Apparently, the main user of this band over there is proposing a major change of use that could negatively impact secondary users like amateur radio.
ARRL is trying to oppose the changes.
Not being in the USA I have no idea how active the band is.
Simple QRP projects, 10m, 8m, 6m, 4m, FT8, 160m, WSPR, LF/MF, sub-9kHz, nanowaves and other random stuff, some not related to amateur radio.
Apparently, the main user of this band over there is proposing a major change of use that could negatively impact secondary users like amateur radio.
ARRL is trying to oppose the changes.
Not being in the USA I have no idea how active the band is.
Although my QRP beacon has been on since about 0820z, no spots.
UPDATE 0926z: No spots.
UPDATE 1520z: Spotted by 3 stations today. See table.
This will be interesting when F2 propagation really kicks in. They are far enough south to catch some TEP and I expect they will have QSOs with the Caribbean.
What I do not know is do other administrations allow similar access?
As I keep saying, just 5kHz, a low ERP, no SSB, narrow digital modes only, limited time, strictly no interference, by NoV or equivalent, would allow widespread free propagation research. Personally I cannot see the issue when 40.66-40.70 MHz is already allocated to ISM, licence free gadgets.
Is the problem that people in many PTTs are ignorant and stupid? Or is it just the military trying to keep the spectrum as clear as they can "just in case". Also most PTTs see only hassle and no money.
Now and the coming months are the best times for 8m propagation research.
This is probably our favourite cathedral known as the “ship of the fens”. It can be seen from miles away standing proudly on a hill . As locals we get free entry.
Already 2 stations in central Europe have spotted my QRP beacon, even though it has only been on about 30 minutes.
UPDATE 1526z: Spotted by 6 stations including W4CLQ (5204km). Good to see a spot from the USA.
My 2.5W system has been on since about 0800z. So far, just English stations spotting me.
This has been notifed to me. Usual caveats about travelling a long way apply.
Sunday September 1st - Telford Hamfest and GQRP Club Convention, Telford, TF10 8NB. Contact hamfest@tdars.org.uk .
It explained that inflation in Russia was high and going higher and that the value of the Russian Ruble was declining against other currencies. The Russian central bank had been trying to buy Rubles to keep the exchange rate up, but was failing.
I do hope a peaceful end to the war in Ukraine may be found.
No matter how you voted in the UK, the present government has some big issues in the short-term. Basically it needs more tax to cover the things it wants to support and to pay debt interest.
More people are moving away from fossil fuelled vehicles. Electric cars are still very much in the minority, but I still see 5 times more than just a few years ago. In the end, most will move away from fossil fuels, but this will generate less tax income. One suggestion was a charge per mile driven instead.
There is a lot of controversy over the winter fuel allowance. At the moment we all get it whether very poor or very rich, but current plans are to stop this totally unless you get pension credit payment. Why not increase the tax free allowance so those in the greatest need pay less tax? They could keep the tax boundaries so those on higher income pay more?
Surely a very high tax on big land owners is sensible? They can easily afford to pay.
Also, a very small tax on all share trades would be unlikely to impact the poorest, but would hardly affect the richest?
It is interesting (and annoying!) that when you have recently bought something you are bombarded by emails recommending you will buy the very same items, or very similar, again!
Surely they can adjust their algorithms to not bombard you with the same thing for several months? I am sure even I could do this!
Some time ago we bought our grandson some books to help with GCSE revision. He took his exams months ago, yet I still get told about the same, or very similar, items!
Not Amazon, I ran a group on miracle whip antennas some years ago. Some people got the completely wrong idea!! 😁
They want to compete with the ICOM IC-705, have it as an FT817/818 replacement, but also compete with the Chinese. In my view, they have to capture the mass market or Yaesu could quit the amateur radio market.
In my view it has to be less than £1k.
My gear was turned on at about 0800z.
Stations spotting my 6m QRP FT8 today |
UPDATE 1120z: 15 stations have spotted me on 6m QRP FT8 today.
Furthermost (probably F2) was YO2MAX (1802km) who spotted me very early.
Although conditions could be disturbed again my plan is to try QRP 6m FT8 and 10m WSPR.
My photos and videos are backed up to Google Photos. The trouble is these are HEIC files . To convert these to JPG I saw this tool on the internet which does the conversion online.
See https://www.flightradar24.com . There are a number of very similar named apps. Be sure to get the correct one!
Although my QRP beacon has been on most of the morning, no spots. I suspect there’s a problem with WSPRnet. Someone mentioned a radio blackout today. if correct, this might have been the reason?
UPDATE 1442z: Steve has pointed out that Bangood sell the MCHF radio for £264.52. I think this is made in China. Pretty sure this is a clone.....but the price! I am always nervous about Chinese quality control, but they will get there and really frighten the Japanese. We already buy most of our consumer goods from China.
