My QRP 10m WSPR beacon is on and so far 3 stations have copied me. I suspect these were by F2 propagation.
UPDATE 1040z: 14 spots of me with the furthermost a station in Asiatic Russia, RA0SX (5904km).
After trying for a long time without success, I have had an 8m QRP FT8 QSO with G4FKI (60km). I am not sure if he has changed polarisation.
UPDATE 1025z: EI3KF (574km) has spotted my QRP 8m FT8.
UPDATE 1222z: Quite a good day with three 8m QRP FT8 QSOs and Southern Africa and the Middle East spotted on 8m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1243z: Spotted across the Atlantic again on 8m QRP FT8 this time by VO1SIX (3933km).
As we get older, I think the norm is we feel closer to our siblings if we have them. I guess it is the reality that we or them will no longer be around for ever. It is also true for friends and partners.
My brother is nearly 80 and is currently in good health. This photo was taken last month in the ruins of the old abbey at Bury St Edmunds. Perhaps it is a reminder that nothing is forever?
Yesterday we were on the edge of the first named storm this autumn in the UK. Winds were stronger in NW Scotland.
I was surprised not to see far more leaves on the grass rather than on the trees. Presumably the leaves that remain (about half) are the ones that still remain more green. As autumn progresses most of these will change colour and fall as they have done for millions of years.
It is always nice to look forward to new life busting out in spring. Winter first! 😞
As you will be aware, I am not a PC nerd. Compared with many, I am pretty ignorant.
However, I have watched a few YouTube videos about making a Linux distro so might have a go at putting one on a CF to boot my PC into Linux to try it. If I do it, it will be after lunch.
Any recommendations on type? I am told Mint is good for beginners like me.
Many in the UK will recall this iconic testcard from the early days of colour TV.
Conditions to Eastern Europe seem good at the moment.
See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/ .
On the "old" PC I seem to be getting less out on 8m FT8 from the FT817ND despite a low SWR and the power slider on WSJT-X being at maximum. So the output is probably 2W or less to the dipole.
Despite this, it is being spotted by EA8DJR (2994km) in the Canary Is. I called him, but he failed to hear me. I suspect this is F2 rather than Es propagation. With me he is very strong. I was quite surprised to spot him on 40.680 MHz FT8 this morning.
UPDATE 1002z: He called and we worked. EA8JF (2832km) has also spotted me on 8m FT8.
UPDATE 1013z: Now also spotted strongly by EA8RH (3029km). F2 (I guess) is good on 8m this morning.
UPDATE 1038z: With stations in Italy and Spain being granted amateur radio access to the 8m band activity seems to have increased. I just wish more PTTs would see the value.
UPDATE 1206z: G4KFI (60km) spotted. I think my QRP is too weak for him to spot me. I think we are cross polarised, so on inter-G this is probably very important.
UPDATE 1243z: UW8SM (1751km) spotted. I think this station is genuine.
UPDATE 1255z: 4 stations have spotted me today. See map.
As my 10m antenna is available I am on 10m QRP WSPR with the signal being widely copied
UPDATE 1022z: Spotted by 14 stations.
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| Map from WSPRrocks by Phil VK7JJ |
This was, perhaps, the biggest set of contests in the world. Even without submitting a score, it gave many a chance to work new countries and US states.
With the demise of CQ magazine, it is not clear what the situation is in 2024. Looking at the website, you could be forgiven for thinking it is still on. However, that information may have been put up ages ago, before the magazine closed.
This is one of my pet hates - not knowing the date the webpages were updated, but that is a different story.
If anyone can tell me if it is on or off, please let me know.
With the "other" Windows 10 PC, everything seems to work on RX, but even though the QDX goes to TX there is no RF being sent. Also, I get a "rig control error" going to TX even though the CAT works and it is "seeing" the QDX. As far as I can see, everything is correctly set and I tried a power cycle on the QDX before starting the PC. It should not be this hard.
Going back to the SignaLink USB and FT817ND I get no issues at all with the "old" PC. For now, I give up.
My 2.5W 8m FT8 is on again. No spots, although I see far more stations are now monitoring the band.
UPDATE 1609z: PJ4MM (7483km) spotted on 8m FT8 RX.
As far as I know SETI, the search for intelligent life in outer space, has been going for about 60 years without success.
According to a link in Amateur Radio Weekly there may be another technique. If we find intelligent life "out there" it could/should have a profound effect on life on Earth.
Excuse the journalism in the link!
This morning I had an email inviting me to try Google’s new AI tool called Gemini.
