10m Es or backscatter?

I4ZTO (1185km) is spotting me on 10m WSPR. This is too close for F2 (I think) so I wonder if this is out of season Es or F2 backscatter?

The UK and China - NOT amateur radio

The wooing of China by the UK bothers me. This last week we have bent over backwards to "love" China. I guess this is a move to get inward investment, more exports and help with our nuclear power plants. At the same time China is carrying out a sabotage job on UK manufacturing (partly of our own making) and soon we will have no industry left at all, with all our manufacturing in China or its neighbours.

No, I have the feeling this is not in our best interests at all.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34626936 .

Early 10m F2

UB9OCQ (4859km) in MO95ek square is the best DX spot of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon so far today.  There have been plenty of WSPR spots from the far eastern edge of Europe too on 10m this morning.

So far today, 6m WSPR has remained very quiet.

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Oct 25th 2015

Sunspot number has dropped back a bit to 74. K=3 so conditions are a little more disturbed. 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor". With CQWW SSB contest in full swing expect plenty of 10m SSB activity this weekend. I am currently on 10m and 6m WSPR but may come try CQWW later, although these days I prefer WSPR - I never enter HF contests but may try them to work a new country, although I only use QRP.

Strictly Come Dancing - NOT amateur radio

This is the only "reality" show on TV I watch. "Strictly" makes good entertainment on a cold autumn evening, with tea on a tray and a small glass of wine in front of the fire. My XYL enjoys it more but I do enjoy it too. In my teenage years I enjoyed ballroom dancing, although that was a long time ago!

Even though in the lounge I still monitor WSPRnet to see what is happening on 10m and 6m WSPR.

First 10m WSPR spot today - FR1GZ

Although I was very late getting on 10m WSPR today the first spot was by FR1GZ (9724km). As yet, nothing on 6m again. Our younger grandson only left mid-afternoon.

UPDATE 1555z:  The first USA 10m spot  today was W4DEX (6390km).

UPDATE 1630z:   W4DEX (North Carolina)  is the only 10m USA spot today at present. I guess there could be more later, but I doubt it.

UPDATE 1708z:    Several spots on 10m from K9AN (6505km). The USA spots are still coming in. Overall, conditions did not seem quite as good as in recent days on 10m with fewer different USA stations spotting me.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Oct 24th 2015

Sunspot number is 91 (K=1) but 10m is forecast to be "poor" again. CQWW SSB contest is in full swing with good signals from LU and PY stations, but I feel too exhausted to take part today. Maybe I shall try tomorrow? Today I have just turned on the 10m 500mW WSPR beacon and the 1W 6m WSPR station.

We have had our younger grandson with us until about 1 hour ago and I think this has taken it out of me. I was fine yesterday.

Time to go QRT

The last USA spot of my 10m 500mW WSPR signal was at 1740z and that was K9AN (6505km). Since them just local G4IKZ (18km) and G4CUI (172km) by a mix of tropo and aircraft reflection. 6m WSPR has been quiet all day. Now it is time to go QRT.

Another UK Rally

Sunday 25 OCTOBER : 26th GREAT NORTHERN HAMFEST
Barnsley Premier Leisure Complex, Queens Road, Barnsley S71 1AN or follow the brown Metrodome signs. GNHF in association with SYRG. OT 10am, TS, SIG, C, FAM. Ernie, G4LUE, 07984 191 873. www.gnhf.co.uk.

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

6m WSPR today

I have been active on 6m WSPR most of the day but no spots whatsoever given or received so far. I am looking for others 80% of the time on 6m. It was a bit surprising that not a single G was copied on 6m. On 10m there were some nearer Europeans so I wonder if this was out of season Es?

Both 10m and 6m WSPR will be active here for a few hours yet, so there is still a chance of copying some Gs on 6m WSPR.

Tomorrow and Sunday I hope to be active for some of the time in the CQWW contest on 10m SSB. Most activity is likely to be on Sunday afternoon. A lot depends on my (poor) voice.

Park and Ride - NOT amateur radio

Younger grandson and XYL

Today we went into Cambridge to visit the Dinosaur Museum (free and on the Sedgewick Site) and John Lewis for a snack with our younger grandson.

We used the "Park and Ride" bus for the last part of the journey as we can use our bus passes and it saves worrying about the city traffic and parking. In John Lewis we treated our grandson to some Lego too.

Best day on 10m WSPR this season so far

6 x 10m WSPR spots from Australia, plenty of USA spots as well as Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. Today the 10m forecast was "poor" but, for me, it has been the best day on 10m this autumn. What do "good" conditions bring on 10m?

