Mr Trump - NOT amateur radio

A lot of people in the USA voted him into office. "Make America great again".

As yet, he has still to demonstrate true statesman-like behaviour on the world stage. Mrs Merkel was not impressed! He will be judged by how statesman-like he is. Sometimes he will have to eat his words. We have not yet had him in office 100 days, so it would be wrong to judge him too soon, although personally I have not been impressed.

Why does he remind me of a certain European leader who came to power in the 1930s and who committed suicide in 1945? Caveat emptor.

Signs of life - NOT amateur radio

There are stirrings in the garden.

After what seemed like a long, dull winter the daffodils are in flower, snowdrops are past their best, there are buds on the trees and bushes. Only a few weeks hopefully and we'll see the first swallows back.

So, the cycle of life goes on.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday March 19th 2017

Solar flux is 70 today, but the sunspot count remains zero. This is a long spotless period, but I expect worse to come! A=2 and K=1. As for 10m propagation? We live in hope!

The foreseeable future will see few spots, but N-S 10m propagation is still likely. Sadly people take a quick look, hear nothing and desert the higher HF bands.

UPDATE 1200z: With a spot by DK6UG (633km) of my 500mW WSPR on 10m, it proves there is still life on the band.  It would be good to get spotted outside Europe on 10m.

UPDATE 1206z: GM6NX (507km) has now been spotted on 6m MSK144. 5 stations in 4 countries spotted on 6m MSK144 so far today.

New country copied on 6m MSK144

EA2ARD (1010km) has been spotted on 6m MSK144. I am pretty sure this is a new country copied by this mode on 6m.  As well as 6m MSK144 RX, I am also active on 10m WSPR TX but nothing spotted.

UPDATE 1025z: 2E0EBM (65km) spotted on 6m MSK144.

UPDATE 1154z: G8HXE (221km) and EI4DQ (576km) now spotted on 6m MSK144. This mode on 6m never fails. Most days I spot several countries on 6m even with my V2000 vertical using this mode.

UPDATE  1200z: DK6UG (633km) has spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR. So there is some life on 10m.

UPDATE 1506z: Now spotted 8 stations in 7 countries so far today on 6m MSK144.

UPDATE 1940z: Time to go QRT on 6m MSK144 RX.

Do violets like wet? - NOT amateur radio

This spring we seem to have violets everywhere! Usually we see some, but this year they appear to be all over the place! Now, we had a mild, damp winter, so I am wondering if these conditions particularly favour violets?

Also daffodils were late this year but suddenly they are all out in a wonderful sea of yellow.

This year we have had a wetter winter than I can ever remember. Perhaps this is a result of global warming?

Now on 10m WSPR TX (500mW)

As well as RX on 6m MSK144, I am now transmitting on 10m WSPR. So far, no spots on 10m.

UPDATE 1528z: 4 countries spotted on 6m MSK144 today so far (HB9, ON, PA and EI) but nothing yet on 10m WSPR.

K7RA and propagation

Someone far more knowledgeable than me about propagation is K7RA. Southgate News has a piece about his latest review of propagation.

See http://southgatearc.org/propagation/k7ra/index.htm#.WM0pWIXXLIU

On 6m MSK144 RX

Most of the morning, I have been on 6m MSK144 receive with EI and HB9 the best DX spotted so far.

As it uses a different antenna and does not need the FT817 or PC (I use the W5OLF beacon, which is totally stand-alone) I may well go on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) shortly as well as monitoring 6m MSK144. To be honest, I am hopeful about 10m, although I have no basis for this!

UPDATE 2200z:  Now QRT on all bands. On 6m MSK144 quite a few stations received here did not appear on PSK Reporter Maps, suggesting that I lost internet connectivity at the times they should have been reported.

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday March 18th 2017

Solar flux is 69 and yet again the sunspot number remains zero. A=4 and K=0.

Simple minds? - NOT amateur radio

This appealed to my simple mind. I first saw it on an email I get daily from Twitter. I do not use Twitter. For those who don't know, Liechtenstein is a tiny nation on the border of Switzerland.

