14 Jul 2024

Experiments with the QMX+

 At the moment, I am testing my QMX+ transceiver on 15m and 10m QRP FT8. I am still experimenting to see what sequence I have to use to get the QMX+ soundcards to be recognised by the Windows 10 PC.  Currently it works fine although I cannot remember the sequence in which I plugged things in!!  

Also, the audio levels need increasing on the higher bands. This can be done by putting the PC in terminal mode and adjusting some numbers. I have yet to do this.

Overall, I think the QMX+ is a good rig. It will be even better when I adjust the audio levels on the higher bands.

European Es season

Usually, the Es season in Europe goes "off the boil" about now. Es can occur at any time of the year, although the peak times are in spring and early summer.

It is interesting that most of my spots on 10m QRP FT8 this morning were probably F2.

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

Gun culture - NOT amateur radio

This morning, we see on the news that Donald Trump narrowly missed an attempt on his life.

The USA has a gun culture and a very high death rate due to guns. It is sad that political candidates cannot give their "pitch" without the fear of being shot.

Patio - NOT amateur radio

We have managed to have coffee or meals outside very few times this year as it has been dull and wet. 

The photo shows our patio today. 

10m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

At 0808z my 2.5W 10m FT8 had been spotted by 33 stations in the last 12 hours with the furthermost 9K2OD (4637km) in Kuwait. 63 stations have been spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1310z:  93 stations have spotted my 10m 2.5W FT8 today. 

UPDATE 1847z: 218 stations have spotted my 10m QRP FT8 today.  See map.

Sunspots - Sunday July 14th

 Solar flux is 238 and the SSN 214. A=4 and K=1.

13 Jul 2024

Nearly forgot!

Just now I sent off my entry for the 70cm activity contest last Tuesday. It would appear that interest in this contest is waning. I managed 1 QSO, then I gave up. 

Looking at the waterfall on my RX, it would appear there were fewer people active. This is a pity, although it is far easier on 70cm FT8.

Much as I enjoy FT8 and WSPR, I am sure these will be partly to blame for the slow death of amateur radio as we knew it.  

As a youngster, I discovered amateur radio by listening to locals on 160m AM and DX on 15m AM. These opportunities no longer exist as people can chat in a multitude of ways for free without a licence using the internet. Talking to friends across the world even by video is commonplace.

It is my view that amateur radio as we knew it will cease in the next 20 years.

QMX+ SSB

A few moments ago I watched the RSGB's Webinar with Hans Summers about the QMX+ transceiver. It was a very good session and underlines just how bright Hans is. I was impressed.

In the webinar Hans mentioned that high on his priority list was implementing SSB on the QMX and QMX+ transceivers and that he hoped to do this within weeks or months. He is a busy man! This will be done via a firmware update. There is already an internal mic fitted although an external mic/PTT may be used.

As mentioned earlier, the RSGB is doing a series of Webinars on various subjects. See tonight@8 on the RSGB channel on YouTube or watch live.

10m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

At 0903z, 12 spots of my 2.5W 10m FT8.  I have noticed this before:  Scandinavians tend to dominate late in the Es season. Is this just coincidence or is there something going on? 

UPDATE 1302z:   32 stations have spotted my QRP 10m FT8 including one in the USA.

Stations spotted
here on 10m FT8
RX at 1633z
UPDATE 1630z:
208 stations spotted here today. See map. 92 stations have spotted my 2.5W 10m QRP FT8.

UPDATE 1734z:  304 stations have been spotted here on 10m FT8 in the last day.

Saturn - NOT amateur radio

This amazing NASA photo shows Saturn from a space probe.


Cambourne or Great Cambourne - NOT amateur radio?

Yesterday the first post box in the UK with the moniker of King Charles III was formally unveiled in Cambourne, Cambridgeshire. 

According to the BBC this is called "Great Cambourne" although I have never heard this name used before.   To locals it is known simply as Cambourne.