Last words on Sputnik QRP tests?

These emails came in from Bert and Oleg:

"Hello dear Sputnikers,
Although I did not participate on the bands, I enjoyed to follow your
"adventures" here on the Sputnik Days report.
I enjoyed all, from the wigwam shack to Pampus.
Thanks to all.
73, Bert PA1B"


"Dear Space Friends,
> I enjoyed all, from the wigwam shack to Pampus.
> 73, Bert PA1B
Bert,  thank you very much for nice comments! Hopefully, milliwatting
will be continued all the year, not only in Sputnik Activity Days. We
can inform about mW results here in discussion e-mail group any time.
Dead  line  for  all Sputnik Days results is October 25. Send me your
results/pictures/comments  if anybody forget it before. After October
25  I'll  send  e-mail  nice  art  memorable  Certificates  for  all
participants    (including   assigned  personally honor titles, hehe)
Club  72  art designer Vlad UR0ET (Dnipro, Ukraine) have hardly works
with it now - thanks Vlad!
72! beep-beep-beep...
Deep Space Communications Center
operator on duty -
Oleg ("Mr. 72") RV3GM / KH6OB"

Sunspots and 10m - Fri Oct 23rd 2015

With a high solar flux (119) and a decent sunspot number of 94 (K=1) I am surprised to see 10m only expected to be "poor" today. Yesterday it was "fair".  On the face of it conditions look at least as good as previous days and possibly a little better.  Only time will tell.

I shall turn on 10m and 6m WSPR shortly.

UPDATE 0940z:  Early 10m WSPR spots by F2 from 4X1RF (3519km) bode well for the day. Two spots on 10m WSPR by VK2KRR (16789km) are even better!! Remember this is meant to be a "poor" day on 10m!

Solar Panels? - NOT amateur radio

Just received this from Steve G1KQH. I thought about solar panels on the roof but decided not to in the end. Our electricity bill is well below average already due to widespread use of LED and economy lights. I doubt solar panels would repay the investment in my lifetime. Also they have a finite lifetime too. Also new panels are getting smaller and more efficient all the time.

"The washing stacked up there wasn’t enough produced to heat the kettle? Soon the subs will be nowt..

 

Only once in Summer did the output peak at 3.9KW read on:

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/news/article-3281593/Why-shouldn-t-solar-panels-ve-saved-hundreds-driving-poor-wife-twist.html

 

Glad I have never bothered.

73 Steve
http://www.g1kqh.talktalk.net/"

More 10m F2 DX

At 1324z I got a spot from FR1GZ (9724km) on 10m WSPR.  A few minutes later he spotted me again twice. It looks likely that my little 10m WSPR beacon will be spotted in the USA later.

UPDATE 1855z:   USA spots started today at 1542z. There seem to be spots from the USA on 10m WSPR most days now.

UPDATE 1924z:  Lots of Germans on 10m WSPR. Out of season Es?

UPDATE 2010z:  All quiet now on 10m and 6m WSPR, although I shall be on both bands overnight.

6m Es?

At 1104z IK1WVQ (1076km) was spotted on 6m WSPR. This may well have been Es, even though it was at an odd time of the year.

UPDATE 1425z:  I think this was Es as it was only the single spot. Out of the blue then gone again. I was glad to be around for this. This is where WSPR scores.

More quangoese?

The latest from OFCOM to justify their existence? Really I have no time for bureaucrats who add no real value. Sorry if I am being harsh but my own dealings with OFCOM have been crap.  All they do is hide behind "the law" and to a man/woman they seem unable to make decisions. Bring back pragmatists and sack the rest! Unless they add value they serve no purpose.

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/general-policy-on-information-gathering/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=general-policy-on-information-gathering

Another UK Rally

I have been notified of another UK rally. Please note this is this weekend. I get sent these reminders by the Cambridge Club.

Saturday 24 OCTOBER : 6th FOG ON THE TYNE RALLY
Whitehall Road Methodist Church Hall, Bensham, Gateshead NE8 4LH, organised by Angel of the North ARC. OT 10.30am, £2, TS, B&B, RSGB bookstall, C, CP. Nancy Bone, G7UUR, 01914 770 036 (eves), nancybone2001@yahoo.co.uk. www.anarc.net.

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

Back on 10m and 6m WSPR

Rather later than planned I have been on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR since about 1100z. It takes about 15-20 minutes for the 10m beacon crystal to stabilise, whereas the 6m WSPR (which uses the FT817 and PC) usually stabilises more quickly.

