The USA and Iran

Things are moving very fast. I am sure President Trump would like regime change in Tehran, but at the same time does not want "forever" wars with no clear end. With the mid-term elections coming up, if he was to get embroiled in a war with Iran this might be really bad for his prospects.

10m 2.5W FT8 (Thursday)

 My gear has been on since lunch. The impression I get is there is far more FT8 activity than WSPR on 10m.

UPDATE 2026z: 563 stations spotted on RX from all corners of the planet. During the brief TX periods my signal has been spotted by 15 stations. The map shows the stations spotted on RX here.

Free Project Scrapbook PDF

This is a reminder that my Project Scrapbook is available as a free PDF download from my main website. 

Over the years this hobby has given me lots of fun and I hope you get as much fun as I did. Thankfully we all get fun in different ways.

It is well overdue for an update!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/book

Amaryllis

Every winter we enjoy seeing amaryllis bulbs transform into amazing flowers. 

In all, they probably provide about 4 months of fun. Now they are almost over for this season. Those that remain are top-heavy and easily topple over.  Still, spring on Sunday!

Notice the windmill behind.

10m 200mW WSPR TX (Thursday)

 My beacon was turned on at about 0915z. Later, I might give 10m 2.5W FT8 a try.

UPDATE 0925z:  No spots yet.

Sunspots Thursday February 26th

 Solar flux is 125 and the SSN 25. A=14 and K=4.

The light

Winter merges into spring and the evenings gradually get lighter in the UK. 

I think it is the light you notice most. Also the birds sing to establish territory and to find a mate. 

These next few months are my favourite ones. The world has new hope and new starts as it has done for millions of years. 

Later in the spring I look out for returning, screaming, swifts after their long flights back from Africa.

Sun!!

We have had a very dull and wet winter so it’s great to see the sun.

State of the Union

Whatever views you hold, President Trump is the leader of the largest and biggest economy in the world. 

My personal view is that leaders really need to be "in tune" with their people. I struggle to see how rich billionaires in any country can really understand how the common person feels.

Increasingly the world seems to be run by very rich people. I hope they are all fighting hard for their  common citizens.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ce3g0epn6gd

Antarctica

My 200mW 10m beacon has reached the German research base in Antarctica several times recently. Hopefully their noise floor is low!