6m 5W FT8 (Wednesday)

My IC-705 was turned on at about 1400z on my return from Canterbury. 79 spots of me. Mostly Es I suspect. 79 stations spotted me.

Sunspots - Thursday July 24th

 Solar flux is 150 and the SSN 85. A=27 and K=3.

10m 500mW WSPR (Wednesday)

My beacon was turned at about 1400z.

UPDATE 1718z:  So far, just V51RS (8481km). No Es.

Hartley 80m TX

 

This is how advanced technology looked 100 years ago.

Sunspots - Wednesday July 23rd

 Solar flux is 150 and the SSN 101. A=27 and K=4.

In Rochester - NOT amateur radio

This was our morning in Rochester with our son.

The Es season

 Whilst it lasts, the Es season is fun. In the northern hemisphere this usually peaks in May, June and July. After a while people get used to the openings around Europe and look further afield. Openings to North America seem to occur quite often. Some of these openings are multi hop Es although I believe some are some kind of E layer chordal hop. 

Floods - NOT amateur radio

 After several weeks of hot and dry weather we have had floods. This was where my son teaches in Kent yesterday.

Sunspots - Monday July 22nd

 Solar flux is 143 and the SSN 130. A=4 and K=2.

Is the UK complicit? - NOT amateur radio

This is aimed at people in the UK.

Let me start by saying many of my best friends are Jewish and I believe all humans are of equal value whatever their colour, beliefs etc..

Allegedly the UK is still supplying some arms to Israel and training IDF soldiers on UK soil. 

Until there is a fair and just peace between Israel and Gaza we should have no dealings with the Israeli state. 

Write to your MP. 

I am ashamed to be complicit.

Arsenal stadium - NOT amateur radio

 

On the train to London we go next to the Emirates stadium.

Sunspots - Monday July 21st

 Solar flux is 150 and the SSN 139. A=5 and K=2.

Swift (bird) numbers - NOT amateur radio

This is a quote from the RSPB page about swifts.

'Sadly, Swift numbers are plummeting, and they’re now on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. For every ten Swifts zooming across our skies in 1995, there were only about three by 2022.'

On our local Facebook page I asked if people locally thought numbers were up or down on last year. Surprisingly, most thought numbers were up, not down. This may be very local or a UK trend. I am interested in the national trend.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/swift .

10m 500mW WSPR (Sunday)

My QRP 10m WSPR has been on this morning.

UPDATE 1836z: Spotted by 84 stations in the last 12 hours. Es?

Peaceful protesting - NOT amateur radio

The Palestine Action group has been banned in the UK as a terrorist organisation.  Certainly most people will agree that what happened in Israel on October 7th 2023 was horrific.

Police have been arresting people, many who are old, who have been protesting peacefully against what they see as genocide in Gaza.

In my view this is the state being utterly stupid: everyone has a right to peaceful protest as long as inciting violence is not the aim.

Many of the protesters are elderly and just want justice and fairness.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20rvdexj8jo .

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

My gear at 5W has been on most of the morning.

UPDATE 1326z:  393 stations have spotted me including 5 in Canada. Multi hop or chordal Es?

UPDATE 1416z:  9 stations in Canada and the USA have spotted my 6m 5W FT8 to the vertical omni antenna. Altogether, spotted by 603 stations.

Spots of my 5W 6m FT8
to the vertical omni today

UPDATE 1850z:  761 stations have spotted me in the last day on 6m 5W FT8. Even further west in the USA N0KB (6468km) has spotted me .

Butterfly - NOT amateur radio

This was seen at nearby Anglesey Abbey last week. It was sunning itself on a marble seat before flying off. 

Sunspots - Sunday July 20th

 Solar flux is 153 and the SSN 139. A=7 and K=1.

Meshtatic and MeshCore - NOT amateur radio

Some people look for ways to communicate that do not depend on the internet. I have no experience of these which use licence free Lora to join up stations without the internet. 

In theory, if the network is big enough almost anyone should be able to message anyone. I have no idea how large these meshes are.

