12 May 2015
Better today?
Sunspot number has climbed to 188 (K=3) and 10m conditions are forecast to be "good". Just maybe things will be better on 10m today. It is hard for them to be worse than yesterday.
11 May 2015
10m - no luck today?
I only switched on my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon mid-afternoon after being off-air for several days. Unlike 6m, which has been fairly productive with G stations today, 10m has been a total blank, I think EA8BVP may be off the air on 10m as he has regularly spotted me for weeks.
Both 6m and 10m will be running overnight now I am back home, although I think the K=4 suggests conditions are rather too disturbed to support much DX at my power level on 10m WSPR. Just maybe my 500mW on 10m will be spotted by some moderately distant Gs tonight?
UPDATE 2047z: Still absolutely zero on 10m WSPR today. This has been the worst day on 10m for a very long time. Not even a single Es spot to liven things up and not a single G station, not even the locals!
UPDATE 2128z: Still no luck on 10m WSPR today.
Both 6m and 10m will be running overnight now I am back home, although I think the K=4 suggests conditions are rather too disturbed to support much DX at my power level on 10m WSPR. Just maybe my 500mW on 10m will be spotted by some moderately distant Gs tonight?
UPDATE 2047z: Still absolutely zero on 10m WSPR today. This has been the worst day on 10m for a very long time. Not even a single Es spot to liven things up and not a single G station, not even the locals!
UPDATE 2128z: Still no luck on 10m WSPR today.
6m WSPR - aircraft reflections?
I am pretty convinced that some of my 6m and 2m WSPR spots are only possible when aircraft are in the right place at the right time with acceptably low Doppler. This evening Eddie G3ZJO was spotted several times with quite high Doppler on occasions. I am not convinced that I am copying Eddie as a result of planes - I think his signal is copied by pure tropo, but I am convinced some signals are only copied as a result of aircraft reflections, much as happens on bands like 23cms upwards. G3WKW (134km) is an example of a station I only seem to copy by aircraft reflection on 6m and 2m.
G3ZJO has analysed M0YOU's signals in his blog. See http://g3zjo-radio.blog.co.uk/2015/05/11/six-meters-aircraft-reflections-20343648/ .
G3ZJO has analysed M0YOU's signals in his blog. See http://g3zjo-radio.blog.co.uk/2015/05/11/six-meters-aircraft-reflections-20343648/ .
UK General Election - NOT amateur radio
The Conservatives are back in UK government with a small overall majority. Unless they lose this majority in by-elections in the coming years (people do die) they will be in power for around 5 years to come. Of course, if they lose this slim majority and lose a confidence vote there could be another general election sooner. The people of the UK voted in a "first past the post" election, so what will follow is largely due to us entrusting them with power. We can expect more cuts to welfare benefits but, arguably, this is what the majority wanted.
The Labour party failed to explain why they should be entrusted with power and our money. Instead the nation chose a majority Conservative government. We will have an EU referendum in 2017. I personally expect we will vote to stay in, but the UK expects more common market and less federalism in return. A lose common market, i.e.a big free trade area, is what we joined, not a United States of Europe. I like France, Spain and Italy etc because they are unique and special in their own ways. Long may this continue.
The Labour party failed to explain why they should be entrusted with power and our money. Instead the nation chose a majority Conservative government. We will have an EU referendum in 2017. I personally expect we will vote to stay in, but the UK expects more common market and less federalism in return. A lose common market, i.e.a big free trade area, is what we joined, not a United States of Europe. I like France, Spain and Italy etc because they are unique and special in their own ways. Long may this continue.
Labels:
EU,
general election
WSPRnet issues (still sluggish at 1740z)
I am not sure if this is just a temporary blip but I am having great trouble accessing the main online database for WSPR called WSPRnet. It is taking an age to load. Although I have managed to access the database (after some minutes) I an shown as receiving no spots on either 10m or 6m. This may just be poor conditions or others failing to upload spots. I hope it is just temporary.
UPDATE 1545z: G6IMT (65km) is exchanging spots with me on 6m. With low Doppler, this could be pure tropo. I just checked the online traces from G6IMT and there are plenty of reflections from aircraft evident, although the traces that decoded may have been the direct tropo signal. Typically G6IMT is about -15 to -17dB S/N with me running 5W. Not sure what antenna he is using.
UPDATE 1740z: So far nothing at all on 10m WSPR.
UPDATE 1742z: I see that I spotted G3ZJO earlier this afternoon on 6m WSPR (-21dB S/N)
UPDATE 1545z: G6IMT (65km) is exchanging spots with me on 6m. With low Doppler, this could be pure tropo. I just checked the online traces from G6IMT and there are plenty of reflections from aircraft evident, although the traces that decoded may have been the direct tropo signal. Typically G6IMT is about -15 to -17dB S/N with me running 5W. Not sure what antenna he is using.
UPDATE 1740z: So far nothing at all on 10m WSPR.
UPDATE 1742z: I see that I spotted G3ZJO earlier this afternoon on 6m WSPR (-21dB S/N)
Pye PF8
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/pf8 .
In my younger days I was a design engineer with Pye Telecom and one of the projects I worked on back in the 1970s was the Pye PF8. In its day this was a very novel transceiver, with few controls to get broken, an internal antenna and a DC-DC converter so it ran on a couple of rechargeable batteries. I was responsible for the antenna and the TX audio but was also heavily involved in debugging the many issues we had. The product became world famous as Bodie and Doyle used the radio in the TV show "The Professionals". Not that many were sold and on the second hand market they are very hard to find. I know some have been put to use on 70cms. They worked well in the end but they were a nightmare to work on at the time.
It was around this time I met Clive Sinclair. He was interested in compact antennas for his little TV and was interested in co-operating on RF ICs. Neither happened but I was flattered he had asked me for advice!
In my younger days I was a design engineer with Pye Telecom and one of the projects I worked on back in the 1970s was the Pye PF8. In its day this was a very novel transceiver, with few controls to get broken, an internal antenna and a DC-DC converter so it ran on a couple of rechargeable batteries. I was responsible for the antenna and the TX audio but was also heavily involved in debugging the many issues we had. The product became world famous as Bodie and Doyle used the radio in the TV show "The Professionals". Not that many were sold and on the second hand market they are very hard to find. I know some have been put to use on 70cms. They worked well in the end but they were a nightmare to work on at the time.
It was around this time I met Clive Sinclair. He was interested in compact antennas for his little TV and was interested in co-operating on RF ICs. Neither happened but I was flattered he had asked me for advice!
Labels:
pf8,
pye telecom
Been away from home
2 of our grandchildren |
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.
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