Solar flux is 183 and the SSN 146 . A=9 and K=4.
28 Jun 2024
27 Jun 2024
Devon golf - NOT amateur radio
My brother plays golf ⛳️ in South Devon several times a week. The views are amazing.
26 Jun 2024
8m TX permit
Just got this from OFCOM......
Hi @Roger Lapthorn,I’m afraid we can’t make any changes to the application.
We simply go of the dates provided in the application – You can of course apply again in the new year if you need more time for your project.
...and of course pay another £50!! Need I say more? Brain? Think? I am left feeling they really are stupid or brain dead.
Just to do experimentation? In the past they would just have issued an NoV to my amateur licence for free!! Meanwhile 2 MHz of VHF spectrum is available for radio amateurs by NoV. I am asking for just a few kilohertz at low power. I cannot contain my anger!
QMX+ cures
In the time I am away, I have ordered another USB-C to USB data lead as Ken's cure (suggested in a comment yesterday) did not work.
To rule out the possibility of a lead problem, I shall replace the lead. This will have to wait until next week before I can try this.
Devon tomorrow - NOT amateur radio
All being well, I hope to travel to South Devon tomorrow by train to see my brother. My wife is staying here. I am coming back on Monday.
This will mean fewer posts on this blog and means I cannot be on the radio.
Demise of amateur radio?
More than ever, I am convinced that amateur radio will die out. It can't be long before many PTTs tire of amateur radio as it ties up people and generates no revenue.
I can see the day coming when CB and amateur radio merge and callsigns are allocated (if at all) by national societies. It would not surprise me if all non-licenced things are merged at the same time e.g. ISM. The golden rule is no harmful interference must be caused and any interference accepted.
Personally, I am not bothered as long as I can continue experimenting.
Fewer and fewer "amateur" radio operators know how their rigs work and even fewer actually experiment i.e. they are much like CB operators.
12 years ago
This was me operating in the garden of our old home using 2.5W CW into a small loop antenna. As I recall it worked remarkably well.
25 Jun 2024
8m permanent amateur allocations
The number of countries with permanent amateur access to the 8m band is growing. Last week, the Cayman Is (ZF) joined the list.
This reminds me of the early days on 6m in Region 1. Slow steps....
Faroe Islands - NOT amateur radio
This was a photo posted on 365project by someone who lives there. I imagine it is nice there when the sun shines.
8m TX permit - is OFCOM totally stupid?
On June 17th I was told my 8m TX licence was ready and would be emailed to me if I paid £50. Of course I was interested (I would have preferred to pay nothing and just be issued with a NoV to my amateur licence), but I could not be sent the licence until the invoice was settled. The date of the licence (when it eventually came) was from June 1st - well in the past!! I have asked for the dates to be changed to when I can actually do some research.
Perhaps engage brain next time or send me a copy of the licence marked "not valid until invoice paid" or similar? No, that would involve thinking.
It would appear they are only interested in taking money!
Frustration!
Recently, I bought a QMX+, ready built in a case, from QRP labs. It arrived as promised and worked well. When I hit some issues I did a factory reset. With some help from Hans Summers it now covers the right bands and the CAT works. When I first got it, it recognised the audio codec in the QMX+. Not any more!!
I think I have now tried every combination but my Windows 10 PC refuses to recognise it. Apparently this is a known issue with Windows but not on Linux or Mac OS. Until it is fixed I cannot use the rig.
I have applied to join the QRPLabs IO group and, once approved, I will enquire if others had the issue and if they know what to do. As the software is the same as that on the QMX (I think) others may have had the same issue.
Help!!
It is a nice rig, but this is far harder than it should be. I was expecting it just to recognise the codecs in the QMX+ and just work.
If you know what to do, please tell me.
Far East from Europe by E layer on 6m
Regularly, at this time of year, there are openings from Europe to the Far East on 6m. This happens year after year about now.
It appears to be linked to the formation of noctilucent clouds in the mesosphere. These are forming more frequently now because of global warming. With weak signal modes like FT8, these are being spotted more often.
I have copied Far East stations on 6m several times now, although my 2.5W has never been enough!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/super-dx .
European Es (Tuesday)
In the spring and summer Es certainly helps short skip on many bands including the lower VHF bands such as 8m, 6m and 4m. It occasionally reaches far higher, although these openings are far less frequent.
Occasionally, far further may be covered on 6m by Es, although personally I think this is far more likely to be some sort of chordal hop E layer propagation. Some of these paths seem too long to be multi-hop Es. Some may be by multi-hop Es, but I somehow doubt this is the main propagation mechanism.
See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .
QMX+
My priority today is to get my QRP Labs QMX+ fully working again.
Last week I attempted a factory reset, but it only covered 80-10m afterwards!
Having discussed this with Hans Summers of QRP labs, I got a very helpful answer in which he pointed out that for QMX+ the band limits can be set to cover 160-6m by rotating a knob. I did not know this. I do now!
Also, with Windows only (not Linux or Mac) the order in which things are turned on can affect the QMX+ audio being recognised (see later post today).
24 Jun 2024
Back on 8m QRP FT8, after a fashion
Later this week I am off to see my brother in Devon, but my XYL will still be here.
I was hoping to erect my 8m dipole so I would have a few days operating before Thursday. I failed, so I am using my Par end fed that has a high SWR on 8m.
When I get back I hope to be on properly. For now I shall probably be on RX most of the time.My 8m TX permit runs to June 2025.
UPDATE 0830z: Already spotted in Spain by EA3ERE (1153km) which is a great start!
