Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

We are quite lucky living just outside Cambridge. This is a famous university town with some fine old buildings. We went shopping in Cambridge earlier.

In recent years it has become a hi-tech centre. I think I am correct in saying it has the highest number of Nobel prize winners in the world.

10m WSPR (TX)

All day, my 10m WSPR TX beacon (500mW) has been on. As yet, not a single spot! Dire. It will stay on for a few more hours, but the main Es season has definitely passed now.

UPDATE 2000z:  No spots all day. Soon be time to go QRT.

Amateur Television

Amateur TV has never been of interest to me. Actually this is not true: I am interested, but there are too few hours in the day! There are only so many things one can do.

If, like me, you are a fireside fusilier (I am gunner do this and I am gunner do that - joke!) you may like to read CQ-DATV63, which can be downloaded free. I saw this on Southgate News.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/august/free-magazine-download.htm#.W4lJtPZFzIU

2m FT8

Yet again, I am on 2m FT8. So far, this is just RX, although I shall probably call CQ (2.5W) later. So far, in the last half day, 25 stations in 9 countries spotted on 2m FT8 RX with the big-wheel omni. Best DX is DD7DAC (518km) in JO31 square.

UPDATE 2015z: A brief CQ at around 1600z was spotted by G7RAU (461km) in IN79 on the Lizard in Cornwall. On 2m FT8 RX today 51 stations in 9 countries spotted. QRT soon.

UPDATE 2038z: Just before going QRT I called CQ (2.5W).  I also worked G4RRA (298km) in Devon by FT8 when I was using 2.5W to my big-wheel omni. With FT8 anything seems possible!   In all, 5 stations spotted my callsign including G7RAU again. This must be normal everyday tropo and not aircraft reflection. It seems that well over 400km is possible with 2.5W and my big-wheel omni at any time via FT8. Amazing. At one time I would be telling my XYL about these contacts, but they are now so commonplace that I don't bother.

Sunspots - Friday August 31st 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the SSN remains zero. A=4 and K=1

Club 72 (QRP)

The latest edition of Vestnik, the Club 72 newsletter, is available for download.

See http://club72.su/

2m FT8 RX

As 6m FT8 was distinctly poor today, I have QSYed to 2m FT8. Within about 40 minutes 12 stations in 5 countries spotted with best DX DF9QT (506km).

UPDATE 2030z: Now 19 stations spotted this evening on 2m FT8 RX with best DX DK1MG (544km).

UPDATE 2144z: Now 22 stations in 6 countries. Amazing.

IC7300 question about fan

Can anybody tell me if the IC7300 fan can be programmed OFF when running QRP? I had an IC706 and the fan annoyed me as it was far noisier than I expected. The IC703 (10W) had no fan.

Also, if not running full power, can you use a lower rated PSU? If I ever bought an IC7300, it is doubtful high power would ever be used. I think my linear PSU is rated at 20A.

My main website

My main website, which has pages and pages of projects is at www.g3xbm.co.uk . Now it appears that Google want this to move to the new Google Sites. They offer a preview. I tried this. Yet again, it seems a step backwards.

I have, for now, dismissed it. Certainly it would require a lot of edits before switching. Why, oh why, do corporations make things worse? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

Sorry Google, but why? Who gains?

Amateur paging

Years ago, I was involved in wide area paging development professionally. With the advent of small mobile phones, paging went out of fashion. I used to enjoy getting news updates and other services on my tiny pager. We made pagers for the UK market as well as for the USA and other countries. We manufactured the USA ones in California and Mexico.

According to Southgate News the first amateur POCSAG paging gateway has been authorised in Bognor Regis.  It will be interesting to see how popular amateur paging becomes. One issue will be pagers. I don't know how common these will be on the surplus market. No-one wants them, but is there a source?

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/august/mb7pbr-dapnet-pocsag-pager-gateway-licensed.htm#.W4evK_ZFzIU

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Since before breakfast I have been on 10m WSPR TX. Not surprisingly, no spots received. If I get any spots today, this will be a bonus.

UPDATE 1652z:  Still no spots all day today.

6m FT8

For the last few hours I have been on 6m FT8. My CQ call (2.5W) was spotted by no-one and, so far, I have only spotted G0PQO (50km). It is still quite early, but it looks like people are now deserting 6m.

UPDATE 1050z: 4 stations in 3 countries spotted so far on 6m FT8 today. Best DX is LB6D (1030km). Disappointing.

