Sunspots - Wednesday July 12th 2023

 Solar flux is 214 and the SSN 227 (high). A=8 and K=2. Pretty sure this is the highest this cycle. 

Swifts still here - NOT amateur radio

Certainly yesterday, most swifts (birds) were still here. Sometime soon, we will realise they have gone south until next spring. Au revoir.

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

My scrapbook must be updated

It is some time since I updated my G3XBM Project Scrapbook. This is available as a free PDF download. 

My last update was back in January. This page should always link to the latest available version. At the moment it is at Issue 4.

8m QRP FT8

It looks like I need to re-do the antenna and coax for 8m. Someone suggested, (Paul I think) that I might have water in the coax. If this is the case, the minimum would be to redo the coax. Not being great at all on ladders (!) this is easier said than done!

For now, I shall have to remain QRT on 8m, although I must get back on again before the autumn F2 season.

10m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

So far today, (at 1100z) my 2.5W has been spotted by 47 unique stations with the furthermost FR1GZ (9719km).

Stations spotting me at 1504z

UPDATE  1120z:  53 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1245z:  60 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1636z:  131 stations have spotted my 10m FT8 2.5W QRP.

Our garden in summer - NOT amateur radio

Usually, our grass turns brown about now. At the moment, it is still largely green as we have had a few useful showers. Our borders are mainly perennials with a few bedding plants to add colour. We are not keen gardeners. I usually cut the grass each week and water when needed.

Coax plug on V2000 vertical fixed

 Following Paul's suggestion, I ordered a PL259 plug and BNC adaptor. This seems to have been correctly fitted with a very low SWR on 6m, 2m and 70cm. All being well, I shall be on the CDARC 2m FM net on Wednesday evening at 8pm.

Sunspots - Tuesday July 11th 2023

Solar flux is 191 and the SSN 181.  A=5 and K=2.

Wild flowers - NOT amateur radio

These wild flowers are about 5m from our house. They are by the path to our local museum and windmill next door.

See https://burwellmuseum.org.uk/ .

10m QRP FT8 (Monday)

It is now 0806z. I have been on 10m QRP for about 15 minutes and already I have been spotted by 15 Europeans by what looks like Es. Nothing outside Europe spotted on 10m FT8 RX. My power is 2.5W.

UPDATE 1026z:  My QRP has been spotted by 74 unique stations around Europe. I have been spotted more times than I have spotted others! Es on 10m looks good.

Stations spotting my 2.5W
10m FT8 today to 1411z

UPDATED 1411z: 121 unique stations have spotted my 2.5W 10m FT8 today. Most look like Es.

Repairing the BNC on the coax to my V2000 vertical

Following Paul's suggestion I have ordered a 50 ohm PL259 plug and adapter to BNC. The soldering on the PL259 looks easier than the BNC plug. Parts are due Wednesday (I hope).

I think the 8m dipole and coax want replacing. I quite fancy trying a vertical halfwave.

UPDATE 0810z:  I have found an angled BNC plug. If my plug does not arrive by Wednesday, I shall try to fit this. I think it is a 50 ohm one.

Sunspots - Monday July 10th 2023.

Solar flux is 181 and the SSN 183. A=8 and K=1.

German postboxes? - NOT amateur radio

We were in Berlin for a week and had a great time. We posted just one physical postcard from the hotel sending our other friends a digital postcard with a collage picture we hoped they would enjoy.

In all our time there we did not see one postbox. 

I know they are yellow. If they were there, they were not obvious! I don't mind as it probably saved me many Euros in postage and postcards. Also, from abroad some postcards take ages. By email, they got them very quickly.

St Ninian's Isle, Shetland - NOT amateur radio

 

One of the people I follow posted this photo on 365project today. 

Shetland is the most northerly point in the British Isles. It is often subject to gales and colder weather than places further south.

2m Es (Sunday)

Stations spotted on 2m FT8 RX today 

My 2.5W FT8 to the big-wheel omni antenna was spotted by 2 stations in Italy, although no QSOs were managed. On RX, the furthermost was SV8PEX (2039km) on Corfu. A useful 2m Es opening. The station in Greece was very strong at +11dB S/N. 

40s day at local museum - NOT amateur radio

Today, our local museum had a "40s day". Many people dressed up in 40s clothes for the occasion. It was really well attended with lots of stalls, music and dancing.

Good European Es day?

