Sunspots and 10m - Wed May 18th 2016

Solar flux is a respectable 104 today. Sunspot number is 36 (K=3) and the forecast for 10m propagation is still "poor".

6m WSPR - Es at last

There was Es in evidence in Europe today on 6m WSPR. Now it has started, we can expect Es most days on this band. When there is Es about on 6m, it can be a really fun band. Even with 6m SSB, just low ERP is needed to work all over Europe and North Africa.

IARU

See http://www.iaru.org/ .

The IARU is the "umbrella" organisation guiding the amateur communities around the world.

In region 1 I very much hope that a 100kHz wide 5MHz band will be allocated to radio amateurs in Europe despite a 15kHz wide band being allocated worldwide at WRC15.

There is quite a bit going on to persuade amateurs to adopt a new band-plan for 6m which involves relocating beacons slightly further up the band. It will mean more space for CW lower down, as for most HF bands.

Quiet day - NOT amateur radio

Our Devon holiday continues. Often we hit bad weather, but so far we've been lucky with lots of sun. Today we are doing some washing, going into Kingsbridge for some shopping, and going around to my brothers for tea.

Ivor Dewdney pasties and local strawberries

Tomorrow we plan another walk along the cliffs and eating out at the Sloop Inn in nearby Bantham. We have eaten here before, but when we called for a coffee one winter's morning on a walk with my brother we were turned away. At the time I could not believe how stupid they could be to turn away easy business ...and on the door it said they were open!! Of course, this was a few years ago and the owners have probably changed hands since then. I was very annoyed at the time, but it was their choice and their loss. All they had to do was give us coffee! Madness. We had a coffee and brandy a few miles further on.

I have been pleasantly surprised just how much I can still do despite my handicaps.  As I said yesterday, I am learning to adjust to the "me" I am now. It is far from the end.

10m and 6m Es

There was Es in Europe on 10m WSPR, but little sign of it on 6m WSPR yesterday. As the Es season progresses Es is common (almost daily) on both bands and there have been regular 6m Es openings right up to mid-September. Es is the dominant mode on these bands in the summer months.

Multi-hop Es to some quite exotic places is not that uncommon even on 6m. In earlier seasons I have copied north and south America and the Caribbean on SSB and CW on 6m with very simple antennas. When the 6m band opens these signals can sometimes be strong.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed May 17th 2016

Solar flux is a respectable 102 today.  Sunspot number is 76 (K=3) and the forecast for 10m (F2) propagation remains "poor" again. Es is our only real hope although there was F2 DX from the USA to Australia on 10m yesterday.

Clifftop /P

Well, yet again I had intentions of walking out to the clifftops for some evening /P operating, probably on 15m. Instead the 2km walk was just that - a pleasant stroll in the late evening sunshine and a chance to take a few more photos. They have removed the 2 seats on the coastal path as well! The weather is becoming less settled, but I may try Wednesday evening as we are at my brother's for a meal tomorrow evening. I think with my voice being such hard work I am less keen than I was on /P operating.

In all we have walked much further this holiday than I was expecting, which is a good sign: I still have a poor voice, I still tire easily, I still feel giddy but I can do more than I expected. I guess I have to learn to adapt to the "me" I am now and not the "me" I used to be.

Before coming away I feared I would never be able to walk the south west coast path from Hope Cove to Salcombe ever again. Although I would be done in at the end, I think I could manage this - just. Maybe on a future visit....

QRP News

This came in from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
QRP Rendez-Vous weekly report (May 9 to 15, 2016)
Visitors  of  the week: UR7VT, RA1M, UA1CEG/p, RU3NJC, US3EN, IK2JET, IK5SRD,  GM0LVI/p, OY2CJX, R1OA, OM6TC, RV3GM, UA1ASB, RN4AO, UA1ADF, IK2RGV, UT8NR, G3UD, RJ3T, RL3DA
UT8NR became Honor Frequenter of the QRP Rendez-Vous
See  full  lists  of  Visitors  and Frequenters, also QRP Rendez-Vous
schedule here - www.club72.su
The  QRP Marathon "Look In the Horizon" finished in May 1. Thanks ALL for  activity.  The  memory  certificates  has  been  sent  to  all Marathoner's today. See you on the next 2017 year Marathon!
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Coleton Fishacre - NOT amateur radio

See http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/coleton-fishacre .

