Greek Fruit - NOT amateur radio

Fruit for sale on a street in Corfu, Greece.

Our Corfu hotel - NOT amateur radio

This is our hotel in Corfu. Great setting and views!

Sunspots - Thursday September 20th 2018

Solar flux is 67 and the SSN 0. A=5 and K=0.

Our Corfu hotel - NOT amateur radio

Our hotel here is wonderful and an ideal place to "chill", although most days it has been in the low 30 deg C. The Wi-Fi here seems OK, but the onward connection to the internet is bad. It is slow, flaky and, well, Greek. It is the worst I have ever experienced! Getting home may be wet and windy, but the internet should be heaps better. I was going to add a photo, but even a 25k file refused to upload, so I gave up!

Sunspots - Wednesday September 19th 2018

Solar flux is 67 and the sunspot number 0. A=6 and K=1.

Sunspots - Tuesday September 18th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the SSN zero. A=11 and K=3.

Odd fruit? - NOT amateur radio

On a walk yesterday we saw this odd fruit (?) under a tree. It was about the size of a tennis ball and looked like green brain. I shall try to find out what it is.

Found it!  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera

Sunspots - Monday September 17th 2018

Solar flux is 67 today and the SSN zero. A=6 and K=2.

BBQ - NOT amateur radio

Last night's barbeque at our Corfu hotel. We were accompanied by my wife's brother and his wife.

Corfu - NOT amateur radio

This is the view from our Corfu hotel room. Hot! Yesterday it was about 31 deg C.

Sunspots - Sunday September 16th 2018

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number 0. A=8 and K=2.

OFCOM

OFCOM has published some technical advice on improving mobile phone coverage.

See https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/FMfcgxvzKbPxvbjhMSlrqKqxhcTBZHxC

Sunspots - Saturday September 15th 2018

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number 0. A=16 and K=3.

Rally

Sunday 16 SEPTEMBER : WESTON-SUPER-MARE RALLY

There are 58 tables with many of the well-known traders in attendance. It is open from 10am until 3pm and tickets are £3 with accompanied under 16s free. Details from mjones129@btinternet.com.

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

Visitor - NOT amateur radio

This was sitting on our kitchen windowsill at breakfast time. It was alive.

Sunspots - Friday September 14th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the SSN 11. A=8 and K=3.

Local talk - NOT amateur radio

Our local village museum has talks for an hour followed by free tea and biscuits. Today's talk was by a person in charge of the Cambridge University Zoology Museum in Cambridge. It was mainly about finds locally which included bears, wolves and beavers, all long gone from these parts.

The talk was very well attended.

See http://www.burwellmuseum.org.uk/

BATC convention this weekend

15-16 SEPTEMBER : BATC CONVENTION (CAT18)

Midlands Air Museum. https://forum.batc.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=115.

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

472kHz WSPR last night

Fewer stations reporting my 10mW ERP and fewer stations spotted here than the night before on 472kHz WSPR. I'll try again tonight.

Sunspots - Thursday Sept 13th 2018

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number 11. A=8 and K=3.

10m FT8 again

Well, you could say I am a glutton for punishment!

Yet again I am on 10m FT8. An earlier CQ at 2.5W was spotted by no-one and so far just a couple of Gs spotted with the best DX on 10m FT8 RX being G0OYU (177km).

10m FT8 RX today

UPDATE 1506z: 11 stations in 5 countries spotted today so far on 10m FT8 RX. All EU. Best DX on RX was IZ0WRS (1532km).

UPDATE 2152z: QRT time. Best DX today on 10m FT8 RX was LU1DX (11410km).

Personal touch? - NOT amateur radio

Call me a "grumpy old git", but in the last few weeks I have had total, disinterested contacts with the following:

• My bank
• My car insurer
• A train company
• Someone selling bonds
• The Post Office
• My utilities company.

     and others.

It would appear that I am just a meaningless number and I do not really matter. The overall impression is that no-one really cares.  If I am lucky, I might get a computer generated letter.  All that matters is that god "profit".

What happened to the days when people mattered?

10m FT8

My earlier CQ call was unspotted. So far today (1022z) 4 stations on 10m FT8 RX spotted in 3 countries so far with best DX EA7GOJ (1768km).

UPDATE 1958z: In the end 6 stations in 3 countries spotted. Time to QSY to MF WSPR.

Sunspots - Wednesday September 12th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today and the SSN 14. A=35 and K=2.

Overnight on 472kHz WSPR

Quite a decent night with 10 stations spotting my 10mW ERP from the earth electrode "antenna" in the ground. My best spot was by PA3ABK (306km) in JO21 square. On RX I copied 8 different stations including LA8AV (1035km).

