QRP and QRP Club

Another weekly report for Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous Report (July, 9, 2017)
News! News! News!
Special "rendezvous" discussion group (reflector) created for all QRP
Rendez-Vous round tables visitors. To connect this group send request
to - mr72@club72.su - including your name, call, e-mail, please.

Visitors  of the week: UA1CEG, RV3GM, US5ERQ, RA1M/mm, RU3NJC, UR0ET,
UR5EFD,  G3XJS,  UY1IF,  UA1CEX,  RA7RA,  IU0AHC/IS0,  PA2JJB, HA7SG,
OH6NPV, US3EN, I5/DK1HW, UA0SBQ, R1CAF, LY2BAW, DL6ZB, IT9GAK, G3JFS,
DL9FI,  EA2EFI,  ON6KZ,  R1CAN,  MM0CYR, UA4NU, OM6TC, EA7JUK, R2AJA,
F5UKL/p, F3MB, R4NX
Welcome new Visitors
IU0AHC/IS0, PA2JJB, HA7SG, LY2BAW, DL6ZB, IT9GAK, DL9FI, F5UKL/p
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 web page
Comments...
... see full version of the WQR Report including a lot of comments and
pictures here - https://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Thanks all for comments and activity!
See you on next QRP Rendez-Vous!

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.

Sunspots - Sunday July 9th 2017

Solar flux is 87 today. The sunspot number is 24. A=3 and K=2.

QRP DXing from the great outdoors

Here in the UK we have enjoyed some great summer weather. Maybe it is time to try your QRP SSB rig out portable. During the summer Es season some stations can be worked with a very modest QRP portable station: no big antennas, just a whip on the rig can be enough. I find a counterpoise can make a lot of difference. Always be mindful of "humans" who may not understand. 😉

F2 DX on the higher HF bands is getting harder, but Es is a different matter.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/pedestrian .

Cornish rally this Sunday

9 JULY 2017 : CORNISH RADIO AMATEUR CLUB RALLY
Penair School, Truro, Cornwall TR1 1TN Car parking is available on site. Doors open 10.30am and admission £2 There will be traders, Bring & Buy and club stalls. Catering is available. Contact Ken, G0FIC 01209 821 073 for more information.

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

2m SSB

Certainly here in the UK, 2m SSB is far less active than 30 years ago. Even FM can be quiet. Apart from contests and big lifts 2m can be very quiet. It was very different back then. I had (and still have) an MX2 2m SSB 200mW handheld. Back in its day it worked some impressive DX handheld.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/mx2 .

Beetles - NOT amateur radio

Saw these last night on a walk. At first I thought they were feeding or collecting nectar, but I think they were mating.

See http://www.uksafari.com/soldierbeetles.htm .
Apparently their nickname is "bonking beetles". 😉

Sunspots - Saturday July 8th 2017

Solar flux is 81 today and the sunspot number 25. A=5 and K=1.

There is a large sunspot growing. See http://spaceweather.com/ .

Home - NOT amateur radio

My family has been in this area for centuries. It s humbling to think my ancestors looked on much the same view in the reign of Henry VI in the 1400s.

Sunspots - Friday July 7th 2017

Solar flux is 80 today and the sunspot number 11. A=7 and K=1.

OFCOM

They have issued a statement about commercial multi-user gateways. Don't get too excited: it is not good for your heart!

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/A7E73F6AB9A1B7EB2540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

Thunder - QRT!

There is some thunder about, so I have gone QRT and disconnected everything.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en#m=sat;r=0;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;n=0;y=53.9231;x=-12.5879;z=5;d=2;dl=2;dc=0;

Rallies this weekend

8 JULY 2017 : LAMFEST in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance
Elsecar Heritage Centre, Wath Road, Elsecar, Barnsley S74 8HJ Doors open from 10am to 4.30pm and admission is £2. Tables are free. Contact Clair Marsh on 226 361 700.

8 JULY 2017 : STOCKPORT RADIO SOCIETY RALLY
Walthew House, 112 Shaw Heath, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6QS Doors open from 10am to 3pm. Admission is £2 and there will be catering on site. There will be trade stands, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. There will be a raffle held on the day. Contact: Heather Stanley, M6HNS on 07506 904 422 or by email to info@g8srs.co.uk

8/9 JULY 2017 : 2017 uWAVE ROUND TABLE
Finningley ARS, The Hurst Communications Centre, Belton Road, Sandtoft, Doncaster DN8 5SX A 2 day event with presentations, demos, test lab, and buildathon of a nanowave optical transceiver. Updates are on www.g0ghk.com and www.facebook.com/g0ghk

And STILL they wait....zzzzz

In the USA the FCC has still not released 137 and 472kHz to radio amateurs!! Frankly this is almost unbelievable. The FCC seems so unbelievably S L O W. At this rate many potential users will be dead i.e. those over 30 years old before these bands are released.😟 

I suspect most at the FCC know absolutely nothing about radio. This is demonstrable by the time taken to make radio related decisions. Come on FCC - get a grip!!!

