Today there were a couple of southern European stations spotted on 10m FT8.
It is about now that Es (sporadic E) starts to happen in the northern hemisphere. I guess they could have been all sorts of modes.
In the next few months we can expect lots of stations via Es short skip in the northern hemisphere. At times far further is possible via E layer, either by multi-hop or chordal hop.
It is available from AliExpress at about £60. There seem to be a lot of these low cost Chinese receivers about.
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UPDATE 1340z: 4 stations spotted here. I still get the impression that conditions are not good.
UPDATE 1502z: 6 stations spotted here on RX including South Africa and Reunion.
UPDATE 2125z: 21 stations spotted here today. Now QRT. See map of stations received here.
Just out of the photo is the Wren library. In the back is St John's college.
The tower is St.John's college chapel.
This photo has it all.
After the release of the IC7300MkII people are wondering what is next for ICOM. The IC-705 is due for an upgrade.
One "easy win" would be a repackage of the IC-705 as a handheld. This could just require new mechanics, but a nice upgrade would be to add 4m and delete the lower HF bands and add an internal auto ATU.
There are some very clever people around!
Whatever your political views, the lambasting of the pope by President Trump was ill judged at best in my view. As the leader of the western world I would have expected better.
The AI cartoon on Truth Social (was it Jesus or the Red Cross?) was in very bad taste in my view. I am not quite sure what message this was intended to portray?
At about 0805z I went across to 10m WSPR TX with my beacon.
UPDATE 1600z: No spots all day.
My gear was turned on just before 0600z.
UPDATE 0746z: 1 English station spotted here and I have been spotted by 6 stations. Now RX only. I definitely think there are fewer people now on 10m FT8.
For years the US dollar has been the reserve currency of the world. Oil prices are currently in US dollars.
The current US government seems to want a more isolationist stance on the world stage.
In my view we need a new reserve currency in the world and oil priced in something other than the US dollar. I have no idea what this should be. Any change might take years.
Sadly. the current US government seems hell bent on ruining the USA. In the next 50 years I can see China becoming a major power and the USA becoming far less important.
Interest in licence-fee and internet free 868MHz mesh communications seems to be growing.
People are looking for a means of communication that does not need the internet as a backbone. Some are motivated by cyber-attacks on the internet. Others want it to communicate locally. Some just want to experiment.
In my view this is still immature much like the internet in the early 1990s.
As more and more people get active, things get better.
Apparently the USA has the "wrong" sort of oil that it is not geared up to refine. So it exports oil and imports oil it can refine!
With the failure of talks in Pakistan tensions are high again with President Trump threatening to blockade Iranian ports. Oil prices are rising again.
Times Radio is being very harsh!
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It lasts a few weeks then it is gone until next spring.
UPDATE 1722z: 3 English spots of me. 25 stations spotted here with the best LU1VDF (12460km) in Argentina. See map of stations received here.
It is disappointing that the peace talks in Pakistan have failed. What is likely to happen now?
Clearly, the immediate future looks more uncertain and markets will be "on edge". This Joe Blogs video may help.
This tiny 5W HF transceiver is available new from Martin Lynch in the UK for less than £189.95!
You pay extra for a digital adaptor and it does not cover 6m.
See G106.
We have been using Amazon for over 25 years. In all that time we have never experienced an issue.
I remember one occasion when my wife tried to buy some nail scissors from our local chemist. They had none in stock so my wife went on Amazon and they were delivered the next day. They were probably cheaper than they would have been.
People argue that this will result in more shops closing and they are correct. However, this is how we now shop: those that adapt will survive. Those that do not will fail. In the next 10 years I suspect many retailers may go.
I miss our local bank. However, almost 100% of my banking is online and I would probably not have needed to go in our bank if it was still there. I miss the human touch mind you.
Some people (like Marmite) hate Amazon. I have to say it suits us: no traipsing into Cambridge to find no stock. Delivered to the door. No quibble about returns. Free delivery with Prime. Prime on TV.
In my view retail shops have to adapt. They have to offer something you cannot get online. Maybe people browse goods in a shop and then buy online? Maybe the shop becomes a cafe and meeting hub?
Times and shopping are changing.
At first I was wondering why I was reporting no spots on 10m FT8 RX to PSKreporter. I wondered if changing up from 15m to 10m was causing a software issue, so I restarted the PC. I tried 12m and 15m again and concluded it was just poor conditions.
At the moment I am on 15m FT8 with 1W TX.
UPDATE 1014z: 21 stations spotted on RX on 15m FT8 and I have been spotted by 4 stations when running 15m 1W FT8.
