Last Corfu picture - NOT amateur radio

This was a sunrise in Corfu, Greece last week. As we are now home again, this is probably the last Corfu picture that I shall post on this blog.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday Sept 25th 2016

Solar flux is 83 today and sunspot number 47. Conditions are quite disturbed with K=5. The forecast for 10m F2 is still "poor". We are now in autumn so we may be in for better conditions if the solar activity holds up a bit longer.

6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

This morning I decided to go on 6m JT65 (2 local spots so far, no Es) and 10m WSPR (nothing yet). I shall probably QSY to 10m JT65 only later this afternoon.

UPDATE 1238z:  Still just local spots on 6m JT65 and nothing on 10m WSPR so far today. No Es and no F2 as yet.  Soon be time to QSY to 10m JT65 only. It is funny how there are usually more spots (from the UK) on 6m than 10m.

UPDATE 1242z:  Now active only on 10m JT65 (TX and RX).

Google going backwards? - NOT amateur radio

"We recently announced that the Google Feed API would be retired. As a result, the Slideshow gadget will no longer function and we will remove it from your blog by 29 September 2016."

Funny how Google announces changes to its blog "features". See https://developers.googleblog.com/2016/06/announcing-turndown-of-google-feed-api.html . It seems that they withdraw features more often than they introduce new ones. "Turndown" means the feature is going!  Sorry, "retired" is the euphemism I should be using.

More Rallies!

Sunday 25 SEPTEMBER : CHIPPENHAM & DAR MINI-RALLY
NEW VENUE: Kington Langley Village Hall, Church Road, Kington Langley SN15 5NJ. The doors open at 10am, with disabled visitors gaining access 30 minutes earlier at 9.30am. Admission is £2.00 with under 16s free. There is on site car parking. There will be trade stands, a car boot area and refreshments will be available. The new venue is 1.5 miles south of the M4 J17. Details from Brian, G6HUI on 0772 224 2741. www.g3vre.org.uk.


Sunday 25 SEPTEMBER : BELGIUM AMATEUR RADIO & COMPUTER RALLY
Hall 'Louvexpo', 7 rue du Hocquet, La Louvire. Direct access from the motorway (50km south of Brussels). Open from 9am. to 4pm. Talk-in on local FM repeaters 145.600MHz, 438.875MHz and DSTAR 439.4375MHz. Features 4000m, trade stands from United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, France and flea market. Michel, ON7FI, +32 475 45 45 78, michel.dewyngaert@skynet.be. www.on6ll.be.

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

Very Quiet on 10m JT65

At the moment, things are very quiet on 10m JT65 with no spots given or received at all so far. No Es and no F2. As well as this, no UK stations copied. I did a re-sync recently and everything is connected and working. Great shame. Maybe things will look up later?

UPDATE 1640z:  Plenty of monitors on 10m JT65 in South America but no spots given or received here so far.

UPDATE 1658z:   I am still awaiting 10m JT65 spots to/from the USA this autumn. As yet I have not been lucky. The solar activity levels suggest this will happen. 

UPDATE 1706z:  See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

UPDATE 1906z: LU5CQC (11211km) in Buenos Aires, has been spotted on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1924z: I have now spotted Brazil and Paraguay on 10m JT65, but I have not been spotted in South America.

More Corfu - NOT amateur radio

Fruit and Vegetables For Sale in Corfu Old Town

As you will have read, we enjoyed a lovely week on Corfu last week. We went with my brother-in-law and his wife and had a great hotel just outside Corfu Old Town. We ate sometimes in the town and sometimes in the hotel. It was a great spot to relax and read. Now back home.

Rally and BATC Convention

23 - 25 SEPTEMBER : WACRAL FELLOWSHIP WEEKEND
Elim Conference Centre, De Walden Road, West Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 4DG. Guest speaker on Saturday evening Don Field, G3XTT (Editor of Practical Wireless. Details from Shirley on 01924 229 630.

24 & 25 SEPTEMBER : BATC CONVENTION
RAF Museum Cosford, near Telford.

BATC is the British Amateur Television Club. If you cannot get there, then you can watch it streamed live at https://beta.batc.tv/live/cat16 .

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

As I have said many times, if travelling any distance check details are correct.

QRP and QRPclub

As I have been away these posts from Oleg were not published earlier.

Dear Space Friends,
remind the rules - www.club72.su

Devoted  to  Sputnik  and  Vanguard launches and to HAMs copied their signals.
Dates: October 4 to 18 annually
Mode - CW, output power less than 5 watts
Bands  -  all,  including  WARC  (it's  not  a  contest),  around QRP frequencies recommend
Categories:

"Sputniks"
-  use old type valves (50'th)  TX, output power recommend less than 1watt.  To  identification  add series of "dit" (beep-beep-beep...) in start or/and finish of transmission

"Vanguards"
-  use  old  type  Ge (germanium, 50'th) transistors TX, output power recommend  less  than  100mW. To identification add series of "V" in start or/and finish of transmission

SWLs
- copy time and freq of Sputniks and Vanguards (CQs or QSOs). Use main callsign as SWL.