QMX+ video on YouTube

The RSGB does a series called Tonight@8. Recently, it featured the QMX+ rig from QRP Labs designed by Hans Summers G0UPL.



Sunspots - Saturday July 13th

 Solar flux is 210 and the SSN 162.  A=6 and K=1.

12 Jul 2024

Interesting space photo - NOT amateur radio

This photo appeared on “The Knowledge “ earlier although I think it was on Flickr before. It shows sunrise from the ISS.

MLS announce new portable

MLS has announced a new ICOM hand portable to coincide with ICOM's 60th anniversary. 

£619.99 for a hand portable? Hmm.  A lot more than I would pay, although I expect some will pay up for a fairly unique transceiver. Look for the ID-52 anniversary edition. 

See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/id-52-plus .

Favourable exchange rates

 I notice that the pound is very strong against the Japanese Yen. It has also got a lot better against the US Dollar.

On the face of this we should expect useful reductions in the price of Japanese gear. Alternatively, dealers can make a greater profit.

Wild flowers - NOT amateur radio

 

This is a recent photo from my son of wild flowers.

We had a patch of wild flowers just outside the windmill next door, but it is not so good this year.

10m QRP FT8 (Friday)

Today at 0751z 68 stations have already spotted me with the furthermost V51MA (8460km). 

UPDATE 1052z:   115 stations have spotted my 10m QRP FT8 this morning. These include Africa, North and South America and Europe. Interestingly, no spots in Asia.

UPDATE 1335z:  186 spots of my QRP 10m FT8  in the last day. See map.

Sunspots - Friday July 12th

 Solar flux is 205 and the SSN 188. A=6 and K=2.

11 Jul 2024

Upcoming Rallies

 The following have been notified to me. Always check with organisers if travelling far.  All are on Sunday July 14th.

Blackberries - NOT amateur radio

In the lane next to our house there is a blackberry bush laden with blackberries. In a few weeks they will be great. 

There are already some ripe (see photo).

Swallows (barn swallows) - NOT amateur radio

A few years ago, these birds that migrate here in the spring and summer from southern Africa were common. It was not unusual to see a few on the telegraph wires. Although they are still seen, they seem to be far more  localised. We still have plenty of swifts locally despite many nest sites going and I have seen house and sand martins.

I guess the time will come when some decide to over-winter. I think some have tried in the past but succumbed to the lack of insects. As winters get shorter and milder with climate change, I can see some patterns changing.

Electric cars - NOT amateur radio

Let me say from the outset that I do NOT have an electric car.  

In my view, we are not yet at the tipping point when the price drops considerably, the range is considerably improved, there are plentiful charging points and the batteries do not need expensive materials to be mined. Give it just a few years and petrol and diesel vehicles will look as out of date as CRTs and film cameras.

Having said that, it is noticeable how much more common electric cars have become. Just a few years ago on a trip to Cambridge I might have seen 2. Now to see 8 is quite common. This is probably due to several factors. The energy crisis has caused people to question fossil fuelled vehicles, especially if you can charge at home overnight on a good tariff. Secondly, more recent cars are more likely to include electric cars. My estimate is the ratio of fossil fueled to electric cars is about 100:1.

My next car may well be electric as long as we move away from lithium, the range improves considerably and the price comes well down. For now I shall carry on with my recent diesel car.

By the way, I am fully in favour of a new road tax in which the further you travel, the more you pay. This would seem a fair way of taxing everyone and encourage the use of public transport. Maybe fossil fuels should be discouraged by taxing them more heavily and subsidising electric vehicles?

10m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

Already my 10m 2.5W FT8 has been spotted by 16 stations. In the last day 113 stations spotted me from across the world.

UPDATE 1354z:  Spotted by 214 stations on 4 continents (see map) just today.

Sunspots - Thursday July 11th

 Solar flux is 214 and the SSN 190. A=6 and K=1.

