You can tell it is spring as I am being notified of several rallies. All these are on Sunday March 23rd. As usual, it is always advisable to check details before going far.
My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at about 0900z. So far, 7 stations have spotted me, all UK.
My 500mW stand-alone beacon was turned on about 0900z. So far 9 spots by EA8BFK (2880km).
UPDATE 1629z: 23 stations have spotted me. No North American spots, suggesting 8m and 6m would be very unlikely.
Although my voice is poor I think I need to produce a new video showing how the QMX+ can be put on 8m. Perhaps I can intersperse photos with printed words to avoid talking?
In the meantime my video channel is on YouTube. See https://www.youtube.com/@G3XBM/videos .
Five years on it is amazing the impact Covid-19 had on our lives. Looking back it sticks in our memories.
One theory was that it started with a lab leak in China, but we lacked the Chinese data. Now a recent German language investigative journalist report says this is an 80-90% certainty. It looks like an accident rather than a biological weapon. If it was a lab leak, the Chinese would not want to lose face by admitting so.
For a long time, I have been fascinated by VLF/ELF radio communications.
As you go lower in frequency, radio waves penetrate further through water and rock. For this reason, the military in many countries have explored these frequencies to communicate with deeply submerged submarines, although data rates at ELF are very slow and antennas very long. I know the Russians have a system at 80Hz (it has been copied in the UK), but I am not sure about the USA and China.
My beacon was turned on just before 0900z. 6 spots of me so far by EA8BFK (2880km).
My IC-705 was turned on at 6W at about 0900z. So far, 5 spots including one in Poland.
My little QRP W5OLF beacon was turned on at 0900z. No spots yet.
UPDATE 1005z: 4 spots of me by TA4SCU (3010km).
My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at 0900z.
UPDATE 1009z: 9 stations including 1 in Portugal have spotted me.
Occasionally, it would appear PSKreporter is unable to work. I am wondering if there is an alternative?
It would seem the administration of President Trump has deported a Palestinian man called Mahmoud Kahlil because of his pro-Palestine activity. Now, I do not know the full facts, but this seems to fly in the face of a country where free speech is meant to be important.
As 10m was so good, I QSYed to 6m with my 6W FT8.
UPDATE 1457z: So far, just 4 English spots of me.
In many ways I am extremely disappointed with the RSGB, OFCOM and the FCC for the very negative attitude to real propagation research at 8m.
My experiment (which I had to pay for!) was to see what would be possible with really low ERP. With Es we know all of Europe would be in range, but around sunspot maximum the MUF might reach 8m, but not 6m.
What we have been dealt is a wall of reasons why radio amateurs cannot have even a very tiny 8m allocation.
I give up!!
Yesterday I mentioned that we had been re-watching "Quatermass and the Pit", which was first shown as a TV series on BBC TV in 1957. Some programmes look very dated, but this did not.
One of the themes explored was of racial memory, deep within us. This got me thinking.
Just as a bird knows how to migrate or build a nest, what do we have as humans deep within us? What unknown features do we possess that we are totally unaware about? Do we all have an evil streak deep within us, perhaps triggered by something? Maybe it is something else, more benign, that somehow binds all humanity?
The truth is we are aware of so little about ourselves. Maybe over time we will learn more about ourselves. Really we know so little.
My IC-705 was turned on at 6W at about 0715z on 10m FT8.
UPDATE 1050z: 137 stations have spotted me with the furthermost India and the Seychelles. On RX 275 stations were spotted with the furthermost Indonesia.
A reminder that one of the best amateur radio blogs I have come across is the one by John Desmond EI7GL. Whenever I look it is a goldmine of information.
All this with Windows 10. I have no idea what happens in Windows 11.
For years I used an internet time service to ensure my PC time was accurate. A few months ago Steve G1KQH pointed out that internet time sync is built in to Windows 10 and I assume Windows 11.
I am not sure how long this syncs for, but on my PC I have had absolutely no issues for a whole day at all using modes in WSJT-X making additional programs for time sync unnecessary.
Although I am unsure how often you should re-sync, I do this whenever I turn on my PC i.e once a day.
This is a Chinese video (I think) promoting Chinese SDR transceivers. Many (including me) are still a bit concerned about Chinese quality and reliability in amateur radio products.
They have definitely "got there" in many consumer products with most goods bought these days having a "Made in China" label. We are addicted to low costs with labour costs in China (at the moment) much lower than in Europe or the USA.
When it comes to SDR transceivers, the Chinese offerings are much lower cost than the Japanese offerings. In the future this is the competition.
As labour costs in China go up, I can see people scanning the world to see where labour costs are lower, or adopting more automation to compete.
My IC-705 at 6W has been on since breakfast. 11 spots (G, and GW) so far at 1036z.
UPDATE 1632z: 18 stations spotting me. All G and GW.
One of the many sources from which I get news is The Times, which is a UK newspaper, also available online. I also listen to Times Radio.
This weekend you can download or share anything on their site.
Many years ago when we were on holiday in Iceland we went, by chance, to a concert in a small church in northern Iceland and heard some of the best singing we have ever heard.
It was a singing group called Ut I Vorid. I have just chanced upon them on YouTube. I have no idea if they still exist. We have several of their CDs.
My QRP WSPR beacon was turned on about 1016z. No spots of me yet.
UPDATE 1052z: 10 spots of me by EA8BFK (2880km).
My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at 1017z. Just 7 English spots so far.
Before my 2013 stroke I enjoyed doing experiments at 481THz (red light). Although my main interest was "over the horizon" digital communication, I had one line of sight AM QSO over about 11km.
On YouTube is a video of a German optical communicator that was used in WW2. As the beam was very narrow it was ideal for secret communication up to 5km. Mechanically it was a work of art.
Solar flux is 180 and the SSN (still shown as March 8th on my source) 90. I am sure this is wrong. A=24 and K=3.
I went looking for today's sunspot number. It was very hard. Please tell me the best source!
UPDATE 1646z: A Google AI search said the SSN today was 147.
My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at about 0915z. So far just 3 English stations spotting me.
My beacon was turned on about 0915z. EA8BFK (2880km) is spotting me.
Solar flux is 175. My source for sunspot data has not been updated since March 8th for some reason and is still showing SSN=90 which must be wrong! I have no idea why it is not being updated. I shall try to find today's figure from somewhere else. A=42 and K=3.
My 500mW was turned on at breakfast time.
UPDATE 1325z: 17 spots of me by EA8BFK (2880km) plus TA4/G8SCU (3010km).
My IC-705 at 6W was turned on at breakfast time.
UPDATE 0940z: 9 English spots of me.
