11 May 2015
Sunspots and 10m - May 11th 2015
Although conditions are more disturbed today, sunspot number is virtually unchanged at 134 (K=4). 10m propagation is expected to be just "fair".
10 May 2015
Tenbox 10m AM transceiver
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/tenbox
This very simple 10m AM transceiver is based on the Fredbox and Sixbox transceivers. This is designed for local communications and NOT DX. Although the RX and TX have been breadboarded, illness has prevented the project being boxed. It would benefit from a 10dB TX linear and a RX LS amp such as an LM386 stage. More details on my main website.
This very simple 10m AM transceiver is based on the Fredbox and Sixbox transceivers. This is designed for local communications and NOT DX. Although the RX and TX have been breadboarded, illness has prevented the project being boxed. It would benefit from a 10dB TX linear and a RX LS amp such as an LM386 stage. More details on my main website.
Sunspots and 10m - May 10th 2015
Sunspot number is 136 today (K=3) and 10m propagation "good" again.
9 May 2015
Well, that was a surprise - NOT amateur radio
With all the UK General Election results in we have a majority government with no coalitions needed. All opposition has been crushed with leaderships up for grabs in all opposition parties apart from the SNP. Honestly this was a total surprise to most if, if not all, of us.
Sunspots and 10m - May 9th 2015
Sunspot number has climbed to 135 and for once 10m propagation is forecast to be "good" for the first time in weeks.
7 May 2015
UK General Election - NOT amateur radio
Please, if you have not done so already and you are in the UK, get out and vote. We live in a free country and this is our democratic right. The MP we choose, irrespective of party politics, represents us. Although I have not voted for his party for over 40 years, our local MP and his team have always researched my questions and got back to me with a considered reply.
The result of the UK General Election is too close to call and I expect we will be ruled by another coalition government, although it could be some weeks before we know the mix and flavour.
The result of the UK General Election is too close to call and I expect we will be ruled by another coalition government, although it could be some weeks before we know the mix and flavour.
Shortwave Interval Signals
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/interval .
For a touch of pure nostalgia try the link above. Like many, my first experience with short wave was as an SWL, listening on a simple receiver to some of these broadcasters. Many were trying to indoctrinate me whereas all I was really interested in was a QSL card! I recall some great gifts from China! I heard some impressive DX back in the 1960s.
Of course radio amateur DXing came later and radio amateurs ran considerably less power. These days I regularly copy stations running less than 5W from the other side of the planet, but I can still recall the thrill of hearing a 5kW broadcaster in the Windward Islands and copying Radio Australia on a crystal set - all the way from Australia too!
For a touch of pure nostalgia try the link above. Like many, my first experience with short wave was as an SWL, listening on a simple receiver to some of these broadcasters. Many were trying to indoctrinate me whereas all I was really interested in was a QSL card! I recall some great gifts from China! I heard some impressive DX back in the 1960s.
Of course radio amateur DXing came later and radio amateurs ran considerably less power. These days I regularly copy stations running less than 5W from the other side of the planet, but I can still recall the thrill of hearing a 5kW broadcaster in the Windward Islands and copying Radio Australia on a crystal set - all the way from Australia too!
10m WSPR - such a poor day!
Apart from locals G4IKZ and G4KPX the only other station to spot my 10m WSPR today was LB9YE (1533km)in JP54pu (Norway), I presume by Es. This is, so far at least, one of the worst 10m days that I can recall in recent years. Not even EA8BVP has been copying me, if indeed he has been active.
UPDATE 1635z: EA8BVP (2986km) has just spotted me at -20dB S/N. Maybe I spoke too soon?
UPDATE 1820z: No, with just a couple of spots by EA8BVP and little else this is "a bad hair day" on 10m WSPR. Certainly the worst for a long time.
UPDATE 1915z: Still no sign of DX stations. Just 2 spots by EA8BVP, one by LB9YE and spots by locals. Will give it a few more hours then QRT on both 10m and 6m. May watch the election results for the first hour or so.
UPDATE 1635z: EA8BVP (2986km) has just spotted me at -20dB S/N. Maybe I spoke too soon?
