ARRL website - crap!

Don't lose your user name or ID or you may never get in again!

I was a 90 day guest member, decided to join for one year on a special offer. Lost my user name (PC crashed) so asked ARRL for help getting back in to read QST etc.. 6 days later (6 DAMN days!!!!) and not a single reply from ARRL. What a load of tossers!  They have now had 3 emails.

Next year, it is very unlikely I shall rejoin.  This level of member support is totally pathetic. I am not at all impressed with their "help". If you lose you user name it appears the on-line help does not help at all, but (so far) neither does emailing ARRL!

How can a national society's website be totally inaccessible to paid up members? How come ARRL is so bad at supporting its members?

10m and 6m

Sunspot number 146 and the 20-30MHz forecast is "normal" so it is anyone's guess what 10m will be like today.  I am now monitoring (and TXing) on 6m WSPR but all is very quiet on that band so far with just locals G4IKZ and G4KPX copying me so far, and very well. Things on 6m (and 10m) can rapidly change of course and that is half the fun.

On 6m there is a decent level of  European activity, so if  Es appears I should be spotted. 6m is a nice challenge right now. On 10m I pretty well know who will copy me when the band opens by F2 and 6m QRP is a good new experience on  WSPR.  Spots from 4X1 were a real surprise a few days ago.  6m at the moment is likely to be mainly Es but there is just a chance of some F2 layer propagation.

UPDATE 1535z:   IK1WVQ (1084km) spotted at -8dB S/N at 1528z on 6m WSPR. Some Es about.  A little later he was +9dB. Typical Es.

South Sands - Salcombe (in danger)

See http://qss2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/salcombe-south-sands.html.

Not amateur radio, but a concern of mine. Salcombe, Devon is where I originally came from.  It is still dear to my heart as it is a seaside town in grave danger of being ruined by profiteering developers and rich playboys with far too much money and in many cases very little brains. Salcombe is losing its heart and soul. Prices are such that locals are being priced out by second home owners, with many homes empty much of the year.

The development linked above is just one such development. Planners are playing their hands very close to their chests, suggesting they may want to over-develop the site and ruin the sea end of a beautiful valley.

If you have an interest in ensuring the long-term well being of this pleasant seaside town please check the plans next week and use your democratic right to influence the plans.

Salcombe was the home of my mentor and CW instructor Les G4PJ.  I could copy him on 160m 4 miles away on a crystal set.

6m DX?

G4IKZ, G4KPX and G0LRD on 6m today so far. All locals. No Es seen so far today but it could all change very quickly,  so will leave the kit on. It would be nice to see some more EU stations appear by Es. It would be even better to see some North Americans by multi-hop Es but this is more probable later in the season and it depends on some N.American 6m WSPR activity!

Unique 6m spots today - all locals and no DX today.

GDX on 6m

During the day a few more G stations have been spotted on 6m WSPR as well as the great DX to CN8 and 4X.

As well as lots of spots from G4IPZ I have been spotted by G4KPX, G0LRD (all locals) and earlier this afternoon by G1IDZ in IO82tc at a distance of 183km. G1IDZ is real GDX at a great range. I would expect this station also had a vertical antenna?

Israel on 6m - 3519km with 1W ERP

After earlier success on 6m QRP WSPR (1W ERP) with CN8LI imagine my delight to be spotted seven times this afternoon on 6m by 4X1RF (3519km). If Es, this is multi-hop but there were no reports from nearer in Europe, so it could be single hop F layer? Again, the antenna is the V2000 vertical fed with quite lossy coax. 6m - magic band!

4X1RF 6m WSPR reports - 1W ERP 3519km!

G4IPX was also copying me at just 14km.

Morocco on 6m

Just when about to give up (for now) I see my 1W ERP on 6m WSPR has been spotted in Morocco by CN8LI at a remarkable +2dB S/N at 1252z.. Distance is 2113km. I shall leave the 6m gear running! Propagation will have been Es.  For Es, a V2000 vertical is an effective omni antenna. Mine is fed by a length of  RG58 cable, not exactly low loss too! The FT817 is on the "3 blobs" setting as on 10m which is about 2.5W into the feeder.

