8m 2.5W FT8 (Monday)

 My 2.5W FT8 to the dipole on 40.680 MHz was turned on about 0830z. So far, no spots.

UPDATE 1206z:   2 Polish stations have spotted my QRP 8m FT8.

UPDATE 1544z: No further stations spotting me.

10m 500mW WSPR (Monday)

 

My 500mW W5OLF WSPR beacon was turned on at about 0830z. 

UPDATE 1546z: 31 stations have spotted me. No further stations spotting me recently.

Sunspots - Monday August 28th 2023

Solar flux is 142 and the SSN 69. A=11 and K=2.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) - NOT amateur radio

Until this year, most had not heard of AI. Now it is widespread.  

There is no doubt that with big computers that learn we can all benefit from the huge processing power. What a human brain can do in days could be done by an AI computer in seconds. This could really help in such things as fast cancer diagnosis.

At the same time it could be a great cause of harm in the wrong hands. 

Some time ago, I did an experiment with AI. I put my name and callsign in and within seconds it produced line after line about me, most which was accurate. I then put my son's name in (he is an internationally famous jazz musician) and it came back with rubbish. The danger is that people may accept what AI tells them as absolute truth. Imagine a hostile power using AI. We can be sure the military services both east and west are "on the case".

I can see both good and bad. We have interacted with AI for years e.g. with chat bots and phone chats that, for example, ask you to "press 2 if you need to discuss future cruises".  In the future they will be far better.

At the moment, I am reserving judgement.

Crabapple jelly (continued) - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago I mentioned that I had made some crabapple jelly from the crabapples on our one tree. Despite a good crop, the amount of jelly produced was very small.

Yesterday I tried some and it was very good. It is just a pity there is so little!

European Es

The main Es season is now over, but Es is still with us. I find this site extremely useful to get a snapshot of conditions. It looks like there is a good opening in Eastern Europe this afternoon.

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

Ickworth (National Trust) - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we visited this vast estate near Bury-St-Edmunds. It must have cost an enormous amount to own and run it centuries ago. 

I have no idea where this wealth came from, but I hope not slavery. These days it can be enjoyed by everyone.

In praise of Chromebooks - NOT amateur radio

For almost 3 years now I have mostly used a Chromebook. It has been truly excellent and does almost everything I can ever want and is blisteringly fast. 

Mine is an Asus and came with a 3yr "at home" warranty. It is an 11.6 inch model with rubber bumpers. The Chrome updates and virus protection are valid until next year, when I shall probably get the latest version. 

It was about a third the price of the nearest Windows machine. The battery still lasts for hours. It really is very good and I have not once regretted buying it.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Sunday)

Although my QRP beacon has been on since breakfast, no spots yet.  It is now 0942z.

UPDATE 1005z:  Doh!! It helps if you turn the PA on too! Without this, I was probably running a just few microwatts. PA now turned on and resynced time.

UPDATE 1047z:   The map shows the stations that have spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon in the last few weeks.

UPDATE 1328z: 23 spots of my 500mW WSPR so far today.

UPDATE 1937z:  26 spots when I went QRT.

8m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My 2.5W to the dipole has been on since 0700z. No spots. 

UPDATE 0848z: Already spotted by WESSEXSDR (266km) and SR4BBX (1217km).

UPDATE 1312z: Spotted by 3 stations so far. 2 are in the EU.

UPDATE 1831z: 4 stations have spotted me today on 8m FT8 TX. 

UPDATE 1941z:  QRT.

Sunspots - Sunday August 29th 2023

Solar flux is 139 and the SSN 75. A=7 and K=3. Have we passed the peak already? 

WISPY RX

One of my Facebook memories today was this photo of my WISPY 10m WSPR RX. I think this was first created in 2011.  Later it formed the basis of a really simple 10m FT8 receiver.

Rant time

Today must be a bad day. 

In an earlier post I moan about the future of our hobby. Before my stroke in 2013, I had the honour of giving talks at radio clubs throughout East Anglia. Sadly, I can no longer do this as my voice is poor.

One of the things I noticed time and time again was that old men outnumbered young people overwhelmingly. As for females, maybe one or two. By far the most interested were old men. Some had been in the hobby for years, whereas some had recently become interested with family cares and work behind them.

Thinking to the future, the writing is on the wall. In 20 years' time most radio amateurs will be dead or past caring. A few might be in care homes. Amateur radio will be a distant memory, assuming we can remember at all!

Time and again I hear calls to really understand young people of today. If we really understand younger people we have chance to attract them and keep them in the hobby.  Sadly, most old men are not trying, so the downward spiral has started.

Rant over!

Blogs - NOT amateur radio

Just now, I looked at my profile, but had forgotten some of the blogs I created years ago!  

Usually, one is created when we go on holiday, as it is easy to forget things later. One was created shortly before we moved here 10 years ago. It is interesting to look at these again.

