Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday Sept 16th 2015

Sunspot number is 66 today (K=2) and 10m propagation is again "poor". So far today, 10m WSPR has been poor with no Es and no F2 seen here, but see update! This may change. I certainly hope so.

UPDATE 1646z:   EA8BVP (2986km) spotted me a couple of times by (I think) F2 this morning.  I have only just noticed this! Maybe he and others will spot me again later?

Still no 10m Es or F2 on WSPR

Well it is almost 2000z and still no sign of anything apart from local G4IKZ (18km) on 10m WSPR. It was around this time last night that DX was spotted so I'll stick around just in case, although things don't exactly look that promising. I am also on 6m, although that seems a total waste of electricity!

UPDATE 2220z:   No DX on 10m WSPR. Today has been a total dead loss. Tomorrow is a new day though.  I am hopeful that tomorrow will be better. It can hardly be worse than today!  Well I suppose the tree supporting my antenna could blow down or the PSU expires?

More on my stroke - NOT amateur radio

It is almost 2 years ago that I was admitted to hospital.

Stroke - I am still finding things out. The latest revelation seems to be an inability to realise when spellings are wrong. In the past I could easily tell when things were wrong but sometimes it is days before I spot a spelling mistake or that a word is missing in something I've written.

I also struggle with finding some words - I just cannot bring to mind the right word. I know this did not happen before. I have been struggling since Saturday for one word. FRACTAL! Now I have looked it up I shall probably remember it. It is almost as if dragging things up from some parts of my brain is harder than it was.

We had a romanesque vegetable which has fractal patterns but I could not remember the word for the pattern. This is daft, but true.  I do so hate being as I am.

All quiet on 10m WSPR again so far

Just spots from local G4IKZ (18km) this morning on 10m WSPR. Things may liven up later with a bit of Es and F2, but it seems very quiet so far. Es is now out of the main season. F2 openings seem to have started again on 10m.

K1 Sold

Elecraft K1

Today I will get my K1 off to its new owner in Holland. It worked well, but I have not used it since before my stroke. I prefer that someone has it who will use it.

There is one minor fault (which has just occurred) in that the menu button no longer seems to work as it did. I think this is a minor fault and I have declared this to the new owner, who still wants it. 

In the past the rig has been used to work lots of DX including the USA on 40, 30, 20 and 15m. The rig is a 4-band version with internal auto-ATU. The K1 is a decent little radio.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday Sept 15th 2015

Sunspot number has fallen to 52 (K=4) and 10m is expected to remain "poor". EA8BVP (2986km) seems to be a regular again by F2 but I think the USA station copying me on 10m WSPR last night was actually located in Brazil. So I think I have still to be spotted on 10m WSPR in the USA this autumn. When the real W spots return we'll really know autumn is here.

First 10m WSPR spots from the USA this season?

So, they are back (or are they?)! KD0VWO (7412km) in GI95rg square is the very first USA station to spot my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon this autumn. He copied me this evening at 2024z, which is quite late.   Decent F2 DX is back on 10m!

As the days go onwards into autumn, winter and spring it is strangely reassuring to be copied in the USA (or maybe not?) on 10m WSPR again. It is a bit like the returning summer bird migrants: all is well with the world! As I have said before, I think the USA on 10m will be OK this season but a lot more doubtful next autumn. We may still be lucky as the slide to the minimum is slower than the climb to the next peak, however small this may be. This season could be the last time in my lifetime that I see decent conditions on 10m. Now that is a sobering thought.

Also copying me was EA8BVP (2986km). I have the feeling this will be an almost daily thing now.

UPDATE 2146z:   Maybe I am being premature as the QTH locator is in Brazil. Perhaps this is a USA station on holiday and not in the USA at all?  The proof will be if I start to get spots from more USA 10m WSPR stations in the days ahead.

2m big-wheel - 3dBd gain without rotating

Since its erection yesterday in its proper home by David G0LRD all seems to be working well.

A quick check this morning and I am able to copy the Kent, Dutch and Belgium beacons on 2m and GB3LEU (NW of Leicester) beacon on 70cm with the FT817 and 2m big-wheel. This is a single 2m big-wheel (not a stack) from Wimo in Germany.

It has 3dBd horizontal gain and is omni-directional.  It is an ideal SSB/CW/data antenna for casual operators like me. "Real" operators would use it and a beam:  the big-wheel to watch all 360 degrees and a big gainy beam to pounce in the choice direction. Being one who does not take the hobby too seriously just the big-wheel suits me and my style of operating! I did not look for other beacons. It is nice not having to worry about a beam and rotator.