DX via noctilucent clouds?

These high altitude clouds appear most often around the summer solstice and support radar returns. It has yet to be tried, but it means very long distance UHF, SHF and microwave paths may be possible using these clouds. Who will try?

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/noctilucent .

Shoot yourself in the foot? - NOT amateur radio

When reading it, the White House spokesman did not exactly sound as if he believed it himself, to my ears at least. Claims that GCHQ helped Obama bug Trump in the lead-up to the presidential elections have been described as "nonsense" by GCHQ.

If Mr Trump is looking for credibility on the world stage, he should listen to evidence on everything and act on hard evidence. It is always wise to check facts. Take for example global warming. He does himself no favours by acting without reading and accepting the facts. Any leader must work from facts. A politician who does not is living in a bubble.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39300191. Oh sorry, the BBC is a "false news" supplier!

Kings, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

Today we walked around the Backs in Cambridge to see all the flowers out. I used to go to a meeting in one of the rooms (X6) in Kings (on the left in the photo) when I first came to Cambridge.

Scottish independence - NOT amateur radio

The leader of the ruling party in Scotland has asked for a second referendum on independence next year. The UK Prime Minister has said "no".

In my view, both powerful women are playing politics. With oil worth less than half of what it was when the Scots voted to stay in the UK, I don't quite see how the Scottish people could go it alone. Mind you, the majority in Scotland voted to "remain" in the EU, unlike the majority in the UK.

At the moment, the UK certainly has to focus on its new relationship with the EU but the break-up of the ancient union with Scotland could happen. Even more troubling is the border between Eire (in the EU) and Ulster (soon to be out of the EU).

Low nest - NOT amateur radio

We saw this nest in a pollarded tree on our way back from visiting old neighbours yesterday. The nest is only about six feet off the ground, although I expect it is well hidden when the leaves are out.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday March 17th 2017

Solar flux is 70 today and the sun remains spotless. This is the longest spotless period in many years. A=6 and K=1. On the face of it, things don't look that promising on 10m today.

Rallies this weekend

MARCH 18th  2017 : LAUGHARNE RADIO RALLY

Saturday 18 March 2017. Millennium Memorial Hall, Clifton Street, Laugharne SA33 4QG.
Doors open 10am-1pm (disabled entry 15 mins early), entry £3. Tables are free, booked through Matthew, GW6KOA, 0199 4427 581 or by email to matthew.twyman63@btinternet.com.


MARCH 19th 2017 : 32nd WYTHALL RADIO CLUB RALLY

Wythall Park, Silver Street, B47 6LZ Parking available on site. Doors open at 10am with disabled visitors gaining access at 9.30am. Entry is £4. There will be a Bring & Buy, RSGB bookstall as well as lectures. Catering will be available on site. Contact Mike, 0797 674 4479, mike@g4vpd.com.

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

10m WSPR transceive (2W)

Since breakfast, I have been transceive on 10m WSPR running 2W TX 20% of the time with 80% RX. G3YSX (115km) is the most distant station copied here so far. G4KPX (14km) is copying me.

Initial WSPR spots on 10m this morning

UPDATE 1712z: Well there were no other spots (well not up to now) since these early ones. I suspect these were people off to work. I shall stay on a bit longer, but hopes are fading for any long distance DX on 10m today. Later, I shall probably switch to 630m RX.

Dutch Politics - NOT amateur radio

Well, I for one am pleased that the far right was NOT well supported in the Dutch elections yesterday. In my view there is no place for extreme right wing politics anywhere.

The recent BREXIT vote in the UK and the election of Mr Trump in the USA were reactions. People generally are saying, "politicians be honest" and, "listen to our views".  The swing to truly representative politics will take time. Politicians everywhere need to truly represent the people.

60m in the UK

According to the latest RadCom, the RSGB is still negotiating with OFCOM and the military to get the WRC2015 worldwide 60m allocation available to UK amateurs in 2017 in addition to the existing UK allocations.

6m MSK144 this morning

A couple of countries spotted so far, but occasionally I am also trying transmitting in beacon mode on this mode/band sending "B G3XBM JO02" in MSK144. So far, no reports on TX.