Storms stop play

We have just had a clap of thunder and looking at the lightning map, there are storms all around. As a precaution I have disconnected antennas, PSUs and the PC in the shack. when the danger has passed I may reconnect things. I have seen no flashes of lightning, so assume the storms are some way away.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;ts=0; 

UPDATE 1739z:  We have not had thunder for several hours, so things in the shack have been reconnected. The storms look to be moving away now.

8m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

 Although the 2.5W to the dipole has been on all morning, no spots on TX or RX at 1150z.

UPDATE 1434z:    No spots. 

UPDATE 1517z:   It seems odd that real experimenters have to pay to do experiments in the UK because OFCOM and the RSGB seem so stupid and short-sighted, for example, about 8m. I despair for the future of our hobby that is meant to be all about self-training. Tell that to OFCOM, the RSGB and the FCC!! I have said this many, many times: when most radio amateurs are very old, forgetful, men (most amateurs are old men), I can see our hobby just dying out. 20 years? Fewer (or no) profits, fewer adverts, fewer magazines, fewer new transceivers..... Am I bothered?  Not really. I have enjoyed experimenting, but many prefer to talk about gardening on 80m with commercial gear or chasing DXCC. Neither appeal to me. If this is amateur radio, sorry it is not for me.

UPDATE 1916z:  S50B (1220km) has spotted me.

UPDATE 1953z:  QRT shortly.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Saturday)

 

My beacon was turned on about 0810z. At 1145z, 9 stations had spotted me. These look like Es.

UPDATE 1455z:  11 spots of my 10m 500mW beacon today.

UPDATE 1934z:  14 spots of me today.

UPDATE 2000z:   QRT.

Eddystone EC10 receiver

This was the first transistorised communications receiver. Back in the 1960s, many lusted after one. I eventually got one in the 1970s. 

Actually it was very poor. By modern standards I expect a very low cost SDR is better. They still pop up on auction sites from time to time. They use germanium OC171 transistors which often get leaky and need replacing.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/eddystone-ec10 .

Life after death? - NOT amateur radio

As I get older, I am more aware than ever that life is time limited. Most (if not all) religions point to some sort of life after death. I think most people hope for this. 

At the same time, I cannot square this with the fact that when I die, I can have no memory. If I just ceased to exist how would I know? At the same time the whole concept of "I" has no meaning. Also, I am puzzled by the vast number of planets in the universe and the smallness of our brains. 

Death remains a mystery. Most religions fail to answer my questions.

Sunspots - Saturday August 26th 2023

Solar flux is 139 and the SSN 77. A=5 and K=2.

OFCOM reminder

Just to remind you that OFCOM publishes updates to the data it holds on licences etc every week. They also list the publications they produce. See the OFCOM website.

Brunch - NOT amateur radio

Before Covid, periodically we went to a local restaurant for a meal with friends. It was called the Merry Monk in Isleham, near Ely.  We went there for brunch this morning. It was great to be back. They have excellent food and service.

8m QRP FT8 (Friday)

My gear has been on since late morning. No spots. 

UPDATE 1515z:  Still no spots.

UPDATE  2044z:  WESSEXSDR (266km) spotted me. Now QRT.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Friday)

 

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was turned on late this morning. So far just spotted by a station in Eire.

UPDATE 1300z: No further spots.

UPDATE 1603z: 6 spots including 2 in South America. Yesterday my 1st North American (a VO1) this season, probably by F2.

Sunspots - Friday August 25th 2023

 Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 86  A=9 and K=1.

Old university friends - NOT amateur radio

Today, we met up with old university friends that we have known since the late 1960s. We met up in Anglesey Abbey and they came back here for lunch. 

With old friends we pick up where we left off as if we last met just yesterday.

Rallies this (long) weekend

In England, Monday is a public holiday. I have been notified of the following rallies. As always, I advise checking the information is correct and the rally not cancelled before driving a long way. Where possible, I add contact details.

Sunday August 27th - Torbay Annual Communications Fair, Newton Abbot Racecourse, TQ12 3AF.  Contact  01803 864528.

Sunday August 27th - Milton Keynes ARS, Heron's Lodge Guide Activity Centre, MK8 9AA. No contact details given.

Monday August 28th - Huntingdonshire ARS, St Neots, PE19 2SH. Contact events@hunts-hams.co.uk .

More crapapple jelly - NOT amateur radio

After all the effort I managed just 2 very small jars of crabapple jelly. Really not worth the effort. As my wife said quoting Shakespeare "Much ado about nothing". 

10m QRP WSPR TX ( Thursday)

 My 500mW 10m WSPR TX beacon has been on for about 20 minutes. Spotted by 3 stations. 2 look like F2. 

8m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

 Been on for about 20 minutes. No spots yet. 

Sunspots - Thursday August 24th 2023

Solar flux is 147 and the SSN 99. A=4 and K=0.

Russian plane crash -- NOT amateur radio

It must be clear that Vladimir Putin would never harm his once hero, Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner group.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-66599733 .

Crapapple jelly - NOT amateur radio

Yes you read correctly. 

