ARRL VHF Manual

Yesterday, when my old work colleague visited he brought out a copy of this ARRL book that had my name with the date December 1971 inside. I must have given it away sometime in the 1970s. 

I spent some time last night trying to find an article about a very old 70cm AM portable super regen transceiver. It was not there, so must have been in an earlier edition.

If anyone knows what I am talking about I would not mind a photocopy of the article by email for old times sake. 

Many trying to build it could have been being very disappointed unless it was exactly copied. From bitter experience at 70cm inductors and capacitors can be very different from their marked values and RF grounding can be critical.

Are we really going mad? - NOT amateur radio

 This quote appeared in The Knowledge today:

Villain 

The Sly Old Fox, a pub in Birmingham which is being asked to change its name because it is “derogatory”, “inaccurate” and “unfair” to foxes. The animal rights group Peta says the word “sly” should be replaced with “clever”, to reflect society’s “ever-evolving empathy for animals”.

As much as I like foxes, I don't think they will care.😀

Nearly Christmas - NOT amateur radio

This was outside a village shop earlier today.  Not long now. 

I prefer when everything returns to normal and the evenings start to get lighter again. Ba humbug!

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Saturday)

Funny, but I keep forgetting that I can go on 10m WSPR TX with my stand-alone beacon whilst I am on 6m FT8 with the IC-705 and the PC as the antenna is different.  Around 1130z my 10m QRP WSPR TX was turned on.   No spots yet.

UPDATE 1812z:  It helps if the beacon is powered!  Since turning the power on (doh!!) 9 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE  2154z:  Now QRT. 13 stations spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR. See table.

Old Practical Wireless

An old work colleague popped out yesterday. It was great to see him.  I had not seen him for perhaps 30 years. He very kindly brought some Practical Wireless magazines mostly from the early 1980s. For those that don't know PW is a UK radio magazine you can buy in shops.

What struck me was the very high number of advertisers, which is not the case today. Clearly radio was very healthy back then. These days, the majority of adverts are from just one company. If they stopped then PW would probably be in deep, deep trouble.

6m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

Once again, I am on 6m QRP FT8 with the IC-705.  I have been on since about 0910z. So far, just 9 English stations spotting me.

UPDATE 1155z:  34 stations have spotted me with the furthermost D4L (4518km) in the Cape Verde Is..

UPDATE 1513z: With 77 stations spotting my 6m FT8 QRP today, there is little doubt that 6m behaves more like an HF band at the peak of the solar cycle. Today I have been spotted in both North and South America. See map with bars.

UPDATE 1750z:  130 stations spotted here on 6m FT8. See map with dots.

UPDATE 2147z:  Now QRT. 83 stations my 6m QRP FT8 today.

Sunspots - Saturday November 30th

 Solar flux is 220 and the SSN 162. A=8 and K=3.

More Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

These are some more images of Cambridge. 

The top picture is of the round church of which there are very few in the UK. 

When I first came to Cambridge in 1970 it was an active church. Now it is a brass rubbing centre.
 

6m QRP FT8 (Friday)

My QRP 6m FT8 from the IC-705 was turned on just before breakfast.  So far 6 spots of me, all English.

UPDATE 0953z: 23 spots of me, all in Europe.

UPDATE 1554z:   95 spots of me with many in N.America. See map.

UPDATE 1744z:   103 stations have spotted me.

Sunspots - Friday November 29th

 Solar flux is 214 and the SSN 149. A=4 and K=2.

Rally this Sunday

 The  following rally has been notified. I always recommend checking before going far

Sunday December 1st - Wiltshire Radio Winter Rally, Kington Langley, SN15 5NJ. Contact Chairman@Chippenhamradio.club .

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

 So far this morning 12 stations have spotted me with the furthermost 3W9T (9944km) in Vietnam. It seems when the MUF goes this high my vertical V2000 omni antenna is fine.

UPDATE 1152z:12 stations have spotted my 6m QRP FT8 including VK.