UPDATE 1820z: No, with just a couple of spots by EA8BVP and little else this is "a bad hair day" on 10m WSPR. Certainly the worst for a long time.
UPDATE 1915z: Still no sign of DX stations. Just 2 spots by EA8BVP, one by LB9YE and spots by locals. Will give it a few more hours then QRT on both 10m and 6m. May watch the election results for the first hour or so.
6m WSPR - just Gs
So far today, quite a few spots given and received on 6m WSPR, but sadly they are all from UK stations. No signs of 6m Es so far today. These are the unique spots on 6m today. Most stations have been spotted many times.
 |
| 6m WSPR uniques today so far. No great DX! |
6m WSPR this morning
As yet, there has been very little evidence of 6m Es on WSPR this Es season here. Perhaps a couple of stations spotting me or being spotted by me so far. Like last summer, results on WSPR have been disappointing so far. I shall stick with it most days just to see what happens.
New this morning, by aircraft reflection, was G8EPQ (77km) who has been spotted several times. Doppler has been quite high on occasions. Although this could be warm-up drift on a purely tropo path, I think that multiple aircraft reflections are more probable. There was 4Hz drift evident nearly an hour after first spotting him - aircraft surely?
New this morning, by aircraft reflection, was G8EPQ (77km) who has been spotted several times. Doppler has been quite high on occasions. Although this could be warm-up drift on a purely tropo path, I think that multiple aircraft reflections are more probable. There was 4Hz drift evident nearly an hour after first spotting him - aircraft surely?
Sunspots and 10m - May 7th 2015
Sunspot number is 85 - still quite high (K=1) and 10m propagation is expected to remain "fair" today.
UPDATE 0914z: So far on 10m WSPR just spots from locals G4IKZ (18km) and G4KPX (14km). No DX spots yet on the band.
UPDATE 0914z: So far on 10m WSPR just spots from locals G4IKZ (18km) and G4KPX (14km). No DX spots yet on the band.
6 May 2015
10m antennas
As you will have noticed by now, 10m is one of my favourite bands. Although quiet at many times in the solar cycle it always comes to life with Es from late April until September. Alert 10m operators will sniff out Es at other times too, but there may be long periods of noise, as on 6m. WSPR is an ideal mode when the band may otherwise seem quiet. It is good for local nattering at any time and F2 N-S DX is often there even at solar minima. Antennas for the band are small and easy to make such as the design on my website for a 10m halo. See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/ .
A video of K7AGE making a dipole for 10m is available at YouTube. See https://youtu.be/84F4UgSWmQo. In this video, Randy is making a dipole for the USA technician's band, so to cover the main SSB band (28.4 to 28.6MHz) you will need to make the wire slightly shorter. In my experience if you cut the wires for the centre of the band it will still have a pretty low SWR at the band edges. Even a very simple ATU will bring the SWR down to 1:1, although unless your rig has a problem with a mismatch of around 1.8:1, I would not bother, as the difference in radiated power is negligible (fraction of an S-point).
Because of the short wavelength, 10m antennas don't have to be that high to be effective. When the band is in good shape, worldwide DX can be had with simple wire antennas and low power. It is a rewarding band. What is more, 10m multi-mode transceivers can be bought at low cost. In summary, 10m is unique: low cost transceivers, simple antennas and good DX potential.
A video of K7AGE making a dipole for 10m is available at YouTube. See https://youtu.be/84F4UgSWmQo. In this video, Randy is making a dipole for the USA technician's band, so to cover the main SSB band (28.4 to 28.6MHz) you will need to make the wire slightly shorter. In my experience if you cut the wires for the centre of the band it will still have a pretty low SWR at the band edges. Even a very simple ATU will bring the SWR down to 1:1, although unless your rig has a problem with a mismatch of around 1.8:1, I would not bother, as the difference in radiated power is negligible (fraction of an S-point).
Because of the short wavelength, 10m antennas don't have to be that high to be effective. When the band is in good shape, worldwide DX can be had with simple wire antennas and low power. It is a rewarding band. What is more, 10m multi-mode transceivers can be bought at low cost. In summary, 10m is unique: low cost transceivers, simple antennas and good DX potential.