The IC7300 has been a very popular HF transceiver and I believe ICOM have sold over 100k units across the world.
They have recently started selling the MkII version with some improvements. I guess it makes a sensible choice if one is in the market for a new 100W transceiver. The European version includes 4m. Remember, the internal ATU will match 10:1 at half power.
The peace talks in Pakistan have failed. Are we surprised?
I think this leaves President Trump with a problem: neither side (I think) has a real appetite to carry on fighting, yet Iran has arguably come out on top in this asymmetric conflict with a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump has to decide to escalate further or negotiate. He does not like to be beaten, especially when he has already announced victory!
In my view President Trump seriously misjudged the situation. Many regard Iran as an evil state, but was this approach right? The world now suffers.
It will be interesting to see what the next steps are.
My gear was turned on at about 0700z and so far just local spots of me.
UPDATE 0825z: Just 1 local spot of me still.
UPDATE 1820z: At about 1230z I returned to 10m 1W FT8. So far today, spotted by 21 stations. See map.
Just 2 Russian stations spotted so far this morning although it is early.
Amateur Radio Weekly reported that WSJT-X is now on general release 3.0.0 so I have upgraded.
HF conditions must be poor today. Having failed on 10m 200mW WSPR, I am now on 15m 1W FT8. I am being spotted in Europe, but even on 15m FT8 RX things don't seem exactly wonderful.
Also, with the advent of electric cars with far greater range, home charging, and lower costs, I expect we will soon be at a "tipping point". In my view we are almost there and I would certainly expect this soon.
I did a quick search on Amazon for electric bikes out of curiosity. Amazingly, there was a very wide choice ranging from about £290 to £1400. These days I am far too wobbly to get on a bike, but if I was younger I might have been tempted.
In my view, as an "oldie" I think they should be subject to motor cycle rules and crash helmets and insurance made compulsory as they can be very fast and very quiet and should not be allowed on pavements (sidewalks).
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Last night I watched a YouTube video about Iran, I had absolutely no idea what a beautiful country this is. It would appear some idiots want to bomb it back to the Stone Age.
We always see a biased version of facts. I am sure, like many countries, Iran has many faults. However, I always find it sad when idiots want to bomb history they don't like out of existence.
I felt this about King Henry VIII, Palmyra in Syria and the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. There are some very stupid people.
My beacon was turned on before breakfast.
UPDATE 2002z: Spotted by 4 stations with the best DP0GVN (13685km) in Antarctica. QRT shortly.
For many, this is a really useful resource often allowing operators to see where they are getting in the absence of a reply.
It seems odd to me (as far as I can see) that the RBN does NOT monitor FT8, FT4 and FT2.
I know there are alternatives such as PSKreporter, but as very common modes these days and only requiring a few kilohertz of band to be monitored this surprises me.
If there is a good reason, I would be interested to know why.
Today was an early start on 10m WSPR with my beacon turned on at about 0545z.
UPDATE 1242z: 2 stations spotting me with the best FR5DN (9752km) .
A couple of people answered my CQs and were worked, but I was not on long. My 70cm gear is pathetic! I run 10W into a 144MHz big-wheel antenna.
Despite this, I remain amazed how far away I get spotted on 70cm FT8. See the map showing where I was copied last evening in a few short minutes.
In my mind the USA has made a "pigs dinner" of this war. Both sides claim victory.
The war has cost the USA, allegedly, over $11B so far, which is a colossal amount.
Fuel prices are higher (even in the USA) and inflation is likely to move up. The Strait of Hormuz (which was open before the war) is supposed to be open again .......but Iran controls it and will probably charge a toll.
Yes, we may have set back Iran making missiles and nuclear weapons a bit. Has the USA gained any friends? I doubt it; they may well have lost a few. Iran still has low cost drones and control over the Straight of Hormuz. US victory? Hmmm.
At about 1515z, I changed to 10m FT8 at 5W.
UPDATE 1536z: On TX my best spots are from Israel. On RX here my best is LU8XW(13474km) in Tierra del Fuego.
At the moment, I am on 10m QRP WSPR TX.
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At this time of the year people do not know what to wear. Some have heavy winter clothes, whereas others are wearing shorts and short sleeves.
Very shortly I shall be on 10m WSPR QRP TX.
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This was about 7.30pm last evening from our house. We have about 3 months of evenings getting lighter.
If you know of any work published on the internet please let me know.
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For years our children and grandchildren have collected conkers from them as children have for very many generations.
On Sunday, the US president published an expletive laden post on Truth Social, threatening Iran with dire consequences if the Strait of Hormuz was not re-opened.