UPDATE 1712z: 52 stations have spotted my QRP 6m FT8 today with the furthermost VK6NH (13739km). Remember this is VHF with QRP and an omni antenna!

10m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

 After a brief session on 10m QRP FT8 with about 5W with 86 stations spotting me with the furthermost JA5AFW (9330km), I have QSYed to 6m FT8.

Thursday plans

 At various times I expect to try 6m and 10m QRP FT8 with the IC705.

Archetypal Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

This is archetypal Cambridge. King’s College chapel on an autumn afternoon with bikes on King’s Parade.

There are fewer visitors at this time of the year.

US prefixes

At one time if you heard a W7 you could be sure he was on the west side of the USA. Yesterday, I was copied by an N4  .... who was on the west side of the continent. 

If, like me, you are in Europe it is much harder than it once was. I presume this saves the FCC a few dollars in admin..

Sunspots - Thursday November 28th

 Solar flux is 214 and the SSN 141. A=8and K=1

Visiting Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

Being a resident of a nearby village, I often take Cambridge for granted. Some people travel across the planet to see places I can see for free at any time. There are many videos about the city on YouTube. This is just one.

17m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

My 17m QRP FT8 (about 4W) was turned on at about 1618z.  Within a few minutes, I was spotted by 33 stations, See map.

15m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

At about 1545z I QSYed to QRP 15m FT8 with the IC705. So far, 50 spots of me in 4 continents. It's too darn easy!  Someone called me so I had a quick QSO.

UPDATE 1556z: 63 spots of me. See map.

FT8 versus WSPR

It is hard to compare these two as I run 500mW on WSPR and about 5W on FT8 from the IC-705. However FT8 is about 10dB less sensitive than WSPR. My feeling is there is far more activity on FT8 than WSPR. Certainly I get far more spots with FT8.

Starting out, I believe FT8 is better. It also allows 2-way QSOs.

Old bookshop - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows Trinity Street in Cambridge, UK. In the right foreground is a bookshop that has been a bookshop for centuries.

10m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

With about 5W from the IC-705 I went on 10m FT8. So far, 152 stations across the planet have spotted my QRP.

6m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

For a short while, I tried 6m QRP FT8 using the IC-705 at about 5W. 12 stations in England spotted me in the short time I was on.

UPDATE 1528z:  22 UK stations have spotted my QRP 6m FT8 today. No real DX.

IC-705 working with FT8

This morning I got my IC-705 working with FT8. Up to now I had been using different rigs for FT8.  I had to install the ICOM USB drivers and adjust the USB TX modulation levels to the rig.

10m QRP WSPR (Wednesday)

My 500mW 10m WSPR TX beacon was turned on about 1015z. At 1030z 10 stations had spotted me, by what looks like F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1153z: 13 stations spotted me before I went on FT8.

Sunspots - Wednesday November 27th

 Solar flux is 222 and the SSN 163. A=7 and K=0.

FT8 with the IC-705

Tomorrow, I plan to try FT8 with my IC-705. Up to now I have used other rigs. I did do this with the first IC-705 I owned. As I recall there was a noise problem with the USB cable connected, but I overcome that with a better, choked cable.

Salcombe, Devon, UK - NOT amateur radio

As a child, I was brought up in Salcombe, Devon.  It is very beautiful and unspoilt, although it is very expensive nowadays! 

My views on visitors are changing. It is interesting to compare Salcombe, Dartmouth and Kingsbridge in Devon. Those that have attracted "up market" visitors seem to be thriving, whereas nearby Kingsbridge seemed a bit run-down further up the town. I hope I caught Kingsbridge on a bad day as it deserves to do well.

It is very important that these places do not lose the character people come to experience. Change always happens, but I hope it is still as beautiful for years to come.

One of the best YouTube videos on Salcombe I have found is attached.

Cambridge proctors - NOT amateur radio

These are like college policemen, keeping order in the Cambridge University colleges like this one outside Trinity College, that I think was founded by King Henry VIII many centuries ago. 