UPDATE 1318z:  4 countries spotted so far on 6m MSK144, but sadly no spots of my own 2W signal. I have now gone RX only.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday March 16th 2017

Solar flux is 69 today and the sunspot count remains stubbornly zero. A=7 and K=0.

Arctic Litter - NOT amateur radio

At my U3AC course yesterday at the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge we were told an amazing fact. Litter in the Arctic Ocean has increased 20-fold in the last 10 years.

Back on 472kHz WSPR RX

Although not on any bands today, I am back on 472kHz WSPR receive this evening.

Lambs - NOT amateur radio

Today, we had our warmest day of the year. It felt warm for the first time and was true "shirt sleeve" weather. At Ickworth, UK there were daffodils, lambs and bees on the wing. A lovely day.

Last night on 472kHz WSPR RX

Last evening and overnight I was on 472kHz WSPR RX again. Plenty of stations copied with the best DX again being Norway. Without the PC's SMPSU being active I am surprised just how much I spot with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground and the totally in modified (deaf) FT817.

Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday March 15th 2017

Solar flux is 70 and, yet again, the sunspot number remains zero. A=4 and K=2

Trinity - NOT amateur radio

Living very close to the world famous university town of Cambridge we get to see some magnificent places.

These include  Kings College Chapel, St Johns and Trinity College.

Trinity is the subject of the photo, which shows the entrance to the college. Trinity boasts 32 Nobel Prize winners!

See https://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/

Help please copying CDs! - NOT amateur radio

I need help doing something that I thought would be easy! We have a Windows10 PC and an external DVD/CD drive that plays audio CDs through the PC, so I know the external drive works.

How do I copy this audio CD to the hard drive of the PC?

The CDs are from Iceland and I think the group has disbanded, so we want to make backups in case the CDs get damaged. I did the obvious things (copy and paste) but this did not work.

Help!

UKAC 70cm this evening

This evening is the March 2017 70cm UKAC activity contest organised by the RSGB. Although I only use 5W SSB to my 2m halo fed with lossy coax, I try to get on for a while until my voice shouts "enough". Usually this means about 30-40 minutes. Often I am surprised how well this works.

See http://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?contest=70cmsukac

UPDATE 2056z: After 30 minutes I had to stop because of my poor voice. Best DX was a QSO with G4CLA (105km), which is not bad with 5W QRP and a 2m halo fed with lossy coax!

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday March 14th 2017

Solar flux is 72 today, but the sun remains spotless. A=3 and K=0. 10m? Anyone's guess!

6m MSK144 RX - 4 countries already!

At the moment I am on 6m MSK144 RX and already EI, GD, DF and F have been spotted and it is only 1013z.

MSK144 really does seem to change 6m. Unlike most other modes, it works without Es or F layer propagation, so 6m can be used whenever. All that is needed is patience: when a burst occurs signals are strong. Outside an MS shower these bursts come randomly and last only a few mS with my poor set-up. I am sure a few dB extra RX "system gain" e.g. a less lossy antenna or cable or another dB or so of RX sensitivity could make more stations appear more often. Pings that might be too short might be decoded.  Despite my poor system I still manage far better than I ever expected.

UPDATE 1932z: 10 stations in 8 countries today so far on 6m MSK144 RX. Best DX Sweden and Switzerland.

10m disappointment

All day long I have been putting out 500mW on 10m WSPR TX. I am transmitting 100% of the time with randomised frequencies each transmission.

I know my tri-band antenna could be better, but I have received not a single WSPR spot all day! Results are better on 6m MSK144.

What disappoints is the lack of G stations. Even with very poor 10m conditions I would have expected spots out to 60-100km on WSPR. It seems people are not interested in the challenge.

MS - NOT amateur radio

Multiple Sclerosis is a nasty condition, that is usually lifelong and unpredictable.  I know of one girl who died and three others suffering in different ways. The worst part is just not knowing what the future might bring. It is most common in people in the prime of life. One person I know was a very good cancer nurse. Sadly, she can no longer do this.