CN8LI's 6m spot of me today at 1252z

On 6m again this morning

Conditions (tropo) are up on 2m today with the Kent 2m beacon measuring strongly on the FT817ND's S-meter. Usually, the S-meter does not even move. I don't know if tropo has as great an impact on 6m (I think not) but so far today just the usual good reports from G4IKZ (18km). Later, I hope to catch some sporadic-E (Es) propagation or even some GDX by 6m tropo, or more distant "semi-locals".

G4IKZ's first report was at 0648z when I first turned the rig and PC on today.  Reports vary by about 6dB but this could be G4IKZ rotating his beam rather than propagation. I'd be surprised if propagation varied by 6dB over such a short path. The other explanation is my local noise floor is increasing as the day goes on and more local appliances are activated? Another explanation is aircraft reflections from small planes over Cambridge? Maybe there is more activity today. That could explain the Doppler on my signals too.

Otherwise all very quiet  here so far at 1000z. It is a bit early in the day for Es which usually peaks around lunch and teatime unless the band is really humming.

Currently, I am not monitoring 10m, but the sunspot count is 130 and 20-30MHz propagation forecast to be "good", so HF should be good.

6m update

I have been on 6m WSPR since lunch time and have received 52 reports from G4IKZ 18km west of here. So far, no GDX copied, no other spots by UK stations and no sign of Es reports. I'll leave the kit running for a short while but will then close until after breakfast tomorrow.  Maybe tomorrow will bring some more interesting reports?

The G4IKZ reports have been very useful -they prove I am getting out OK and on frequency - but it would be good to receive a few more stations and to be spotted a bit further afield.

Quadcopter drones controlled by wi-fi

On my other blog I mentioned the latest small drones produced by Parrot.

The prices don't seem to have fallen as I had expected. See http://www.pixmania.co.uk/high-tech-gadgets/parrot-ar-drone-2-0-elite-edition-sand/21869578-a.html?ectrans=1&ef_id=U2AUYQAABW1F-nsq%3A20140515154655%3As&gclid=CMvR8aajrr4CFckBwwod_CsA5A&merch=1&srcid=11270 as an example. Prices seem to be £230 upwards.

For me, this is still far too expensive to consider, even though being able to "drive" it from an iPad is fun, as are the on-board cameras which look forwards and downwards. It is like being a real pilot. I saw one in use at a BBQ a few years ago and it was great fun. Even that one got lodged in a tree as I recall.

At those sorts of prices, I'd be far too worried about it getting stuck on a roof or in a tree and that would ruin the fun. Also, apart from the very latest lightweight designs, you'd have to be very careful near people, pets and vehicles.

On the Argos website quadcopters are available for around £55, but I've got no idea about the functionality of these.

Lightning and solar activity

Dr Steve Collins of Sheffield University has pointed me to this fascinating link on the BBC website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27406358 .   It shows  how solar activity and lightning are linked, possibly allowing a means of predicting future lightning activity.

6m WSPR

As it is the Es season, I have moved up to 6m WSPR, but so far only G4IKZ is spotting me at 18km.  I think Nick uses a 6m horizontal Moxon antenna yet, despite cross polarisation (I am using a V2000 tri-band vertical) he is giving me +4 to +7dB S/N.  I am hopeful of some Es and GDX later. As of 1540z 20 spots from G4IKZ, but nothing else seen. I have spotted no-one, near or far.

With the same antenna and feeder I have worked all over Europe, N Africa and even into the USA with real 6m QRP SSB or CW. With 1W ERP WSPR I should be able to reach all of these areas and more given WSPR activity and good Es conditions.

10m - less good today?

Yesterday 4X1RF had spotted me 14 times by this time whereas today he spotted me just once.It may be that he is concentrating on 6m instead or an indication of less good 10m propagation on 10m?  There is no other real DX around, at least not with me, so I think 10m propagation is poorer than on Wednesday.