This is a very fine Art Deco house near Kingwear, Devon with gardens in a sheltered valley going down to the sea. We visited it (again!) today. It is one of our favourites and the gardens were a riot of colour. It is owned by the National Trust but was owned by the D'Oyly Cart family in the 1920s and 30s.

Bolberry Down - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday, we went for a walk on Bolberry Down. 

It was from here that I worked a station in France (160km) with my handheld 10mW 2m Fredbox many years ago and South Africa with 1W pep on 10m. It is a lovely spot for a walk.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon May 16th 2016

Solar flux is 103 today. Sunspot number is 78 (K=3) and the 10m propagation forecast remains "poor". Let us hope there is 10m Es today, although there is a chance of N-S F2 on the band.

Evening stroll - NOT amateur radio

We are lucky that where we are staying is very near the coast. This evening we did a short stroll and got these views. Southernmost Devon really is the best place, although I am a bit biased!

Dad's seat - NOT amateur radio

My dad worked for the local water board in South Devon until he was 60, Then, for a few years he worked for the National Trust supervising youngsters on a job creation scheme restoring coastal footpaths. When he died the NT erected a couple of seats on the coast path in his memory. This is me sitting on one of them earlier.

 On the path it is quite common to see dung beetles and, of course, spectacular coastal views.

Kites (birds) - NOT amateur radio

At one time to see a kite outside Wales was rare. These days they seem to be everywhere. We saw one in the Cotswolds on our way to Devon on Friday.

I have seen a few swallows in South Devon as well as swifts, but I am sure there are fewer swallows about.

5GHz amateur band for wi-fi?

Southgate News has an item about the use of the 5GHz amateur band for wi-fi. This would be a controversial move, although in this case I have some sympathy with OFCOM. There are not many amateur users of this band and there would be widespread use of wi-fi.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/may/ofcom_propose_using_ham_radio_band_for_wifi.htm

Sunspots and 10m - Sun May 15th 2016

Solar flux is 102 today. Sunspot number is 88 (K=2). The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor".

UK Rallies

Sunday 15 MAY : 1st NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS ARC RALLY
CANCELLED


Sunday 15 MAY : LAMFEST
Elescar Heritage Centre, Wath Road, Elsecar, Barnsley S74 8HJ Doors open for traders at 7am and tables are provided free of charge. The public gain access at 10am and admission is £2. All monies raise will be donated to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Further details from Ian O'Donnell, M0IOD on 0191 604 0255, 0748 212 3223 or sales@hamradio-shop.co.uk.

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

Coast walk - NOT amateur radio

So, I was going to do some radio operating from a bench on the coastal path but instead we went for a walk along the coastal path in the glorious sunshine. In all I walked about 3.5km, which in my current state is quite good. Years ago this would have been trivial.  This is Thurlestone, Devon looking towards Burgh Island.

Salcombe, Devon - NOT amateur radio

Many years ago, I was brought up in Salcombe, Devon. At the time I had no idea how lucky I was. This week we returned. During my illness over the last 3 years there had been times when I thought I would never ever see Salcombe again. Thankfully I have been back now and there is every likelihood we'll visit again in the future. The area is very beautiful.

The photo show the main street. Sadly, Salcombe has many second homes that are empty much of the time. Locals are priced out and many of the local shops are replaced by clothes shops catering for the well heeled. Will Salcombe follow St Ives and stop new second homes?

10m Es today?

Later, I may get a change to do some portable clifftop radio with the FT817ND from a location in Devon. Let's hope for some Es!

Sunspots and 10m - Sat May 14th 2016

Solar flux is 96 today and sunspot number 76 (K=2). The propagation forecast for 10m remains "poor".

50 years ago to the day

It is exactly 50 years ago to the day (Fri May 13th 1966) that I took my RAE (Radio Amateurs Exam) in Plymouth. Passing this was my start in transmitting in amateur radio. In those days we only had access to 70cms and above (not 2m) with a G8 call, but you were allowed to operate a full licensee's station under supervision. I used to operate G4PJ under Bill's instruction when I had a G8 call. I took my Morse test when at university in December 1967 and got my G3XBM call shortly afterwards.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri May 13th 2016

Solar flux is 95 today (creeping up) and sunspot number 67 (K=2). The 10m propagation forecast remains "poor".