It would appear that Es has been good in Europe today. Until I mend my 8m antenna and coax and the BNC plug on the coax to my V2000 vertical, I am confined to 10m.

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

10m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

10m QRP
FT8 at 0800z

I have been on for about 2 hours and my 2.5W has been spotted by 11 unique stations around Europe by what looks like Es.  

On RX, much further afield spotted.

Stations spotted
on 10m FT8
RX at 0950z 

UPDATE 0951z: 19 stations have spotted me and I have spotted 52 stations so far today.  

UPDATE 1106z: 47 stations have spotted me today on 10m QRP FT8.

UPDATE 1441z:  66 stations have spotted my QRP today.

UPDATE 1607z: Still 66 stations have spotted my 2.5W FT8 and I have spotted 194 stations today on 10m FT8. At some point my PC must have gone off as I had a message saying "error in soundcard".

Screaming swifts - NOT amateur radio

 

As I write this, it is July 8th. It is not uncommon to hear feeding parties of swifts. Look up and there they are. Tonight there was a party on the wing of about 20 birds.

Suddenly they will all be gone. They fly south to central Africa, where insects are more plentiful. It beats me why they migrate as I would have thought there would be a plentiful supply of flying insects there all year around. The journey is a hazardous one crossing deserts and much of Europe.

Numbers seem to be holding up here. There is a concern about losing nest sites on old buildings and barns. I can't say numbers appear lower here. Indeed I have also seen more swallows than last year.

Once they have gone it takes a few weeks to realise they are not here. In this part of the UK most are back by mid May. When they are here they are one of the most common birds seen. They feed and sleep on the wing. It gladdens my heart when they return. They have been making his journey for thousands or even millions of years completely oblivious of wars that trouble humans.

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

Sunspots - Sunday July 9th 2023

Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 197. A=8 and K=1.

10m FT8 on Sunday

 Tomorrow, I hope to go on 10m FT8 with 2.5W using the FT817ND.

European Es

 As the summer Es season winds down, there can still be good openings, but these become less frequent. Some days can be good, whereas other days can be quiet. This is where FT8 can be useful on bands like 10m and 6m as the FT8 slots are well monitored and very brief openings can be captured.

As my 8m antenna and coax seem to be sick, perhaps now is a good time to get it fixed before the autumn F2 season really kicks in.

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

Yaesu FT-710 and ICOM IC-705

Both are excellent radios. 

On the Sherwood tests the FT-710 came 4th, which is very good.  It is disappointing Yaesu has chosen to, effectively, ignore the QRP market it once dominated. It is almost as if Yaesu has given up. 

The FT818 was really about component obsolescence and really had none of the features expected in a modern QRP rig. To many, it was a total disappointment. 

Yaesu introduced the FT-710 which is SDR based. Personally, I found the ergonomics easier than on the IC-705. The FT-710 includes 4m, but does not do 2m and 70cm which I missed.  It also has an auto-ATU. 

ICOM launched the IC-705 some years ago. It is a 10W portable unit covering 160m-70cms, all modes, but it omits 4m and the auto ATU. It is also too expensive. Having tried 4m both in the Es season and before, 4m has proved a disappointment. Personally, I was expecting more from the band.

In the end, I went back to the IC-705 as I missed 2m and 70cm more than I missed 4m and the auto-ATU. It is a 10W radio and far smaller. As a QRPer, 10W is quite enough, especially on FT8 and WSPR. On its battery it is a 5W radio. Had Yaesu announced a new QRP rig, I might have traded my FT-710 in for one. Sadly, I see no new QRP rigs from Yaesu on the horizon.

Personally, I give Yaesu a maximum of 36 months in the amateur radio business. 

As a Yaesu fan of old, I very much hope I am wrong.  They have had chances and blown them.  To my mind, they are a company floundering.

Pergamon Museum, Berlin - NOT amateur radio

There has long been a debate about returning looted artefacts to the country from which they were looted. The debate goes something like this...

"It is better to remain where it is seen by millions than be returned to its country of origin". 

Basically, though, this is the bad side of colonialism. 

One such questionable "acquisition" is the huge collection of things in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany. Yes, by visiting these in Berlin, it is far more likely I would see them than had they remained in the Middle East. At the same time looting is totally wrong.

In the UK we are under pressure to return the "Elgin Marbles" to Greece. Personally, I think we should make exact copies and return the originals to Greece.