Yesterday 4X1RF was spotting CN8LI at a distance of 3860km on 6m - a very good distance, probably multi-hop Es or even F2.

I may QSY to 6m later to pick up any Es around on that band. In previous years I've managed CN8LI on 6m with an ERP of around 1W..

10m long-path to Australia? Not here!

After monitoring 10m WSPR last evening/night for long-path propagation to Australia, I drew a blank. After the 10m band died to the USA mid-evening, only Europeans by Es and GDX copied here. No ZLs and no VKs copied. Others with better antennas may have been luckier. 4X1RF was spotting me at 0658z.

With a sunspot count of 162 and 20-30MHz forecast to be "normal" propagation today is anyone's guess!

Will 10m open long-path to Australia tonight?

I am carefully checking 10m WSPR this evening to see if the long-path to Australia (over the Pacific) opens, especially seeing how the band has been open to the USA and Canada for hours now.  My WSPR is running overnight, but if the band is to be open long-path I suspect it will be very soon. As I write this it is 2207z.

 UPDATE 2217z:   All quiet on 10m with my last USA spot at 2126z, nearly an hour ago. Being a band of surprises, anything can happen!

Optical article in June RadCom

June's RSGB RadCom carries my article, "Over the Horizon at 481THz" describing my non line-of-sight optical experiments last year. My poor health (stroke) has prevented me doing more with this in 2014. The article was written last year (2013) before my stroke.  Hopefully, a return to good health (by the autumn?) will allow me to continue this fascinating part of our hobby. At the moment I am just too clumsy.

Testing the optical RX

8.5km "over the horizon" NLOS by clear air scattering (in a cloudless night sky) was very straightforward with simple, low-cost optical gear that could be made for next to nothing.  Unlike microwaves, optical kit is very inexpensive and requires only very basic (audio frequency) test gear to set up. Optical alignment is critical and more stable tripods would have helped. 

What amazed me was that nothing was visible or audible at the RX yet the signal decoded and displayed perfectly with Spectran software on the PC.

If you get this magazine, I hope you enjoy the article.  Please let me have any feedback.

Malawi - 7QNL

See http://www.malawihf.org/

http://www.malawihf.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Zomba-Plateau-300x148.jpg

A DXpedition to Malawi is planned for late May/early June. Frequencies are shown on the website above. This is a DXpedition combined with a holiday, so don't expect "high intensity" activity. The callsign is very odd - 7QNL. Malawi prefix is usually 7Q7.

CW, RTTY and SSB activity is planned from 80m - 6m.

10m - USA/Canadian DX

During this afternoon on 10m I have been spotted, and spotted myself, by several different stateside stations (3 and 4 call areas in the USA) with best DX 6505km so far.  Interestingly, I have spotted just one South American station PY2RN (9550km) around 1200z and later.  It is interesting to see such an opening to the USA as we approach summer conditions.

There must be a reasonably good chance of long path propagation to the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia later this evening on 10m.

UPDATE 1720z:   Only European stations by Es on 10m in the last few hours.

UPDATE 1725z:     VE3PLE just spotted. First Canadian for a while on 10m.

UPDATE 1935z:    TI3/AB4AW (8752km) spotted twice in Central America (Costa Rica).

UPDATE 1955z:     In among all the DX, G7FYO copied at 162km with -4Hz Doppler, suggesting aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 2010z:    DX from the USA still very much in evidence on 10m. K3NAL spotted at -16dB S/N.

UPDATE 2126z:   K3NAL just spotted (again).

70cm contest results

Stations worked on 70cm from home with 5W/5el

Last evening I took part in the 70cm UKAC contest for the first 90 minutes, by which time my voice was well past it because of my stroke, so I stopped operating.

I was using 5W (FT817ND) to the little (lowish) 5 el yagi on the pole on the back of the bungalow at home (hand rotated). Conditions appeared flat with no lifts apparent.

Best DX was G8XVJ/P in the Peak District at 181km but I missed out on M0GHZ in IO81 square (he got part of my callsign but then lost me!) at 195km.  I was pleased to work M0CES/P in JO03AE (rare square) at 103km.