I have still to try this antenna (and feeder) as an HF vertical via my ATU. It should work on at least some HF bands.

No Es or F2 on 10m WSPR today, so far

Things have been very quiet on 10m WSPR today so far with just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me. I am hopeful of some F2 later, but I have seen no Es today on the band here.

UPDATE 1522z:  No signs, here at least, of any Es or F2 propagation on 10m WSPR so far today.

UPDATE 1650z:  Still no signs of Es or F2 propagation here so far today on 10m WSPR.  Meanwhile, 6m remains a total dead loss with no 6m WSPR spots given or received all day.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Sept 14th 2015

Sunspot count today is 75 (K =3) although 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor".

Churches blog updated - NOT amateur radio

Last week we visited Blythburgh and Ufford Churches. Both are near Aldeburgh on the east coast where this famous shell statue is located.  I have updated the East Anglian Churches blog to include these churches. I may add further photos and text later.

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

David G0LRD - thank you

Thanks to the kindness of G0LRD, David, who selflessly drove out to my home on a Sunday afternoon, I now have my 2m big-wheel installed in its proper permanent home. David was a complete stranger until today (although we'd briefly contacted on 2m) and I cannot thank him enough for his selfless kindness. The antenna works well on 2m (and even 70cm) and the whole installation looks great.

Years ago erecting this antenna would have been easy but at the moment I am just too wobbly. There are some very kind people in our hobby.

David - thank you.

Tenbox 10m AM transceiver (again)

10m (28MHz) will probably be in decent shape for another 12 months, possibly more. After that, apart from summertime Es and the occasional N-S F2, the band will behave more like a VHF band again.  Even now, it makes a decent band for local natters, when the band is "closed" for DX, especially in the dark evenings. If you are interested in local QSOs on 10m, you might care to start with my Tenbox transceiver (29-29.1MHz is where most 10m AM is concentrated), which is a 250mW AM design. I started this before my stroke. It is really unfinished and it could do with a TX linear amp and a LS amp for the RX. It is a very simple design, based on low cost parts, which can be used as inspiration for your own project. This uses a very simple RX and it is not designed for AM DXing, although it has copied Ws on 10m AM. The RX, although simple, is very sensitive on AM. There is a video on the link below.
 
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/tenbox .

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Sept 13th 2015

Sunspot number is 87 today, which is quite respectable, and K=2 which suggests relatively undisturbed conditions. 10m propagation remains "poor" though. I think we can expect some F2 on 10m on a regular basis from now on. On 6m, we might see some Es if we are lucky but 6m F2 is unlikely, although more southerly stations might just catch some TEP.

No 10m Es yet today so far

Unlike yesterday, I have seen no Es on 10m WSPR as yet. Things could change, but it is quieter than Saturday.

10m F2?

EA8BVP (2986km) spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon this evening several times. I think this may be the first F2 propagation seen here on 10m this season. There was no Es around at the time and the distance is right for F2.  Last winter and spring this station copied my beacon just about every day for months on 10m.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Sept 12th 2015

Sunspot number has risen to 79 (K=3) but 10m conditions are expected to be "poor" again today.

Still Es on 10m WSPR

It pays to have a WSPR beacon running on 10m. Even this late in the season, there is still some Es about and at unusual times. The following stations managed to copy my 500mW WSPR beacon in the last 12 hours:

Unique stations spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon in last 12 hrs

In may cases they copied me several times. These are just the unique stations, not all the reports. In the meantime, 6m WSPR has been very quiet.

For those prepared to look, there is Es at most times of the year. OK, not as common as in the main Es the season, but it is there at times. This is where WSPR beaconing really shows its worth. I hope to continue 10m WSPR beaconing whenever the antenna is available. The overnight results last night convince me more than ever the worth in doing this.

Still quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR

I have been on 10m and 6m WSPR all day but only local G4IKZ (18km) has been spotting me on 10m. No signs of Es on either bands, so far.

Simple 28MHz WSPR (or PSK31) RX

Facebook is throwing up memories from 3 years ago and one of these was a schematic for my WSPR RX for 10m, using low cost 14.060MHz crystals with a Polyakov mixer (injection at half signal frequency) The circuit worked well and could also be used for PSK31. Essentially this is a direct conversion receiver, but it mattered not. Even if you bought all parts new it is very inexpensive.  3 years later I would replace the 2 diodes by Schottky ones as these are now low cost and need less injection than the silicon ones shown.

