630m WSPR RX

As there was clearly no "real" DX on 10m FT8, I have now moved to MF WSPR RX. So far this evening, 3 uniques: 1 Spanish and 2 Norwegians.

UPDATE 2101z: Now 8 uniques spotted.

70cm FT8?

Does anyone know if there is any FT8 activity on 70cm in the EU? On the face of it, it should be similar to 2m, but I don't know if anyone is active.

See https://www.essexham.co.uk/ft8-basics-explained

6m DX in the Es season - which mode?

We are in the run-up to the Es season in the Northern Hemisphere. The best months are May-July although Es can occur at other times too.

Last Es season I kept a watching brief using JT65 and spotted some amazing 6m DX including a whole string of Japanese stations early one morning on 6m. Of course, this was before FT8 appeared on the scene.

This season I am not sure of the mode to try. Probably FT8 as the take-up on this mode has been so great.

Considering I just use a vertical V2000 omni antenna, I was very excited with the results last year.

Our local church - NOT amateur radio

This church dates back over 1000 years to Saxon times although most of the "modern" church dates from the mid 1400s. Whatever you believe, or not, this is a fine building.

It never fails to amaze me how so many fine churches were built long ago when the population was a small fraction of what it is now. These people must have had strong beliefs then or lived in constant fear of evil.

What did they expect? - NOT amateur radio

Everyone is entitled to justice, but these people deserve what? If you live by the sword do you die by the sword? They, allegedly, committed some heinous acts. Now they are asking, allegedly, for UK citizenship.

I thought UK citizenship was for people who agreed with, and lived in accordance with, UK values.

Why should the UK tax payer keep certain criminals in gaol at our expense if they, clearly, don't want to be party to the way we live?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43601925

GB3PI logic update

As mentioned before, my antenna was used in the early days of GB3PI in the 1970s. GB3PI was the very first UK repeater. In the early days I was a regular user. I don't think I have used a repeater in the last year!

According to Southgate News the logic of this repeater is being updated early in April. Sorry, but repeaters don't "float my boat". To some, especially with internet linking, they are an important part of our hobby.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/march/new-revolutionary-logic-for-gb3pi.htm#.Wr9nDExFzIU

Return to 10m FT8 RX

This morning I returned to 10m FT8. So far, just a couple of Gs spotted. May, June, July and August should be much better with Es.

UPDATE 1134z: No further 10m FT8 spots here so far.

UPDATE 1353z: DK9WI (505km) spotted.

Sunspots - Saturday March 31st 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 11. A=5 and K=2.

HF predictions

There is an online HF prediction program that allows you to input details of the TX gear/location and the RX gear/location and gives you a likelihood the path will be open or not. I have not used this before.

See www.voacap.com

Better amateur radio prices?

Every month I get a newsletter from a French company XBS Telecom. As far as I can see, they sell amateur gear, with guarantees and VAT at far below the UK prices. Certainly worth a look. With Yaesu cashback offers, these are very attractive prices.

See https://www.xbstelecom.eu/shop/en/12-ham-radio

Spectrum pollution

There is little doubt that the noise floor is increasing at LF, MF, HF and VHF. This is especially acute in towns, but even in my village you can see it is getting progressively worse. With the likelihood that electric cars will become more commonplace, things could get even worse with wireless charging.

Southgate News has a link to Don Beattie's paper all about this.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/march/the-threats-to-radiocommunication.htm#.Wr5g0ExFzIU

QSY to 472kHz WSPR RX

About 10 minutes ago I went QRT on 28MHz and QSYed to 472kHz WSPR RX. As yet, nothing spotted.

UPDATE 2050z: 6 uniques on this band so far this evening. I shall stay on until bedtime. Still using the earth-electrode "antenna".

Eating out - NOT amateur radio

For the second time this month we ate out at a local Italian restaurant which has excellent service and a good fixed price menu. Honestly, I could not fault anything. Both my wife and I had the 3 course set menu and the photo shows her dessert (panna cotta).

Painted stones - NOT amateur radio

I have mentioned these before.

All around our village, people hide painted stones of all shapes, sizes and patterns.

We found one earlier this week (shown in the photo) and it has since been re-hidden in a new spot. Kids love it. My wife and I are just overgrown kids! The idea is to send a photo to a dedicated group and re-hide.

10m FT8 RX again today

OK, I am a sucker! Today I am again monitoring 10m FT8 RX. So far, just G4HZW (210km) spotted. Yesterday, 3 stations were spotted, all Europeans.

