Extinction Rebellion - NOT amateur radio

I am not sure what I think about this.

It seems to me to be totally wrong if the UK government is subsidising fossil fuels when we should be doing all we can to persuade people to adopt "carbon neutral" solutions for everything. If we are even to meet carbon neutral by 2050 targets then people really have to change. This is not optional. This means eating less red meat and adopting energy saving methods in all new homes.

At the same time the Extinction Rebellion protests may turn people off. This is a hard one, but I think the duty of government is to encourage habits to change.

Electric cars will be the norm when they are less expensive and ranges better. This alone is not enough. The Prime Minister of the UK is wrong when he labels protesters as "crusties". We are seeing really concerned people of all shades protesting.

BREXIT rabbits? - NOT amateur radio

Unless there is a metaphorical rabbit about to be pulled out of a hat, I think the UK Prime Minister is about to see the total annihilation of the Conservative Party and a General Election. At the moment I think a BREXIT deal seems unlikely.

We are in totally uncharted waters in the UK and no-one knows what the next few weeks will bring.

The Yaesu FT7 HF transceiver

This was the first HF rig I bought, back in 1979. It was 10W on all the then HF bands. With it I worked all over the world on 10m QRP SSB using simple antennas (CB half wave vertical or wire dipoles). It was a very good radio.

It was never used mobile. These days more bands are possible in about a fifth of the size. It was sold to a friend in Cambridge many years ago.

It had a very quiet (non-synthesised) VFO. As I recall it only covered parts of 10m. The later FT7B had more power and full 10m coverage. This is the best rig I have ever owned.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/ft7 .

10m FT8 on the indoor loop

For a change, I am trying the small magnetic loop (mounted on the back of the rig) on 10m FT8. Initially I called CQ but now I am RX only. So far, no spots, although I am not too surprised.

UPDATE 1225z: Still no spots on RX or TX.

Sunspots - Thursday October 10th 2019

Solar flux is 67 and the sunspot number 0. A=6 and K=2. Still bouncing along the bottom of the cycle.

2m FT8 RX - the last day (and night)

For most of the last day, I have been monitoring 2m FT8 RX. 28 stations spotted in 5 countries in the last 24 hours..

BREXIT non-deal - NOT amateur radio

At the moment the rest of the world must look at the UK as a right bunch of idiots. It seems highly improbable we will get a deal in the next few days and most must look on us as a bunch of dimwits.  It is hardly surprising as we look like a bunch of turkeys voting for Christmas.

Yes, we want the EU to reform and, yes, the EU is terrified of the institution falling apart if others see us getting a good deal. At the moment I see both the UK Parliament and the UK people deeply split over BREXIT. Healing these wounds could take years. UK politics feels fractured.

At one time we would have compromised. This seems very unlikely.

RSGB Convention

11-13 OCTOBER : RSGB CONVENTION

Kent's Hill Park Training and Conference Centre, Swallow House, Timbold Drive, Kent's Hill Park, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK7 6BZ.

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

2m FT8

Since returning home, I have been on 2m FT8 calling CQ initially (10W to the big-wheel omni).

4 stations spotted me (no QSOs) with best DX being a spot by G7RAU (461km) in Cornwall.

On 2m FT8 RX just 1 G station spotted.

UPDATE 1542z: Now 11 stations in 5 countries spotted on 2m FT8  this afternoon.

UPDATE 2018z: Now 26 stations in 5 countries spotted this afternoon and early evening on 2m FT8 RX.

Thetford - NOT amateur radio

Thetford is about 24 miles away from where we live. It is a mix of old sites, like Thetford Priory shown in the photo, and 1960s houses and shops, a result of Thetford being a London overspill town.

We liked it, although many of the shops are "to let" or charity shops. It felt more like a Sunday than a busy week day.

In 20 years' time what will our high streets look like?