Each  operator  may  take  a  part in any categories sending separate reports/logs for each category. Any QSOs in account. Same station may operate on other bands or in other category on the same band.
Reports/logs  must be send daily (preferably) to the "Center of Space Communications" :-) to - mr72@club72.su
Add  photos  of equipment, antennas including any comments. Dead-line for reports/logs before October 25. Memorably certificate will be sent to each station/SWL.

Ask  "Mr  72"  to add your e-mail in the special "Sputnik" discussion group (reflector)
Enjoy last years results, logs, pictures -
http://club72.su/sputnik-res.htm

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


Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous report (September 12 to 18, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week:  RU3NJC, US3EN, R1OA, UR0ET, UA1CEG, IK5ZWN, EA5DNO,  HA2BFO,  DK1HW,  DL1VTL,  SM2FIJ,  RW3AA/p, RX3DIT, RA1M/mm, RN4AO,  R1CAF, LZ1TS, UA9MLY, DL1FU, DL2ASG, UA1CCA, RV3DSA/0, RV3UF, OH6NPV,  UR5EFD, UA0SBQ, Z35M, RW9TN, ON6KZ, LZ2RS, UR5FA/mm, IT9IFI, SA4BLM, CT1DBS/p, DK3WX
Congrats! DK1HW became Rendez-Vous Frequenter
Comments: ...... Read more and see pictures at Club 72 blog/news page-
http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72" 

10m JT65

Since before breakfast I have been on 10m JT65 but no spots at all so far.

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday Sept 24th 2016

Solar flux is 83 today and the sunspot number 49. K=1. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Sunspots and 10m - Friday September 23rd 2016

Sorry for the lack of posts this last week but we have been away. Solar flux is 83 and sunspot number 30. K=0. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor". I shall be on 10m JT65 in the morning.

Back from holiday - NOT amateur radio

As you can see I have returned from a week in Corfu on holiday. Although I had some internet, I was unable to update the blog, so I missed the last week. If previous "absences" are anything to go by, it takes several days before people notice I am back. At this time of year Corfu starts to cool down a bit. It was still  hot and sunny most of the time but we did have a few storms. Corfu is among the greenest of the Greek islands with views that are truly great, although I still think the South Hams beats them all.

South America yet again on 10m JT65

CE3GDR in Chile was spotted on 10m JT65 earlier. I have now gone QRT and disconnected all plugs and antennas as there could be thunderstorms later.

Blog posts unlikely for a week - NOT amateur radio

Although the house is occupied, it is probable that I will not have internet for about 7 days. So, if no posts appear, don't panic! If things go to plan I should be blogging again around Sept 23rd or 24th.

10m Es

With modes like JT65, it is possible to find out what 10m is doing, almost in the background. For example, today has seen Es spots from 3 countries despite running QRP to a relatively poor antenna. If this was SSB, these openings would probably have been missed. We are now well outside the main Es season yet 10m still shows that Europe is workable on very many days. I have copied South America on 10m JT65 many times in recent weeks. No, JT65 is proving very useful on a so-called "dead" band.

"In the midst of life...." - NOT amateur radio

"In the midst of life we are in death" - so goes the famous saying. Recently I have been made aware of this more than before with another of my university friends dying from cancer. I expect this is an age thing with more of my own generation dying. In the meantime,we must all milk life like Dame Sarah Storey at the Paralympics. She is the daughter of a university friend.

My son Tim Lapthorn is raising money for cancer research. If you are able, please support this good cause by giving just a little.  Every little helps.

See https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Tim-Lapthorn-dryathlete2016

"Media vita in morte sumus ; quem quaerimus adjutorem, nisi te Domine, qui pro peccatis nostris juste irasceris? Sancte Deus, sancte fortis, sancte et misericors Salvator, amarae morti ne tradas nos."

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

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday September 15th 2016

Solar flux is 84 today and the sunspot number 24. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor". There is a little 10m Es.

QRP 10m JT65 only

Today, I am just on 10m JT65 only using 2W. I have just been spotted by IZ0AIS (1506km) by Es. I am afraid 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR will have to wait for a different day. I am still using WSJT-X V1.6, although I gather there is now a V1.7 out.

QSYed - now on QRP 10m JT65

As on previous days, I have gone QRT on 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR and am just on 10m JT65 (2W) hoping for some South American spots later. Already I have had an Es spot from Germany by DO4CP (915km).

