6m and 10m JT65 and CQWW

4Z5ML (3571km) has already been spotted on 10m JT65 this morning despite a sunspot number of zero.

As I have a small window to operate on 10m SSB in the CQWW contest, I shall probably go on 6m JT65 soon in beacon mode.

UPDATE 1038z: G0LRD (25km) spotting me on 6m JT65, but no-one else. CQWW on 10m was slow with just a couple of Italians coming through earlier. So different from a few years ago.

UPDATE 1136z: G6NLZ (153km) near the South Coast of the UK has been spotted on 6m JT65. This was either by tropo or aircraft reflection.  I'll try 10m SSB CQWW again after lunch.

UPDATE 1918z:   Having returned to 10m JT65 I have spotted a couple of South Americas (Argentina and Brazil)  and I was spotted by OE3BUB (1228km) in Austria.So, not everybody is on CQWW!

QRP and QRP Club

From Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
Welcome  all QRP operators in the special QRP Chat room on the Club 72
web  page  -  club72.su  (QRP Chat in the menu) - see attached screen
shot.  Don't worry for Russian words, there are only testing group of
Russian QRPers now.
In chat you must to create account and nik-name. for nik-name use only
your CALL sign, otherwise non-callsign nik-names will be deleted.
English or Russian languages may be used in the QRP Chat. QRP chat is
comfortable  to  inform "I'm on *** frequency now" as well as evening
"pub"  with  your  friends, heheheh. Enjoy it! See you ALL in the QRP
Chat.
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"
This is a periodic Newsletter of the Club 72. Don't reply to Newsletter address! Send any requests or news to mr72@club72.su please.

Salcombe webcam - NOT amateur radio

See http://webcams.chestnutcorp.co.uk:8185/?rand=1391520236357 

A lot of fun can be had looking at webcams. The one linked is at Whitestrand, Salcombe, Devon, UK.

UPDATE 30.10.16 1605z.  Every time I have tried to connect with this link recently it has failed. I think you have to subscribe to the South Sands Hotel Newsletter to be able to access it. See http://www.southsands.com/ .

BATC videos on YouTube

See https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUWLnUZllytlcCFd93tnBzw/videos .

Southgate News reports that videos of the recent BATC convention talks are now available on YouTube. I watched some of these when they were steamed, but it is good to hear they are available offline.

Kent family - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows our son, his wife and 2 of our grandchildren sitting on a log at Anglesey Abbey yesterday. They live near Canterbury.

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday October 29th 2016

Solar flux is 78 today. Sunspot number is zero.  K=4 .

CQWW SSB contest all weekend so bands you thought were dead will spring into life magically only to appear dead again on Monday. Even with real QRP 5W or less SSB I usually have no problem filling a couple of pages of my log book.

ISWL (International Short Wave League)

Back in the 1960s, when the ISWL was thriving, I joined. Subsequently I left and rejoined some years ago. After a few years, I left again. When I left there were about 200 members only. I have no idea of membership numbers now, but I''d be surprised if it was more than 150 and probably far fewer?

Sadly, ISWL was no longer "for me". When I  left a few years ago not one email was received saying they were sorry I was going. I was surprised. Every month I had contributed a log, as well as several articles.

My feeling is this is now a very small group that is on the way out. Back in the 1950s and 1960s it was a very strong, international group. No longer do I feel this is true, sadly.

If you are considering joining, then my recommendation is join GQRP Club instead. I have never been disappointed.

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

Hamsphere Newsletter

This is not real radio. It is virtual ham radio with the internet acting as the propagation medium. If you have real issues with antennas, rigs, etc, it may offer you a kind of amateur radio experience.

See http://www.hamsphere.com/23_43446_read.html .

Sunspots and 10m - Friday October 28th 2016

Solar flux is 75 today. Sunspot number is 12 and K=3. It will be interesting to see how 10m is later. If we get N-S DX I shall not be too surprised. Apart from Florida (once) I have not seen USA spots on 10m this autumn.

10m JT65 overnight and today

Last night I decided to stay on 10m JT65 overnight. Not unexpectedly, there were no spots overnight. I shall check internet sync soon, although this should happen every 1000 seconds automatically if the internet connection holds up. Yesterday, the internet was not reliable. This is unusual as normally it is good.

UPDATE 0930z: Just did a manual resync to internet time "just in case".  No 10m spots overnight and so far today, but I see I spotted GD0TEP yesterday too on 10m JT65. This is an interesting distance. Could have been tropo, aircraft or backscatter.

UPDATE 1050z:  My 2W QRP 10m JT65 has been spotted in Greece and Spain. Es I assume. RK6MF (2838km) is currently the best DX on 10m JT65 RX here. I assume this is F2.

UPDATE 1106z: A45XO (5708km) in Oman is now the best RX DX on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1122z:  EA5IDQ (1576km) in Spain now spotting my 10m JT65 (2W QRP). Looks like quite a widespread opening on 10m.

UPDATE 1606z: So far, 3 South Americans, in the Sao Paulo area of Brazil, spotted on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1750z:  No further South Americans and USA still noticeably absent.

UPDATE 1802z: LX1JX (469km) spotted me 2 hours ago.