Research continues and there are some promising signs.  I certainly hope they find a cure.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-39256584 .

481THz over the horizon

Facebook reminded me that 4 years ago I was doing QRSS3 tests with light at 4.8km over the horizon.

"Much better results this evening with 481THz light beam signals over the horizon at 4.8km. Last night I was 2.5 degrees out and signals were much weaker. Tonight QRSS3 could be comfortably copied at 20dB S/N in 0.34Hz bandwidth. At the receiving end the signal is not audible and nothing visible in the sky from the transmitter. Aiming is VERY critical just above the horizon."

The Future?

Several things act as warnings about the future of our hobby. Today, there was a piece in Southgate News warning of the lack of youngsters entering the hobby in the Netherlands. Although not true everywhere, ours is a hobby mainly populated by older people. This is definitely the case here in the UK. Most club members are grey-haired!!

In general, young people fail to "get the magic" radio was to us years ago. I have discussed this before, but in the age of worldwide video conferencing for free over the internet, young people think radio old fashioned. Our hobby will die unless we attract and keep young people. Clearly what "turns on" youngsters is not the same thing that attracted us. In the early 1960s if you wanted to talk around the world you had to become a radio amateur.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2017/march/shortage-of-young-dutch-radio-hams.htm#.WMZ8DoXXLIU

Newmarket - NOT amateur radio

We live about 4 miles from Newmarket, which is the horse racing capital of the world. The area is surrounded by studs, many of which are owned by rich Arab sheiks.

We do most of our food shopping in Newmarket. In this town, the horse is king and cars often give way to passing strings of horses being exercised. 

A trip up to Newmarket Heath is often accompanied by horses galloping.

Overnight on 40m WSPR

Although I had lots of spots of my 2W WSPR on 40m, there was no better DX than the W9 who spotted me last evening. I have since moved to 10m WSPR (ever hopeful!).

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous Report (March, 12, 2017)
Visitors  of  the  week:  US3EN, DK1HW, UR0ET, OH6NPV, EA6BB, RU3NJC,
US7IB,  G3XJS,  RW3AA,  UR5EFD, UR7VT, PA3DEU, UA1CEG, R1CAF, UW5EKR,
UA4NU, UA1CEX, R9WY, US5ERQ, IT9IFI, M1EYP/p, RV3DSA/0, DL2WA, RN6K/p,
OM6TC, DL2IFB, RA6AN, RW3DF
Congrats!
R9WY and DL2WA became Frequenters (regular visitors)
New Visitors: RN6K and RA6AN - you are welcome!
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the www.club72.su
Comments......
See full WQR Report on the blog page - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Thanks ALL for activity and comments. See you on next QRP Rendez-Vous
round tables -
Tuesdays,  Thursdays, Saturdays at 9.00 UTC on 14060 kHz (alternative
10116 kHz) +/- QRM, QRL, keep RIT for XTALs

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.

6m MSK144 RX and 10m WSPR TX

This morning I am on 6m MSK144 RX and on 10m WSPR TX (500mW). At the moment I have a local noise source on 6m (a pulse about every 1 second) that I hope will go away. The FT817 noise blanker has no effect.

I am on 10m WSPR as this uses a separate W5OLF WSPR-AXE beacon and this is separate from the FT817 on 6m which uses the tri-band V2000 vertical antenna and the shack PC.

UPDATE 0927z: No spots as yet.

UPDATE 0935z:  My noise on 6m has gone enabling me to spot OZ1PIF (850km) and G3RED (91km) on 6m MSK144.

UPDATE 1020z: Now GM4UYE (507km) is being spotted on 6m MSK144. Still no spots on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1118z: So far today, 5 countries spotted on 6m MSK144 (G, GW, GM, EI and OZ). Still no 10m WSPR spots sadly.

UPDATE 1622z:  Sunspots? Es? Who needs them when a very simple system brings these in on 6m MSK144!

Stations spotted so far today on 6m MSK144

UPDATE 1954z: GD0TEP (381km) brings the countries spotted today on 6m MSK144 to six.