UPDATE 1442z: So far today 5 different G stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX, but no EU stations and no "real" DX.

UPDATE 1716z:  EA1AKS (1037km) spotted.

Sunspots - Friday March 30th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 0. A=4 and K=1

MLS Easter deals

Martin Lynch (MLS) has some deals for Easter.

See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/

SDR (Software Defined Radio) book

This is fairly recent book by Andrew Barron ZL3DW. I got my copy recently from the RSGB book shop. Having no experience with SDRs I find the book fascinating. Clearly SDRs are the future.

QRP News from Oleg

Oleg RX3G reports:

"Dear Club 72 members and friends,

600 kB of 3 pages, download -
http://club72.su/vestnik/qv5.pdf
enjoy reading # 5 issue of the "Vestnik" (March, 2018). Use Google or
other translator to read Russian texts. In the issue:
- QRP Rendez-Vous results
- QRP-X results list
- Sofa regen RX
- 455 kHz oscillator on ceres
- QRP Marathon "Look I the Horizon"
Thanks Igor R2AJA and Sergey RW3DF for assistance!

72! Oleg RX3G / 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."

Return to 472kHz WSPR RX

After a day on 10m FT8 RX I have now returned to 630m (472kHz) WSPR RX. On 10m I also spotted an OZ early afternoon that did not get uploaded to PSKreporter.

So far, G4GIR, G8GPO and DH5RAE (995km) spotted on 472kHz WSPR this evening.

UPDATE 2106z:  6 uniques with best DX LA2XPA (1310km).

Ickworth (N.T.) lambs - NOT amateur radio

Most years around now, we visit nearby Ickworth to see the new lambs. This year, things are later, but this morning we went. Daffodils there are largely not out, but there were plenty of lambs.

Banks - NOT amateur radio

Allegedly, Barclays Bank is to pay $2billion to settle a US fraud case.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43585546 .

Now, I am no financial expert, but I get sickened by tales of banks not behaving. I am sure Barclays is no worse than many others, but at the height of the financial crisis we bailed out many banks and probably saved the financial sector from total melt-down with taxpayers money. The least we can expect is that our banks are "whiter than white". Meanwhile, the rich get richer and nurses get no pay rises for years. To quote a famous UK politician, " we are all in this together". Oh yes? Oh no we are definitely not.

33 minutes and 3 people (2 overseas) later, I managed to contact Barclays over a query that should have been made clear in a letter I got sent. As far as I am concerned, banks have got worse in the last 40 years. Their customer service is generally crap.

OFCOM and diversity

OFCOM has just published its diversity plan until 2022.

I quote (the words are their's):

These are to:

• build a diverse and inclusive workforce to better reflect the UK population we serve;
• ensure diversity and inclusion are central to our work practices and culture so everyone understands, supports and is accountable for diversity; and
• ensure the different needs and interests of all individuals are considered when carrying out our regulatory work.

Whilst diversity and inclusivity are important, I don't need OFCOM to write a darn plan!!! Instead just employ more one-legged green people to get on with enforcement, PLEASE.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-3/diversity-inclusion-programme-2018-2022?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dip

10m FT8

For a change I am trying 10m FT8. Although I am not expecting much I shall be on RX all day living in hope!

UPDATE 1300z: G4HZW (210km) spotted.

UPDATE 1706z: No further 10m FT8 spots.

UPDATE 1720z: F5RD (681km) spotted.

ISWL?

When I was first interested in amateur radio and shortwave listening the International Shortwave League (ISWL) was a strong and important organisation. I left at the end of the 1960s when I was a poor student but re-joined years later. I wrote quite a few articles for their monthly journal "Monitor" and submitted reports most months.  Some years ago I left again as it was no longer for me.

At the end, when I left, I think there was just a core membership of a few hundred. When I left, I heard nothing - no sadness I was leaving, no thanks for being an active member - nothing. This surprised me.

I wonder how the ISWL is today? Unless they have managed to attract and keep a lot of new, younger, members I suspect this is now, mainly, an OAP club of dying old men. This would be sad as it was once vibrant and very international.

Snow - NOT amateur radio

Unlike most recent winters, this has been quite a cold one, for us. Until a few weeks ago we had some snow as the photo shows. Although it is sunny and bright at the moment, rain is expected later.

My main website

A reminder that there is a lot of information on my main website at www.g3xbm.co.uk . This includes quite a few building projects as well as details of past and present experiments. These pages get updated periodically. Most projects are not complex as I don't do "difficult".