Proctors wear bowler hats and are a familiar sight in Cambridge.

Trade tariffs - NOT amateur radio

 Allegedly, the incoming US president wants to impose trade tariffs as soon as he comes into office. The danger is they impose trade tariffs in return and we get a trade war.

In the 21st century a tariff war benefits nobody. We need free trade with everyone playing on a level field. 

One thing is likely to happen is inflation will rise in the USA. Making things in the USA is likely to put up wage costs.

Like it or not, the world is shrinking.

Quantum mechanics - NOT amateur radio

Every Monday, I go on the bus to Cambridge for my University of the Third Age courses. One of my courses is on "Great Physicists" and Cambridge has its fair share!

What I find fascinating is how little we know. Quantum mechanics has only really been known for the last century and it is clear we only have a tiny grasp of things.  In another 100 years I can well believe we will look back with amazement at how ignorant we were.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics .

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation .

All we can conclude is we really know very little!

6m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

My gear was turned on at 0908z. 

At 0944z I was spotted by 12 stations in England.

UPDATE 2135z: 25 stations have spotted me. See map.Now QRT.

10m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was turned on at 0902z.

UPDATE 2140z: 49 stations have spotted me. See table. Now QRT

Cambridge centre - NOT amateur radio

This is Great St Mary's church in central Cambridge. It is the university church and some famous people have preached here. 

In the foreground is Cambridge market and the statue to Snowy Farr MBE who was a well known local fundraiser.

See https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/snowy-farr-sculpture .

Tuesday plans

After breakfast I expect to be on 10m QRP WSPR and 6m QRP FT8 .

Sunspots - Tuesday November 26th

 Solar flux is 220 and the SSN 140. A=11 and K=2.

Cambridge Today - NOT amateur radio

One of the pleasures of Cambridge is gliding along the back of the colleges on a punt on the river Cam. 

Many prefer others to do the punting whilst  you just relax. Some punts even serve drinks to help you relax even more!  This was the River Cam earlier today.

10m 500mW WSPR ( Monday)

 16 stations have spotted me at 1116z.

UPDATE 2104z:  63 stations have spotted me today.

6m QRP FT8 (Monday)

 26 stations have spotted me at 1114z.

UPDATE  2055z:  64 stations have spotted me today.

Sunspots - Monday November 25th

 Solar flux is 203 and the SSN 164. A=7 and K=2.

Birthday girl - NOT amateur radio

 

Today is my wife's birthday. 

Before you ask, NO I am not pregnant and don't you be so darn cheeky! 😀😀

Faroes - NOT amateur radio

One of the things I like about 365project is seeing things and places from right across the world. 

Some places are much hotter whereas some (like the photo posted by a friend in the Faroe Is) are much colder. 

There was snow on the hills and temperatures of 4 degrees C in September! I expect they see the northern lights far more often up there. 

Exceptional E-W F2 MUF

In the last few weeks the F2 MUF has exceeded 50MHz "across the pond" on a few occasions. I would expect this at times at the height of a good(ish) solar cycle. It would reach 8m far more often. Indeed my 8m 2.5W FT8 to a dipole was regularly spotted in Canada, the USA and Caribbean in autumn 2023 as well as this autumn. 

In my view this is where 8m FT8 could score. Just occasionally for a short period, the MUF will be high enough. These openings are far less likely to be spotted on CW or SSB, whereas with 8m FT8 and PSKreporter it is far more likely these brief openings will be noticed.

As the sunspots decline the N-S MUF may support 8m FT8 to South Africa more often than we might think.

70cm activity contest

It is a dead certainty that I have never even come close to winning the AL section of this contest! Why? 10W to a 2m big-wheel omni antenna and well less than an hour of operating.

The results were published earlier and I remain 51st out of 92 stations in the low power (AL) section. I am certain that if my voice allowed me to stop on longer, a much better score would be possible. I only really take part because of the activity. It is also good for my voice.