UPDATE 1237z: Nothing further.

UPDATE  1810z: 9 stations in 4 countries spotted. Non of these, I think, were Es.

More grumpy old man - NOT amateur radio

A few weeks ago I had to ring up my car insurance firm to ask for a premium reduction. Reluctantly, they reduced the premium by just a little, despite being with them for years and never making a claim.

What infuriated me was the "could not care less" attitude by the person (English) in the UK call centre. Surely I am just the sort of customer they should want to keep? No, they make bigger profits by creeping up the premiums each year and assuming many just renew automatically. Personally, I find this totally immoral. Sadly, this seems to be the model all insurance companies work with. Needless to say I told them to get stuffed. This is business they lost and good riddance. No doubt as a new customer next year they will offer me a great deal to hook me in.

Recently, before a holiday, we tried to buy a couple of PO bonds. They promised to call us when everything was in place and money transferred from other PO accounts. Yesterday we checked on-line as we had not heard. The money was still in the original accounts! So, all money is being withdrawn and bonds set up with someone else. Their loss. Yet again, no-one seems to care, which is sad. In my working life this would have resulted in the sack. You don't treat customers like dirt, never ever. Golden rule: the customer is always right. What is needed is accountability and responsibility.  Sadly this seems lacking almost everywhere. People are just numbers and those who deal with them (if not just a computer) headless morons.

What happened to the personal touch?

Sunspots - Thursday August 30th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today and the sunspot number has returned to zero. A=6 and K=2.

QRT time

After another great day on 2m FT8 RX it is time to go QRT.  At the end of the day 43 stations in 8 countries spotted.

A late (brief) CQ call was spotted by GI6ATZ (479km). Not bad for 2.5W and a big-wheel omni antenna. In all, 5 spots received.

Swifts gone? - NOT amateur radio

Not seen swifts (birds) now for a while. Most have probably flown south. The odd straggler may still be around. Swallows can be around for a while yet here in the UK. Swifts leave quite early.

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

Too easy?

Today, I am on 2m FT8 RX. It is amazing what comes through. I am pretty sure what I am spotting on my big-wheel omni antenna is there every day. I suspect most stations come in via aircraft reflection although some are via tropo.

Getting worse? - NOT amateur radio

Perhaps it is me becoming more of a grumpy old man, but in many ways things seem to be going backwards. In our village our only bank has closed. About a year ago our local building society branch in the village closed. Years ago you could ring your local bank manager. Now you are just an anonymous number in an Indian call centre! I tried to contact a train company but was connected to an Indian call centre who really did not have a clue. In fact they were totally useless. Many shops have closed.

Some things are better, but I think that god "profit" is gradually making life harder for us all.

Somehow we have lost that personal touch. I am sure this is a worldwide issue and not just here in the UK. Slowly but surely, life is getting harder, when it should be getting easier.

5MHz newsletter

Southgate News has details on how to get the latest 5MHz Newsletter as a free PDF file.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/august/the-5-mhz-newsletter.htm#.W4aMw_ZFzIU

Sunspots - Wednesday August 29th 2018

Solar flux is 70 today and the sunspot number 11. A=10 and K=2.

2m FT8 (mainly RX)

Overnight I remained on 2m FT8. Already this morning GM4FVM (428km) has been copied, presumably by aircraft reflection. I think I'll stick with 2m FT8 today with the occasional CQ.

UPDATE 0945z: Best DX on 2m FT8 RX today so far is MI6XZZ (495km).

UPDATE 1200z: 14 stations in 5 countries spotted so far on 2m FT8 today.

UPDATE 1810z: Best DX spotted on 2m FT8 RX is now F1DRN (1003km) with a huge signal. Now 36 different stations spotted in 8 countries today on 2m FT8 RX (GI, GM,GW, G, F, PA, ON, DK).

2m FT8

2m FT8 seems almost like 20m with DX from all over the place. The map shows just the last 30 minutes!

A recent 2m FT8 QSO with M0BEW (194km) was spotted by 10 stations with best DX being G4KUX (302km). And remember this is just 2.5W to a big-wheel omni antenna.

UPDATE 2003z: So far, 10 countries spotted in well under an hour!