Yesterday I picked the crabapples on our tree. It looked a good crop. Following the recipe in BBC Good Food, I simmered them and dripped them through muslin overnight. The resulting juice was ....... pathetic. If I get just one very small jar I shall be amazed.

I am seeing if I can salvage something, although I am not holding my breath. Perhaps I should stick to radios?

Reach walk - NOT amateur radio

 

We did a nice walk around the village of Reach about 3 km from us. My wife created this collage. Fields of corn are cut and there are blackberries in the hedges.

8m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

My gear was turned on just after breakfast. At 1050z, only spotted by WESSEXSDR (266km). I assume this is aircraft reflection. 

I am sure the many spots in the past by EI9KP (649km) must be by aircraft reflection. These appear random as there are many so many aircraft on this route.

UPDATE 1254z:  No further 8m spots.

UPDATE 1820z:  Just 2 G spots of my QRP.  Aircraft scatter?

10m QRP WSPR (Wednesday)

The 500mW WSPR TX beacon was turned on just after breakfast. At 0932z, 3 stations spotted. Apart from a local, these look like F2.

UPDATE 1250z:   6 stations have spotted me, mostly via F2 I think.

Sunspots - Wednesday August 23rd 2023

 Solar flux is 151 and the SSN 96.  A=8 and K=1.

Crab apple jelly - NOT amateur radio

Last year we had hardly any crabapples. This year we have loads. The photo shows the crop from our one tree. 

My plan is to make some crabapple jelly as my wife and I love it with pork chops. 

More people on 10m WSPR?

This is definitely not scientific. My impression is that there are more people monitoring 10m WSPR than last year. This year it is not unusual to have spots from over 20 stations in a day. There were far fewer last year as I recall. 

Electric cars - NOT amateur radio

 Every day on social media I seem to get most ads about electric cars. I am interested, but feel we are not quite there yet. Prices are too high. Range is too short. Lithium is in short supply,. Charging away from home takes too long and there are too few charging points. Prices need to be halved, ranges doubled, and a technology that does not require slave labour is needed. 2027?

8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

As 6m looked encouraging, I went on 8m FT8 QRP at about 0830z.

UPDATE 1040z: Quite a strong (for me!) spot by HC02 (1808km) in Portugal. 

UPDATE  2018z: In the end, 3 stations spotted my QRP 8m FT8 today. QRT soon.

Dawn - NOT amateur radio

This was the view out of our lounge window at 0500z this morning. 

10m QRP WSPR TX (Tuesday)

It looks like G4KPX (14km) is monitoring as I have already been spotted with my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon. It is only now 0516z!

UPDATE 2011z:   19 stations have spotted me today.

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

Today, I am currently on 50.313 MHz vertical on FT8 with my 2.5W. Already 2 G spots of me shortly after 0500z. My antenna is the V2000 vertical omni. 

UPDATE 0729z: 10 spots of my QRP so far.

8m between seasons

My experimental licence has been held since April 2022. So, I have experienced two Es seasons and F2 last autumn and winter. My 2.5W to a low dipole has been copied widely in Europe by Es and in the USA, Caribbean and Canada by F2. 

On RX I have spotted S.Africans on several occasions. In the autumn it would be great to be copied in South Africa with my QRP FT8. Last summer was disappointing with fewer active TX stations than in 2022.

At the moment, we are between seasons. The big Es openings have all but ended and F2 has not really started. Better equipped stations are tapping in to TEP either directly or with F2 linking up with Es.

Overall, I am disappointed in 8m. I was hoping there would be far more activity by now, but if anything there are fewer stations active on TX. Where are the experimenters?

Sunspots - Tuesday August 22nd 2023

 Solar flux is 149 and the SSN 102. A=9 and K=2. 

Dahlias - NOT amateur radio

 

The dahlia garden at nearby Anglesey Abbey is now open. These are some of them. 

The area in front of the dahlias is grassed and this gets very churned up after wet weather.

The next solar peak

In the past, there has been a lot of doubt and uncertainty over the timing of this. The site I mostly use has been predicting the next maximum in November or December 2023 for some time. 

Quite often we get a second peak after the first. What is clear from other cycles is that conditions could be good for several years after the peak. 

In the past I have worked stations in Argentina on QRP 10m SSB when the sunspot count right at the minimum has been zero. Quite often 10m propagation is there but there is a lack of activity. With FT8, we can now monitor the higher bands and see. Stand alone 5W FT8 transceivers for 10m can be obtained quite inexpensively freeing up "the big rig".

See https://www.solen.info/solar/images/comparison_similar_cycles.png .

Said on FaceBook in 2012 - NOT amateur radio

This was said by me on FaceBook in 2012. Nothing changes!

Bill and Ben - NOT amateur radio

If you are of a certain age (old) in the UK you may remember the TV show for children called "Bill and Ben". In it, two flower pot men were accompanied by a little weed. 

This sunflower poking over a wall on our walk yesterday reminded me!