All QSOs were SSB.  I did hear PA and DL.  In all it was good fun. A pity my voice was so poor.

10m - early start today

Sunspot count is 138 and 20-30MHz conditions are forecast to be "good" today. 4X1RF was spotting me regularly from 0554z this morning (14 times so far to 1114z) and I even spotted OZ7IT as early as 02204z!  It certainly promises to be a good day on 10m. Let us see.

10m WSPR - no more DX seen (yet!)

Since mid-afternoon 10m seems to have fallen back and the DX (such as it was) has disappeared. 4X1RF and DK6UG have spotted me but no more South Americans, Central Americans or North Americans. Being 10m, everything can change in a few minutes!  If it does, you will find out here - I intend to remain WSPRing on 10m into the early evening, at least and whilst on 70cms.

UPDATE 1900z:  CX2ABP just spotted again, so 10m is still open to South America.

Critical Communications World (was TETRA World Congress) - Singapore May 20-22nd

Next week, 175 speakers will be in Singapore for Critical Communications World.

In my day, this was called the TETRA World Congress and it was a real chance for users to meet manufacturers and for manufacturers to showcase new products coming to market. These days I am rather out of touch and have little idea what is new in TETRA. Things don't seem to have developed dramatically since I stopped work 6 years ago.

70cm UKAC contest this evening

From 1900-2130z (from 8pm UK clock time) the 70cm UKAC contest is running.

Although I am not a great contest person, these are usually good sessions with plenty of activity, mostly SSB. It will be a good opportunity to try the little 5 element beam to see what I can work from home using it. Conditions should be close to "normal" which will be ideal.

So far I have only heard the PI7CIS 70cm beacon - no other stations or beacons. I missed the recent UHF contest at the weekend.  I was struggling with my voice in the 2m session last Tuesday, so may not stay on too long.  Let's hope I manage to work some reasonable distances.

10m quiet today - so far

10m WSPR is very quiet currently, with just 4X1RF (3519km) and 4X1DA (3597km) spotting me so far today. No South Americans  so far, even though the sunspot count is 164 and 20-30MHz propagation is forecast to be "good".  The band may well open up later to the Americas. It would be nice to see the 10m long path to Australia open up later (~20000km) as it did a few days ago. That was a total surprise.

UPDATE 1455z: Just  been spotted by EB3EPR (1248km) on 10pm WSPR. No great DX - another station probably via Es.

UPDATE 1500z: Just spotted WP4JT (6849km) in Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. He claims to be using 10mW and I gave him -12dB S/N report which is remarkable . I suspect this power level is an error and his actual power is much higher. Otherwise I'd expect to see many more stations from that general direction.  At 1536z he spotted my 2W at -6dB S/N.

UPDATE 1520z :  CX2ABP (11127km) was spotted, by me, nearly an hour ago. I missed that one. Classic 10m N-S propagation.

Things are warming up!

Lack of youngsters in the hobby and the growing RF engineer shortage

See  http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2014/may/where_are_the_under_25s.htm#.U3Ey1rGZiSo
for an interesting piece about the lack of young people in our hobby.

The original article appeared in Essex Ham.

See also http://youtu.be/6UFP158SJbY .

Having given talks to several East Anglian radio clubs I can agree this is a serious issue.  Most in amateur radio in the UK are in the older generation. It is right these people should be enjoying our hobby, but youth and youngsters are essential for its healthy future. We need to find new ways to bring them in and keep them interested.

Years ago, an amateur radio "ticket" was the only passport to a means of talking around the world. Today, with smart phones and the internet, talking world-wide no longer holds the same fascination for young people as it once did. To me, radio is still magic, but this is not the case for most young people.

Also note how many radio magazines there are on shop shelves compared with those about computers. We are in danger of facing a future without RF engineers in the UK. This is even more serious than the lack of youngsters in our hobby. The two are very much linked: if we want future RF engineers we need to grow young, keen, radio amateurs - the future is ours to influence! I never did understand why radio seems to be (mainly) a male interest.  Odd.

mcHF transceiver

Graham G8NWC has brought this QRP transceiver (the mcHF) to my attention.