6m Es and DXTV

There seems to have been a little Es in evidence on 6m WSPR this lunchtime with DL3NGN spotted in the UK. Certainly later in the season we can expect 6m Es most days.

In the old days, DXTV on Band 1 was an almost daily occurrence with RAI (Italy) and TVE (Spain) often seen. These were 625 lines whereas Band 1 TV in the UK was 405 lines. French 819 line TV appeared as 2 visible signals side-by-side on unmodified UK sets. I can remember to this day the Es signal from the South of France broadcasting "midi-Pyrenees". At times it was just like a local!

10m Es

Yet again, 10m WSPR has shown Es propagation in Europe this morning. I guess 10m Es will be with us most days now until late summer. I certainly livens up the band, which can seem very quiet compared with a few years ago.

Southgate News - NOT amateur radio

Southgate News (always worth a look every few days) reports that a NASA commercial cargo spacecraft touched down in the eastern Pacific with a valuable cargo from the ISS.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2016/may/dragon_spacecraft_splashdown.htm .

Nuclear Fusion - NOT amateur radio

There is lots of research going on into nuclear fusion.

Unlike nuclear fission which is used today and results in long-term nuclear waste, nuclear fusion could use the almost endless supplies of non-polluting deuterium in seawater. It is probably decades away from being commercially possible as the technical challenges are immense. Research is starting to yield results though.

Nuclear fusion holds the potential for almost endless, low cost, energy. It could hold the keys to the future, but it is not yet possible, although the research must continue. This is one area where worldwide collaboration would benefit us all.

As for electric cars, although a "good idea" I think range is a real killer. Most journeys are short, I know, but ranges of several hundred miles on a charge are really needed and I just can't see this even with the best battery technology likely in the next few decades. Replacement batteries for electric cards are very expensive. No, this is an area where a lot more research is needed both in transport for the masses in an age beyond carbon and in battery technology. We need some "thinking outside the box" in these areas. Cars that do not need diesel or petrol are essential. We have to crack this one and come up with good solutions.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs May 12th 2016

Solar flux is 91 today. Sunspot number is 72 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor". Some 10m N-S F2 is possible as is short-skip Es.

BBC programmes under threat? - NOT amateur radio

Who doesn’t love CBeebies? Kids love it, and so do parents. BBC children’s programmes, like CBeebies, allow us those precious few minutes in a day to make a cup of tea. And we can trust that our kids are watching quality TV.

But children's TV as we know it is under threat. It's being reported that the government plans to take money away from the BBC’s children’s programmes. They want to give money-making channels a chance to compete for children’s shows.

The government is expected to announce the cut to the BBC children's budget this Thursday. So a big petition, standing up for advert-free BBC children's television, will show that there's huge public opposition to the government's plans. Please can you sign the petition to save BBC children's television?  See  http://38d.gs/21NJSjN

Personally  I have a problem with children being bombarded with adverts for things they do not need. The BBC is good as it is. There is a danger our government will ruin it.  Save it!

Garden - NOT amateur radio

Another view of the back garden

Not visible are my earth-electrode "antenna" for 630m (are you surprised?) and my end fed wire Par antenna covering 10m, 20m and 40m. This antenna works on other bands with an ATU.  Also out of sight are my 6m, 2m and 70cm vertical V2000 and my 2m horizontal big-wheel omni and 2m halo.

As you can tell, I do not like big, ugly antennas! The garden would fit a 66 foot long wire - maybe next winter?

6m and 10m WSPR

At 1236z I moved to the 10m WSPR beacon (500mW 100% TX) and 6m WSPR (1W ERP 20%, 80% RX, V2000 vertical antenna) simultaneously. It will be interesting to see if there is Es in evidence on 6m too. With 6dB less power on 10m, I expect to get spotted less often.

UPDATE 1325z:  EA1FAQ (1249km) has spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR 2 times so far. Still quite decent reports too.

UPDATE 1445z:  EA1FAQ is now spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR at -12dB S/N, implying that a few milliwatts would have been quite enough. My reports from him are getting better.  No spots yet on 6m WSPR.

10m Es

Within minutes of going on 10m WSPR I am spotting Hungarian stations well by Es. A promising start to what I think will be a good day on 10m.

10m WSPR so far

UPDATE 0934z:  HA9AL is coming in here at a very strong -2dB S/N now. 10m is very good currently to central Europe. This is quite early in the day for Es. 6m is probably good too.

