Time to go QRT

With no new spots now for some hours, I am about to go QRT on 10m JT65. I shall be back on in the morning.

Rally

For readers in Northern Ireland and  Eire I guess.

Saturday 22 OCTOBER : CARRICKFERGUS AMATEUR RADIO GROUP RADIO RALLY

Downshire Community School, Carrickfergus, BT38 7DA. Doors open at 11.30pm and admission is £3. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. The venue has disabled facilities. Refreshments will be available. Details from Tim, MI0TBL by email to carg@hotmail.co.uk. www.radioclubs.net/carg.

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

On 10m JT65 since before breakfast

The 10m JT65 (2W) was fired up just before breakfast. As yet,  no spots given or received on the 10m band, but there are quite a few people looking across Europe and Asia. No signs of UK spots or spots from mainland Europe. Nearer Europe and UK is sometimes possible by aircraft reflection or tropo. Further away depends on Es, F2 or backscatter.

UPDATE 0924z:  Just had my first 10m JT65 spot today: from Austria OE3BOB (1228km). Es?

UPDATE 1128z:  IZ0AIS (1506km) has just spotted my 2W on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1136z: Now EA5/G3XGS (1581km) is spotting me.  Did someone say 10m is "dead"??

UPDATE 1810z:  PU4ENY (9359km) in Brazil copied me earlier on 10m JT65 (2W QRP).

QRP, QRP Club and Sputniks

From Oleg:

Dear Space Friends,
all QSOs installed in the total log page. Thanks!
New memorable certificates sent to:
- Honor Cosmonauts
PA0PJE, OK1DXK, R1CAF/SWL
- Honor Astronauts
RA7RA, R2DNN/B, R2AJA/B
Note:  in  next  2017  "Sputnik"  Days  Beacon/TXs  may be claimed as
"Sputnik"  or  "Vanguard".  Identifications  "beep-beep"  or  "V V V"
require.
72! beep-beep-beep...
Deep Space Communications Center
operator on duty -
Oleg ("Mr. 72") RV3GM / KH6OB


Dear Space Friends,
Sputnik Activity Days finished. Thanks to all participants and to all
spectators! I'll add all QSOs in the totals log and make the order on
the  page  this  evening.  My  sorry,  I  too much busy with my house
reconstructions now.
Note: the dead line for all reports before October 25.
72! beep-beep-beep...
Deep Space Communications Center
operator on duty -
Oleg ("Mr. 72") RV3GM / KH6OB

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday October 20th 2016

Solar flux is 76 today.  Sunspot number is 31.  K=0. Yesterday was not bad on 10m JT65, certainly worth running JT65 in the background.

End of 10m DX today?

Just in case, I'll stay on 10m JT65 a little longer, but I think the DX is over here for the day. In the end I copied 10 South Americans although my own 2W QRP JT65 failed to be spotted there on 10m JT65 today. Still, it was a lot better than yesterday. CE5PRD (12194km) was the best DX today.

AM in Portugal - Nov 5/6th

Southgate News reports on an AM weekend in Portugal in November:

"ARLA - The Portuguese 'Associação de Radioamadores do Litoral Alentejano' is organizing a whole weekend of Amplitude Modulation-AM on the 6th and 7th of November, the sixth edition of the event previously known as 'Dia Nacional do AM em Portugal' (National Day of AM in Portugal).
The broadcast, in amplitude modulation, will take place in 80m, 40m, 20m, 10m, 6m and 2m between 08AM UTC Saturday Nov 5 until 11:59PM UTC Sunday Nov 6.
Therefore, ARLA asks all ham operators and SWL, national or worldwide, to participate in this special broadcast, widen this year and for the first time to two consecutive days, in AM and in the amateur band plan.
The broadcasting will take place in several frequencies and the following should be considered for calling or meeting points between the participants:
3 705.0 kHz (+- 5kHz);
7 146.0 kHz (+- 5 kHz);
14 270.0 kHz (+- 5 kHz);
29 075.0 kHz (+- 5 kHz);
51,575.0 MHz (+- 5 kHz);
144,550.0 MHz (+- 5 kHz).
As referred above, this year we've widen the event to 48h due to several requests of previous participants, tho maintaining the same goals as the last events:
a) to give the opportunity of putting old recovered or collecting equipment's on the air
b) promote an different experience as well calling, whenever possible, to this type of broadcast that it's not that used anymore, focusing on new ham operators
c) pay our respects to the old short wave amplitude modulation broadcasting in Portugal, nowadays extinct
The logbook isn't mandatory but it would be great if you send your log to the organization.
Those who can and are willing to give us that joy, please send them to cs5arla+dia.do.am@gmail.com
All participants that make a contact with CS5ARLA station, operated by Carlos Mourato (CT4RK), will receive a participation certificate.
 
João Costa CT1FBF
Vogal da Direcção da ARL"

A better 10m day

I have been on 10m JT65 all day. So far 6 South Americans spotted together with a couple of spots of my own 2W QRP 10m JT65 signal from Europeans.

UPDATE 1550z:  Now 7 South Americans spotted. Best 10m JT65 RX spot is LW7EMM (11483km).

UPDATE 1702z: Now spotted 10 South Americans on 10m JT65 RX.

10m JT65 since before breakfast

Although on 10m JT65 since before breakfast, I see IZ0AIS (1506km) spotted me a few minutes ago. I assume this is Es. I don't think there were earlier spots.

Sunspots - Wednesday October 19th 2016

Solar flux is 77 today. The sunspot number is 24 .  K=2 . As mentioned yesterday, assume 10m F2 propagation is forecast to be "poor" unless I say otherwise. In future, I shall NOT be mentioning 10m F2 propagation.