The aim is to have nationwide (or even international) networks that allow text messages to be exchanged in public or as a private message without the internet.  

It looks like apps are available for Android or iOS phones.

There is a map of Meshtatic nodes.

UK swift (bird) numbers - NOT amateur radio

 According to conventional wisdom, the numbers of swifts should be down as there are fewer nest sites. Certainly around here in East Anglia we have seen far fewer swallows, although I have seen them elsewhere.

As far as I can tell, there are more swifts than last year here. This is a good sign and others have noticed this too locally.  Maybe they are adapting and finding new places to nest.  I really hope so. Some are erecting swift nestboxes or "swift bricks" to encourage them.

I would be interested to know what others in the UK are finding. Swifts screaming in feeding parties signify summer in England. They only come here for a few months to breed.

10m 500mW WSPR (Saturday)

 My beacon was turned on early morning.

UPDATE 1824z:  36 stations have spotted me. Mainly Es I think.

Do you speak Chinese?

My Chinese is non existent, but I see AliExpress is selling a multi-band crystal set with a Band II FM stereo radio included for good measure. All the markings appear to be in Chinese, so I cannot tell what they say. The price seems very high.

6m 5W FT8 (Saturday)

My gear has been on since about 0855z.

UPDATE 1827z: 270 spots of me. Also VO1SIX (3933km) has spotted me again. Es?

Tempted

 At the moment we have had very little rain and no storms. I am tempted to try 6m QRP FT8 and 10m QRP WSPR, if only for a few hours.

Early experiment

 

In 1924 an experiment was held in which an amateur radio station was set up on a moving train. I have no idea what the antenna was. Communication was established with several stations on the route.

Sunspots - Saturday July 19th

 Solar flux is 156 and the SSN 167.  A=11 and K=1.

Thunderstorm risks this weekend

The last few days here in East Anglia, UK has been very hot and humid. This could break tonight with heavy rain and thunderstorms. We need the rain.  It might be a "good idea"  to avoid amateur radio especially this next 24 hours.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/ .

Oscar 100

It seems ages since I took a peek and updated you about activity on this geosynchronous satellite. 

It was designed in Qatar and has been up now for several years. Seeing that it has been around now for several years I am surprised how quiet it is. Maybe not, as this will not be of interest to "appliance" operators who really know little about the technology behind the rigs they use daily. Amateur radio becomes more like CB daily.

My last peek was late afternoon in Europe, on a Friday. I would have expected activity to have been quite good. Sadly not.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

Fakes and counterfeit items - NOT amateur radio

One well known Chinese supplier is selling 256G flash drives for a small fraction of the price charged by other suppliers. I am a bit suspicious as these are supposed to be made by a reputable manufacturer. 

If things seem too good to be true then they usually are! 

If these are genuine, I am at a loss to know how they do it. At this price I do not understand how they do it anyway!

6m 5W FT8 (Friday)

My QRP FT8 to the V2000 omni antenna has been on since just after breakfast. One Far East station (I think genuine) has spotted me.

UPDATE 1443z:  Spotted by 142 stations on 4 continents. I suspect the station in Canada was a transitory patch of multi hop Es. At a similar time another station in Newfoundland was spotted on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1917z:   349 stations have spotted me. See map. Amazing DX on 6m FT8 with 5W and a vertical omni antenna. 5 continents on 6m FT8 QRP today! Furthest is  LU2GPB (10405km) in Argentina. I suspect this is Es linking with equatorial spread-F.

UPDATE 2000z:  361 spots of me. Now QRT.

10m QRP WSPR (Friday)

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been on since just after breakfast. So far, just V51RS (8481km) spotting my QRP. There is no sign yet of Es.

UPDATE 1445z:  Spotted by V51RS 18 times today!  Lots of Es now on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 2005z:   52 spots of me today, mostly Es. Now QRT.

Sunspots- Friday July 18th

 Solar flux is 156 and the SSN 178. A=19 and K=1.