More rallies

I have been informed of more radio rallies:

"Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : ANDOVER RAC BOOT SALE
Wildhern Village Hall, SP11 0JE. CP, £2 - Buyers, £8 - Boots, £10 - tables in the hall (book ASAP). OT 9:30/10am, TS, CBS, C, DF, WIN. Martin, M0MWS 07776 181 646

Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : BRITISH VINTAGE WIRELESS SOCIETY MURPHY DAY
Mill Green Museum, Hatfield AL9 5PD. www.bvws.org.uk.

Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : TORBAY ANNUAL COMMUNICATIONS FAIR
Newton Abbot Racecourse, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 3AF. B&B, C, DF, RSGB book stall, OT 9.30/10am, £2. Mike Dixon, leave message on 01803 557 941, rally@tars.org.uk.

Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : WEST KENT ARS RADIO AND ELECTRONICS FAIR
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9XB. TI, CP, £3, 9.45/10am, TS, B&B, C. Dave, G4OTV, 07795 211 166, rally@wkars.org.uk. www.wkars.org.uk.

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/"

Sunspots and 10m - Friday Sept 11th 2015

Sunspot number is 42 (K=7 which is disturbed) and 10m propagation is "poor".  It is very unlikely 10m will be any good today. Unless there is some rare Es, 6m is likely to be a total dead loss again today.

10m and 6m WSPR

Just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me on 10m WSPR today and, so far, no spots at all given or received on 6m WSPR today.

Magnetic Loops on HF TX

It is some while since I used a magnetic loop antenna on HF TX, but these antennas work well, if you can accept their very narrow bandwidth. In fact the sharper the tuning, the more efficient it is likely to be. I used a small magnetic loop made with small-bore central heating copper pipe and was amazed how well it worked with WSPR spots from Japan on 20m with the loop in the shack, which was an upstairs bedroom at the time. Ideal applications are where frequent retuning is not needed such as PSK31, JT65 or WSPR. On 10m they can be very efficient. Even on 20m I was very impressed. Bandwidths are usually measured in kilohertz. Losses have to be kept low if they are to be efficient. Even thin wire will work but the antenna will not be as efficient. As a minimum coax cable or copper pipe should be used for the loop. At QRP powers ordinary air-spaced capacitors work fine to bring the loop to resonance. At 100W these may well arc over.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/magloop .

Aldeburgh trip - NOT amateur radio

Cottage next to Ufford Church

Today we went to Aldeburgh on the East Coast of East Anglia. We stopped at Snape Maltings for lunch and stopped at Ufford Church on the way there and Blythburgh Church on the way home. Both are famous. At Aldeburgh we saw the famous shell sculpture on the beach. Some hate it, but it is quite dramatic. I like it. It stands about 4m high. At 154 miles, round trip, this was my longest drive since my stroke. At the end I was tired, but it was a lovely day out in the September sunshine.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldeburgh .

Shell sculpture on beach at Aldeburgh

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Sept 10th 2015

Sunspot number is 49 today (K=1) but 10m is expected to remain "poor".

10m promise?

There were early morning (breakfast time) 10m WSPR spots from I and OZ today. Also G4CUI (172km) by tropo. I have a feeling today will be quite productive on 10m WSPR, especially by Es.

UPDATE 2122z:  No more Es seen on 10m since those early spots. Yet again, 6m WSPR has been a dead loss again with not a single spot either given or received!  I thought we were in for a better 10m day but it was not to be, here at least.

QSYed to 630m (472kHz) WSPR from 6m

Today 6m WSPR has been a total dead loss with not a single spot. I have decided to move down to MF (5mW ERP TX 20%, RX 80%). Hopefully it will be more productive, especially after dark. So far this autumn my best DX on RX is 995km, even without the preamp.

UPDATE 1900z:   DK7FC (669km) has already been spotted twice strongly. It is only just going dark here.

All very quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR here today

Well, it is very quiet here today on both 10m and 6m WSPR, with not even the locals and GDX around! Maybe the bands have been deserted? At the moment there are 27 stations shown as active on 10m WSPR in the world and just 13 on 6m in the world.  Of course this does not include those valiantly trying but not being copied.

UPDATE 1412z:  Just one 10m spot so far: Es propagation with a spot by DK6UG (633km) at just before lunchtime. So, there is some 10m Es still, but not much! 6m has remained quiet here all day.

Monarchy - NOT amateur radio

Later today the UK queen will beat Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in British history.

I have mixed views on monarchy: it seems to work here (at least with the current queen who is well respected) and I cannot readily think who would be president if we were a republic.

Yet somehow the idea of rank and privilege grates on me: why should someone be queen just because her "line" is royal? No, I think our queen has served us well, but I have mixed views on the monarchy as a concept.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34177107  .

