10m WSPR TX

10m WSPR is good today. Already I have received 283 spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon with the best DX being EA8BFK (2880km) and it is only 1036z.

UPDATE 1130z: Spotted by 11 different stations so far today on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1816z: My little WSPR beacon has been spotted by 23 different stations today.

Sunspots - Thursday June 28th 2018

Solar flux is 70 today and the sunspot number12. A=7 and K=3.

60m WRC band in China

According to Southgate News, China is soon to get the 60m WRC allocation.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/june/china-soon-on-60m.htm#.WzPrNPZFzIU

OFCOM

Now, do not wet your pants with excitement. Well, OK I know you find this earth shattering. OFCOM has been asked to alter its licence for broadband at 3.6GHz.

See http://ofcom.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/i/6657CBCCC95E5E022540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

10m WSPR TX

Off to a good start with 7 spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon from Denmark. Es seems good today and early. No reports outside Europe yet though on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1827z: So far today, 11 different stations spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon.

6m FT8 again

After a brief TX period with 2.5W (9 spots of my QRP with best DX 205km), I have been on 6m FT8 RX. Lots of EU Es.

UPDATE 1200z: Lots of Es spotted this morning on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2022z: LA9VFA (2460km) is the best DX on 6m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 2137z: I was about to switch everything off when I noticed Es on 6m FT8. So I had 2 G QSOs, 9 Gs spotted my QRP as did LA7DFA (1311km)

Sunspots - Wednesday June 27th 2018

Solar flux is 71 and the sunspot number 12. A=20 and K=2.

Probability - NOT amateur radio

Sometimes it is wise to think how lucky we are to be here.

We were just one sperm of countless numbers that fertilised that egg. We made it through to birth and beyond. We happened to be born on this planet at this time. Against all the odds we are here, now. It is possible, although unlikely, we are totally alone in the universe as sensate beings, capable of contemplating our existence and the universe(s).

Of course, we could say the same were we born at a different time on a different planet.

Nonetheless, life is a precious gift and wonder.

Plane views - NOT amateur radio

We flew back from Finland yesterday. The weather, and views from the plane, were perfect.

Before leaving, we visited medieval Porvoo about 55km from Helsinki.

70cm RSGB UKAC contest

Despite having just a single contact this month (I did not stay on very long at all) I still stand 108th out of 147 in the AL section. I must try harder next month! I only use 5W and a 2m halo.

10m WSPR TX

As the antenna is free, I am running my little 10m WSPR beacon (500mW, 100% TX, randomised frequencies). Best report so far is from EA1FAQ (1249km). There is a lot of Es evident today on 10m and 6m. 16 different stations spotting my 10m WSPR TX today.

UPDATE 1442z: Only 2 spots so far from DK6UG (633km) but one was an incredible +13dB S/N. Es at its best!

UPDATE 1958z: FY5KE (7110km) has spotted me 31 times today, with the best being at -11dB S/N. 24 different stations spotted so far today on 10m WSPR.

6m FT8

After a brief 6m FT8 TX period very early (9 G spots and 1 QSO) with QRP, I have been RX only all morning. Best spot is EK7DX (3590km) in Armenia. All his reports have been northern Europe, so this could be a pirate in southern Europe. Sadly, these days you just cannot be sure.

UPDATE 1915z: Best DX on 6m FT8 RX today is A92AA (5069km). Again, I hope he is genuine and not a pirate. He has been widely copied in Europe, but not the Middle East, so I am suspicious. Must be my age making me cynical!

Back home - NOT amateur radio

After our travels in the Baltic, we are now back home again. It was a good trip, but too many short stays in hotels, so we seemed always to be living out of cases!

See https://baltichol18.blogspot.com/

Sunspots - Tuesday June 26th 2018

Solar flux is 72 and the sunspot number 14. A=12 and K=3.

Sunspots - Monday June 25th 2018

Solar flux is 75 and the sunspot number 34.  A=16 and K=1.

6m FT8 "super DX"

Although I have been away, 6m FT8 super DX has not been brilliant so far. GM3POI has been copied in the USA, but I am not aware of any Japanese stations being copied in the UK on 6m FT8 this season.

Turkey elections - NOT amateur radio

Apparently Turkey is holding key elections today. The current president survived a coup attempt in 2016.

See https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44590956.

The main website

From time to time I like to remind people about my main website that is updated less often than the blog, but that contains much more detail about my various projects and interests.

See www.g3xbm.co.uk .

Off to the opera? - NOT amateur radio

Seen outside Helsinki's Opera House last night. 

As it was a public holiday, it was closed.  They also do ballet there. I hope they weren't hoping to see Swan Lake! 😪

These are Barnacle Geese. In the UK we see these in winter. In Helsinki they are everywhere (with young) in summer.

See https://oopperabaletti.fi/en/calendar/

Sunspots - Sunday June 24th 2018

Solar flux is 77 today and the sunspot number 41.  A=16 and K=4. Solar activity is still good for this part of the solar cycle. June averages should be quite good.

Helsinki - NOT amateur radio

Today we left Tallinn, Estonia and caught the ferry over to Helsinki, Finland. It is 76km. On the way we had an excellent free buffet with free drinks (I had 2 red wines and a coffee). Tomorrow we do a tour of the city and a harbour cruise. This evening we had a snack by the lake (Toolonlahti) opposite our hotel. Considering this is Finland, prices were reasonable. Like all the Baltic countries, Finland is clean. I have been to Helsinki 3 times before, twice for work. Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland all use the Euro. Sweden still uses the Kroner.