In my personal view, this was not the sort of post I would have expected by a US president.
Many consider attacks against civilian targets a war crime. This would be contested I expect.
In my view, this will make the Iranian people more angry and less likely to side with the USA. If you dislike a regime in power, why take it out on ordinary folk?
What is certain is that this is an asymmetric war with might against cunning.
I fail to understand why people cannot live in peace and harmony with everyone. Wars cost a great deal and rarely achieve much good. The common person rarely really wants war. Those that stand to gain have shares in companies supplying weapons and ammunition.
UPDATE 0811z: Spotted by 6 stations.
UPDATE 1630z: Spotted by 25 stations. See map. 313 stations spotted here on 10m FT8 RX.
These allegedly are the exact words of the US president:
"Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP"
How to win friends across the world?
I think they are concerned about the “thought police “ being offended by some posts and getting banned from FB.
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UPDATE 1148z: 19 stations have spotted me with the best V51F (8209km) in Namibia. On RX 44 stations were spotted with the best northern Australia.
UPDATE 1537z: Spotted by 90 stations today with 4 being in Brazil and 1 in Argentina. 230 stations have been spotted here. No North Americans.
In the Christian calendar this is celebrated as the day when Jesus was resurrected. Whatever our beliefs or none, we can reflect on kindness that is the most important thing in the world. Happy Easter!!
These videos are usually about economics or politics. I watch them most days.
UPDATE 1152z: Apparently the airman was rescued by the USA.
The image was found on the internet, but I cannot remember where!
A few years ago Heathkit tried to make a comeback. The original Heathkits were excellent, but later products were expensive and nothing exciting in my view.
See https://shop.heathkit.com/collections/products.
The advent of Japanese rigs led to there being no real advantage to building a kit.
Usually it lasts 1-2 weeks only. Whilst it lasts, it is great, but it soon goes.
This photo was from a few years ago.
It is a while since I gave an update about narrowband activity on this geosynchronous satellite. Activity remains low.
I appreciate that some have risen to the challenge of producing a microwave base station, but overall I remain surprised how low activity remains.
UPDATE 1852z: Spotted by 36 stations. 127 stations spotted on RX, but nothing from South America. See map of stations spotted here.
On the DX Explorer website is a series of videos about building and testing this rig. He mentions that it is no longer available. I must check the QRPGuys website. It is a reminder that very simple gear can result in worldwide contacts using FT8.
UPDATE 0934z: It looks like the earlier version is still available. I wonder if they had too many PAs failing at high power? From my experience , I am sure plenty of QSOs will be possible at the lower power.
As I write this the war in Iran could go either way.
On the one hand President Trump could be angered by the loss of that airman and escalate the war. He is in danger of committing war crimes to say nothing of Iran’s backlash.
Alternatively, he may fear the backlash at home and just walk away and de-escalate.
We’ll see.
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See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/vhfuhfmicrowaves/homebrew/sixbox.
With all the political uncertainty around at the moment, it would appear the UK is moving back more towards Europe.
I think this makes sense both from a defence and economic viewpoint. The EU is far from perfect, but European allies appear more dependable than the USA currently.
On the world stage, the USA comes across as an arrogant bully, whereas I have always found those in the USA to have been kind and generous.
The background to this is confused and I am unsure how she left to go to the private sector.
My beacon was turned on at about 0955z.
CB has been legal in the UK since 1981. At the time "the authorities" were a little snooty about CB and basically did not approve.
Originally in the UK two bands were allocated. These were at 27MHz (FM only) and 934MHz. The latter was later withdrawn.
In the early days 27MHz CB was very popular as gear was low cost and this was before the Internet. A licence was needed in the early days. Latterly the band was extended and other modes allowed and no licence was needed.
I have not used 27MHz for very many years. I think these days CB is very quiet apart from those chasing DX and farmers mainly.
In the future I can see CB and amateur radio merging.
My gear was turned on at about 0830z.
UPDATE 0858z: Just spotted by 2 G stations and, surprisingly, nobody spotted here on RX.
My 10m FT8 was turned on at about 1050z.
UPDATE 1513z: 132 stations have spotted me this afternoon.
I have mixed feelings. Clearly many are excited that humans are again venturing into space and this could be a stepping stone to Mars.
On the other hand the vast amounts of money could have been invested in the real challenges of climate change, which unlike certain leaders in the USA, I believe to be very real and a threat to humankind in the years ahead.
There are often cattle in this field.
Just out of view is room K6, which I went to for a meeting when I first came to Cambridge in 1970.
My gear was turned on a few minutes ago.