It makes some mistakes, but in the main it produces amazing text and images based on the information available in seconds.
In coming years it is likely to get even better. Used for good, it a powerful tool. In the wrong hands it could be very dangerous.
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| RX on 10m FT8 to 0940z |
Stations all over the planet are being received and (so far) I have been widely spotted with 2.5W FT8 all over Europe. See map showing the stations spotted by 0940z on 10m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1015z: First DX spot of me today by PU4TNT (9086km).
UPDATE 1135z: 77 stations have spotted me today with 2.5W 10m FT8.
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| Stations spotting me today on 10m FT8 with 2.5W |
Shortly, I hope to go on 10m WSPR with my stand-alone QRP 10m WSPR beacon. I cannot try FT8 again until I sort out my PC. Maybe I should try downloading JTDX and see if that works?
UPDATE 0947z: I went on briefly. No spots.
Whilst rummaging through drawers in my shack trying to find a power supply for an unused PC, I came across this TX. I have no recollection of making it, but it looks like an OXO QRP CW transmitter. It must date from the 1990s or early 2000s.
One of the biggest UK dealers is advertising B stock at considerable savings. To me, these still look expensive when you look at exchange rates against the Yen and US Dollar.
Solar flux is 165 and the SSN 132. A=14 and K=4.
Are we beginning to see a slow decline in sunspot numbers?
Despite syncing to Internet time, I have again got no 10m WSPR spots with my 500mW stand-alone beacon whereas I usually get several. I am wondering if WSPRnet is faulty, not uploading spots, or there is a long delay? Listening on another radio, it seems to be fine.
We have to go shopping, but I also want to find out if the PC or QDX is the source of my problem with the QDX not being recognised by the PC. As far as I know, everything is done in the correct order.
It will be interesting to see if I get no problems with the FT817 and SignaLink USB. This has never given me problems in over 20 years .
Assuming I can find a solution, my plan is to try 10m QRP FT8 later. We'll see!
UPDATE 1153z: I shall be tackling the QDX and PC after lunch. Wish me luck!
UPDATE 1455z: No luck. It is as if any external device is not recognised. Just to make sure the USB socket is OK (I think it is) I shall try a CF drive in it. For now, until I can fix this, I am confined to 10m WSPR. Somewhere I have another Windows PC that I must try without updating it just in case it is a Windows Update that has screwed things.
UPDATE 1540z: I found the older Windows 10 PC. It is on charge. Later I shall give this a try.
I deleted lots of WAV files from my PC (WSJT-X saves them all!!) and this allowed me to do a Windows update.
However, for some reason, after doing a restart on my QDX I can receive OK, it does not TX on FT8. I checked this on my QMX+ and that does not TX either. It seems to recognise the QDX audio and CAT control works on the QMX+.
At the moment I am on 10m QRP WSPR with my stand-alone 500mW WSPR beacon (no spots on this as well!).
I think this must go down as a "bad hair day". In other words it's totally crap. My brain hurts!
UPDATE 1712z: In desperation, I am doing a full PC reset to factory settings to see if this fixes it. The PC is really only used with WSJT-X.
UPDATE 2151z: For some reason the PC still refuses to recognise the QDX. Tomorrow I shall try with the SignaLinkUSB and the FT817ND which should work. With Windows there must be some magic that I am missing to get the PC to “see” the QDX. Apparently it is all to do with the USB port recognising the QDX whereas with Linux there is no issue.
The following rally has been notified to me. As usual, check details.
Saturday October 19th - Mexborough and District ARS Rally, Conisborough, DN12 3HJ. Contact madarsrally@gmail.com .
After buying things from Amazon, I get bombarded with suggestions of things to buy of very similar items to what I have just bought. As an example, I recently got a new electric razor and I am now getting lots of suggestions for similar electric razors. Having just bought one, a new electric razor is the very last thing I want!
Surely their algorithms could be changed to exclude items similar to ones bought recently? This would not be rocket science.
As we are out later, I think working on the QDX and PC will have to wait until Thursday now.
Later this afternoon I hope to sort out my PC and QDX. As you know I had planned to do this earlier in the week, but events overtook this.
Assuming it all works and there is no thunder (!) I shall try 10m QRP FT8.
There are lots of videos on YouTube singing the praises of the tiny QDX digital transceiver from QRP Labs. This is just one as an example. It really is tiny and for many it will be all you ever need on HF.
We try to have a small bowl of fruit each morning with breakfast. For several weeks this has included wild blackberries picked from a bush about 25m away.
I think the last ones have been picked for this year, but will see if there are any more, but I am not hopeful.