472kHz this evening

A couple of stations were spotted on 472kHz FT8. Although both were called, neither spotted me. I guess my ERP is just too low. On 472kHz WSPR best DX on TX is G4ZFQ (203km). On RX the best is LA8AV (1035km). Still using the earth electrode "antenna" in the ground with 10mW ERP.

472kHz this evening - some RX and some TX

70cm activity contest

Every month the RSGB organises a 70cm activity contest (UKAC) on the second Tuesday each month. I can only run 5W and 2m halo antenna. This evening I was much later getting on than usual. G4CLA (105km) was the best DX worked.

10m FT8

An earlier CQ (2.5W) got no spots. So far, on 10m FT8 RX just one station spotted - G0FWX (160km).

UPDATE 0958z: G4AYU (256km) spotted.

UPDATE 1548z: 5 stations in 2 countries so far today on 10m FT8 RX. All UK. Best DX is MM0HVU (480km).

472kHz WSPR last night

In the end 6 stations spotted me and I spotted 4 stations with my best spot on 472kHz RX being PA0A (417km). As usual, I have about 10mW ERP with the earth electrode "antenna" in the ground.

This evening I might try 472kHz FT8 for some QSOs, assuming there is some FT8 activity.

Some time ago I had international QSOs with JT9 on this band using the earth electrode "antenna" at the old QTH with a similar ERP.

Back on 10m FT8

About 30 minutes ago I  returned to 10m FT8. A brief CQ was spotted by no-one.

Cattle egrets - NOT amateur radio

It looks very likely these will be the next bird to extend range and establish themselves as breeding birds in the UK. Already they seem to be spreading in South Devon with a flock of 51 seen a few weeks ago. It would not surprise me to see these everywhere in a few years.

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

E-field probe

My mini-whip E-field probe has arrived from PA0RDT. It will be some time before this RX antenna can be erected as I depend on help these days. It is tiny.

472kHz WSPR TX tonight?

If I can work out how to get split mode on my FT817ND, I may try 472kHz WSPR TX (and RX) for the first time this autumn later this evening and overnight. I shall have to read the manual!

The TX packed up on my very old FT817 earlier in the year (it was 17 years old!) and I assume this is why I was not seeing any 472kHz TX power on MF late in the last spring.

My 472kHz transverter is shown at https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/472khz_tvtr. This was published in the book "LF Today" and in QST a few years ago.

UPDATE 1719z: Well, I managed to get the FT817ND working in split mode! 4 reports in first transmission using the earth electrode "antenna" in the ground. Best DX so far is a spot by G0NNF (154km). ERP is about 10mW.

Estuary - NOT amateur radio

This is the Kingsbridge Estuary, which goes from Salcombe up to Kingsbridge. This is in the South Hams of Devon. It is where I was born and brought up.

Autumn - NOT amateur radio

This is a view up School Lane, Burwell, showing the autumn berries. The building up the lane on the left is made of clunch, a kind of chalk. It has cracked badly in our recent hot, dry weather.

Southgate Amateur Radio News

The Southgate News page I link to has not been updated for several days.

Maybe the guy who normally does this is away and I have missed an announcement to this effect on another way of entry.

Southgate News is often quite a good source of data. The last update was Friday.

Sunspots - Monday September 12th 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 12. A=7 and K=1.

10m FT8

Since before breakfast I have been on 10m FT8. Nothing spotted yet but my own CQ (2.5W) was spotted in Spain.

UPDATE 0925z: Only 1 G spotted so far: G7BXU (127km). I am sure people don't realise 10m is still often "open" and just leave the band. If a short QRP CQ can be copied on 10m in Spain, that must tell you something.

UPDATE 0945z: Now 2 Gs spotted. G4AYU (256km) spotted.

UPDATE 1306z: Best DX on 10m FT8 RX is MW0CRI (341km). 4 stations in 2 UK countries so far today on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1506z: Now 5 UK stations spotted today on 10m FT8 RX. No "real" DX.

More posh houses - NOT amateur radio

It seems that every space in our village is being used to build posh houses.

Several years ago one of our pubs closed and this year they are converting it into a posh house. They are also building in what was the pub car park. Social housing for people doing needed jobs? No, posh houses to maximise builder's and land owner profits.

With nearby Cambridge Science Park in commutable range, I expect it will sell quickly.

Whistlers

Many years ago (1970) I did my final year project at university on whistlers. These are VLF natural emissions. I very nearly did a PhD on whistlers.

My final year university project involved trips to north Wales to record whistlers. These were later analysed in the university labs on kit we designed and made.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vlf/whistlers