Es on 10m and 6m
EA1KV (1304km) was spotting my 500mW WSPR at lunchtime on 10m and DL1KAI (645km) was spotted very early this morning on 6m WSPR. Both of these were Es I believe.
Still waiting for some Es outside of Europe on 6m WSPR. Guess I have to be patient.
UPDATE 1325z: M0YOU (116km) has been spotted strongly on 6m WSPR but with a lot of Doppler suggesting aircraft reflection. G3ZJO (79km) has also been spotted on 6m WSPR.
UPDATE 2208z: More 10m Es with I4ZTO (1185km) spotting me earlier, but no sign of spots by USA stations again.
Still waiting for some Es outside of Europe on 6m WSPR. Guess I have to be patient.
UPDATE 1325z: M0YOU (116km) has been spotted strongly on 6m WSPR but with a lot of Doppler suggesting aircraft reflection. G3ZJO (79km) has also been spotted on 6m WSPR.
UPDATE 2208z: More 10m Es with I4ZTO (1185km) spotting me earlier, but no sign of spots by USA stations again.
Belcom LS-707 70cm multi-mode rig
A radio amateur in Nottingham,Vic G0RVA, recently bought one of these Belcom rigs. It appears to be an all-mode 70cm rig, although I am not familiar with this unit.
I know Belcom did a 2m version (the famous Liner-2, which I did once own) and a similar version for 70cm. The Liner-2 was a modification of their 10m version, which I don't think was ever sold in the UK. Inside Vic's rig was what looked like a canned preamp with the marking "AngleLinear" but again I am not familiar with this unit. Angle Linear appear to be based in the USA http://anglelinear.com/ .
In its day, the 2m Liner-2 transformed 2m. It was a synthesised SSB rig and was frequently pushed too hard so that splatter was a problem. I was amazed how far I could work on 2m SSB with 10W pep. From Cambridge I could work stations that would have been impossible on FM or AM. I found I could work 200-300km with a simple antenna under ANY conditions.
Many were critical of these early Belcom transceivers, but I enjoyed my Liner-2 as did many others. Later I bought an ICOM IC202 which was a better radio, but with less ERP. The IC202 had a mock military style, that really was not too clever.
The "coming of age" of 2m SSB marked the change from "tuning high to low" to single frequency working. Sadly, there is far less activity on 2m SSB outside of contests so people think VHF is only really any good for local QSOs. With 10W SSB, or even less, it is possible to work a long way on VHF irrespective of conditions. From my current QTH, I think 200km is reachable with 5W pep and a 3 el beam on 2m. It is not that different on 70cm where I use 5W pep and a 5 el beam. Both my beams are hand rotated.
I know Belcom did a 2m version (the famous Liner-2, which I did once own) and a similar version for 70cm. The Liner-2 was a modification of their 10m version, which I don't think was ever sold in the UK. Inside Vic's rig was what looked like a canned preamp with the marking "AngleLinear" but again I am not familiar with this unit. Angle Linear appear to be based in the USA http://anglelinear.com/ .
In its day, the 2m Liner-2 transformed 2m. It was a synthesised SSB rig and was frequently pushed too hard so that splatter was a problem. I was amazed how far I could work on 2m SSB with 10W pep. From Cambridge I could work stations that would have been impossible on FM or AM. I found I could work 200-300km with a simple antenna under ANY conditions.
Many were critical of these early Belcom transceivers, but I enjoyed my Liner-2 as did many others. Later I bought an ICOM IC202 which was a better radio, but with less ERP. The IC202 had a mock military style, that really was not too clever.
The "coming of age" of 2m SSB marked the change from "tuning high to low" to single frequency working. Sadly, there is far less activity on 2m SSB outside of contests so people think VHF is only really any good for local QSOs. With 10W SSB, or even less, it is possible to work a long way on VHF irrespective of conditions. From my current QTH, I think 200km is reachable with 5W pep and a 3 el beam on 2m. It is not that different on 70cm where I use 5W pep and a 5 el beam. Both my beams are hand rotated.
Sunspots and 10m - May 6th 2015
Sunspot number has climbed back up to 99 (K=3) today and 10m is expected to be "fair".