UPDATE 0820z: Spotted by 4 stations with the best GW7SMV (242km).
My beacon was turned on just before breakfast.
UPDATE 0816z: Just spotted by a station in Greece so far.
At a guess, it is about 10m from our kitchen. We can see it having breakfast and from the lounge.
The sails turn around only on special occasions and sound then like a creaking ship!
Since about 1915z last evening I have been on 20m FT8 RX. My antenna is totally unsuitable being an end-fed that hardly matches on 20m and is probably far too low.
UPDATE 0809z: 2 stations spotted. The noise floor on 20m is S9+. Now QRT on 20m FT8.
Although I am mostly FT8 RX, I was briefly on 10m 5W FT8 TX at about 1105z.
UPDATE 1117z: On 5W 10m FT8 TX, spotted by 3 stations and on 10m FT8 RX 12 stations spotted here.
My beacon was turned on at breakfast.
UPDATE 1003z: Just EA8BFK (2880km) spotting me.
This is the very best time of year with new growth and new hope.
Many colleges back on to the River Cam.
It would appear that the world is entering recession, has higher fuel costs and Iran will emerge stronger and the USA weaker.
Iran is considered an evil state, but if a war is undertaken it is wise to think about how it might end.
It is now about 3 months since I got my 10m QDX-M FT8 transceiver and the Zachtek 200mW WSPR TX. Much to my surprise, I am getting more fun from the WSPR beacon than the FT8 transceiver.
There are more people (I think) using FT8, but overall I find 10m WSPR more fun. Most days on WSPR my 200mW gets spotted at amazing distances.
This was a quote from the BBC website. I will let you guess who said it!!
"You'll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won't be there to help you anymore, just like you weren't there for us."
My beacon was turned on at about 0750z.
UPDATE 1340z: 4 stations spotting me.
See map from WSPR Rocks by VK7JJ.
The spots from the German research base in Antarctica seem almost daily.
What I really like is that, apart from switching it on, nothing at all has to be done, Maidenhead locator and timing are all done by GPS.
There is a much cheaper product from China, but this is inferior.
With a very average wire antenna it seems to get spotted widely around the world.
It looks like the Chinese battery manufacturer CATL has over 50% of the market share in sodium based batteries and the price of these will fall dramatically in the next few years. The battery life is greater too by a factor of about 2.
Whatever happens with solid-state batteries, it looks like fewer EVs will need lithium.
There is a great danger the USA will simply be left behind.
In my lifetime the US dollar has been the reserve currency. It has been regarded as a safe haven to invest in. Oil has been priced in US dollars.
It would appear the era of US dominance is drawing to a close and the USA appears to want a more isolationist stance. This appears to be the choice of the current US government, elected by the people.
If this is the case I can see the world looking for a new reserve currency. This would not happen overnight, but I can see things changing.
Whatever your views, certain other nations seem to be in ascendancy whilst the USA slowly declines. If I was a third world country I would not be looking towards the USA for inspiration.
My beacon was turned on at 0836z.
UPDATE 0844z: Immediately spots by EA8BFK (2880km).
UPDATE 1946z: Spotted by 5 stations with the best Antarctica.
In case you have not come across this treasure trove, the Wayback Machine has many snapshots of websites dating right back to the very early days of the internet. I managed to find a 1996 snapshot of one of my very first websites.
One amazing resource is the DLARC collection of amateur radio related documents. It truly is amazing. If you have not looked before I highly recommend it.
My beacon was on before breakfast.
This is 1 hour ahead of GMT meaning we get lighter evenings. It changed last night. I think it was first created in WW2 so farmers had light in the evenings to grow food. It always takes me a few weeks to get used to BST rather than GMT .
These videos are on most days I think. Usually some high profile people are interviewed.
One could be forgiven for thinking the US President does not fully appreciate the implications of the war in Iran.
Maybe I am totally wrong and there is some incredible plan being enacted. After all, I am a minion not privy to intelligence and security briefs.
These facts are clear already:
1. Inflation is likely to rise across the world including in the USA.
2. Many (most?) face shortages of fuel and many other things.
3. This is an asymmetric war between those with power and those with certain levers.
4. Many innocent people will suffer.
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He is 80 in a few weeks so my wife made him a present of photos from our sibling reunions which we managed to hold every year for 22 years.
The photo shows my wife's brother holding the photo with my wife and I.
This plant, about 2cms across each flower head, was seen at Anglesey Abbey earlier. I think it is called wood spurge.
UPDATE 1540z: Spotted in Antarctica yet again today several times.
UPDATE 1630z: 5 stations in 4 continents have spotted me.