UPDATE 2106z: At the moment, a couple of spots from South America this evening, but as yet no-one there has spotted me from South America.

Pye Telecom - NOT amateur radio

http://www.pyetelecomhistory.org/prodhist/portables/chiefexec/jan31-2005-0020-800p.jpg

Please note the picture above is at the Pye Telecom History Site and NOT on this blog. The link will be removed if a problem. This link may not work with https links to this blog.
My first job was with Pye Telecom in 1970 in the Portables Lab. I had to put 12.5kHz channel spacing into the PF1 receiver. My boss was a John McLean and his boss was, now SK, Mike Gotch (later G0IMG). At the time I did not know that Mike was interested in amateur radio. In his latter years he was keen on 10m and 6m.

The 2 unit PF1's sold in good volumes to the UK police. These were the first common UHF portables in the world.  A few specials were made for chief constables and the like.

Work was very different then! These days people would not get away with what we did back then. There was very little competition and work was easy.

Sepura - NOT amateur radio

Since a profits warning earlier in the spring, Sepura share have tumbled. This was my old company before I retired in 2008. Nowadays I have no connections with the place. These days the shares are probably well undervalued. There have been takeover rumours which would probably mean a change in top management.

Anglesey Abbey - NOT amateur radio

Every time we visit here there is something to see. It changes through the seasons although some things are beautiful at any time of the year such as the bark on this tree on the winter walk.

QRP on 10m and 6m today

I restarted the PC at breakfast time and am currently on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) and 6m transceive JT65 (2W). Nothing yet on 10m here, but I was spotted in Norway on 6m JT65 2 hours ago, presumably by Es, by LB5JE (1152km). On 6m I just use a simple V2000 vertical omni fed with RG58 coax. On 10m the antenna is just a low Par 10/20/40m end fed i.e. nothing special.

UPDATE 0932z: Still nothing on 10m WSPR. Funny, if I just had 10m WSPR I'd have concluded the 10m band was "dead". Yet I have already had spots of my JT65 on 6m including one which was almost certainly Es. Never give up! A dead band may not be dead at all.

UPDATE 1254z:  No further 6m spots. 10m WSPR? Not sure as I have been unable to contact the WSPRnet database yet again!

Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday September 14th 2016

Solar flux is 84 today. Sunspot number is 27. K=2. The 10m F2 propagation forecast is (again) "poor".

Burwell windmill - NOT amateur radio

Lovely to see the Burwell windmill 4 sails turning in the wind earlier. It is the first time these have been working for a long time.

See  http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk/.

70cm UKAC tonight

This evening, the second Tuesday in the month is the RSGB's UK activity contest for 70cm. I often go on for a little while and work a few stations, although I only have a 2m omni antenna which radiates after a fashion. The contest runs from 1900z to 2130z, although I shall probably be on for about 30 minutes only because of my poor voice. Activity levels are usually good. With the hot weather in most of England, there could be a few more portable stations out on hilltops too this evening.

Yesterday I sent in my modest entry for last week's 2m UKAC. I was only on for about 20 minutes but still managed to work decent distances with just my QRP and omni antenna.

These contests are good fun and a good way to work more squares.

70cm QSOs this evening using 5W and a 2m halo with lossy coax

UPDATE 2010z: Well I made 5 QSOs  in 30 minutes with my poor voice, 5W and a 2m halo fed with lossy coax. Best DX was JO03 square. Fun and surprising with such a poor antenna! Great.

Soon be time to change band and mode

With WSPRnet still struggling, I think I'm going QRT on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 and QSYing to just 10m JT65 for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Clearly there is Es about on 6m, but on 10m I don't (yet) know.

UPDATE 1806z: A few hours ago I QSYed and am now only on 10m JT65. With German and French stations copying me, there is clearly Es about on the band. Nothing from South America yet. When I eventually managed to access the WSPRnet database I see that I was spotted in Spain, Germany and Sweden on 10m WSPR earlier. As usual. I was using 500mW.

UPDATE 1840z: Several spots of South American stations on 10m JT65 (CE and PY), but no-one there has yet spotted me on 10m JT65.

Buskers - NOT amateur radio

Whilst my wife spent our money I was having a drink in Pret-a-Manger watching these buskers across the road. I didn't have my camera, so had to use my old iPod Touch 4g for the photo. Cambridge was very hot this morning and Pret-a-Manger was a cool spot to watch the world for 30 minutes.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday September 13th 2016

Solar flux is 86 today. Sunspot count is 57. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

10m WSPR and 6m JT65

ON5AV (320km) is the best on 6m JT65 RX so far this morning. This is either tropo or aircraft reflection and not Es (far too close). As yet, nothing on 10m. I have been spotted by a couple of UK stations on 6m JT65 TX.

UPDATE 1440z: Several Es spots from Spain on 6m JT65. I have been spotted and spotted others. At the moment I cannot (yet again) access the WSPR database to check 10m WSPR results.

Autumn Conditions on 10m?

We are already in autumn according to the UK Met Office, although I have yet to see any signs of autumn conditions on 10m JT65 or 10m WSPR. The best 10m conditions are usually later in the season but I remain hopeful of some USA openings on 10m this autumn. With solar conditions getting worse, this is probably the last chance many of us will see for USA stations on 10m by F2. Es occasionally allows 10m openings to the USA and Canada in the summer. The next peak is years away and may be poor.

I think the mantra is "wait and see". We live in hope! This is where WSPR and JT65 are particularly useful: there are usually plenty of people TXing and RXing all the time. If the 10m band opens even briefly, it will be noticed.

UPDATE 1938z: I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of Es on both 6m and 10m this late in the year. I have said many times that there is Es at all times of the year, although not at the same level as in the main Es "season".  WSPR and JT65 are ideal 10m modes when the band seems "dead". You'd be surprised!

UPDATE 2050z: PY2HH (9610km) in Southern Brazil has been spotted on 10m JT65 this evening.

Bark - NOT amateur radio

We went to nearby Anglesey Abbey yesterday.  I just love this tree bark. The texture is amazing.

Activity today

At the moment I am active on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. I did a manual re-sync to internet time about 30 minutes ago "just in case". As yet, no Es on 6m but there has been Es on 10m WSPR with EA1FAQ (1249km) spotting my 500mW.

UPDATE 1540z:  It helps to be on the right frequency! I have now gone QRT on 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR and fired up on 10m JT65. I noticed I was on 50.270 and not 50.276MHz. The dial lock was not on and the dial must have been knocked! I am now definitely on 28.076MHz JT65.  So far, no spots.

UPDATE 1710z: Just G4CJC (73km) and OH1EEZ (1657km) spotting me so far.  There is clearly some Es on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1735z: Nothing from South America spotted on 10m JT65 here so far this evening.

UPDATE 1931z: I see that I have copied a South American in Brazil as well as a UK station (IO81) on 10m JT65, although neither station reported this to PSKreporter maps. LA7DFA (1312km) spotted me a little while ago.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday September 12th 2016

Solar flux is 87 today and the sunspot number 63. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation is still "poor".

QRP and QRP Club

From Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous report (September 5 to 11, 2016)
Visitors  of  the week: US3EN, UA1CEG, R1OA, RV3GM, DL1YAY/p, OH6NPV,
DL1YEF,  UR0ET,  HB9DAX,  UA1ADF,  RA1M/mm,  R1CAF,  OE6GYL,  RU3NJC,
LZ2HT/1,  DK1HW,  RV3DSA/0,  ON4ADR, UA0SBQ/p, UR5EFD, DJ1PQ, DL2ASG,
RV3UF, G4GIR, LA8BCA/p, UA9MLY, DL2WA, RN4AO, G0FVH, G6HUI, US5ERQ

Congrats!
RN4AO, UA9MLY, R1CAF became Honor Frequenters of QRP Rendez-Vous

See full Visitors/Frequenters lists and "rendezvous" schedule at Club
72 page - www.club72.su

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Shakespeare's famous speech - NOT amateur radio

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_quality_of_mercy_(Shakespeare_quote)

This is probably one of the most famous speeches in the English language. It is Portia's famous speech in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice".

Like many, I had to learn this off by heart at school. I'm glad I did. It means much more to me now than 50 years ago.

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:

'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown;

.......

Not buying.....for now

With BREXIT, Japanese goods, and USA goods, priced in USA dollars should be some 10% more expensive to import into the UK. I expect dealers will absorb some of this, but maybe not all. This could mean some prices go up later this year or next.

I was thinking about investing in a new rig like the ICOM IC7300 but the offered cash price was too great, so I shall stick with my present rigs for now. The FT817 has served me well and has enabled me to work some impressive QRP DX over the years. I like the rigs I own and don't need a new radio. We are always bombarded with adverts trying to persuade us to buy consumer goods and we have to ask ourselves can we, should we, resist?

Our whole society is based on buying "things" we don't really need that wear out quite soon. In the end this is not sustainable in a world with a growing population and limited resources.

Flint - NOT amateur radio

This is part of a church tower at a church we visited back in the summer. I just love the texture.

Anglesey Abbey, Nr Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

Every month there is something to see here. We go regularly because it is so near. We are very lucky. The autumn crocus were out and this blue flower, which was in the herbaceous garden.