So far, just EA8BVP (2986km) who has been spotting my 500mW all morning and local G4IKZ (18km). No real DX to report as yet. Whenever EA8BVP is active he seems to copy me on 10m.
So far, just EA8BVP (2986km) who has been spotting my 500mW all morning and local G4IKZ (18km). No real DX to report as yet. Whenever EA8BVP is active he seems to copy me on 10m.
5 May 2015
Churches blog updated - NOT amateur radio
See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/.The East Anglian Churches blog has been updated to include Exning, St Martin, church which dates back to the 1100s.
Exning is older than nearby Newmarket which is world famous as the home of horse racing. Exning is about 2 miles from us and Newmarket about 4 miles away from us.
We do most of our food shopping in Newmarket as it is the nearest main town with the main supermarkets like Waitrose, Asda and Tesco. There is also an M&S.
Amateur radio as a gateway to a career in engineering?
See http://www.kb6nu.com/is-amateur-radio-still-a-gateway-to-electrical-engineering/ .
At one time, amateur radio was a good gateway into an engineering career, but I have real doubts this is true today. In my younger days, when I started as a professional radio engineer nearly everyone who was any good was a radio amateur. When I left 7 years ago, I was the only person doing any amateur radio building over my lunch break. The magic is no longer there. In fact people are embarrassed to admit they are radio amateurs. We need to find what connects with the younger generation or the future of our hobby is at great risk.
I think I have mentioned on my blog before that when interviewing potential RF design engineers with good honours degrees I was appalled to find that most knew nothing about radio. I knew more as a schoolboy. This is a sad indictment of our times. It was not that I was good (I was not) but the quality of good engineers was not there any more. There was little intrinsic interest in radio - if it was in the course they might know about it. As youngsters, we were excited about radio! Where is that spark today?
At one time, amateur radio was a good gateway into an engineering career, but I have real doubts this is true today. In my younger days, when I started as a professional radio engineer nearly everyone who was any good was a radio amateur. When I left 7 years ago, I was the only person doing any amateur radio building over my lunch break. The magic is no longer there. In fact people are embarrassed to admit they are radio amateurs. We need to find what connects with the younger generation or the future of our hobby is at great risk.
I think I have mentioned on my blog before that when interviewing potential RF design engineers with good honours degrees I was appalled to find that most knew nothing about radio. I knew more as a schoolboy. This is a sad indictment of our times. It was not that I was good (I was not) but the quality of good engineers was not there any more. There was little intrinsic interest in radio - if it was in the course they might know about it. As youngsters, we were excited about radio! Where is that spark today?
Heathkit coming back?
There are rumours suggesting that Heathkit is being resurrected and may yet again sell kits. I sincerely hope this is correct as Heath made some of the very best kits in its time. When it stopped selling amateur radio kits it left a big hole.
In my time I owned the HW8 (15, 20, 40 and 80m QRP CW transceiver), plus an Electronics Workshop when I was first interested in radio way back in the early 1960s. The Electronics Workshop enabled me to do some Medium Wave broadcast DXing around Christmas 1961) and some decent DX was worked with the HW8 in the late 1970s.
Although the Heathkit website (www.heathkit.com) worked yesterday it does not appear to work today, at least not when I tried. Http:/heathkit.com does work. It does not like the www. Try deleting this if it appears in your browser.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathkit .
See also http://www.amateurradio.com/heathkit-2/ - post by Neil W2NDG.
See http://stores.ebay.com/datapro/_i.html?rt=nc&LH_BIN=1
In my time I owned the HW8 (15, 20, 40 and 80m QRP CW transceiver), plus an Electronics Workshop when I was first interested in radio way back in the early 1960s. The Electronics Workshop enabled me to do some Medium Wave broadcast DXing around Christmas 1961) and some decent DX was worked with the HW8 in the late 1970s.
Although the Heathkit website (www.heathkit.com) worked yesterday it does not appear to work today, at least not when I tried. Http:/heathkit.com does work. It does not like the www. Try deleting this if it appears in your browser.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heathkit .
See also http://www.amateurradio.com/heathkit-2/ - post by Neil W2NDG.