UPDATE 1112z:  Quite a few 10m spots from Europeans by F2 (I think), but nothing further yet. As there was 6m propagation to Italy I wonder if we there was some Es today?

UPDATE 1204z:   Recent 10m spots of 4X1RF (3519km) are probably F2.

Sunspots and 10m Thurs Oct 22nd 2015

Sunspot number is 73 today (K=2) and 10m is expected to be "fair" again. 10m propagation should mean my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon will be copied in the USA again. A sunspot number of 73 and K=2 implies reasonably settled conditions.

The Search for Life in the Universe - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon I have my U3AC course on the above subject. We have a great variety of courses in Cambridge. We are very lucky having many ex-university people with a wish to share their vast knowledge.

Someone turned the switch on!

Although the locals are not active or they have their beams away from me, I can see clear evidence of F2 spots on 10m WSPR appearing. EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) and LZ1OI (2153km) have both spotted me lots of times today already on 10m WSPR this morning. It bodes well for the day.

UPDATE 1635z:  Plenty of USA 10m WSPR spots now. This is the 4th day in a row that I've had 10m WSPR spots from the USA.

CQWW Contest

Although I am not a great contest fan - although I do like the VHF and UHF RSGB UKAC contests on Tuesday evenings - I usually go on 10m SSB for the CQWW SSB contest. The SSB leg is this coming weekend. Last year I forgot it (doh!) and the year before I was in hospital. Although we have visitors for some of the time, I hope to be on Sunday PM and occasionally beforehand. It is a good chance to work lots of stations.

Even in quiet sunspot years CQWW usually brings out the stations.  It is a good contest although I have never used much power or actually submitted a score. See you there?

Next autumn will be very interesting: sunspot numbers will have fallen but I bet CQWW will prove 10m is open despite this. Often lack of activity on 10m makes a band seem "closed". All it needs is a bit of activity to prove this. This is where 10m WSPR should prove its worth.

See http://www.cqww.com/ .

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Oct 21st 2015

Sunspot number has fallen slightly to 77 (K=3) but 10m propagation is again expected to be "fair". We have seen USA 10m spots now for several days in a row and I expect this to continue, except on very disturbed days, until the spring.

Clocks go back in the UK this weekend! Dark evenings. CQWW SSB this weekend.

Back on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR

After a temporary glitch with the PC (internet time sync failed) I am now back on both 10m and 6m WSPR. It takes about 15-20 minutes for the 10m beacon to stabilise. Anyway, back on both bands.

QRT on all bands

A few minutes ago I turned off the 10m and 6m rigs until after breakfast tomorrow. Quite late in the day I spotted M0ICR (90km) on 6m WSPR. This is the only spot on 6m in several days of trying. Tomorrow I may only go on 10m.

Tony Benn - NOT amateur radio

Currently, I am reading the diaries of Tony Benn, lent to me by a friend. Tony Benn was very much on the left politically. He was well respected as an honest man even by those who were on the opposite side of the UK political divide.

In the UK we have a very right wing media (papers etc.) and Tony Benn was often the person they liked to ridicule and misquote. He always "stuck to his guns" and talked much good sense.

He died aged 88 of a stroke in 2014 after a long political career.  He is a UK politician many loved to hate.  Personally I think he deserves to be better understood and seen as "his own man" and not the man hated by the right wing press. Someone said, "he was a principled politician". We have very few of these today.

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

ON4KST Chat

Many VHF, UHF and microwave enthusiasts use  http://www.on4kst.com/chat/start.php to arrange skeds, certainly here in Europe. There are also chats for EME and for the LF and MF bands.

To use the facility you need a user name and password.

F2 on 10m WSPR

I see that lots of far Europeans and near Asians are spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon including LZ, YO, RA3 and 4X. Nothing further yet. I think these are all single hop F2.

Still very quiet on 6m with no spots given or received on that band. I am still active on 6m, ever hopeful.

On 6m 30dBm 20% TX, 80% RX and on 10m 27dBm 100% TX with randomised TX frequency.

UPDATE 1500z:  Not a single spot from North or South America today on 10m so far. I am surprised as F2 conditions on 10m looked so promising. Things may change, although I would have expected spots from these areas by now. 10m is indeed fickle with a mind of its own!

UPDATE 1528z:  Eventually a 10m WSPR spot by K9AN (6505km) at 1518z. There have been other USA spots since. Not sure why 10m opened later today than yesterday?

UPDATE 1915z:  It looks as if 10m USA openings will be most days now. These are the unique stations that spotted me on 10m WSPR today:

10m WSPR unique spots today

Sputniks again

Just received this email from Peter in The Netherlands...

