Uber taxis - NOT amateur radio

Uber has lost its licence to operate in London. It is to appeal. A petition has 500000 signatures already calling on the London authorities to have a change of heart. My son and his wife use Uber.

I am unclear of the facts, but it rather smacks of Luddites with black cab drivers being annoyed their livelihoods are being threatened by 21st century methods and tools. A bit like online shops hitting the high streets?

My view is we cannot stop this: change happens and we have to adapt. Bank branches are closing as many do banking online. Bookshops close as many buy books online. What the high street will look like in 10 years is anyone's guess. All we can say is, "it will be different".

Daddy Long Legs - NOT amateur radio

Some detest these, but I think they are fun. In the autumn, they just crash into things. One year we had 15 in our bedroom at the same time. They are crane flies and their lava live in grass as leather jackets. To me, they are just plain stupid, but I like them. 😀 Body length is about 30cm. Their long legs make them bigger. Harmless.

This one was on the outside of the kitchen window.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daddy_longlegs .

6m FT8 RX

Just one G spotted so far on 6m FT8 in the form of G3LDI (70km) in the Norwich area. No DX as yet on 6m.

UPDATE 1046z: 3 stations in 2 countries so far with best DX TM9MC (267km) near Lille. This is F8KKH using a special callsign to commemorate Marie Curie. I suspect this was aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 1516z: No further spots.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Although I have been on 10m WSPR since before breakfast, no spots yet.

UPDATE 1518z: Still no spots received all day.

Sunspots - Saturday September 23rd 2017

Solar flux is 78 today and the sunspot number 22. A=5 and K=2.

630m WSPR RX overnight

Only 6 unique stations spotted last night, although these included my first German this season DC0DX. I shall try again this evening and overnight.

Garden in late September - NOT amateur radio

Our garden is looking more like autumn every day.  All the trees still have leaves, but they are starting to look tired.

Sometime in the next few months we'll get some strong winds and the leaves will be gone until the spring. Our impatients (busy lizzies) are past their best now. Every season has its good points.

QSY to 630m WSPR RX

Today has been the worst day here on 6m and 10m for many months. So, I have again QSYed to 630m WSPR RX.

UPDATE 1851z: First spots this evening were of G3WCE (91km). According to my maps this station is in the Norfolk Broads.

UPDATE 1922z: The next spot was of LA3EQ (769km).

UPDATE 2048z: Also copied were G6AVK (78km), F1AFJ (607km) and DC0DX (467km).

Most, if not all, stations spotted on 630m WSPR this season were also spotted last season.

Rallies this weekend

24 SEPTEMBER 2017 : PENCOED ARC TABLE TOP SALE
Pencoed Rugby Football Club, The Verlands, Felindre Road. Pencoed CF35 5PB Doors open at 8.30am for sellers, buyers at 10am and entry is £2. Tables are £10 each (first come, first served). Refreshments will be available along with hot food in the morning and at lunch time. Bookings with Madeline Roberts on 01639 767056 or 773 837 5775.

24 SEPTEMBER 2017 : BELGIUM AMATEUR RADIO & COMPUTER RALLY
HALL 'LOUVEXPO', rue Michel Debauque/Arthur Delaby, La Louvire, direct access from the motorway (50km south of Brussels). GPS N50 29' 01'' / E04 10' 51'' Open from 9am to 4pm. Talk-in on local FM repeaters 145.600MHz (and Echolink), DMR 438.875MHz and D-Star 439.4375MHz. Features 4000m, trade stands from UK, Holland, Germany, France and flea market. Michel, ON7FI, +32 (0)475 / 45 45 78 or email michel.dewyngaert@skynet.be www.on6ll.be.

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

WSPRnet changes

It may have been there for weeks (!) but I have just noticed a change to WSPRnet. You can now tick a box that says, "Excludes calls starting with Q and 0, typically used for balloon telemetry". I have not noticed this before.

6m FT8 RX

Although looking since before breakfast, nothing yet spotted, even from G stations on 6m FT8.