6m QRP FT8 (Sunday)

 My QMX+ has been on since about 1035z. So far, 5 English  stations have spotted me. The QMX+ initialised after a few minutes!

UPDATE 1145z:  10 stations have spotted me (all English).

UPDATE 1644z:  17 stations spotting me (see photo). I wonder if the more distant stations are F2 backscatter?

10m QRP WSPR (Sunday)

My 500mW WSPR has been on since about 1015z. So far spotted by 10 stations. 

UPDATE 1706z:  37 stations have spotted me with the furthermost ND7M (8568km).

Sunspots - Sunday November 24th

 Solar flux is 200 and the SSN 156. A=8 and K=1.

Climate change - NOT amateur radio

It is a very odd person (probably living on Planet Zog) that cannot see that our climate is changing. We may argue if this is cyclical or as a result of man, but changing it is.

In some countries it is of minor significance, whereas for some it is becoming an existential crisis. In some places there have been devastating floods, or droughts or very powerful hurricanes. If sea levels rise whole nations could disappear beneath the waves.

A fact of life is that poor countries suffer the most. Many of these we depend on for food.  In the long run we will all suffer if we are selfish as nations.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c8jykpdgr08t .

Digital modes compared

This is a link I came across when looking at videos about LongChat (see previous post). I think it was done before FT8 appeared. I think FT8 works down to about -21dB S/N although I have had some decodes at -24dB S/N.

See https://www.pa3fwm.nl/technotes/tn09b.html .

LongChat

This is a mode of message transmission I had not heard about before. It is claimed messages can be sent using extremely low power using chirped signals. I am no expert at all on digital communications!

Sneezing and speed - NOT amateur radio

Two things I have put down to my 2013 stroke may seem bizarre to others. They are my perception of speed (as mentioned before) and sneezing.

For some time I have been aware that my perception of speed is "different" in that I feel I am going 20mph faster than I am. I was not aware of this in a coach until this week. On the way to London in a coach we seemed to be going very fast. In a car this is noticeable when I think I am going over 60mph and look at the speedometer and see I am doing less than 50mph and there is a queue of cars behind me!

The second thing seems trivial, but when I feel a sneeze coming on I always sneeze. I am sure this is different.

These are only mentioned as they are subtle artefacts I think of my stroke. Probably others affected by strokes have noticed other things affecting them.

London sights - NOT amateur radio

London, the capital of England, is a fine city with a mix of old and new buildings. 

Some of the old buildings are known the world over. 

We went there on Thursday with our village theatre group by coach.

6m QRP FT8 (Saturday)

Once my QMX+ initiates, I intend to try 6m QRP FT8 again. Yet again, it has not yet initiated. I hope there is a fix for this in later software or hardware as I am suffering this bug most times I switch the transceiver on. It otherwise is a very good rig that I enjoy using. On early production, I suppose this is to be expected.

UPDATE 1006z: The QMX+ has initiated, but I do not know how long it took. So far just 4 English stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1347z:  Spotted by 21 stations including 1 in Germany.

UPDATE 1645z: Spotted by 25 stations (in Europe) and on RX VO1AW (3801km) spotted.

10m 500mW WSPR (Saturday)

 Since about 0945z I have been on 10m QRP WSPR TX with my beacon. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1009z:  Just 2 Finnish stations spotting me.

UPDATE 2039z:   23 stations have spotted me. QRT shortly.

The Shard: London - NOT amateur radio

This is (I think) the tallest building in London. It certainly can be seen for miles!  

The photo shows a view from outside Southwark Cathedral last Thursday. 

Oscar 100 narrrowband activity

Every few weeks I take a peak at the activity of the narrowband transponder of this satellite. The last time was on a Friday early evening in Europe. 

Activity continues to disappoint me. Whilst for some this has been an introduction to microwaves, I was expecting far more DXers to make use of this. 

As I have said before, I think it is just too hard for many. The main markets of the USA and Japan do not come within the satellite footprint. This means there are no mass market "black boxes".