"Hello to all Sputnikers/Vanguarders,
We spent two days in rain and cold on the island, so we expected visitor count to be low...
That tuned out not to be the case and as I already said: Putting old computers with a morse-key attached to it in a radio room generates questions, need for demonstration and a general unbelief that "we" actually could reveal all sorts of trials into text by simply listening while talking to somebody else...
As a result real radio was at times possible but we also had to cope with noise and power drops as the generator did not function 24/24.
I first tried 40 metres with the GRC9 and managed to make two QSO's, checked activity on 30 metres, sent some CQ's there on what I guessed must have been around 10.115 MHz but no response... I then unpacked my KX3 that I took with me as a last minute decision, to have a monitor and after checking the transmitted sigs decided to rapidly go back to 40 metres with the GRC9... Work to do.
I made three nice QSO's on 30 metres with the KX3 short before we had to arrange our leave for the day. It may be an island but I rather would not leave expensive things for the taking.
Sunday was just as rainy and cold. After switching on the GRC9 40 literally burst with activity with rapid 5NN's all over the place. Not a good environment to try a QSO using a simple superhet with DC-receiver-like bandwidth.
But even more visitors arrived that needed insight in what we were doing and more children that, once shown some action with a morse key, could hardly be persuaded to hand it over to someone else.
So: Did we make a lot of DX? No. But we did a lot of PR for CW, for Hamming and for showing that sending messages with simple means still is possible in this internet day-and-age...
72/73
Peter
PS: As I have no good pictures of this session, the attached photo is an older one I took on a similar summer session. Later we decided to use no more that two laptops as 4 in a row is near impossible to manage...:-)"

And this from Oleg... 

"Dear Space Friends,
thanks Peter PA0PJE for interesting story/picture. Sure, new young PA operators will be on the air soon.
Sputnik  Days  finished. But somebody can send results before October 25. After that date an "officially" totals will be published.  Thanks to all participants and readers! Even Sputnik Days closed but milliwatting is continued. Our discussion group is not closed, you can inform about your milliwatting news here."

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Oct 20th 2015

Both sunspot number and solar flux are higher. Sunspot number today is 94 (K=3) and for the first time in a while daytime 10m conditions ar expected to be  "fair" rather than "poor". I am not surprised. We should expect decent 10m conditions today.

UPDATE 0918z: Well we are off to a promising start with spots on 10m already from EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) and RA3UDF (2693km). Both are probably F2 propagation. 6m is still quiet.

Another good 10m day

It is almost as if someone has turned on a big switch in the F2 layer! Yet again, 10m has been good to the USA and elsewhere. It suddenly happened a few days ago. Before that, conditions on 10m were not too good. Things on WSPR were tougher because of the relatively low activity levels.

I think conditions will be generally good this autumn, winter and spring, although I suspect this time next year things on 10m will be much tougher, unless we are lucky. Sunspot numbers are gradually falling and a year from now things could be a lot worse.

In the meantime, let us enjoy the good conditions on 10m.

UPDATE 1950z: EA8/LA3JJ has been spotting me all day, no less than 50 times. IK1SKC (977km) is a puzzling distance: it could be Es or F layer backscatter. Still, it has been another good day on 10m WSPR. The timing would suggest Es, but no other stations in Europe copied at the time. I have just gone QRT on all bands but will be back on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR after breakfast.

Quiet day - NOT amateur radio

Anglesey Abbey this afternoon - signs of autumn

OK, so I am still not feeling fully back to normal following my stomach bug. This really did hit me for six. My immune system must be relatively poor. On top of the stroke after-effects I really have suffered more than I would have in the past.

Today, my wife has her U3A course in Cambridge so I have had a fairly quiet morning so far. I shall prepare lunch later and there are a few household jobs to do, but I think one has to "listen to one's body". At the moment it is telling me to go easy and don't do too much.  I expect I shall soon be back to my new "old self".  At the moment most things leave me exhausted.

I am monitoring 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR mainly in the lounge.

UPDATE 1325z:  We are off to Anglesey Abbey to see the autumn leaves.

Our hobby - very diverse

There can be few hobbies that embrace so much as amateur radio. Some enjoy QRP, often making their own simple gear and each QSO is a thrill. Others spend a great deal of money on rigs, towers and antennas and enjoy just talking to others around the world. Some like the challenge of microwaves or optical.  The list is endless.