UPDATE 1134z:  Plenty of 10m WSPR Es with lots from central Europe.

The morning on 10m WSPR - clearly Es season!

472kHz (630m) WSPR overnight

Last night I stayed on 472kHz WSPR overnight. I was going to try WSPR on a different band but decided after all to go back on MF.  There are now far fewer active stations than back in the better months. Activity will pick up again come the autumn. No DX spots given or received on 630m WSPR. I think it is now really is the time to pull the plug on 630m WSPR until the autumn.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed May 11th 2016

Solar flux is 90 today. Sunspot number is 70 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m remains "poor" yet again. We might see a little N-S 10m F2 propagation. We live in hope.

At 0910z I switched from 630m WSPR to 10m WSPR.

70cm UKAC tonight

I very briefly listened on 70cm in the 70cm leg of the RSGB's activity contest - the UKAC that runs for 2.5 hours on Tuesday nights. Very few stations were heard, so I've given this one a miss. Really I have no suitable antennas for 70cm at the moment. On the last 70cm UKAC I just used my 2m halo.

Corsican wind? - NOT amateur radio

Years ago we spent a couple of great holidays on Corsica.

My wife is trying to do a quiz in the newspaper and is stuck on a wind in north east Corsica with the second letter "i" and the last letter "t". She is adamant these letters are right. I tried Googling to no avail. I thought I knew this, but obviously I don't.

Any thoughts?

The quiz was in yesterday's Daily Telegraph which we got free with our shopping.  I try to vary the paper and sometimes get The Guardian or The Times. I only get them as they cost us nothing - well some will (rightly) argue we pay through Waitrose's high prices. Aldi is certainly less expensive, but our local store is some way away.

American hotels and breakfast - NOT amateur radio

One of my first surprises on trips to the USA was that few (no?) hotels offer breakfast. They expect you to get this down the road. Most have places to eat very nearby, but if you are not used to this it comes as a surprise. I have an old work colleague who is in Indiana for a conference and he was caught out. The hotel and conference centre was a place to meet and sleep, but little else.

Once, in eastern Canada, we stopped for breakfast at a roadside cafe. There were 6 fried eggs and lots more on the plate. It was huge. We did not go hungry!

Arecibo EME in 1964?

Way back in my youth, I recall that USA amateurs got access to the huge 1000 foot dish at Arecibo in Puerto Rico for early EME (moonbounce) tests. This was extensively reported in QST and the RSGB Bulletin at the time. I think this was 1964 or 1965.  As the dish was huge, it gave smaller stations a chance with EME. EME started soon after WW2 I believe but for many this was their first chance.

In more recent times there have been other activations. EME takes real dedication but recent advances in digital techniques have made EME more accessible to smaller stations. It still needs a lot more power and antenna gain than I have!  Some of these activations are on YouTube.  See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1agnioRKJw .

Rain - NOT amateur radio

Well, perhaps we have had the good weather for the year!  Our nice dry and warm spell came to an end after dark last night with rain. The big high we had has slipped away and we are now (once again) in a stream of wet and windy weather dominated by low pressure systems. It is not that cold but several degrees lower than the highs we saw in the last few days. The sun has gone.

Part of the rear garden yesterday

Returned to 10m WSPR

About 20 minutes ago I returned to 10m WSPR (2W TX 20%, 80% RX) hopeful of some Es or even F2 propagation on the 10m band.  As yet, no 10m spots given or received.

Just G8LCO (58km) was spotting me on 630m WSPR. I have now gone QRT on MF (630m). It is doubtful I shall bother with this band again now until the autumn in better conditions with a lot more active stations.

UPDATE 1056z:  Still no spots on 10m WSPR, although it remains early in the day.

UPDATE 1115z:   Still no spots on 10m WSPR. If there is to be any Es on 10m today, then I would expect it soon.

UPDATE 1348z:  OH5XO (1943km) spotted a few times around lunch on 10m WSPR, so some Es today again. No F2 seen here today. No Es since lunchtime.

UPDATE 1922z:  EA1FAQ (1249km) spotted me very strongly on 10m WSPR at teatime. Es definitely. Against my better judgement I have returned to 630m WSPR (QRT on 10m now) and am being spotted on 630m WSPR by M1GEO (65km) and G8LCO (58km). I think M1GEO is a new reporter.