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/ .

Sunspots - Saturday November 23rd

 Solar flux is 179 and the SSN 170. A=12 and K=1.

Over the solar peak?

In my opinion we have just passed the solar peak. We can expect a few years of good conditions, but I expect the trajectory to be slowly downwards.

Web archive - NOT amateur radio

Some of my time after lunch was spent browsing the Internet Archive. This is an absolute treasure trove of old material. Some time back I found a snapshot of my very first website dated 1996. If you want to look at old material about anything it is worth looking here. I am pretty sure much old stuff is on this archive.

There is a radio archive at https://archive.org/details/dlarc .

Another site worth a browse is https://www.worldradiohistory.com/ .

It would appear most things from the past may be found if you look hard. I have only scratched the surface.

Mudlarking - NOT amateur radio

Mudlarking is the term for looking for rubbish on the shores of the River Thames in London, UK. The earliest ever banana in London was found as a result of mudlarking.

6m QRP FT8 (Friday)

 If my QMX+ initiates (it hasn't yet!) I intend to try 6m QRP FT8.

UPDATE 0945z: Well, the QMX+ eventually did initiate. Probably this occurred in the first 20 minutes. The secret seems to be just to leave it. I would have expected this to happen within seconds. This is not fatal, but definitely needs fixing or explaining. Otherwise the QMX+ works really well. So far, spotted by 7 English stations on 6m QRP FT8 this morning.

UPDATE 1238z: 19 English stations spotted.

UPDATE 1545z:  30 stations have spotted me. Some are European. F2 backscatter?

10m QRP WSPR (Friday)

 My 500mW WSPR beacon was turned on at about 0915z. No spots.

UPDATE 0947z:  Spotted by 4 stations so far.  These look like by F2 propagation.

UPDATE 1243z: Spotted by 9 stations.

UPDATE 1603z:   30 stations have spotted me with the furthermost PU5ALE (10191km).

Sunspots - Friday November 22nd

 Solar flux is 166 and the SSN 148. A=8 and K=2.

Tower Bridge - NOT amateur radio

As we were in London to see "Guys and Dolls" at the Tower Theatre with our village theatre group, I decided to take this photo of Tower Bridge as we left. Being in London, there was no radio today.

Shetland again - NOT amateur radio

 

This is another spectacular photo from the Shetland Is by Richard Lewis that appeared on 365project.

Hype?

Lots of people are talking about the new Yaesu FTX-1F transceiver due "in early 2025". Very little is known about it yet (as far as I am aware) and some are describing it as an FT817/818 successor or a replacement to the ICOM IC705. 

At the right price ( I expect they are thinking hard about this) and with the right features it could be all of these, but it could "bomb". Expect prices to drop later.  Also, early products sometimes have software and hardware bugs that get corrected later.

The video below is similar to many. I expect this will be the same until we know more about it ..... and the all important price.

Sunspots - Thursday November 21st

 Solar flux is 163 and the SSN 113. A=8 and K=1.

Electric cars - NOT amateur radio

In the news today was the sacking of 4000 people from Ford because of disappointing sales of electric cars. In my view we will see a major shift to electric cars when:

• Range is much increased.
• There is a move away from LiIon batteries.
• Prices are far lower.

In my view we are not there yet. In a few years things could be totally different. I am surprised that research in battery technology is not enormous as whoever makes the breakthrough will capture the market.

Nobel prizes - NOT amateur radio

Behind this tree in the photo is Old School Lane on which the original Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge  is located. It was here that many Nobel prizes were won.

Getting colder - NOT amateur radio

These last few days it has got far colder here in the UK. In some parts there has been early snow.  Today we had our first frost of the season.

I  have no idea what the long-term weather is for this winter, My wife recently took the photo of these berries.

6m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

 After leaving the QMX+ for 30 minutes it initialised. I  have no idea how long after initial switch on this happened. 