We are lucky that our hobby can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities and in so many different ways.  It is very easy to be critical of how others enjoy the hobby - I know as I am guilty of this!  We should be thankful we are a "broad church" and allow each of us to enjoy the hobby in the way that suits us best. I used to enjoy building and field work, but because of my stroke I have had to adapt. Thankfully, I enjoy the hobby as much as ever.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Oct 19th 2015

With a still climbing sunspot number, currently 81 (K=2) I think we are set for another good 10m day, even though the 10m forecast is "poor". Yesterday was a good 10m day with several spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon in the USA as well as elsewhere by F2. I'd be surprised if conditions today were down as, if anything, conditions are less disturbed today.

I am again active on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR. 6m I am only hoping for some inter-G DX. Anything else on that band would be a bonus. On 10m I am hopeful of some decent DX spots via F2.

My very first 10m spot was by EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) via F2. All quiet on 6m so far today.

UPDATE 1320z:  EA8/LA3JJ (2870km) has spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon 19 times so far this morning, but no other spots received.  At the moment 6m is still very quiet. The impression is that 10m is not as good as yesterday, although it is really too soon to tell.

Ego trip?

Just seen a copy of the tweet about the antenna at GB3GP for JOTA. Does this give Scouts a fair view of amateur radio? I think this is about egos and little else.

Incidentally, with a tiny, low, wire antenna my 500mW WSPR on 10m today has been spotted in 5 continents. You do NOT need monsters.

A promising start on 10m WSPR

Very early today I was getting spotted on Reunion Is and in Brazil on 10m WSPR.  Conditions seem even better than yesterday, so I am very hopeful for more USA spots today on 10m.

Is it too much to hope for some TEP F2 on 6m WSPR? Yes, probably too much to hope!  So far, absolutely nothing on 6m WSPR, given or received.

CQWW SSB contest is next weekend, so I hope we see good conditions for this major contest. For the last 2 years I have missed it. Although we have visitors over the weekend I hope to get on.

UPDATE 1205z:  Several spots from LZ stations on 10m WSPR, which I assume are via F2. They could be Es, but this is less likely.

UPDATE 1254z:  Spots on 10m WSPR from DK6UG (633km) are harder to explain. I guess these could be some sort of back-scatter? Also getting spots from Greece.

UPDATE 1338z:   W1VR (6965km) was the first USA station to spot my 500mW 10m WSPR today. Looks like he is in Florida. I do find USA call areas SO confusing these days! I blame the FCC.

UPDATE 1530z:   More USA spots, another station spotting me on Reunion Island and EA8/LA3JJ  for the first time in months. Autumn has returned to 10m WSPR! Great conditions.

Unique 10m WSPR spots so far today

Yet more Sputniks

I had these 2 emails from Oleg yesterday and today:

"Dear Space Friends,
yesterday   was   nice QSO between Sputnik US5EVD (two rod valves 500
mW) and Vanguard UI7K (one Ge pnp transistor 100 mW) on 3579 kHz. Also
US5EVD  operated  with EW6FA on 80 m. Day before op. Alexander US5EVD
can't to finish QSO with EW6FA because his battery was discharged. See
the  picture  of  Alex's  Sputnik  TX  on  the "Sputnik Days" page on www.club72.su Note: all components are old ex USSR types. On the green
battery you can see words "Сделано в СССР" (Made in USSR by Russian).
Two big size Ge transistors rectifier for high (anode) voltage used in
the TX.
Tomorrow October 18 is the last day in the Sputnik/Vanguard activity.
I  wish  all  Cosmonauts and Astronauts good luck and looking for any
reports.
>> It will be nice to log QRP QSO with Pampus Fort Island
For  sorry  I  have not radios for 30 and 40 m so far. I see a lot of
RBNs  reports  of  PA6FAP  today.  Hopefully, Peter PA0PJE enjoyed in
Pampus Fort shack today :-)
72! beep-beep-beep...
Deep Space Communications Center
operator on duty -
Oleg ("Mr. 72") RV3GM / KH6OB"


"Dear Space Friends,
Sputnik activity days close to finish. Jos ON6WJ informed about 4 QSOs
today,  all QSOs on 80 m band in a circle distance of 150 ml - PA and
ON. I be happy to get any news in last Sputnik hours.
Have a nice soft landing!

72! beep-beep-beep...
Deep Space Communications Center
operator on duty -
Oleg ("Mr. 72") RV3GM / KH6OB"

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Oct 18th 2015

Sunspot number has climbed up to 83 (K=4) with a solar flux a respectable 117 today. 10m is again forecast to be "poor" but after yesterday I am expecting decent results on 10m WSPR. I am again active on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR. On 6m I am not expecting any F2 but might catch some Gs.