See http://stores.ebay.com/datapro/_i.html?rt=nc&LH_BIN=1
QRP Kits reopens
That font of all knowledge Steve G1KQH reports:
"Hendricks QRP Kits http://www.qrpkits.com has re-opened for business under its new proprietors, James Bennett and Kathy Long of Pacific Antenna. James writes:
"We are excited to resume operations as of May 1 providing Hendricks QRP Kits and in the very near future, we will be bringing back the entire Pacific Antenna line of antenna kits and parts. We very much appreciate the patience that has been shown as we worked through this transition and we look forward to serving the QRP community. 73 James and Kathy"
6m WSPR - very quiet
Apart from a spot yesterday evening at 2002z from G6AVK (78km), 6m WSPR has been very quiet here. I am still using an ERP of around 1W from my V2000 vertical. This should reach most DX stations on WSPR. No GDX spotted, or spotting me, overnight. I'll stick with the band today in the hope of some Es later.
UPDATE 1110z: I spotted 2E0BMG (62km) several times this morning. Doppler suggests aircraft reflections were involved. Judging by the Doppler, I think aircraft were involved.
UPDATE 1820z: G4FGJ (44km) has been exchanging 6m WSPR spots with me around teatime.
UPDATE 1110z: I spotted 2E0BMG (62km) several times this morning. Doppler suggests aircraft reflections were involved. Judging by the Doppler, I think aircraft were involved.
UPDATE 1820z: G4FGJ (44km) has been exchanging 6m WSPR spots with me around teatime.
472kHz transverter
Over the winter I have been using my simple, small transverter for the 630m band on WSPR with my earth-electrode "antenna". It has been widely copied with best DX on TX being over 1000km. 630m is an interesting band.See my website for more details: http://www.g3xbm.co.uk (lots of QRP stuff) and specifically https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/472khz_tvtr.
Sunspots and 10m - May 5th 2015
Sunspot number has rebounded to 85 (K=1) and the forecast for 10m is "fair". Things just might be a little better on 10m today? Well will know later.
UPDATE 0900z: So far only locals G4IKZ (18km) and G4KPX (14km) spotting my 10m beacon, but it is still very early.
UPDATE 1316z: Some 10m Es in evidence with OE6PWD (1232km) spotting me around lunchtime. No sign of any real DX yet.
UPDATE 1442z: EA8BVP (2986km) has yet again started to spot me. I have totally lost count how many days he has spotted me on 10m, but it is a lot.
UPDATE 1552z: EA8BVP continues to spot me lots of times, but still no sign of any "real" DX today on 10m WSPR. No North or South Americans.
UPDATE 2150z: No sign of any spots from the USA.
UPDATE 0900z: So far only locals G4IKZ (18km) and G4KPX (14km) spotting my 10m beacon, but it is still very early.
UPDATE 1316z: Some 10m Es in evidence with OE6PWD (1232km) spotting me around lunchtime. No sign of any real DX yet.
UPDATE 1442z: EA8BVP (2986km) has yet again started to spot me. I have totally lost count how many days he has spotted me on 10m, but it is a lot.
UPDATE 1552z: EA8BVP continues to spot me lots of times, but still no sign of any "real" DX today on 10m WSPR. No North or South Americans.
UPDATE 2150z: No sign of any spots from the USA.
4 May 2015
Cuckoo - NOT amateur radio
We visited West Stow today with 2 of our young grandchildren. This is a reconstructed Anglo-Saxon village. We heard a goldcrest and the first cuckoo whilst there, but saw neither. A cuckoo is a sign if the return of spring. I have yet to see house martins or swifts and have only seen 2 swallows so far this spring.
6m - only just gone on
I have not been on 6m WSPR most of the day. In fact I have only just gone on after our regular 2m sked in East Cambridgeshire on 144.575MHz FM.
At this late time I only expect to get spotted (or to spot) GDX stations off aircraft, or locals. I have been on 10m all day TX only. On 6m I expect I will have missed any Es that may have been around. It was my error that the 6m kit was off. I had not planned to be off 6m.
UPDATE 1938z: No spots given or received on 6m so far this evening.
