Dangerous SPAM - NOT amateur radio

Recently in my SPAM folder I received this. The important thing is these scammers have a way of detecting passwords. So have unique passwords and ones that are hard to crack and change them often. Should you receive anything beware!! 

"I am aware $$$$$$ (password hidden but visible in the original SPAM to me)  is one of your pass. Lets get directly to the point. Not a single person has compensated me to check about you. You may not know me and you are most likely thinking why you are getting this email?

Well, i actually placed a malware on the adult videos (pornography) web-site and there's more, you visited this web site to have fun (you know what i mean). When you were watching video clips, your web browser started out working as a Remote control Desktop with a key logger which provided me accessibility to your screen and also webcam. after that, my software collected every one of your contacts from your Messenger, Facebook, as well as e-mail. after that i created a video. 1st part displays the video you were viewing (you have a fine taste rofl), and second part shows the recording of your web cam, and it is u.

You get two different options. Why dont we take a look at the options in details:

1st alternative is to ignore this e-mail. in such a case, i will send out your very own video clip to all your contacts and then consider concerning the humiliation you will see. and definitely if you are in a romantic relationship, just how it will certainly affect?

Second option would be to compensate me $2743. Lets refer to it as a donation. Then, i most certainly will straightaway erase your video. You could keep daily life like this never happened and you would never hear back again from me.

You will make the payment through Bitcoin (if you don't know this, search 'how to buy bitcoin' in Google search engine).

Bitcoin address to send to: 16G7Lwom3tnKJ9nMpwcQzDJd4rrYvcrs2s

[case sensitive copy and paste it]

in case you are curious about going to the authorities, well, this email cannot be traced back to me. I have taken care of my actions. i am not trying to charge a fee very much, i would like to be compensated. in order to make the payment if i do not get the bitcoin, i will definately send your video to all of your contacts including relatives, coworkers, and so forth. Having said that, if i receive the payment, i will destroy the video immediately. If you want evidence, reply Yup! & i will send out your video recording to your 11 friends. it is a nonnegotiable offer, therefore don't waste my personal time & yours by responding to this email message."

10FT8R Schematic

I am sorry this is hand drawn for now. With my addled brain it is much harder to learn new schematic drawing packages. I thought it better to put up a hand drawn sketch than nothing.  Even doing the schematic by hand was hard.

The inductor next to the crystal was added to pull low cost 14.040MHz crystals down to 14.037MHz. In my case I used a T37-6 core with about 6uH inductance. I DC isolated the connections to the PC mic input.

I use the shack 13.8V PSU, but it will probably work with batteries with lower voltage although I have not tried this. Some resistors may have to change in value.

The Polyakov mixer diodes could probably be replaced with matched germanium ones.

If you can improve it please let me know!

OFCOM changes

 OFCOM has changed some licence exemption conditions for short range devices. See the OFCOM website for details.

Rally postponed

The Dartmoor rally, which was due to take place May 3rd, has been postponed to July 4th. Let's hope that by July things are far more normal.

Buttercups - NOT amateur radio

The green near our post office is a sea of buttercups. 

10m FT8 RX

Most of the morning I've been on 10m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop antenna and my homebrew 10FT8R RX. It is now 1052z and nothing spotted yet today. 

UPDATE 1458z: No spots so far.

UPDATE 2113z: Just one German spotted. QRT soon. 

Photographing Bluebells - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we went to a bluebell wood. The photo shows one of our sons taking a photo on his phone. 

External 10m antenna

Small steps....

• The first stage was to drill a hole for the coax into the shack.  This needed a long masonry drill bit, which I had. It turned out to be far less difficult than I was expecting. DONE.
• The next stage, which will need help from my son, will be erecting the wire dipole. Both supports will need ladder work, which I can no longer do. If I attempt it I am likely to be giddy. This involves cutting the dipole wire to the correct length and running the coax into the shack.
• The final part will be attaching the BNC plug and testing the antenna.

But, I do not have coax! I thought I had a reel, but will have to buy some. I guess I need about 5-6m, so 30m from Amazon should be fine.

Sunspots - Thursday April 29th 2021

 Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 42. A=3 and K=2. 

"Some external links page" on my website

Originally, this was on my very old website, but it is now on my current site. 

As it was created originally many years ago, some of the links will not work, although you may well find archived copies of these on the "Wayback Machine". 

It is surprising what you find there! I found one of my first websites from the 1990s! This site was first created in 1996! At the time I am waxing lyrical about the Philips Velo with its built-in 19.2k modem. We have come a long way.

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

GQRP Club

I have been a member for a very long time! It is run by volunteers and produces an excellent colour A5 magazine called "SPRAT" every quarter. This is filled with ideas and projects.

Joining GQRP club allows you to buy parts from member's sales, which includes nearly all the past SPRATs on DVD or flash stick. It is worth joining just for this! 

Many times in the past I have said that, if I was suddenly poor, SPRAT would be the last magazine to go. I still feel this way.

See http://www.gqrp.com/ .

Does the UK prime minister lie? - NOT amateur radio

To many outside the UK the heated discussions over who initially paid for renovation work on the UK PM's flat must seem odd.  Indeed they are, but at the heart is a question over whether Boris Johnson tells lies. If he tells lies, should we trust him? 

There is no doubt the the recent pandemic crisis has taxed us all with many things in life quite different. In many ways he has tried to "steer the ship" in very choppy waters and has done quite well, even though the death toll in the UK is high. He has definitely made mistakes and I just wish he would accept this and be honest with us.

Sadly, openness and honesty are in short supply with politicians.

No, what is at the heart of this is how honest is the UK PM?

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56915307 .

Overseas holidays - NOT amateur radio

Many people are anxious to travel again. Since the Covid-19 pandemic few have been able to do so. The main worry is spreading the virus and one possible answer is Covid digital certificates. An EU wide scheme is being trialled in Spain in May and may be rolled out in time for the summer holiday season.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56912667 .

The South Hams - NOT amateur radio

As a child I grew up in a most beautiful area of England. This aerial view shows Slapton Ley.  

These sands were used as practice areas for the D-day landings in WW2. It was where the tragic disaster known as "Operation Tiger" took place. Hundreds of American servicemen were killed. For a long time this was hushed up.

Several times in recent storms the road on Slapton Line has been damaged. Eventually the sea will break through and the road will have to be on the other side of the Ley.  All my life the A379 road has run along the sands. What is my lifetime? Just a blink in history.