I am losing all faith in the USA. First you elect Donald, seen by many in the world as a bad joke, and your main radio regulator appears useless to many of us in the rest of the world.

See http://www.arrl.org/news/band-plan-proposed-for-eventual-472-479-khz-use .

Sunspots - Thursday July 6th 2017

Solar flux is 73 today and the sunspot number 11. A=3 and K=1.

10m WSPR TX

Although I have been on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) since before breakfast, no spots so far.

Yesterday on 10m WSPR I was spotted 117 times by 12 unique stations, all Es around Europe.

UPDATE 1140z: Before going QRT about 30 minutes ago (storms) I had been spotted by no-one all day! Still thundering.

6m JT65 RX

At present, I am on 6m JT65 receive only. Best DX is Morocco. Storm risk may cause me to go QRT later.

Less 6m JT65 "beaconing"

As I have had a few comments about my 6m JT65 "beaconing" mode, I have decided to RX more and "beacon" less.  During the Es season, when just 1W ERP can span a very long way, occupying a JT65 channel (around 150Hz wide) can be seen as anti-social. When the band is quiet, I think sending "B G3XBM JO02" is fair, especially if well away from 50.286MHz but still within the JT65 window. PSK Reporter Maps show where my signal is being received.

For now, I shall continue with 10m WSPR TX (500mW) as this takes up far less bandwidth and the TX frequency is randomised within the 200Hz WSPR window.

Spotting pirates and false decodes on 6m JT65

When you are supposed to have received an exotic DX call on 6m JT65 it is worth looking to see who else copied the call and in what area. Some of the calls supposedly were seen only by me, suggesting false decodes. When several others spot the same DX call it is often a pirate nowhere near where the DX is supposed to be.

Some really long 6m JT65 DX is genuine: for example the 13 (thirteen) Japanese stations spotted a few weeks ago were genuine, but one has to be careful. Some exotic calls are actually pirates just down the road.

UK 60m band(s)

At present in the UK, we have a number of secondary bandlets at 60m, but not the WRC 15kHz wide allocation. Our primary user is the military who seem to be in no hurry to change things.

Purely personally, I'd like to see the WRC allocation available in the UK as I find multiple bandlets very confusing. I know we have more power and plenty of choice, but I am a QRPer and having a common allocation would be better in my personal view. I fully accept my views may not be widely accepted.

In the quiet years ahead the 60m band will become more and more important. I have said many times before, it would be good if CEPT countries allocated a wider 60m band. I think we are happy to be secondary users.

Sunspots - Wednesday July 5th 2017

Solar flux is 72 but the sunspot number zero again. A=4 and K=1.  Es on 6m, but nothing seen as yet on 10m WSPR, although I think this is my antenna largely.

6m JT65

I have been on 6m JT65 transceive (1W ERP) since before breakfast. Plenty of European Es spots.

10m WSPR

Since before breakfast, I have been on 10m WSPR TX (500mW). Although I have spotted Finnish stations on 6m JT65, there are no reports as yet of my 10m WSPR. As I have said before, my antenna is probably poorer on 10m, but also I think the 2 minute TX time causes some spots to be missed. It would be good to have a version of WSPR with 1 minute periods WSPR1? This would be an ideal mode for Es when signals can be strong but openings brief.

UPDATE 1728z:  9 unique spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR so far - all Europeans by Es. So far, just Denmark and Germany on 10m WSPR.

2m UKAC activity contest - July

Luckily I had an email reminding me of the 2m activity contest (UKAC) this evening. Best DX was the Isle of Wight at 213km. Not bad with 5W and an omni antenna in 45 minutes.

More from OFCOM

The latest news from OFCOM.

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/92C41206C0E3975D2540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

op. Peter G3JFS became Club 72 member.
His membership certificate # 99 of July 4, 2017.
Dear Peter, we wish you good health and keep your high QRP activity!

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.

Climate Change and Mr Trump - NOT amateur radio

Please someone, tell Donald that climate change is not a hoax. Most on this planet are convinced that concerted global action is needed. The Paris climate agreement was a step on the way. Together we have some, albeit slim, chance of leaving a better world for our children and grandchildren.

See http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/professor-hawking-warns-trumps-actions-could-push-earths-climate-over-the-brink_uk_595a1f7de4b05c37bb7f666d?+UK+070317

See also http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php

6m JT65 again

After another day with Japan copied on 6m JT65, I am again on 6m JT65. It would be good, no remarkable, if my own 6m JT65 signal was spotted in Japan. These very long paths to Japan soon disappear in the next few weeks.

UPDATE 0809z: Plenty of 6m JT65 spots within Europe, but no signs (yet) of anything further afield.

