Tea in the garden

Yesterday was the first time we could have tea in the garden. It was warm and sunny. It should be similar today. 

FAST or China's Sky Eye

This news came to me via Amateur Radio Weekly.

Some years ago the huge radio telescope at Arecibo in Puerto Rico failed terminally when some of its cables broke. It is not going to be repaired.

China has built a larger and more sensitive dish in a project called FAST. I had no idea about this. As far as I can tell, it puts China far ahead of the USA in space exploration. It is built in a remote region of China and has a radio-quiet area of 5km around the dish. It can detect very weak signals, far weaker than those that could be detected at Arecibo.

10m 3W FT8 (Sunday)

I am on 10m 3W FT8.

UPDATE 0802z: 4 English spots of me and I have spotted 6 stations here today.

Are we heading for an economic crash?

It seems highly likely we could be heading for a market crash worldwide. Anything that depends on share values could be affected.  Even the Bank of England is firing warning shots.

Sunspots - Sunday April 26th

 Solar flux is 148 and the SSN 154. A=9 and K=2.

New ICOM mobile transceiver?

Hamvention is now only a few weeks away. It is often the place where new rigs are announced. ICOM has announced a new concept model called the X-026 which may be an HF/VHF/UHF mobile transceiver although details are sketchy. Often these annoucements pre-date release by some time.

 

10m 3W FT8 (Saturday)

My gear was turned on mid-morning.

UPDATE 1451z:  23 stations have spotted me with the best UA9MA (4600km).  44 stations have been spotted here. Currently RX only.

Four Quartets - T.S.Eliot

A friend of mine bought me this in 1968. I have never forgotten this and I still have it and treasure it. One of the recurring themes is time. This is an extract.

"Through the unknown, remembered gate

When the last of earth left to discover

Is that which was the beginning;

At the source of the longest river

The voice of the hidden waterfall

And the children in the apple-tree

Not known, because not looked for

But heard, half-heard, in the stillness

Between two waves of the sea.

Quick now, here, now, always—

A condition of complete simplicity

(Costing not less than everything)

And all shall be well and

All manner of thing shall be well

When the tongues of flame are in-folded

Into the crowned knot of fire

And the fire and the rose are one."

See http://www.davidgorman.com/4quartets/ 

Sunspots- Saturday April 25th

 Solar flux is 146 and the SSN 123 . A=9 and K=1.

Does President Trump have an off-ramp?

 

Certainly it is not clear to me who has won in Iran. President Trump claims victory. So does Iran.