Another rally in the UK

I have been notified of this rally:

Sunday 11 OCTOBER : HACK GREEN BUNKER RALLY
Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 8AL. 

Electronic equipment, amateur gear, components, military radio sets and vehicle spares. OT 10am, TS, C. 

Lucy, 01270 623 353, Lucy@hackgreen.co.uk. www.hackgreen.co.uk.
 
A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Sunspots and 10m - Friday Oct 9th 2015

With a sunspot number of 24 this is little changed. K=3 which is a bit less disturbed than yesterday. Propagation on 10m is again forecast to be "poor", although I would soon expect to see regular openings to North America on 10m WSPR. So far, I have only caught just one.

UPDATE 1025z:  Although I have been active, and still am, on both 10m and 6m WSPR, I have drawn a blank so far on both bands. On 10m it is again 100% 500mW TX (frequency randomised) and on 6m 1W TX for 20% and RX 80%.

"Give us a Nadiya" - NOT amateur radio

"I can and I will". 

If you live in the UK and have a TV then the chances are you saw Nadiya, the 30 year old mother of 3 from Leeds, win "The Great British Bake Off" last night. She was the delightful girl who wore the world on her face and in her eyes. Her expressions of sadness and joy were just wonderful. She deserved to win, although they were all good.  All day my wife has been saying, "give me a Nadiya" whenever I have been pathetic with my stomach bug. Perhaps this will become an expression?

Wouldn't it be good if our politicians could let their guards down and show us the real people behind their facades? Go on David Cameron, UK Prime Minister, "give us a Nadiya".

See http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/oct/08/great-british-bake-off-nobel-prize-acceptance-speeches-nadiya-hussain .

The image below is at http://ichef.live.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1376xn/p034mtz9.jpg and NOT on this blog. The link and image will be removed if showing it is a problem.

Great post! - like heck!

Well, being human, I can spot these a mile away these days. You read on a bit more and see it refers to an old post and goes on to advertise something. It has nothing at all to do with the post. Thankfully "dodgy" comments go to my email and simply get deleted before they appear on the blog.

Should you see any comments, especially on older posts, that got through, please let me know so I can delete.

If you are a spammer - get lost - play your silly games somewhere else or jump in a river?  You are wasting your efforts on this site.

10m WSPR - blank here today so far

My 10m 500mW WSPR beacon has been on most of the day. So far, it has been copied by no-one at all, with not even a spot by the locals. I'll leave it running,although I am not too hopeful!

If you are a G why not see if you can spot me by tropo/aircraft? This works, especially when planes are in the right places. Inter-G on 10m is very interesting. Yesterday it was copied in North Devon, which is quite away. The more usual range for G stations by tropo/aircraft is 120-200km away.

Sometimes signals can be strong but will not decode. Other times you may see multiple reflections - 6 is not uncommon. The Doppler just has to be right.

RSGB Convention - Oct 9 to 11th (this weekend)

The convention programme of lectures (all interests) is available on the RSGB website.  The principal sponsor is Martin Lynch and Sons.

What a pity that the RSGB depends on sponsors, but I guess they need them these days. No doubt MLS, and other sponsors will have some good deals.

All rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Yet more Sputnik QRP QSOs

This from Oleg:

"Dear Space Friends,
today I logged two "vanguard" QSOs on my new DC TRX 50 mW on 14060 kHz
- UR7VT (2 watts) and UR5FEO (4 watts). Both gives me 539 reports.
I looking for any Sputnik/Vanguards/SWLs reports, please.
72! beep-beep-beep...
Deep Space Communications Center
operator on duty -
Oleg ("Mr. 72") RV3GM / KH6OB"

472kHz antennas

One of the last things I managed before being taken ill with my stomach bug was to use my end-fed Par long-wire HF antenna, suitably matched, via the preamp on 472kHz RX.  My very unscientific test conclusions are that none of these compromise antennas are much different. All copied about the same number of different WSPR stations at much the same strengths. As the tests were done on different nights conditions may have been different. The earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground is the easiest, so, for now, I shall continue using this on MF.

Maybe I should go back to bed as I still feel unwell.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Oct 8th 2015

Forget it! Go and cut the grass instead.

With a sunspot number of 24 (K=6) and 10m propagation (in fact all HF) expected to be "poor" today HF conditions are not expected to be any good today.

Yesterday I was not on the radio at all -I was ill and I still feel well below normal - and "Sod's Law"applied: my absence corresponded withe the best MF propagation in years.

Anyway, the 10m 500mW WSPR beacon has been turned on and is active, more in hope than expectation.

Poorly - no amateur radio

Most of today I have been in bed with a nasty stomach bug. It has meant no amateur radio today. To be honest I slept a lot and have eaten nothing. This is the first time since my stroke that I have been ill from anything other than the stroke.