See http://www.m0nka.co.uk/ .  It is described as a small and inexpensive homebrew HF transceiver.  Features (as listed on Chris M0NKA's website):

• Standalone and compact embedded transceiver
• Operates on USB, LSB, AM and CW
• Large 2.8 inch color LCD
• Four encoders and 17 buttons for easier operation
• Fast and fully electronic RX/TX switching
• Two USB ports – for PC control and external keyboard
• Two temperature compensated oscillators/clocks makes it ideal for digital modes
• Four digital filters – 1.8kHz, 2.6kHz, 3.6kHz and 10kHz
• Built in Iambic Keyer that supports Mode A and Mode B
• Large 48kHz spectrum display

Ten-Tec and Alpha Amplifiers merge (RF Concepts)

Apparently Alpha Amplifiers and Ten-Tec have merged creating a multi-million-dollar company with products that span QRP transceivers to full-legal-limit amplifiers.

Alpha Amplifiers has been building amplifiers since the early 1970s. Alpha Amplifiers are considered "the finest line of linear amplifiers in the world" (their words). Ten-Tec started in 1968 and mainly design and make transceivers. Both are world famous.

Sounds to me like the merger was needed to keep both companies afloat? Of course I may be totally wrong and both companies may be financially secure.

But, times are hard for manufacturers in the amateur radio world. This will become even more critical when the Chinese start really addressing the amateur market. Up to now, the Chinese have been "playing around in the wings".

QRP rigs

See http://www.vanyi.net/homemade/homebrew-hf-ssb-transceivers/ .

This page has a nice collection of links to a range of (mainly) homebrew QRP transceivers for various bands. Well worth a visit and good browse.

Amateur balloons

This is a branch of amateur radio with a very dedicated following. Amateurs launch small balloons with lightweight payloads which are tracked with telemetry on the 70cm band.  Some fall back to earth quickly, whereas others manage to cover vast distances.  Some payloads include small cameras.

See the Southgate News Page and
http://www.kf4l.org/pigs/qrp_radio_and_balloon_held_hosta.html  and
http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/students-space-probe-snaps-isle-of-wight-from-above-57443.asp

Recovery is by no means assured so ballooners have to be prepared to lose the lightweight payloads, so they tend to be low in cost as well as light in weight. It has become a sub-set of the hobby with very keen people making some quite amazing payloads. Another group enjoy tracking the ballonns.

Recently, a balloon went all the way from the UK to Japan.

Chinese transceivers - a wake-up call?

The English manual for the  KN-Q10 QRP radio kit from China is now available. See http://www.qsl.net/bd6cr/knq10manual.pdf .

It seems like more and more of these kits/rigs are starting to appear from China at very competitive prices. Most seem (to my eyes) to be immature (amateur looking) designs and it could be a few years yet before we see real competition to the likes of Yaesu and Icom. Up to now these Chinese radios look like "back shed" designs unlike the mature, professional jobs from Japan.

But mature Chinese designs are coming!  Be in no doubt.  When it happens big-time it will be a bombshell to the Japanese manufacturers: expect real price competition, leading to offshore, lower cost, assembly by Yaesu and Icom. Expect to see the FT817 back at £350 (or less) next year or the year after.

[Incidentally, every blog and Facebook entry seems to need at least one correction. I am assuming this is not my keyboard but because of my stroke. I am not a good typist and have to look at the keyboard, more so now than I recall in the past. I keep putting the letter "i" where it should be "u" and missing out the odd letter. I also seem to have lots of "n" letters where they should not be. My apologies if you see errors.]

Back on the air (10m and 2m)

10m WSPR (so far this morning) is just EU stations via Es. My only report, so far, is from SM6WZI  (1007km) who has spotted my 2W several times. I have spotted, several more stations too.

On 2m, GB3NGI (N.Ireland beacon) is currently just above the noise keying away at around 530km by tropo.