At this late time I only expect to get spotted (or to spot) GDX stations off aircraft, or locals. I have been on 10m all day TX only. On 6m I expect I will have missed any Es that may have been around. It was my error that the 6m kit was off. I had not planned to be off 6m.
UPDATE 1938z: No spots given or received on 6m so far this evening.
USA 10m WSPR spots - none today,so far
Mainly locals and EA8BVP (2986km) spotting me today on 10m WSPR. A slight Es opening to Italy but, so far at least, no sign of any 10m WSPR spots from the USA yet again today.
Fredbox - 2m transceiver
Some years ago, I rebuilt the transceiver and had some decent QSOs yet again.
As with the Sixbox, I would suggest the design is taken as a springboard for your own version. It is certainly ripe for further development.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/fredbox .
Sunspots and 10m - May 4th 2015
With a sunspot number of 25 (K=3) and 10m expected to be "poor" we cannot expect great things on 10m today.
3 May 2015
6m Es
| GM4FVM (428km) spotted me on 6m Es at 1112z this morning. He must be monitoring several bands as this was the same time as the Es spot on 10m. This is the first Es I have experienced on 6m this season. Apart from the GM, M0MVB (30km) spotted me a few times this morning. Otherwise very quiet on the 6m band, at least as far as WSPR was concerned. Last Es season 4X1RF and a CN8LI appeared in the logs several times. Not yet this season! I am hoping that the Atlantic will be spanned on WSPR this season on 6m. I've done it on CW before with the same ERP, so WSPR should be easier as long as there are active stations on WSPR. Last Es season there were far too few stations active on 6m WSPR. |
GM by 10m Es
GM4FVM (428km) was perhaps the most interesting spot of me today at 1112z. This was quite short skip and almost certainly Es. Apart from EA8BVP (29886km) who spots me just about every day on 10m WSPR it has been very quiet with no other F2 in evidence. Certainly no signs, so far, of USA stations spotting me.
Over the months I notice that my nominal 10m frequency has lowered. I guess this is the reference aging. It means some of the randomised transmissions are just LF of the WSPR window. At some point I need to reset the 10m slightly higher. Not a major issue.
Over the months I notice that my nominal 10m frequency has lowered. I guess this is the reference aging. It means some of the randomised transmissions are just LF of the WSPR window. At some point I need to reset the 10m slightly higher. Not a major issue.
Sunspots and 10m - May 3rd 2015
Sunspot number is 25 today (K=3) and 10m propagation is forecast to be "fair". Not quite sure what 10m will be like today. So far just locals spotting me today, although Es will no doubt liven things up a bit.
2 May 2015
Grandchildren - NOT amateur radio
We have 2 of our 4 little grandchildren staying (on their own) for a couple of nights, so amateur radio takes a back seat until Monday evening. We love them all to bits and want to make their young days with us happy and memorable ones.
No 10m USA WSPR spots today?
It is currently 2046z and, so far at least, no sign of any 10m WSPR spots by stations in the USA. EA8BVP (2986km) has been spotting me yet again this evening. This path seems to be open just about every day.
UPDATE 2050z: 6m has been quiet again apart from 3 spots of M0YOU (116km) via plane reflections. Signals were quite strong, as if often the case with aircraft reflections. Nobody spotted me.
UPDATE 2050z: 6m has been quiet again apart from 3 spots of M0YOU (116km) via plane reflections. Signals were quite strong, as if often the case with aircraft reflections. Nobody spotted me.
Sixbox QRP rig for 6m
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| Sixbox 6m AM rig - a simple design |
Treat the design as a starting point. A 10m version of the RX has copied transatlantic USA AM stations well, but this is NOT a rig for DX use. It is better suited to cross-town/inter-village natters.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/sixbox .
10m early Es
IZ6QZB (1475km) has spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR a couple of times already this morning. This is quite early as it is only 1005z. Otherwise pretty quiet with lots of spots by local G4IKZ (18km) and 1 spot overnight by G4CUI (172km), the latter presumably off aircraft in the very early hours.
UPDATE 1010z: Yesterday there were no 10m spots by USA stations. With worse conditions expected today, I doubt I'll be spotted by USA stations on 10m today either.