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Sept 9th 2015

Sunspot number has risen and conditions are less disturbed today. Sunspot number is 47 (K=2) although 10m propagation remains "poor". Although F2 propagation on 10m is possible, late Es remains the best hope on 10m and 6m. At the moment I am not active on 10m or 6m WSPR, but I shall be turning the kit on shortly. My first task will be to mend the 2m big-wheel!

Big-wheel disaster?

Overnight, my temporary mast for the big-wheel collapsed: it was simply resting against the guttering and blew over crushing one of the clover leaves. Hopefully, I can bend this element correctly again.  I shall do this shortly.

UPDATE 1414z:  Averted! I managed to straighten out the bent clover leaf, re-erect the antenna (briefly) and re-test. As far as I can tell, it is the same as before now.

70cm contest using a 2m big wheel

Stations worked on 70cm tonight with 5W and a 2m big-wheel omni

This evening was the September 70cm leg of the RSGB's UKAC contest, so I decided to give it a go with my 2m big-wheel and 5W SSB. The match on 70cms was very good, but I had no idea how it would actually work. Well, the answer is "very well" as you can see by the stations worked. Best DX was 182km. To say I was pleased is an under-statement!  I shall be able to use this antenna again in 70cm contests. I was also able to copy the new beacon NW of Leicester GB3LEU which was pretty good copy on 432.490MHz.

Seasons - NOT amateur radio

As I grow older, the seasons seem to come around much more quickly. The long, light evenings are no more as we start the autumn and the run towards Christmas. Soon the shops will be filled with Christmas tat as the shops cash in commercially.  In some shops Christmas starts now!

It seems no time at all since the spring when the trees were showing that newness of fresh green and the summer migrants were arriving from Africa.

As one gets older I have learnt to enjoy every season. We are lucky in the UK to have seasons and each has its own pleasures if we just open our eyes  and let the seasons flow over us.

Autumn is a season of rich colours, newly turned soil and fresh starts. Winter can have those bright cold days when the trees are bare, or warm evenings inside when the TV and fire beckon. Spring is when the summer migrants return, when the birds make new nests and sing for all it is worth. Buds appear and the bulbs in the garden spring forth with vigor. Summer is when the flowers come into full bloom - and the grass needs cutting very regularly!

Every time of the year is special and should be enjoyed. We will blink and autumn and winter will be gone and those long summer evenings will be here again, but each of us has one fewer year to enjoy.  Those long summer evenings will come and go.

No, enjoy every moment and every season. Enjoy the now.

Syria - NOT amateur radio

I am no politician, but Syria is being torn apart by civil war. An end to the conflict has to be ironed out or the deaths and displacement of millions will go on. The refugee crisis now unfolding is a symptom of the deep unrest in that troubled nation. It is high time the major powers worked together with all sides to forge a fair and lasting peace. No vested interests please, just the well being of all the people in Syria.

It still puzzles me why not a single Gulf state has taken any Syrian refugees.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Sept 8th 2015

Sunspot number today is 47 (K=6) and 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor" today.  It is very unlikely 10m will be any good today but the band has a habit of springing surprises! Late Es remains the best hope.

Overnight on 10m and 630m WSPR

Not surprisingly only spots by G4IKZ (18km) on 10m overnight and so far this morning. On 630m WSPR best DX was DK7FC (669km) who has an excellent signal on MF.

Virgin Media broadband - NOT amateur radio

Today I got an email from Virgin Media saying that this autumn they will be doubling their broadband speed. It is already pretty good but twice as fast will be amazing. I think this is a general email to prevent us moving to BT Infinity or Sky.

Generally Virgin Media TV, broadband and phones are very reliable, although there have been a few times when the service has been down.

FET regen circuit

I received this email today:

"Hi Roger
                  

I just wanted to thank you for the Feter Regen on your QRP site.  I have managed to waste several weeks building and experimenting with it. This really is a fun project. The first working regen I have made in many years.

Many thanks and thanks also for all the other informative projects on your Web Pages.

Ray Lyford M0BBV

Sorry for the quality of the Image."

I was very pleased Ray built the circuit and had some fun with it. My main regret is not being able to do much experimentation currently as I am still too wobbly. Hopefully this will get better with time. There is also a very simple transceiver based on this circuit on the website.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/regen  .
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/feter-80m-qrpp-cw-transceiver  .

472kHz WSPR during the night

PA3ABK/2 (306km) and F1AFJ (607km) copied on 472kHz WSPR overnight and my 5mW ERP was copied by PA3ABK (306km) and local G4KPX (14km). I will give my preamp for the band an outing later this week. At the moment I am still using the (rather deaf) FT817 on RX. I think another 4dB at least is to be had on RX.