500mW. 

UPDATE 1620z: I was wondering why I had got no 10m WSPR spots in the last hour. It helps if you turn the beacon on!! Guess who had forgotten? Doh!

UPDATE 1704z:  4 unique stations have spotted my QRP so far today.

UPDATE 1928z: 10 stations have spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR today (see table).

4m FT8

 Using my 8m dipole tuned via the auto-ATU in the FT-710, I am on 70.154 MHz FT8. So far, 4 Gs have spotted me with the furthermost G4HGI (244km). No Es yet and nobody spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1905z:  At last some 4m Es, with the furthermost a spot of me by EA6SA (1423km) in the Balearics who gave me a good report. Also a station in Northern Ireland has received me. 6 stations have spotted me on 4m today (see map).

Goodestone Water Gardens - NOT amateur radio

About 2 miles from the National Trust property at Oxborough Hall in Norfolk are the Gooderstone Water Gardens. 

We practically had these to ourselves.  

If going to Oxborough, these are well worth visiting.

See https://www.gooderstonewatergardens.co.uk/ .

10m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

 At the moment I am on 10m FT8 with 2.5W.  So far, 10 stations have spotted me. On RX at 1442z, 40 stations have been spotted.

Sunspots - Thursday May 25th 2023

Solar flux is 164 and the SSN 153.  A=12 and K=2 . 

A vision of the future - NOT amateur radio

This appeared earlier today. It was view of the future in 1930.  

I wonder what they would make of smart phones today! And also Bluetooth earpieces!

Lichen - NOT amateur radio

We saw this on our walk earlier around the village of Reach. We heard another cuckoo (definitely not a pigeon!!)

4m Es

As we are now in the Es season, I shall probably try 4m FT8 from tomorrow. There are now quite a few countries on 4m, which is very different from the 1960s when really just the UK and Eire were on. I was surprised how quiet 4m was outside of the Es season.

A good website showing which countries have 4m allocations is http://www.g0che.co.uk/4m_alloc.php .

10m QRP WSPR TX (Wednesday)

Currently I am on 10m WSPR with the 500mW W5OLF  beacon. 

UPDATE 0852z:   No spots. I am getting a bit suspicious something is amiss.

UPDATE 1112z:  The coax is faulty. High SWR. Must investigate.

8m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

 At the moment, I am on 40.680 MHz FT8 (TX first period, DF about 1950 Hz). 

UPDATE 1111z:  No spots.

European Es

As Es propagation in Eastern Europe is looking good today, I am changing my plans. I was going to go on 10m FT8, but instead will try 8m FT8 and 10m WSPR.

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .

Sunspots - Wednesday May 24th 2023

Solar flux is 164 and the SSN 154.  A=15 and K=3.

SW interval signals

If you were like me, you will recall the old shortwave interval signals of old. I remember the sound of Radio Moscow and VOA on the shortwave bands. These days, the shortwaves are a lot different with far fewer English language broadcasts.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/sw-interval-signals .

Flowers - NOT amateur radio

 

These were on sale in Cambridge earlier. 

Cambridge store - NOT amateur radio

This was the fruit on sale in Cambridge earlier. M&S is a nice shop, if a bit expensive for some things.