UPDATE 0939z: QSO with EA3ERE. No more QSOs, but I have been spotted in 2 countries and I have spotted 3 countries here on 8m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1200z: Now that Spain is on 8m, I am surprised how many stations have been spotted. 13 at last count.
 |
| 46 stations spotted on 8m FT8 today |
UPDATE 1347z: 18 stations spotted on 8m FT8 RX. I have been spotted by 3 stations in 3 countries, one QSO. My conclusion so far is that with Spain now on 8m TX it has made a lot of difference for the better.
UPDATE 1455z: 23 stations spotted today on 8m FT8.
UPDATE 2040z: 46 stations have been spotted on 8m FT8. Mostly Spanish.
6m QRP FT8 (Monday)
Early Es spots of my 2.5W FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni antenna this morning on 6m.
Calculators galore
If you are like me, you turn to the internet if you want to calculate anything. Most sorts of calculators are there just waiting for your input. Years ago, we had to find the answer in a textbook. Nowadays it is just there at our fingertips!
See https://www.omnicalculator.com/physics as an example. There are many around.
IC-705 start-up screen
Amateur Radio Weekly has a piece by G7UFO showing how to use your QSL card as the IC-705 start-up screen.
Basically you have to save the file at the right size as a BMP file on an SD card.
23 Jun 2024
Photo books - NOT amateur radio
Every season, my wife does a photo book showing what we have done. It is interesting to look back on these. She gets half the fun creating them.
We will soon need a bigger shelf!
Lunch in the garden - NOT amateur radio
Probably we will soon be moaning it is too hot. Well, we are English! Moaning about the weather is in our blood.
Live every moment - NOT amateur radio
Yesterday we visited an old university friend who lives in Australia. He was flying to the UK to join us in a reunion of old university friends in Liverpool and to go on a cruise. In the last 30 minutes of the flight ending he had a stroke and is now in Charing Cross hospital in London where he has been for 3 weeks so far. He has a way to go yet to return to fitness. We also heard of a friend who is only 51 years old who had a sudden heart attack.
The moral is to live every moment as if it was your last as you have no idea what is around the corner.
6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)
UPDATE 1515z: 237 stations have spotted me in the last 12 hours on QRP 6m FT8 from all over Europe.
European Es (Sunday)
It looks very promising with lots of Es to central Europe.
See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .
10m QRP WSPR (Sunday)
UPDATE 0920z: In the last hour alone 27 stations have spotted my QRP 10m WSPR beacon.
UPDATE 1346z: 33 spots of me today.
22 Jun 2024
FT8 versus WSPR
My impression is that I get better results on 6m FT8 than I do on 10m WSPR.
Yes, on 6m FT8 I use 2.5W whereas recent tests on 10m WSPR have been at 500mW.
Now, FT8, is supposed to be less sensitive at picking up weak signals than WSPR but WSPR needs almost 120 seconds whereas FT8 needs just 15 seconds. I suspect FT8 catches more, shorter, openings. Also, I suspect there are more FT8 users.
Someone else trying my designs
It is always good to see others trying their hand at my designs. DX Explorer has a video of him breadboarding my 2 transistor 80m transceiver. My designs are always a starting point. Pretty sure you will be able to improve them!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/80m-xbm80-2 .
6m QRP FT8 (Saturday)
My 2.5W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna has been on since about 1940z.
UPDATE 2035z: 28 stations have spotted me.
UPDATE 2146z: 125 spots of my QRP FT8 today, after a very late start.
10m QRP WSPR (Saturday)
My 10mW 500mW WSPR has been on since we got back from London earlier. So far, 7 stations have spotted me.
UPDATE 2037z: 24 spots of me, mostly Es.
UPDATE 2212z: 39 spots of my QRP 10m WSPR so far, after a late start.
European Es (Saturday)
Whilst I was in London seeing an Australian friend who had a stroke in the last 30 minutes of a flight (he is in hospital) I gather European Es has been very good ... and I missed it!
See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .
21 Jun 2024
10m QRP WSPR (Friday)
My 500mW WSPR beacon is on again and there is plenty of Es about. 50 stations have spotted my QRP beacon in the last day with the furthermost Brazil.
UPDATE 1142z: 58 spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR this morning.
UPDATE 2140z: 776 spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR in the last day.
6m QRP FT8 (Friday)
 |
| Stations that spotted my 2.5W 6m FT8 today |
UPDATE 1135z: 449 spots of my QRP 6m FT8 this morning. Mostly Es.
UPDATE 2125z: 557 spots of me today.
Early Es
Today seems to be a good Es day with lots of stations across Europe spotting my QRP on 10m and 6m already at 0631z.
Triffids - NOT amateur radio
I am sure they can walk!! You can see why we jokingly call them triffids. 😉😉
20 Jun 2024
St Ives - NOT amateur radio
6m QRP FT8 transatlantic (Thursday)
Several spots of my 2.5W 6m FT8 to the vertical omni antenna from stations in eastern Canada. This is the first time this season that I have been spotted in the USA or Canada on QRP VHF.
Anglesey Abbey video - NOT amateur radio
This National Trust house and gardens is about 10 minutes away by car. We went for a walk in the grounds yesterday. There is something to see at all times of the year.
10m QRP WSPR TX (Thursday)
My 500mW beacon was on overnight, but just spots by local G4KPX (14km). Early Es this morning.
630m QRP WSPR overnight
Just 2 stations spotted my 10mW ERP overnight. These were 2 old faithfuls. I may try occasionally, but suspect my signal is buried in noise much of the summer.
19 Jun 2024
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