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

My intention was to go on 8m QRP FT8 today having returned from our break in Berlin. When I tried, I noticed the SWR was 3:1 (it is usually about 1.7:1), so I went QRT.  Unless it is something trivial, I may need to re-do the BNC plug. The BNC on the coax to my triband V2000 also needs re-doing.

In the past, putting on BNC plugs would have been easy. Now I find it very hard. My fine motor skills are far worse.

UPDATE 1500z:  By a process of elimination (dummy load, change of coax into SWR bridge), I have concluded the rig, SWR meter and coax in the shack are NOT the reason for the 3:1 SWR. This leaves just the antenna and coax. As far as I know nothing has changed since before my Berlin trip. Although I do not possess one, an antenna analyser on the BNC connection to the coax up to the 8m dipole would tell me if something is wrong with the coax or antenna. I am puzzled.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Saturday)

As we have returned from a break in Berlin, I am again on 10m QRP WSPR TX with my 500mW TX beacon. So far, 10 unique stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1342z: 13 stations have spotted me, mostly by Es propagation.

UPDATE 1700z: 18 stations have spotted me.

Sunspots - Saturday July 8th 2023

 Solar flux is 161 and the SSN 167. A=18 and K=1.

Sunday rally

 The following has been notified to me. Please check the data is correct.

Sunday July 9th - Cornish Radio Amateur Club Rally, Truro TR1 1TN. Sorry, no contact details.

OFCOM explores spectrum issues

 OFCOM is exploring some ideas on spectrum usage and is seeking views. See the OFCOM website.

8m FT8 and 10m WSPR QRP

As I am back home, I intend to go on 8m QRP FT8 and 10m QRP WSPR TX tomorrow. 

Postcard from Berlin - NOT amateur radio

 

We are back from Berlin. 

First shack

This photo of a shack in California got me thinking of my first shack. Actually it was a small corner of a bedroom and occupied a space of about 1m by 0.3m. Personally, QRP seems to get results.

Iceland - NOT amateur radio

 

Some years ago we went to Iceland. It was a total surprise. We expected a barren land with volcanic ash everywhere. Instead we found a green country with loads of wild lupins as a Vik shown in the photo. 

Sunspots - Friday July 7th 2023

Solar flux is 158 and the SSN 149. A=11 and K=3.

Pergamon museum Berlin - NOT amateur radio

This museum has a massive collection of antiquity items. It is well worth a visit. 

Seen in Berlin - NOT amateur radio

Not exactly a rare bird, but still very handsome. This thrush was in the Tiergarten earlier. 

Amateur radio cartoon

This was sent to me by G1KQH some time ago. With QRP RF burns are rare. I have no idea where it originated from. 

Am I a spy?

A few days ago we went to the Spy Museum in Berlin. My wife said that my shack looked similar! 

Sunspots - Thursday July 6th 2023

 Solar flux is 154 and the SSN 101. A=7 and K=2. 

Bridge of Spies - NOT amateur radio

This is a model at the Spy Museum in Berlin Germany of the famous bridge over which many spies of east and west were exchanged. 

Sunspots - Wednesday July 5th 2023

Solar flux is 167 and the SSN 121. A=4 and K=1. 

Fossil sponge - NOT amateur radio

Back in 2012 I found this and asked experts at Cambridge University what it was. Apparently it is a fossilised sponge about 100 million years old. 

OFCOM news

 In the last few days OFCOM has published several papers. They also hold updated data on licences held. See the OFCOM website for more information. 

Sunspots - Tuesday July 4th 2023

Solar flux is 173 and the SSN 117. A5 and K=1.

European Es good again

European Es again looks good today with good openings on many bands. 

Berlin Zoo - NOT amateur radio

Although not a zoo person, today we visited Berlin's famous zoo. 

How it all started

We all have different ways of getting into amateur radio. Some of us started as CBers with others taking a different route. I was reminded of my own journey that started in 1961 by this photo that I saw today of a Radio Shack 1970s 3 transistor regen RX that someone made and still has. My own journey started with a similar Heathkit. 

Northern Iceland - NOT amateur radio

 

This was northern Iceland in 2011. 

My station 1990s style

The photo shows my station in the 1990s. I think I have far less now. 

Not everyone's taste - NOT amateur radio

This is Berlin Cathedral. It is a very decorated, domed building. 

I prefer the simplicity of English cathedrals. All in continental Europe seem very ornate - too ornate for me!