UPDATE 0924z:   4X1RF has just spotted me on 10m WSPR. Sunspot count 161 (good) but 20-30MHz conditions described only as "fair".

UPDATE 1105z:  4X1RF has spotted me 8 times so far today. Still no DX from further east though (well not here).

UPDATE 1150z: CX2ABP (11127km)  just spotted. 10m opening to South America.

UPDATE 1450z:  CX2ABP spotted 5 times now. Opening to South America looks reasonable this afternoon. But no South American has spotted me yet today.

UPDATE 1712z:  CX2ABP (5W) has been spotted by me several times today, but I guess my lower power (2W ish) is enough to put my signal in "the crud" of Monte Video as he has not spotted me once yet. Maybe later? Also, no other South Americans seen here.

UPDATE 1815z:  CX2ABP has spotted my 2W for the first time today at 1812z. It was a long time coming! Reports differed by around 3dB which is right for the power difference.

UPDATE 2030z  :  I4ZTO spotted me. Es propagation must be responsible for this strong (-7dB S/N) spot of my 2W at 2018z.

Non-radio day

For the first time since my stroke last September I ventured out of the county (Newmarket and Bury-St-Edmunds, Suffolk excepted), with my wife, to visit my son and family who live near Canterbury, Kent.

So today was a non-radio day:  no WSPR,  no 2m or 70cm beacon monitoring, no 472kHz. Yesterday the antennas were taking quite a battering from the wind.  I shall be on-air again Monday AM.

With the grandchildren in Kent today

As I cannot drive (currently, as a result of the stroke) we did a day return by train. It was seamless and travel in both directions was fast. We had from 12-4pm with our son and family and about the same time in travel on fast trains, especially in Kent.  It was a lovely day out.

Now we have done it once we may well do it again. Being a Sunday, parking at Cambridge station was easy and cheap. Our son picked us up at Canterbury West station. There were no delays because of engineering works.

Booking in advance, via http://www.thetrainline.com/, and using our Seniour Railcards, the fares were reasonable too.

10m - closing down

After a distinctly average day (so far at least) I am closing the 10m station down shorty. A brief opening to South America (PY2RN, Brazil) was the only highlight.  Others included 4X1RF and 4X1DA, Europeans on Es and local Gs.

On 2m the GB3NGI Northern Ireland beacon was present before lunch but was inaudible this evening in wet and windy conditions. I think this beacon is marginal: sometimes it is above the noise and other times just below.

What does my stroke feel like - inside?

People who see me say, "you do look well" and similar.  I have then to explain how I feel on the inside.

Outwardly I do look pretty good: I have put back lost weight, got colour back in my cheeks and am looking more and more like my "old" self.  Inside it is (still) a very different story. The best way to describe how I feel is by saying I feel wobbly all the time when walking - like I have had 8 pints of beer -  always giddy and unsteady when on the move. Any physical exertion, like a tiny bit of gardening, leaves me shattered and in need of a sit-down and rest. I also feel near constant, low level, nausea in my stomach and gut.

Overall, I am making progress but this is too slow: I desperately want to be "normal" again . At present, it seems 3 steps forwards and 2 backwards. I should be off the stomach (via peg) liquid feed by June/July and already the amount through the peg is vastly reduced compared with when I first came out of hospital. I think my giddiness and sickness/nausea are slowly improving. I am eating more by mouth.

So, I may look OK but inside I still feel rough at the moment. Normality is a way off yet still, sadly. Thankfully I sleep very well: when I drop off it is (usually) a long and good quality sleep. Sleep is the only time in the day I feel properly OK. The rest of the time is still a struggle.

Amateur radio remains a Godsend. I tend to use WSPR as I don't have to speak and can monitor progress from the lounge if I want. I am also enjoying beacon hunting on 2m and 70cm with the new small beam. Using SSB in the 2m UKAC last Tuesday evening was a struggle, as is speaking on the local Monday 2m FM net. My voice is still poor and I get breathless. I have appreciated visits from friends and the help of Andrew G6ALB with antennas.