10 Jul 2024

Lunch with old work colleagues - NOT amateur radio

Quite regularly, a group of old work colleagues meet up for lunch. A regular attendee is a lady who is over 100 years old. She is still as sharp as ever.

10m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

My main concentration is 10m FT8 with 2.5W today. At 0917z my QRP signal has been spotted by 33 stations across Europe. 23 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX too at the same time.

UPDATE 1451z:  65 stations have spotted me and I have spotted about twice as many here. See map for the stations spotting my QRP today so far.

10m 500mW WSPR

My QRP 10m WSPR beacon was on and I was quite surprised to get spots from Germany way after midnight. Es is more common in daylight. Perhaps there are more people on in the daytime?

Solar cycle 25 peak

 According to my favourite site for solar data, the maximum for solar cycle 25 was probably June 2024 i.e. quite recently.

8m permanent amateur allocations

 Around the world, several nations have granted radio amateurs permanent access to the 8m band. Others have granted experimental licences. Being between 10m and 6m this would be a really useful small allocation for propagation research.

To my knowledge, the following have granted radio amateurs permanent access. My list may well be incomplete:

  • Eire
  • Slovenia
  • Belgium
  • South Africa
  • Cayman Is.

Others are trying,  Maybe this is a trend that will continue. 

Countries that I know have been active (not in the Amateur Radio Service) include:

  • Croatia
  • Latvia
  • Luxembourg
  • UK
  • Falklands
  • Bonaire
  • USA
  • Australia
  • Israel
  • Lebanon
  • Italy
  • Greece
There are probably many more. I don't think Croatia has a permanent amateur allocation.

Sunspots - Wednesday July 10th

 Solar flux is 180 and the SSN 143. A=6 and K=1.

9 Jul 2024

8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)


According to the European Es map, it looks like bands are open towards Spain, so I am active on 40.680 MHz with my 2.5W FT8.

UPDATE 1510z:  No spots.

UPDATE  1540z:  Spotted by EA3ERE (1153km). No QSOs.

UPDATE 1626z:   One QSO with a different Spanish station. Many Spanish stations copied on 8m FT8 RX.

UPDATE  1740z:   S01WS (3043km) in Western Sahara is the furthermost I have copied on 8m FT8 RX with a total of 10 stations spotted on 8m FT8 RX. The map shows the stations spotted on 8m FT8  RX.

4m transverter

Looking through some old photos I chanced on this one of my 4m transverter. 

There’s no way I could do this now with my poor fine motor skills.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/4m-transverter .

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

About 1030z, I went on 6m FT8 with my 2.5W.  

163 stations had spotted me at 1327z. See map.

Do we never learn from history? - NOT amateur radio


One thing seems to be certain: we never, ever learn from history!  

In the last few years we have had destructive wars in Ukraine and Gaza. 

I am pretty sure my ancestors manned an Iron Age fort near Hope Cove where we can trace our family back to the mid 1500s. The photo shows Hope Cove and the Iron Age fort at Bolt Tail.

Sadly war and fighting seem to be part of the human condition.

10m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My 2.5W 10m FT8 was turned on abour 0645z. At 0815z 33 stations had spotted me with the furthermost OD5KU (3468km). 47 stations spotted on RX.  All spots were European on RX.

Can you hear and understand me? - NOT amateur radio

On two occasions recently I have discovered that when I speak (what sounds perfectly fine to me) is not at all clear to others. I guess my wife know what I say now.

Those that know me are not embarrassed and ask me to repeat. Those that don't know me don't know how to react. This is one reason I tend not to engage in casual chitchat. It is fine if I am understood,  but just not worth the effort if I have to repeat myself. Writing is fine, whereas talking is far harder.

My stroke was September 2013, but poor speech is still one of my handicaps. I get exhausted very quickly which people just cannot understand.

What I find really frustrating is arguing a point. When I know something is not correct I find it very very difficult to get my point across.

Sunspots - Tuesday July 9th

 Solar flux is 169 and the SSN 90. A=10 and K=2.