Quote - NOT amateur radio

Every day by email, I receive The Knowledge, which I find an easy, quick and unbiased read of the news. Every day they include a quote. Today's, by Benjamin Franklin, was excellent. How true.

Multiband HF antenna

 

Last week I ordered an antenna from Aliexpress. It has just arrived from China by airmail. It will get erected soon. I am amazed they can do it for the price.

Photobombed - NOT amateur radio

This morning we went for a walk at nearby Anglesey Abbey. 

Whilst taking a photo of this caterpillar I was photobombed by a ladybird! Can you see the ladybird?

6m 5W FT8 (Thursday)

My gear was turned on at 0550z today.

UPDATE 1550z:  149 spots of me. 

10m 500mW WSPR (Thursday)

My W5OLF beacon was turned on at 0550z today.

UPDATE 1119z: So far today 7 spots of me, presumably mostly Es.

6m article

Yesterday I wrote an article about my experiences on 6m. I have not decided where to send it yet. 

It is designed to encourage people to have a go on the band.  There is no doubt that high power and big beams help, but even a very modest station can achieve some amazing results.

UPDATE 1508z:  It has been passed to the editor of RadCom Basics for consideration, although I think it would benefit a wider audience, proving that a simple 6m station works. See Bo's comment below.

Sunspots - Thursday July 17th

 Solar flux is 156 and the SSN 182. A=20 and K=3.

Healthy dessert - NOT amateur radio

 

This is for our lunch dessert. We tend to eat our main meal at lunchtime. We top this with yogurt.

The wild blackberries are picked within 10m of home. Very fresh!  All washed first.

What you never realised you needed?

Ever since ordering something from Aliexpress I have been bombarded with emails from Aliexpress about things I might like. When my goods arrive I shall try to unsubscribe as I am obviously on a mailing list.

Now the prices are very keen, so some things warrant another look. In some cases prices are so low with free postage that it is even worth it even if it never works.

What amazes me is how they can do this and both Aliexpress and the manufacturer can make a profit.

10m 500mW WSPR (Wednesday)

My beacon has been on since just before breakfast. 

UPDATE  2050z:  118 stations mostly around Europe have spotted me. Included is V51RS (8481km).

6m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

 My 5W FT8 has been on since about 0650z.

These days I am more interested in seeing where my signal reaches than 2-way QSOs. This is partly because of my poor voice making SSB and FM QSOs far harder than they were and also because I have probably spoken with this country 40 years ago with 10m QRP!!

UPDATE 2051z:  1062 spots of me. Although I am mostly beaconing, I had one QSO with an Italian station that called me.

Sunspots - Wednesday July 16th

 Solar flux is 139 and the SSN 146.  A=23 and K=1.

Day off radio

As we went to Cambridge by bus (very good and totally free if you are old!) and did not return until mid afternoon, I did not go on the radio today.

Faroes beauty - NOT amateur radio

 

One of my friends on 365project lives up in the Faroe Islands. It is stunningly beautiful up there. 

This is one of his photos posted recently.

New shutters - NOT amateur radio

 

The windmill next door is having some new shutters in its sails. For this they bring in a “cherry picker “.

472 kHz transverter breadboarding

 

This was 2012 breadboarding my 472 kHz transverter in the back of the garage at the old QTH..

Sunspots - Tuesday July 15th

 Solar flux is 128 and the SSN 139. A=16 and K=2.

Gaza - NOT amateur radio

Apparently the BBC has removed a documentary on iPlayer as it breached editorial guidelines. 

Meanwhile in response to the horrific events of October 7th by Hamas against Israel, Israel is trying to destroy Hamas as a fighting force. It does not allow journalists into Gaza to see the destruction and over 50000 people have died. 

I am sure that the response is totally unjustified by any measure. The hate that must have built up against Israel has probably put peace back 50 years. Surely Israel 🇮🇱 must see this.

My wishes are an immediate ceasefire, a long term peace , the UK to stop all arms sales to Israel and no dealings with Israel until there is a just peaceful including IDF training.