The days are long and I miss not driving currently. With hard work, things will get back to normal again. I have no limb paralysis, hearing and sight are fine, my intellect is intact, so really I have a lot to be grateful for compared with many. The fact I have a good prospect of a full recovery keeps me going.

10m- only average today?

So far today it has been the usual reports from 4X1RF, a few Europeans and a local copying me, all on WSPR.  Just now PY2RN has spotted me so may be conditions will open to South America this afternoon and even North America later?

Sunspot count is 123 and the 20-30MHz forecast is "good".  Up to now conditions seem very average. Earlier there was a ZS1 and a VK6 coming through on JT65, although not worked, on 10m.

10m coming to life - late

After a pretty quiet day on the 10m band,  I have just exchanged strong WSPR reports with PY2RN (Brazil). It looks like the band has suddenly woken up. This is 10m and this sort of thing does happen. Judging by the drift I'd say TEP mode.

UPDATE 2050z:   Only decent DX has been PY2RN.  Several recent spots from GM4WJA (624km) in mid-Scotland, an odd distance really and I am still unsure of the mode as too close (?) for F layer and too regular for Es?

Cornish 2m beacon GB3MCB

I have still to copy this beacon on my FT817ND and 3el from a decent site!  Beam heading is right, so I guess it must be too weak to copy except in lifts. I could copy GB3CTC years ago, weakly but 100% of the time, from a poorer site in this village on a 5el with more lossy coax.  Is GB3MCB much weaker in East Anglia or is it me? I am listening on 144.4690MHz with a 250Hz filter, so very surprised not to have had even a brief ping to ID it by. Is the beacon GPS locked? Is the 2m beacon transmitting even? I am beginning to think it is off-air.

By contrast GB3NGI (further away in N.Ireland) is nearly copyable all the time.

Good start on 10m today - disappointment later

Sunspot count 124 and 20-30MHz conditions supposed to be only "fair" so not expecting great things today.

10m WSPR 9.5.14 early morning

However, HS1EAX (9858km) was spotted on WSPR at 0902z and 4X1RF spotting me at good strength, so things are promising to the east.  Let us see how the remainder of the day develops. This 10m , so conditions can rapidly change.

UPDATE 1647z:   Well,, it looks like HS1EAX was the only excitement here on 10m today, with just 4X1RF, 4X1DA and European stations in evidence otherwise.  So far, disappointment.

UPDATE 1800z: Conditions 20-30MHz now shown as "good". Perhaps things on 10m will get better tonight?

UPDATE 1915z: Very strong signal from PY2RN (9550km) suggesting TEP.

Small 2m beam or a pair of stacked big wheels?

At the moment I am enjoying 2m and 70cm horizontal using a small yagi with 3 elements on 2m and 5 elements on 70cm. Both sets of elements are on the same boom and fed with a single 17m length of Westflex low-loss coax. Last Tuesday was the first chance to try the beam in a 2m contest. Although I have still to try the beam in a 70cm contest, I am wondering about 2 stacked big-wheels just for 2m.

A pair of big wheels are reported to have a horizontal gain of around 5dBd, which is comparable to the gain of my 3el beam, but without the necessity to rotate the antenna. In a 2m UKAC contest this arrangement may well be better? With the beam I was constantly wanting to adjust the beam direction. On my little halo (and big-wheel) I'd  have no choice.

For now, I shall stick with the dual-band beam, but I would be interested to hear your views on big wheels as gainy 2m horizontal antennas. I could probably mount the big-wheels slightly higher too.

Unlike many, I am not so keen that I want huge beams and high power. My interests are beacon hunting and casual contesting. In the last UKAC 2m contest I ran 5W.

10m today - a washout?

Apart from multiple reports from 4X1RF and a scattering of European reports, today, so far, conditions have been worse today than I can recall in a very long time. This is 10m and things can quickly change but the most probable summary for 10m today is a WASHOUT!

Yesterday was generally better, but far from brilliant.  I think we are being reminded that we are approaching summertime when 10m conditions fall off. N-S conditions may still be reasonable, but E-W openings will be rare.