80m WSPR RX (Tuesday)

 A few minutes ago I QSYed to 80m WSPR RX using the coax to my 2m big-wheel antenna via an ATU.

UPDATE 2107z:   5 Europeans spotted.

UPDATE 2150z:  16 spots of stations. See map by Phil VK7JJ.

Europe as a world power?

Today President Macron made speech in which he allegedly suggested Europe should act like a world power on the world stage. 

He pointed out that Europe has a population of about 450 million people. It is a stable democracy believing in the world order and international laws.

With the isolationism and breakdown in world order we see now, there is some truth in this.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce8n1zdnpd3o .

How much down is my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground?

Last night I re-looked at how far down my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground really is. 

At first I thought it was perhaps 1 S point worse on 630m than the coax up to my 2m big-wheel antenna via an ATU. With changing conditions it is really hard to be sure. 

If seems that it is far better than this on the LF bands. It seems to work well on 630m, 160m and 80m falling off as you move to higher frequencies.

Considering how simple and visually great it is (nobody knows it is even there!) I recommend it!

80m WSPR RX (Tuesday)

Whilst on 10m WSPR TX, I realised there is nothing stopping me going on 80m WSPR RX with my Zachtek WSPR RX and my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground, so at 1135z I turned on 80m WSPR RX.

Rich and privileged

Increasingly, we seem to be moving towards a new world order in which the rich and privileged have power over the common people. 

I have no problem if wealth comes fairly through hard work, but I have a real problem if this came at the expense of others or simply the person was just born into wealth.

I hope this is just a blip and we move to fairness and justice for all.

10m 200mW WSPR TX (Tuesday)

 My beacon was turned on at 1015z.

UPDATE  1046z:   2 stations have spotted me with the best UN7LCJ (4187km).

UPDATE 1201z:  Spotted by 4 stations  with the best HZ1SF (4939km).

UPDATE 1325z:  16 spots of me with 7 from DP0GVN (13685km) in Antarctica with about 10dB in hand!

UPDATE  1611z:  40 stations have spotted me with 10 spots from Antarctica.

Old magazines

Yesterday I came across these magazines which date to around the time I was born. Clearly amateur radio was very popular back then! 

In those days they were A5 size. It would not bother me if radio magazines were that size again. It reduces costs of paper and postage.

630m WSPR RX last night

 Last evening and overnight I was on 630m WSPR using my coax to my 2m big-wheel antenna via an ATU and a mains earth.

In all, 5 stations were spotted with the best Norway. See table, and map by Phil VK7JJ.

UPDATE 1036z:  My darn Windows PC wanted me to "finish setting up my PC" and turned off WSPRnet and WSPR-X so was probably off through much of the night.

Sunspots - Tuesday February 10th

 Solar flux is 144 and the SSN 107. A=6 and K=0.

630m WSPR with a different antenna

Last evening and overnight I tried 630m WSPR RX using my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. 

There were fewer stations received and the reports were weaker than the night before when I was using the coax up to my 2m big-wheel via an ATU.

It is hard to be categorical as conditions might have been different, the antennas better in some directions, etc..

My overall conclusion, with these caveats, is that the earth electrode was, at worse, about 1 S point inferior to the antenna used on the night before. I would expect this to be somewhat down on an antenna optimised for the band. So, maybe just 2 S points down. Considering the total lack of hassle, it is far from bad.