UPDATE 1817z: No spots all day.

10m WSPR TX

Although my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon has been on for several hours, no reports as yet.

UPDATE 1818z: No spots all day.

"Our" windmill - NOT amateur radio

We are very lucky to live next door to a 200 year old fully restored windmill. Not many can look on a 4 sailed windmill over breakfast!

The photo shows the mill this morning a few hours after sunrise. My apologies for the compost bins in the foreground.

Sunspots - Friday September 22nd 2017

It is really starting to feel like autumn now. There is a chill in the air and heavy dew on the grass.

Solar flux is 74 today and the sunspot number 22. A=7 and K=1.

630m WSPR receive overnight

7 stations spotted overnight including stations in Norway, Spain and Italy. Not bad with a high noise level from the PC charger and my compromise antenna and ground.

QSY to 630m WSPR RX

As it is now 1830z, I have moved to 630m WSPR (RX only) using the same set-up as last night when I spotted 8 unique stations with best DX Spain at 1525km.

UPDATE 1846z: First station copied, and strongly, was G3KEV (232km).

Es season ended

For a couple of days now I have not seen any Es DX on 10m and 6m.  I was away for 10 days, so I have no idea what happened in that period. If things follow normal patterns, there will still be some Es DX, but these openings will be far less common than in the summer peak months. I shall still battle onwards on 10m WSPR TX and 6m FT8 RX, but catching openings will be harder.

Pompeii again - NOT amateur radio

This is another view of Pompeii, Italy taken on our Italian adventure. One of the main gates to the city is in the background. Pompeii was covered when Vesuvius erupted in AD79 to be rediscovered centuries later.

Sunspots - Thursday September 21st 2017

Solar flux is 73 today and the sunspot number 22.  A=10 and K=2.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

No spots so far, even though my 10m WSPR beacon has been on since about 0615z.

UPDATE 1548z: Still no reports all day.

UPDATE 1807z: There was a brief 10m Es opening to Germany around teatime with my 10m WSPR beacon copied by a couple of stations.

6m FT8 RX

Since before breakfast I have been on 6m FT8 RX. So far, just G3PXT (82km) spotted.

UPDATE 1550z: So far, 4 spots, all Gs.

UPDATE 1810z: 5 stations spotted on 6m FT8 today, all Gs.

Overnight on 630m WSPR RX

630m WSPR RX Uniques Overnight

Yesterday evening and overnight I monitored 630m WSPR RX using the coax feed to my 2m "big wheel" as the antenna on 630m via a ferrite rod ATU and mains ground - nothing at all special, all feeding the FT817. In all, 8 unique stations spotted including Spain and Norway.

QSY to 630m WSPR RX

After a poor day, I have moved to 630m WSPR RX using the coax to my 2m "big-wheel" antenna as the MF antenna matched with a ferrite rod ATU. As yet, no MF spots.

UPDATE 1945z: 2 stations spotted so far on MF with best DX DC0DX (467km).

UPDATE 2111z: Best DX is now LA3EQ (769km).

DST100 receiver

My first "proper" HF receiver was some beast! It was a DST100 which covered from 50kHz to just over 30MHz. It took 2 people to lift it. I think it was originally designed for tanks in WW2. It heard some impressive DX much of it on AM.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/dst100

See also https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/showthread.php?t=78909&page=2

FT8 rather than WSPR?

Although WSPR can detect signals some 10dB weaker than FT8, I am getting better results on 6m FT8 than 10m WSPR.

Maybe the 15 second periods in FT8 are better suited to aircraft reflections. Maybe my 6m antenna is much better than my 10m one. Maybe my 500mW on 10m is not enough?

Certainly FT8 is becoming very popular nowadays. Although I don't know, will this become the new MS mode?

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Since before breakfast, I have been on 10m WSPR TX with my little beacon. No spots today so far.

UPDATE 1622z: Still no spots today.

6m FT8 RX

Although I have been on since before breakfast only Gs and GI spotted. Best DX so far is GI4SNA (488km).