8 Jul 2024

10m FT8 (Monday)

Stations spotting my
10m 2.5W FT8 today
49 stations have spotted my 2.5W 10m FT8 today. 

Stations spotted here
today on 10m FT8
Furthermost on QRP TX was PY1SX (9306km).  

On RX furthermost is LU1WCL (12666km) with 276 stations spotted.

Birthday boy - NOT amateur radio

My wife has known Sue since school days very many years ago.  I think it is 63 years! Her husband has his birthday today. 

They stayed the night on their way to a holiday cottage in Suffolk.

QMX+

Although RX audio levels may be adjusted in the configuration menu Hans thinks he may be able to alter the level using the volume control in digital modes. We shall have to see if this appears as a feature in a later update of software/firmware. It would certainly be more convenient.

Peterborough fruit and vegetables - NOT amateur radio

Last Thursday we visited Peterborough. The photo shows the fruit and vegetables on a stall outside a shop.

Oscar 100 geosynchronous


Usually I give an update on this satellite by looking at activity levels on the narrowband transponder using the web SDR at Goonhilly in Cornwall, UK. The last time I looked was on Sunday afternoon in Europe when I would have expected activity to be at its best. 

Sadly, there were few stations active. I can well believe people like assembling a ground station, then lose interest. As I have said before, with more black boxes, activity might have been higher. Personally I prefer experimentation. Sadly my poor fine motor skills prevent me making a ground station these days. In the past I would have done so.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

Sunspots- Monday July 8th

 Solar flux is 171 and the SSN 119. A=8 and K=2..

7 Jul 2024

The changing nature of amateur radio

This is perhaps because I am older now, but my perspective on amateur radio has changed. This weekend in the UK is VHF NFD. I went on 70cm SSB briefly yesterday afternoon to work a local and have not been on since. At one time I would have been really keen.

Operating SSB and FM no longer give me great pleasure and chasing DX on all bands has lost its thrall. Much operation has moved to FT8 and fewer people use amateur radio for chatting.

Many are plagued with high local noise levels. Up to now, this has not been a real problem here. although I am aware of noise levels as high as 70cm getting worse.

Overall, I am more interested in seeing where my QRP signal reaches and far less interested in 2-way contacts.

10m FT8 (Sunday)

Stations spotted on
10m FT8 RX today
Until I fix the issues with 10m FT8 on the QMX+ I am using my FT817ND. So far, my 2.5W has been spotted by 13 stations mostly in Europe and I have spotted 33 stations here including quite a few in South America (see map).

We have friends staying, so I cannot pay attention to my QMX+ at the moment. After they have gone I shall see what I can do.

UPDATE  1417z:  Spotted by LU1DX (11410km).

European Es (Sunday)

The Es season in Europe seems to be continuing. Peak months are May, June and July.  With FT8 and WSPR, I expect quite a few spots though August and beyond.

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

Bowringsleigh - NOT amateur radio


The weekend before last my brother in Devon had his church fete in the grounds of this fine house shown in the photo. It is called Bowringsleigh House. As you can see the weather was perfect.

QMX+ fixes

Thank you for all the help to overcome the few issues I had with my QMX+ transceiver. This is a great radio and I am well pleased with it. 

I have still to try the fixes recommended for it, but this should make a great radio even better!

My recommendations for future software/firmware updates are:

  • Digital RX audio level adjustable with the volume control knob.
  • Increase the default digital RX audio levels on higher bands.
  • RF power output adjustable in the menu (power output shown on display as adjusted).
  • WSPR level (especially in beacon mode) defaults to a safe level to protect the PA devices.
  • Add SSB!
  • Make the audio sound card(s) in the QMX+ always be recognised by a Windows PC.
  • Make 8m (40.680 MHz) a selectable band.
I am aware that not all may be possible, but these are the things that come to mind. There must be others too.

Sunspots - Sunday July 7th

 Solar flux is 166 and the SSN 132. A=3 and K=2.