Sunspots - Thursday March 29th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 0. A=3 and K=0.

LF/MF chat mode?

One of the drawbacks of WSPR is that it is really a weak signal beaconing mode not really suited to chatting. Southgate News has details of a mode created in New Zealand that is aimed at LF/MF chats. It is said to be almost as good as WSPR in terms of its weak signal capability. As yet, I have not tried it.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/march/lf-mf-mode-with-synchronous-decoder.htm#.Wru5JUxFzIU

OFCOM publishes its annual plan

OFCOM has publicised its annual plan.

See https://www.ofcom.org.uk/consultations-and-statements/category-1/proposed-annual-plan-2018-19

Sunspots - Wednesday March 28th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the sunspot number 0. A=9 and K=1.

2m FT8

After a very brief period on TX calling CQ (3 spots with best DX G4RRA (334km) in Devon) on 2m FT8, I have returned to RX only. As usual, I am using 2.5W to an omnidirectional horizontal big-wheel antenna. No spots yet on RX. I have only been on for a few minutes so far.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/bigwheel

UPDATE 0940z: So far just one spot on RX ON8NT (252km).

UPDATE 1145z: 12 uniques in 3 countries so far today on 2m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1604z: Now 33 uniques in 5 countries om 2m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 2108z: In the end, 47 uniques spotted in 5 countries. Time to go QRT now.  I definitely get the impression that people now know what can be done under flat conditions on 2m FT8 and are moving away. I suspect 6m FT8 activity will increase during the Es season. I suspect FT8 will supersede JT65.

Free range breakfast - NOT amateur radio

In the last few days we had a short visit from our son and family in Kent.

Our grandson brought some of the free range eggs from the chickens they keep.

The photo shows me enjoying one for breakfast.

South Devon - NOT amateur radio

Where I originate from in South Devon is a beautiful, unspoilt part. There are some great cliff walks. We have an unbroken family tree hereabouts back to the mid 1500s and one record of land ownership here in 1428. In all probability my ancestors were here thousands of years ago.

UK Weather - NOT amateur radio

At my recent U3AC course in Cambridge on "Weather and Climate" we always started the sessions with the Met Office surface pressure charts. These can be animated so you can see the pressure map and fronts coming our way over the following few days.

See https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/surface-pressure/#?tab=surfacePressureColour&fcTime=1522108800

Actually there is a lot more data on the Met Office site, which is worth exploring.

472kHz - getting started

I have had a great deal of fun on 472kHz even with a very low ERP (10mW ERP). Most nights I run my shack PC on batteries as the SMPSU charging the laptop battery produces an S7 noise floor. Most nights I am spotted in Norway on WSPR. On RX, the PC is good for most of the night on batteries. I use my simple 472kHz transverter (10-15W into 50 ohms) that has been in QST and the RSGB book "LF Today". It is a very interesting band even if your antennas are, like mine, really useless for MF. Compromise antennas really do work!

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/472khz_tvtr

2m FT8 RX yet again

Yet again, I am on 2m FT8 RX. Although only 0804z I have spotted 6 unique stations in 3 countries already.

UPDATE 1108z: I suspect something is wrong with PSKreporter or my shack PC has not been connecting to the internet as it is now showing fewer stations than before!

UPDATE 1200z: Well I turned off the shack PCB and reset the clock and all seems to be well, now at least. Now 7 uniques spotted in 4 countries in the last 6 hours.

UPDATE 1532z: Every time I put out a CQ call on 2m FT8 I get spotted by G4RRA (334km) in Devon.  Every time, despite 2.5W and my big-wheel omni antenna. 2m FT8 really gets me unimaginable distances.

UPDATE 1820z: Now 35 uniques in 6 countries.

UPDATE 2025z: 45 uniques in 6 countries with best DX spotted DK0IZ (642km) north of Hamburg. I am beginning to wonder if 2m FT8 has peaked. There were fewer stations spotted today, so perhaps people now know what is possible and are looking elsewhere?

Sunspots - Tuesday March 27th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the sunspot number zero still. A=12 and K=3.

Stroke update - NOT amateur radio

Not much seems to have changed recently, so this update still applies.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/stroke

Painted rocks - NOT amateur radio

I may have mentioned this before, but there is a craze for finding painted pebbles in our village. They may be found anywhere. The idea is to find one, post a photo on a Facebook, then re-hide it.

My grandson found one yesterday as the photo shows. It has been re-hidden in a different place. It is especially popular with children.