Bloody MicroCRAP - NOT amateur radio

Microsoft has just popped up with a window I cannot close asking me to choose BING as my default search engine. Microsoft, I am perfectly happy with my current search engine thank you and I strongly object to this pernicious crap. Go away you bunch of scumbags!

Next week on 6m FT8 RX

Starting next week, I shall continue my monitoring of 6m FT8, hoping to catch more "super DX" outside of Europe. So far, I have spotted the Caribbean and South America on 6m FT8. My only USA spot turned out to be a pirate!

This season I have spotted much less than last year on 6m JT65. Last year, quite a few Japanese stations were spotted.  FT8 is not supposed to be as good as JT65.

My antenna is just a V2000 vertical omni fed with cheap CB coax.

UK litter - NOT amateur radio

Without exception Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland are virtually litter free. You sense civic pride. 

In the UK have we no pride at all?  Surely we can get someone to clean our mess?  But why do we drop litter in the first place?

Surely if Estonia with its tiny population (1.36M) can have no litter, we can do the same? Basically we are litter louts! The capital Tallinn sees thousands daily from cruise ships, yet the streets are spotless.

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

Baby fieldfares - NOT amateur radio

Usually in the UK we get fieldfares only in winter when they migrate across from Scandinavia chasing our "mild" weather and food, so it was a real treat to see baby fieldfares in Estonia yesterday.

Sunspots - Saturday June 23rd 2018

The extraordinary high numbers for this part of the solar cycle continue. Solar flux is 79 and the sunspot number 41. A=4 and K=1.

New ICOM handheld scanning RX

According to Southgate News, ICOM has introduced a new handheld wideband RX, the IC-R30. which covers from 100kHz to over 3GHz with many digital modes as well as SSB, AM, FM, CW and WBFM.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/june/icom-ic-r30-digital-analogue-wideband-communications-receiver.htm#.Wy0XKPZFzIU

Free trade? - NOT amateur radio

So the EU has introduced retaliatory tariffs in response to the USA. A trade war is not the answer. Unless you believe literally in Genesis and Noah's Ark, free trade is a 21st century reality.

See https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44567636 .

CIA 1960 report on earth current signalling

An amateur in Germany, DL3IKE, found this recently:

https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP78-03424A000400090001-9.pdf

Tallinn, Estonia - NOT amateur radio

We last visited here in 2001. Apart from more tourists, it has little changed. This morning, we walked around the old town.

See https://baltichol18.blogspot.com/

Network radios abroad

I guess a network radio would be useful on holiday as long as you have a roaming SIM or wifi access.

Sunspots - Friday June 22nd 2018

Solar flux is 81 today and the sunspot count 54. A=3 and K=1. Quite remarkable figures this low in the cycle.

6m Pirate

It is a sad fact that pirates get their kicks by pretending to be someone else. A recent example was ZL2IFB who was not on 6m at the time stated, but was widely spotted on 6m FT8. All I can say is see if the time and local spots support it. Caveat emptor. Until the DX station confirms the spot or QSO you can never be sure sadly.

Last year I spotted several Japanese stations on 6m JT65 in June. There were so many, and with local spots in Japan, that I am pretty sure these were genuine.

Stroke update - NOT amateur radio

Although outwardly I look well (so people tell me) on the inside it is very different. The best way is to say I live in a giddy, exhausted, confused fog most of my waking time. My voice is poor but otherwise I cope. People talk about hidden disabilities - I really know!

Never, ever, judge a book by its cover, as they say. By the way, who are "they"? 😏

Stork nest - NOT amateur radio

On our way from Riga (Latvia) to Tallinn (Estonia) we saw several white storks including this one on its nest with young.

4m transverter

Some years ago I designed a QRP 70MHz transverter as I had no gear for that band. This was featured in GQRP SPRAT.

Using just a wire dipole in the loft I managed a few QSOs in a contest.

These days, there are commercial rigs covering the 4m band including the ICOM IC7300.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/4m_tvtr

Sunspots - Thursday June 21st 2018

Solar flux is 82 and sunspot number an incredible 54.  A=5 and K=1. For where we are in the cycle these are very good numbers, although it suggests things will get much worse before we start the climb to the next peak. The minimum is expected in 2019 or 2020. It seems very, very, unlikely we have yet reached the minimum. In the last minimum we had days and days of spotless days.

Total Dick? - NOT amateur radio

It sounds like a few Republicans have stood up for common decency. Young children have no business being the innocent victims in this.

Why am I reminded of Jews in Europe in the 1930s and 40s?

Mr President was elected to "make America great again". Really? At the moment the USA is fast becoming the laughing stock of the rest of the world. His aims may be fine, but to many he comes across as naïve.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44552852

Warm Baltic - NOT amateur radio

It is hard to believe how lucky we've been with the weather. So far, I have worn a short-sleeved shirt in warm sunshine every day! This was me at Jurmala, near Riga on the coast of the Gulf of Riga. Riga is a fine city and nearby Jurmala quite classy.

6m Super DX?

ZL2IFB has again been spotted in North America and Europe on 6m FT8.  It remains to be seen if this is genuine. I have my doubts, but hope I am proved wrong.