Yesterday I planned to sort out my PC and QDX. Instead I helped someone else with their PC and service provider. Can you imagine someone who is more ignorant about PCs than me!!? They exist! Later today I hope to do what I hoped to do some days before.
Although I understand Israel being aggrieved that certain countries want the nation wiped off the face of the earth, I have no sympathy at all for this endless cycle of violence that sees so many innocent people killed or wounded. It must stop.
In the end the only viable solution is for Israel to be accepted as a state with a right to exist and the people of Palestine also having a right to statehood and a right to live in peace.
Recent pronouncements about doing things in the interest of Israel by the Israeli leader don't exactly sound like words of peace. It seems to me that violence will lead to more hatred, more violence and probably Israel in even more peril. If Israel attacks Iran, Iran and all its proxi groups will lash back at Israel.
Jaw jaw, not war war!!
My intention is to go on 10m FT8 with my Windows 10 PC and QDX. This is conditional on:
Apparently there is a fix for the first by connecting and powering up the QDX first. There is not an issue with Linux, just Windows.
The jury is still out on the smoothed peak of solar cycle 25. At one time it was last year, but now it is thought possible it could be October 2024 according to Solan.
What is certain is solar conditions are good and likely to remain so for some years to come.
There are also lots of lights that could be for Divali........or Christmas. Am I being cynical thinking this is a way to increase profits, reduce costs, and look good?
You can tell it is October in the UK! Drizzle, cold and miserable.
As I am in Cambridge much of the day for my U3A courses I do not expect to do much radio today.
Assuming it all works, I intend to go on 10m QRP FT8 after breakfast with my QDX.
UPDATE 1744z: It did not work! Apparently the QDX has to be power cycled. Not only that, but the Windows update wants to move to Windows 11 and the PC has not enough disk space. If I was more confident, I would convert it to Linux, but I do not understand how to do it and then install WSJT-X under Linux. Ideally, I would like someone locally to do it!
Clearly with such an insensitive receiver, it is better to call others calling CQ as you may not hear others on the frequency. The RX sensitivity will depend how good the headphones are.
See https://www.calameo.com/read/0076654746ade7e23a716 .
See also https://hackaday.com/2024/07/12/tiny-transceiver-gets-it-done-with-one-transistor/ .
They run as a worker's co-operative with staff sharing in profits. They seem to charge huge amounts for goods and they must be struggling in the fierce retail market.
It would not surprise me if they do not survive in their current form. It is a nice shop, but they charge silly prices.
Both these QRPlabs products are excellent rigs and I have them both.
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| QDX |
Now, with my limited ability to use SSB, I am questioning if I should keep the QMX+ rig. I probably will for now, but really the QDX would do all I need in the size of a pack of cards.
UPDATE 1806z: It has been such a long time since I used the QDX that I have forgotten the sequence in which things are connected. There is a known issue with Windows, but not with Linux. For some reason the QDX is not recognised at first.
Autumn seems just a few weeks after last Christmas! Where did the year go? At the moment in our garden, trees are looking tired, but most are still in leaf. A few weeks, a few autumn gales will soon change things!
My 2.5W FT8 to a low dipole has been on since about 0910z. Surprised to see a very strong spot of me from ON5SE (473km). I guess this was aircraft reflection.
UPDATE 1114z: Right on time, stations in South Africa are coming through (via TEP?) on 8m FT8.
UPDATE 1304z: Spotted by 2 stations in Europe. No luck calling the South Africans earlier.
My QRP WSPR beacon was turned on at about 0910z.
Although conditions again look disturbed, my plans currently are to try 8m QRP FT8 and 500mW WSPR TX.
In amateur radio different people enjoy the hobby in different ways. It is a good thing we are all different!
In my case, I enjoy getting the most from the least. Others chase DX and are happy to spend lots to get the very best gear. Others like amateur television. And so on...
I am still puzzled why MLS is advertising a microphone for almost £600. For a darn microphone!! Some people must have money to burn.
A reminder that many of my projects are shown on my video channel on YouTube.
Some of my best friends are Jewish, but I am at a loss to understand what is currently happening.
I understand that a certain state and its proxies Hamas, Hezbollah and the Huthies want to see the state of Israel wiped off the face of the earth. I also understand that Israel feels "on top" with their recent pager and walkie-talkie attacks.
What I fail to understand are these:
One would have thought after the horrors of WW2 that Israel would not want to cause suffering to anyone, even their sworn enemies. It would appear that Israel wants a war. The oft use phrase is these terrorists use innocent civilians as human shields.