Anyway at about 0735z I went on 6m FT8 QRP with the QMX+.

UPDATE 0925z:   27 stations have spotted me so far today.

UPDATE 1222z:  Spotted by 95 stations. See map.

UPDATE 1613z: VO1SIX (3933km) in Canada has spotted me on QRP 6m FT8 today. In total, 102 stations have spotted my QRP 6m FT8  today.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Wednesday)

My 500mW 10m WSPR beacon was turned on about 0700z. My QMX+ failed to initialise again. I have left it for now to see what happens!

UPDATE 1615z:  46 stations have spotted my QRP 10m WSPR beacon. Furthermost is PU5ALE (10191km) in Brazil.

Sunspots- Wednesday November 20th

 Solar flux is 157 and the SSN 109. A=8 and K=3.

17m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

 Don't ask me when, but the QMX+ initialised. As it is quite late (so 10m and 6m are probably dead) I am on 17m QRP FT8 with about 3W.

UPDATE 2132z:   6 stations (3 in the USA) have spotted me. One station in Georgia, USA copied on RX.

UPDATE 2225z:  11 stations have spotted me.  Now QRT.

Hoswick Bay, Shetland - NOT amateur radio

This brilliant photo by Richard Lewis who lives in the Shetland Isles, Scotland was posted on 365project recently. 

Being so far north, days are shorter in winter. They also get lots of wind and have few trees.

Green fingers? - NOT amateur radio

My wife seems to have a "touch" with house plants with many lasting far longer than we might expect. We have some orchids that have lasted many years. 

She says the secret with orchids is just a thimble of water once a week. Whatever, she has the touch!

10m 500mW WSPR (Tuesday)

My beacon has been on most of the morning. 14 stations have spotted me.

UPDATE 1915z:  43 stations have spotted me today. 

QMX+ still failing to initialise

After trying for about 10 times, my QMX+ (which is great once initialised!) has failed to initialise. Probably Wednesday, I shall go on 6m FT8 with the IC-705 instead.

UPDATE  1440z:  Although both the QDX and QMX+ rigs are very good, I am very disappointed that I am having so much trouble with Windows 10. It takes several goes to get the PC to "see" the audio on the QDX and the initialisation of the QMX+ is "flaky" at best: when it works great, but it should not be this hard to get started. I hope this initialisation is better with more recent software. It lets down an otherwise great radio.

Sunspots - Tuesday November 19th

 Solar flux is 165 and the SSN 118.  A=4 and K=1.

Gifts - NOT amateur radio

It is getting closer to the season when, in many cultures, gifts are exchanged. This was in the Grand Arcade, Cambridge earlier today.

6m QRP FT8 (Monday)

My QRP FT8 has been on 50.313MHz with my QMX+ since just before breakfast. 14 stations have spotted me.  See map.

UPDATE 2004z:   QRT.  55 stations have spotted my QRP 6m FT8  today.  See map.

10m 500mW WSPR TX (Monday)

My QRP beacon has been on since just before breakfast. So far, just 25 spots by EA8BFK (2880km).

UPDATE 1933z:  Now QRT after 40 stations spotted my QRP today.

6m MSK144 - total failure

 Overnight I monitored 50.280MHz MS144, which was supposed to be the best place to lurk for 6m MS in the Leonid meteor shower that was due to peak November 17th. In total, I spotted precisely nothing at all! It was a total failure. 

I was wondering if my internet connection had failed but there was nothing on my screen either, suggesting nothing had been received. Perhaps people have moved to a different mode or it was  a poor shower?

Sunspots - Monday November 18th

 Solar flux is 146 and the SSN 117.  A=8 and K=2.

Vandalism - NOT amateur radio

Back in the 1500s in the Reformation many statues were destroyed as being "idols". Looking back, this was pure vandalism. 

The example shown in the photo is the Lady Chapel in Ely Cathedral.  

We are still doing this in the world! These are part of our history. We may not agree with our forefathers but we have absolutely no right to destroy it.