UPDATE 1234z: No F2 spots on 10m WSPR this morning and no lunchtime Es spots of me. In fact just the 2 spots by IZ6QZB earlier apart from the G stations. So far a very quiet day on 10m. 6m has been dead with me. nothing
UPDATE 1010z: Yesterday there were no 10m spots by USA stations. With worse conditions expected today, I doubt I'll be spotted by USA stations on 10m today either.
UPDATE 1234z: No F2 spots on 10m WSPR this morning and no lunchtime Es spots of me. In fact just the 2 spots by IZ6QZB earlier apart from the G stations. So far a very quiet day on 10m. 6m has been dead with me. nothing
Sunspots and 10m - May 2nd 2015
With a sunspot number of just 13 (K=2) and a "poor" forecast for 10m I'd be very surprised to see much, if any, choice DX today on 10m.
1 May 2015
Sepura to buy rival Teltronics - NOT amateur radio
Today it was announced that my old company, Sepura, is to buy its Spanish communications rival Teltronics. I have been retired 7 years now and feel quite out of touch. I hope the acquisition goes well. Teltronics are strongest in Latin America and Spain. I suspect Sepura are keen to strengthen their position in the Americas.
Sepura designs, makes and sells TETRA radios. In recent years it has entered the DMR market where competition is very fierce. Sepura has great opportunities in the USA where for many years TETRA was excluded for patent reasons. TETRA is a very good digital radio system for those requiring good frequency use, security and data as well as speech.
For years, Sepura has been a very successful business. Certainly one to watch for the years to come. Today Sepura shares bounced upwards strongly.
Sepura designs, makes and sells TETRA radios. In recent years it has entered the DMR market where competition is very fierce. Sepura has great opportunities in the USA where for many years TETRA was excluded for patent reasons. TETRA is a very good digital radio system for those requiring good frequency use, security and data as well as speech.
For years, Sepura has been a very successful business. Certainly one to watch for the years to come. Today Sepura shares bounced upwards strongly.
HF or VHF?
Depending on the solar cycle, and how good it is, both 10m and 6m can behave quite differently. Sometimes 10m is a true HF band with good worldwide DX possibilities. In better years, even 6m can support F2 worldwide propagation. However, for a lot of the solar cycle both 10m and 6m behave like VHF bands. This means Es can be an effective mode on both bands especially in the spring and summer months. Other modes like tropo can also be used on 10m and 6m. Both bands can be used for local natters on any mode.
At the moment we are in a transition period. On better days 10m is still good for worldwide DX but as time progresses, it will behave more and more like a VHF band with long periods of quiet. Especially as we move to more VHF conditions modes like WSPR become even more useful: short DX openings can be detected with WSPR. Leaving a simple WSPR rig running can be so useful and take very little power.
As I have mentioned before, I have worked real 10m N-S DX (11000+ km) on QRP SSB even in the quietest of sunspot years. WSPR is considerably better than SSB, requiring far less power and can be used unattended running in the background. I tend to run 10m and 6m WSPR most days and monitor WSPRnet on a different PC in the lounge. It takes just seconds to go into the shack and make any adjustments needed. It means, whilst running WSPR, you can do other things.
At the moment we are in a transition period. On better days 10m is still good for worldwide DX but as time progresses, it will behave more and more like a VHF band with long periods of quiet. Especially as we move to more VHF conditions modes like WSPR become even more useful: short DX openings can be detected with WSPR. Leaving a simple WSPR rig running can be so useful and take very little power.
As I have mentioned before, I have worked real 10m N-S DX (11000+ km) on QRP SSB even in the quietest of sunspot years. WSPR is considerably better than SSB, requiring far less power and can be used unattended running in the background. I tend to run 10m and 6m WSPR most days and monitor WSPRnet on a different PC in the lounge. It takes just seconds to go into the shack and make any adjustments needed. It means, whilst running WSPR, you can do other things.
Stroke update - NOT amateur radio
Although, on average, I am a little less tired overall, I still have very bad days, like today, when I feel very exhausted. I still have problems with thin liquid drinks and still feel wobbly on my feet. Progress is painfully slow.