UPDATE 1604z: I am again supposed to have spotted a station in Indonesia on 6m JT65. As before, I do not believe this. I am sure this is a UK pirate, unless proved credible. Funny how all the spots are in the UK and not one in Europe.

UPDATE 1635z: I am supposed to have spotted VU5SGO (7156km) in India on 6m JT65. Judging by others who he has been spotted by, I think this is either a false decode or a pirate too. Pity.

UPDATE 1852z: Now I am supposed to have spotted AR6FDG (6099km) in Pakistan on 6m JT65. Only 2 G stations are shown as having spotted him. UK pirate? Also JW7QIA (2917km) which is believable. It is quite hard to know which are genuine.

New webpage about HF conditions

Yesterday, I added a new page to my main website. This is about HF conditions.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx .

All the pages on my main website may be accessed at http://www.g3xbm.co.uk.  Here, if you drill down, you will find a wealth of data and projects.

Sunspots - Tuesday July 4th 2017

Solar flux is 72 today. Sunspot number is zero. A=5 and K=0.

Bee on lavender - NOT amateur radio

This bee (and lots more!) were busy on a lavender bush at Anglesey Abbey near here yesterday.

Again! - NOT amateur radio

Yet again, my blogs are being targeted by interested parties in a certain eastern European country. One of my blogs has already had 5 times the normal level in a day!! I hope the account is secure and they soon go away.

UPDATE 2102z: At the moment visits to this blog are running at about twice normal levels at this time. I wonder why? 😜

6m JT65

Today, I am on 6m JT65 (1W ERP) transceive. There is already Es about from eastern Europe mainly.

UPDATE 0858z: EA8DBM (3015km) spotted my 1W ERP QRP 6m JT65 a few minutes ago.

UPDATE 1740z: JG2BRI (9445km) was spotted on 6m JT65 this morning. First Japanese station spotted for a while on 6m JT65.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday July 3rd 2017

Solar flux is 72 today and the sunspot count is 11. A=18 and K=1. As I have not been on 10m since last week (6m instead!), I may drop the references to 10m.

QRP and QRP Club

This was the latest from Oleg. I get these most weeks:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous Report (July, 2, 2017)
Visitors  of  the week: US5ERQ, RV3GM, UR5EFD, UY1IF, Z35M/p, SM2FIJ,
UA1CEG,  OM6TC,  G3JFS,  UR5EFD,  UR0ET,  UA0SBQ/p,  OH6NPV, RA1M/mm,
LA8BCA/p, ON4ADI, PA0WDW, R4NX, ON6KZ, US3EN, UA4NU, RW3DF, UA6BFE/p,
R2FAE,  ON6WJ,  ON4KCY,  RW3AA, HB9DAX, EI2CN, UR5IFM, RZ4NWA, R1CAN,
RU3NJC, YL2TD
Greetings for new Visitors - ON4ADI, EI2CN, YL2TD - you are welcome!
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 web page
Comments...
see  full  version  of the WQR Report including a lot of comments and
picture on the blog - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
See all QRPers on the next "rendezvous"!

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.

Family gathering - NOT amateur radio

This weekend my wife's brother and his wife celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a party in Cheshire. It was a good chance for my wife to catch up with relatives not seen for a while.

Family clock - NOT amateur radio

This clock, recently restored, has been in my wife's family since the 1700s.

It is not worth much, but it is good to think it has been cherished all that time.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday July 2nd 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 11.  A=11 and K=4. Although I am not active on 10m currently, there is plenty of Es in evidence on 6m.

For the longr term solar slide see http://www.solen.info/solar/ . Actually, June was slightly better than expected, although overall there is a gradual slide.

6m JT65

At the moment, I am on 6m JT65 transceiver (1W ERP). I am being widely spotted in Europe by Es. Nothing seen further afield. I have been on since about 1045z.

UPDATE 1542z:  My most distant report on 6m JT65 today is from OH4SS (1805km) in Finland. Nothing outside Europe.

UPDATE 1900z: EA8DBM (3015km) spotted my 6m JT65 just over an hour ago. I think this was Es.

They are back! - NOT amateur radio

Even though I was away a couple of days, at least a couple of my blogs have had a monthly visit from hackers in a certain country in eastern Europe looking for vulnerabilities and seeing if the blogs are worth hacking. Welcome back!

This seems to be a monthly "probe" when visits go through the roof. This blog is of little interest I suspect and next week numbers will return to normal. Sad! I take a look at the visit numbers and the countries and I can always tell.

From what others tell me, I am not alone. Sad people, just go away.

Away - NOT amateur radio

There have been no blog updates since Friday as we were away at my brother-in-law's 50th wedding anniversary in Cheshire. It was an occasion for my wife to meet up with her cousins and relatives at an occasion other than a funeral! Luckily the sun shone and everyone had a good time.