My 2.5W 6m FT8 was turned on at about 1245z. It looks like I caught a small patch of Es to Portugal.
Last month we visited Norwich. Pulls Ferry is where the stones to build Norwich Cathedral came through from Caen in France 🇫🇷.
My current plans are the same as yesterday with QRP 6m FT8 and 10m QRP WSPR TX with my 500mW beacon.
Just now I got another email from Google. It was entitled "Moving the policies for video inventory to the Google Publisher Restrictions". Having read it several times, I am none the wiser!
Why do they bother?
Although biased, it probably ranks as one of the very best local museums in the UK. It is vast.
UPDATE 1037z: 36 stations have spotted me. See map.
UPDATE 2127z: Spotted by 105 stations today.
Today I shall stick with 6m QRP FT8 but unlike yesterday (I forgot!) I shall also be on 10m QRP WSPR with my 500mW beacon.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/70cm-moxon .
UPDATE 09510z: 14 stations have spotted me. 10 stations spotted on RX including several from southern Europe.
UPDATE 1934z: 39 stations have spotted my QRP 6m FT8 today. See map. QRT soon.
Stations spotting my 2.5W 10m FT8 up to about 1120z |
OFCOM regularly updates the information it holds on licence numbers etc.. Please see the OFCOM website for the latest.
The idea is to post a photo a day. At $19.99 you can have more albums and privacy, but otherwise it is totally free. It has no connection whatsoever with Microsoft.
This photo was taken in the Faroe Islands and recently posted. This is a place I am very unlikely to visit.
Apart from those keen to assemble a ground station (fixed, small antenna, no tower, much of the world in range day and night, no QSB etc.) it has been under-used.
The last peek was a Friday evening in Europe. Once again it was sadly quiet.
It has never appealed to me, but I was quite surprised it was not more popular. Based on this satellite, I can't see another for some time.
By now, I was expecting it to be busy. It is not.
Many years ago I experimented with this QRP transceiver circuit on 80m CW. It is hard to find anything much simpler!
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/80m-xbm80-2
UPDATE 0929z: Spotted by 62 stations already this morning and on RX the furthermost (115 spotted!) is VK6RK (14469km).
Stations spotted here in the last day on 10m FT8 |
About an hour ago, I decided to go on 10m FT8 instead of WSPR.
UPDATE 1715z: 43 stations have been spotted and 4 stations have spotted me. See map for the stations spotted here today.
For many in the UK, Monday is a public holiday, so Monday is also a rally day. As always, check the details are correct before going on a long drive.
When I saw this twig on our walk yesterday, I immediately thought of a baby crocodile.
My favourite site for solar data is now showing the smoothed peak of cycle 25 as this October at 162.8. At one time they were showing a much smaller peak last November.
This suggests good F2 conditions this autumn and spring.
My beacon was turned on at about 0800z.
UPDATE 1525z: No spots. I suspect fewer people use WSPR now preferring FT8. Perhaps I should try 10m FT8 tomorrow?
UPDATE 1046z: 10 English stations have spotted me See map.
This really annoys me. It would be really helpful if people put dates when webpages were updated. I can’t tell you how often I have seen data only to see it was created some years ago and the data is out of date!!
As an example CQWW contest website. Dates are shown for 2024, but were these written last year? The last blog update was April.
This has happened so many times. All it needs is a footer saying when the webpage was last updated.
Whilst on 6m, I keep forgetting the 10m antenna is available, so I can use my 10m WSPR TX beacon.
UPDATE 0952z: No spots of me.
UPDATE 0843z: Spotted by 9 English stations. It makes you think how useful 6m FT8 could be inter-G when the band is not "open". Also many of those spotting me so far are probably cross polarised and using horizontal antennas. Just one G spotted on RX.
UPDATE 1721z: 20 stations spotted. One might be Es.
As I recall, CQ magazine has stopped. At one time the CQWW contests were perhaps the most popular in the world. Even without submitting an entry, it was a way to contact new countries. When my voice was good I used to fill pages in the logbook. In later years, it has become too hard for me.
With the demise of CQ, I wonder what is happening with these contests?
In recent times, I have not been on 8m much, even though I have a UK T&I permit to TX on the 8m band.
The main reason is I know what the band can do with Es. It is possible to span the European continent with just a few milliwatts of FT8 on 8m.
The 8m band, being between 10m and 6m, comes into its own when the F2 MUF just exceeds 47MHz.
With the sunspot count being good recently, it has exceeded 50MHz, especially on N-S paths. Activity on 6m is much higher, so getting spots is easier than on 8m currently.
As the F2 MUF goes down, I expect 8m will be more useful showing how the F2 MUF can reach 8m, but not 6m. I shall probably try again on 8m this autumn It would be great if more PTTs allowed amateur access.
I hope the FCC, OFCOM and the RSGB are listening!
The photo shows Ely rail station with Ely cathedral in the backgound.