Never, ever take your health for granted, as you never know when things might change. Before Sept 2013 I was fit and healthy. These days, still, I feel just a shadow of my old self. How I wish I was back to as I was!
I am told that I should make a full recovery eventually, but I was expecting this last year and still I struggle. Field experiments left me totally drained recently.
UPDATE 1920z: Although I eat most foods OK now and eat big meals, I still feel hungry often. Although I had a big pasta and bacon meal just a few hours ago, I am already hungry! A recent blood test did not show any problems and neither did a test for bowel cancer.
Never, ever take your health for granted, as you never know when things might change. Before Sept 2013 I was fit and healthy. These days, still, I feel just a shadow of my old self. How I wish I was back to as I was!
I am told that I should make a full recovery eventually, but I was expecting this last year and still I struggle. Field experiments left me totally drained recently.
UPDATE 1920z: Although I eat most foods OK now and eat big meals, I still feel hungry often. Although I had a big pasta and bacon meal just a few hours ago, I am already hungry! A recent blood test did not show any problems and neither did a test for bowel cancer.
10m and 6m Es
With the Es season definitely upon us, I am starting to get 10m WSPR spots from nearer Europeans now. For example OE1RWU (1222km) has spotted my 10m 500mW several times this morning.
As yet, I have no Es spots on 6m despite a higher ERP although these will come with time. Es starts a little later (in the season) on 6m than on 10m and openings tend to be less often. Having said that when 6m is open by Es, signals are often there day after day at good strength. Last Es season there were fewer stations on 6m than I was expecting, which was a pity. I am hopeful there will be more stations on 6m WSPR this summer. WSPR is a great mode for winkling out short openings, so is an ideal mode to leave running when not active on SSB or CW.
UPDATE 1435z: Several spots from central Europe on 10m WSPR by Es.
UPDATE 1521z: Although I see the forecasts are showing 50MHz Es in Europe, there is no evidence of this on WSPR. Only 18 stations in the whole world are shown as active on 6m WSPR, although 10 are in Europe. Es is sporadic so unless there are stations active in the right places, openings will be missed.
UPDATE 1528z: On 10m WSPR I see that EA8BVP (2986km) has only just started to spot me. I presume this is F2 and not Es.
UPDATE 2140z: Still no sign of any USA WSPR spots this evening. I have the feeling there will be none today, but will blog results in the morning.
As yet, I have no Es spots on 6m despite a higher ERP although these will come with time. Es starts a little later (in the season) on 6m than on 10m and openings tend to be less often. Having said that when 6m is open by Es, signals are often there day after day at good strength. Last Es season there were fewer stations on 6m than I was expecting, which was a pity. I am hopeful there will be more stations on 6m WSPR this summer. WSPR is a great mode for winkling out short openings, so is an ideal mode to leave running when not active on SSB or CW.
UPDATE 1435z: Several spots from central Europe on 10m WSPR by Es.
UPDATE 1521z: Although I see the forecasts are showing 50MHz Es in Europe, there is no evidence of this on WSPR. Only 18 stations in the whole world are shown as active on 6m WSPR, although 10 are in Europe. Es is sporadic so unless there are stations active in the right places, openings will be missed.
UPDATE 1528z: On 10m WSPR I see that EA8BVP (2986km) has only just started to spot me. I presume this is F2 and not Es.
UPDATE 2140z: Still no sign of any USA WSPR spots this evening. I have the feeling there will be none today, but will blog results in the morning.
Sunspots and 10m propagation - May 1st 2015
Little change with a sunspot number of 27 (26 yesterday) and 10m still forecast to be "poor". K=2 so a little more disturbed than yesterday. I guess some 10m Es is our best hope?
UPDATE 0746z: Signs of Es with an early spot received from DK0FHW (544km) in Germany on 10m WSPR at 0638z.
UPDATE 0830z: So far, 6m WSPR is very quiet with nobody spotting me since yesterday. No signs of 6m Es seen here yet.
UPDATE 0746z: Signs of Es with an early spot received from DK0FHW (544km) in Germany on 10m WSPR at 0638z.
UPDATE 0830z: So far, 6m WSPR is very quiet with nobody spotting me since yesterday. No signs of 6m Es seen here yet.
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