10m WSPR and some Es?

This morning, I am on 10m WSPR (20% TX 2W, 80% RX). Although no-one has yet spotted me, it looks like there is some Es with a couple of spots of others.

UPDATE 1220z:  No further 10m WSPR spots since earlier this morning.

UPDATE 1735z:  My 10m (2W) signal was copied in northern Spain at 1658z. This is Es I'm sure.

Cattle Egrets - NOT amateur radio

Increasingly I get the feeling that cattle egrets (birds) are gradually becoming more common in the UK. Before 1955 collared doves were rare - now they are common. Before 1989 little egrets were virtually unknown here. Now they are common. Cattle egrets are being spotted regularly in Devon and I see they have been spotted up here in East Anglia.

As climate changes, the species we see will change. Changes have always happened I guess but species that hitherto have been found further south will move north.

It would not totally surprise me if some birds that winter further south decide to stay for our milder winters. When will swallows decide it is warm enough to fully over-winter? I know there are rare records of swallows staying and lasting until January living on insects near seaweed, but I don't think there are any records of swallows lasting the full winter, although I am no expert.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/c/cattleegret/ .

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday April 25th 2017

Solar flux is 80 today and the sunspot number 41.  A=20 and K=3.

Macron win in France? - NOT amateur radio

He is the book favourite to win the final contest against the far right Le Pen in France. As Trump and BREXIT warned us, experts are often wrong.

Overall, I hope Macron wins.

There is a lot wrong with the EU, but Macron has the chance of putting these things right. If Le Pen wins then the EU project is dead and with it European security in the next 50 years. France needs Macron in my view.

Now on 6m JT65 (1W ERP)

As of 1340z I moved to 6m JT65 in beacon mode sending "B G3XBM JO02". I want to see how this compares with WSPR.

I am still on 10m WSPR (500mW TX, 100%) at the same time with the little beacon on a different antenna.

UPDATE 1510z: 2 stations spotted on 6m JT65 with best DX G6NLZ (153km) towards the south coast of England in JO00kw. No spots of me yet on 6m JT65.

A great quote

I found this on Steve M0MVB's website:

"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat." - Albert Einstein

Looking for swifts - NOT amateur radio

Swallows are more common as we enter the back end of April. Four flew past the window earlier.

The next are swifts. Several have been seen in Devon and even a few up here in East Anglia, but they are not common yet. As yet, I have not seen one this year.  By June they are very common, but they do not stop long.

Cuckoos should be about soon, but I have not heard any. They often lay their eggs in reed warbler nests up the lode (waterway) not far from here, but we rarely hear cuckoos these days.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/s/swift/ .

First 6m WSPR spots this year

M0MVB (33km) has spotted me several times on 6m WSPR. No great DX, but at least I know the system works. Meanwhile my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been widely copied in northern Europe.

Moved to 6m WSPR

As the Es season seems to have started, I have QSYed to 6m WSPR (1W ERP) and put the 500mW 10m WSPR beacon on 10m (100% TX).

UPDATE 0942z: I see that OZ9QV (864km) has copied my 500mW 10m WSPR a couple of times.

UPDATE 1022z: Several 10m WSPR spots but nothing yet on 6m WSPR.

Auroras?

This was on Space Weather earlier:

"SOLAR WIND ENGULFS EARTH: A solar wind storm is underway around Earth as our planet enters a high-speed stream of gas flowing from a large hole in the sun's atmosphere."

Be on watch for auroral openings.