UPDATE 1426z: Still no further stations spotted here today.

UPDATE 1621z: Just one additional spot today: G3YDY (65km). No Europeans spotted today.

UPDATE 1630z: Another G spotted. So far today, 6 stations (all in the British Isles) spotted on 6m FT8 today.

UPDATE 1838z: Not uploaded to PSK Reporter Maps (not sure why) were GU and F spots. So far, just British Isles stations spotted today, although with the GU and F spots today's total is 4 countries spotted on 6m.

Olives - NOT amateur radio

This was a market stall in Anagni, Italy, a delightful hilltop village last week, Mostly olives.

Sunspots - Wednesday September 20th 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 11.  A=8 and K=2.

The 2m Liner-2

In the 1970s 2m operation was revolutionised. The 10W Liner-2 brought 2m SSB to the masses. Until then I had only used AM and FM and I was amazed how far I could work on SSB with just a small beam. People these days joke about the TX sidebands if the rig was overdriven, but 2m SSB was possible for the masses for the first time.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/liner2 .

Accidental nuclear war - NOT amateur radio

Although totally unaware at the time, the world was on the brink of nuclear war in 1983. The USSR detected incoming missiles (actually a false alarm) and only the actions of one man prevented a retaliation.

You wonder how the world would manage today with people like Trump and Putin at the helm. A nuclear war by accident is more likely than by plan.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41314948

Trump - NOT amateur radio

What the USA president says would have more persuasive power if the USA did not have a history of supporting corrupt states in the past. "He who casts the first stone" and all that. Fine if the USA had a history of really defending truth, liberty etc., but history says it is only interested in defending its vested self interests.

Italian Supermarket - NOT amateur radio

Whilst in Italy we went to a local supermarket. These are the same in most countries but what they sell sometimes depends on local conditions.

Sunspots - Tuesday September 19th 2017

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 12. A=22 and K=1.

6m FT8 TX

So far this morning, a couple of Gs spotted plus F6BAX (308km). These could well be aircraft reflections or tropo.

UPDATE 1225z: No further spots.

UPDATE 1522z: A further G spotted, but nothing else today.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Well, there is some life on 10m with an early spot of my little beacon by DK6UG (633km).

UPDATE 1226z: No further spots today so far.

UPDATE 1520z: Still just the early spot by DK6UG. Nothing else today.

Back on the air

Having been in Italy for 10 days, I have not been on the air. Now back home, I am on 6m FT8 RX and 10m WSPR TX (500mW).

Visiting Pompeii if walking is hard - NOT amateur radio

Before going to Pompeii, I read some reviews and was nearly put off going by what I read. The impression I got was that it would be very hard and very tiring.

4 years ago I had a stroke which left me permanently giddy when walking. Armed with a rambling stick I managed to "do" Pompeii. It was a unique and humbling visit.

The streets have uneven stones and there are a few steps, but if you can walk, you can do Pompeii. I was amazed by what I saw and was not tired at the end.

2m UKAC results published

Today I got an email saying the results were out for the latest RSGB 2m activity contest.

In the last one I was only using 5W pep for about 20 minutes into my omni antenna (no beam). Nonetheless, I still sit 56th out of 174 in my section. Had my voice allowed me to be on for the whole 2.5 hours, I am sure I could have worked many more stations and squares. Still, it was fun and it exercises my poor voice.  The contest is on every month on the first Tuesday starting at 8pm UK clock time.

Although I am not a great contest person, this one is very friendly and activity levels are good. As I make few contacts, transcribing my log only takes a few minutes, so I submit a score.

Low cost amateur radio

Many times I have said that you don't have to spend a lot to get fun with our hobby. WISPY is just one example, but there are many.

Some choose to spend huge amounts on rigs, linears, towers, rotators and beams. Each to their own, but this is not for me. I am sure many newcomers are put off thinking it is an expensive hobby.

With QRP and simple, low, wire antennas I have worked the whole world with less than 10W SSB. DXCC? Well I have lost count, but it is way over 100!