President Trump and Google - NOT amateur radio

It must be great to be ruled by a true genius showing sincerity, modesty, integrity and statesmanship.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-45331210

St Paul Island DXpedition 2019

Now, I have to confess I don't have a clue where this is! It was mentioned in a post on the Southgate News page today. Judging by the callsign I guess off mainland Canada, but I shall have to consult my atlas! Apparently it is off Nova Scotia.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/august/st-paul-island-dxpedition.htm#.W4VVYfZFzIU

QSX rig and the G1KQH blog

There is more data and a video link on Steve G1KQH's blog about the QSX HF rig from Hans Summers.

See http://g1kqh.blogspot.com/

Dreams and giddiness - NOT amateur radio

Twice recently I dreamed that my giddiness had gone. For about 5 years since my stroke, I have felt giddy. Outwardly I look well with a healthy tan. Most people think I am fully recovered. How wrong they are! Inside I am always giddy on my feet, frequently exhausted, and living in a sort of confused fog. I feel a shadow of how I was. My voice is poor and some drinks are very hard.

Sadly, after these dreams I awake and realise these were just dreams and nothing has changed.

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

Sunspots - Tuesday August 28th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the SSN 12. A=26 and K=3.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Although I have been on 10m WSPR TX since well before breakfast, not a single spot so far. I know this is early. Tomorrow I might try 10m FT8. Yesterday was excellent.

UPDATE 0946z: Still no spots on 10m WSPR TX.

UPDATE 1249z: Just a couple of spots by IU1DZZ (973km) today so far.

What a difference - 6m FT8 today

As if to confirm that the days when 6m is open daily by Es are over, today has started off very quietly. Yesterday was excellent but, so far today, just a couple of G spots on 6m FT8. An earlier CQ call (2.5W) was seen by just G0OQK (99km).

UPDATE 1328z: So far today 20 different stations in 10 countries on 6m FT8 with best DX EA8BFK (2883km).

UPDATE 1512z: Now 25 stations in 10 countries so far.

East Cambridgeshire 2m FM Net

Surprisingly, considering it was a Bank Holiday, there was a good turn-out this evening for the East Cambridgeshire FM net on 144.575MHz. After the net closed G3TFX/A joined us. The net meets Mondays at 1900z.

Later still, I had a G QSO on 50MHz FT8.

Grandsons - NOT amateur radio

Our two grandsons playing outside our house this weekend.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Already I have received 20 unique spots on 10m WSPR TX. One report was an excellent +4dB S/N. Unless I am mistaken, this is the best day this year so far, proving that Es is far from over!

As far as I came tell Es varies (see comment below) from day to day. As we move further from the peak months (May, June, July in northern hemisphere) it will get more infrequent.

6m FT8

Today is already excellent with lots of 6m FT8 Es spots. At this stage it seems at least as good as any day earlier in the season. Earlier I had a very solid FT8 QSO with G1IDZ (182km) when running 2.5W to the V2000 vertical omni antenna.

Sunspots - Monday August 27th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today and the sunspot number 26. A=76 and K=2.

Ely - NOT amateur radio

Today it rained. The weather is so different from a few weeks ago when it was very hot.

This afternoon we went to Ely to Oliver Cromwell's house and to the Almonry Tea Rooms which has been serving refreshments since the 1200s! Thankfully the scones were not that old.

This is my wife and 2 of our grandchildren looking bright on a dull day. In the background is Ely Cathedral.

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Although I have been on 10m WSPR TX since mid-morning, not a single spot all day. I get the feeling the main Es season has ended. Although we can expect some Es still, it is likely to be less common now until next spring.

UPDATE 1915z: Still no spots today.

6m FT8 RX

At long last I am back on 6m FT8 RX. So far just UK spots and no real DX.

UPDATE 1645z: Just UK spots today including some North Sea /MM spots from "wet" squares.

UPDATE 1807z: DX at last! TF3ML (1785km) in Iceland.

Sunspots - Sunday August 26th 2018

Solar flux 70 and the SSN 31. A=11 and K=7.

NOT on 6m and 10m

As we have grandchildren staying I have not been on 6m and 10m.  I may get a chance later.

UPDATE 1852z: No chance!

WWWB shutdown?

Amateur Radio Weekly reports that President Trump has announced the possible shutdown of WWWB next year. Perhaps he doesn't realise that about 50 million devices in the USA use this to synchronise time.

Another decision by a genius?

See https://swling.com/blog/2018/08/synchronizing-atomic-clocks-final-tock-time-may-no-longer-be-synchronous/?utm_source=amateur-radio-weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter