Broadstairs Cafe

As mentioned some days ago, we visited East Kent with our son. 

We went to Broadstairs and had a cup of coffee and a cake in this cafe. Outside towards the end of October!

10m 1W FT8 (Saturday)

 My gear was turned on at 1306z when we got back from seeing our son and family in Kent.

UPDATE 1436z:  25 stations have spotted me including North and South America..

Sunspots - Saturday October 31st

 Solar flux is 90 and the SSN 36. A=10 and K=3.

The Iran war

 It would appear the current US administration is threatening to ramp up the Iran war after the midterms. 

If this is correct,  I fear the outcome for the USA and the world would not be good. 

Allegedly, stocks of weapons have been depleted and Iran is likely to retaliate, dragging the USA in even deeper. 

I am no military strategist but I cannot see any good resulting.

Changing habits

SSB seems less popular on HF with modes like FT8 becoming far more popular. 

In the long term  people like me years ago would not accidentally  find amateur radio. My first experience of amateur radio was accidentally coming across local amateurs on 160m AM on a crystal set . 

In future, potential radio amateurs will come to the hobby by different routes … or not at all!!

Endings

 Like many, I find endings hard: life goes on along without much change and suddenly something is different. It may be something small or big, but things are different and we have to adapt. In truth, we are always in a state of flux and are always having to adjust. This is life.

Sunspots- Friday October 30th

Solar  flux is 89 and the SSN 22. A=4 and K=1.

Broadstairs, Kent

 Our younger son drove us to Broadstairs in Kent. This is an old fashioned seaside town .  We were blessed with mild, sunny weather . Charles Dickens lived here at one time.

Sunspots - Thursday October 29th

 Solar flux is 93 and the SSN 12. A=7 and K=2.

Smart phones

 I often think what my father would have said about life today. He died in 1987 and had no knowledge of the internet or smartphones!  On a train journey now most people are on their phones!!