In the end, the only long-term solution is a just peace for everyone. Israel has to be recognised, but so has Palestine.
At the moment, Israel is in danger of appearing arrogant and turning away good friends. If they attack Iran, the state of Israel is in mortal danger.
This cycle of hate does nobody any good.
At the moment the Middle East is strategically important still. Gradually, it will be less so.
As conditions seem quite disturbed, I only plan to try 500mW WSPR beaconing on 10m today.
It is my impression is that time passes faster as we age.
Since the UK Labour party came to power several months ago, they have been mired in controversy with the media feasting on free gifts for leading politicians and the withdrawal of winter fuel payments for many. For a Labour party set up to support workers, neither looks great.
The UK Conservative government lost heavily with the right wing Reform party picking up much support. The Conservative party is about to pick a new leader and the choice seems to be between two right wing candidates.
Moderation seems to have gone from politics in many countries, with disaffected people often voting for parties with extreme views.
The following have been notified Please check details before going a long way. Both are on Sunday October 13th.
So far, just spots by WESSEXSDR (267km) of my 2.5W to a dipole.
UPDATE 1040z: ZR1ADI (9777km) again coming through, but no QSO.
UPDATE 1356z: 2 spots from Poland and somebody signing "PA test" on 8m FT8 RX. Not sure if this is somebody trying their power amp or someone testing in the Netherlands.
SPRAT is published every quarter as a colour A5 magazine. It is packed full mainly of simple construction projects and annual subs are very low. It is entirely run by volunteers with back issues of SPRAT available on a flash stick at a very reasonable sum. Well worth getting.
This evening starting at 1900z is the 70cm FT8 activity contest.
It always surprises me how far away stations can be copied. I usually work a few locals, but spend most of the time on RX. I use a 2m big-wheel omni antenna only.
I wonder if with 70cm FT8 we can tap into some kind of troposcatter?
All this makes me wonder how effective 70cm FT8 would be with a decent beam and reasonable powers.
UPDATE 1936z: Lots of stations spotted with the furthermost DJ6TA (493km). The more I think about 70cm FT8 is a very under-used band!
After being absent for a while, John's excellent blog is back. John has one of the best amateur radio blogs on the internet.
October 11-13th - RSGB 2024 Convention, Milton Keynes. See rsgb.org/conventon .
Since getting home at about 1130z my 10m WSPR QRP has been on. No spots.
UPDATE 1330z: Spotted by 5 stations so far.
EI9KP was a regular spotter of my 2.5W 8m FT8, but despite many spots by others in Eire recently, nothing by EI9KP. Does anybody know why please?
UPDATE 1826z: Apparently Phil has dismantled his ham gear and is returning to Belgium.
On 8m FT8 today, my 2.5W to a low dipole has been spotted by 2 stations in Eire. This is too far (I think) for usual tropo and there seems to be a blackout on F2. I suppose it could be aircraft scatter.
Back in the 1970s I recall we were told the Vietcong were "evil". Now we hear about Iran being part of "the axis of resistance".
In times of war or heightened tensions it is easy for propaganda to reach unbelievable heights. It is hard to tell what is real and what "the powers that be" want you to hear.
At the moment we are hearing of the war in Ukraine and heightened tensions in the Middle East.
All I am saying is in the "fog of war" truth is hard to discern. Do not believe all you hear.
For many people, this would be a reliable and low cost introduction to QRP operating.
Hans Summers makes some superb kit.
Although my 2.5W FT8 has been on since just after breakfast, no spots yet.
UPDATE 1015z: Just EI2IP (607km) spotting me.
UPDATE 1130z: EI3KF (574km) also spotting me.
My beacon has been on since just after breakfast.
UPDATE 1235z: No spots. Is there a blackout on HF?
At the moment, the risk seems low, so I have gone on the air. If this changes, I shall go QRT.
See https://www.lightningmaps.org/#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;ts=0;
UPDATE 1025z: It looks like the storms are creeping into SW England. Currently it is sunny and dry here in East Anglia.
After returning from Cambridge I decided to try 8m QRP FT8 . Nobody has spotted me but I have spotted G4FKI (60km).
It got me wondering what electronics magazines can still be bought in newsagents?
There were few adverts so I think their business model must rely on the sales of PCBs for the projects they feature.
Although my 2.5W 8m FT8 has been on since just after breakfast, no spots yet.
UPDATE 0926z: Just WESSEXSDR (267km) has spotted me.
My QRP 10m WSPR beacon is on and so far 3 stations have copied me. I suspect these were by F2 propagation. UPDATE 1040z: 14 spots of me wi...
