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.
Yet again my 200mW WSPR was spotted at the German research base in Antarctica. It has been reported many times recently on 10m.
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See https://aromacafesoham.co.uk/
My beacon was turned on at about 0850z.
UPDATE 1231z: Just one spot by a station in Kenya.
UPDATE 0912z: Is this just the straps? It would seem not. See https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005010477508773.html
The very first female Archbishop was enthroned in Canterbury Cathedral.
Many die-hard Anglican priests will be horrified, but many priests are now women.
Whatever your beliefs (or none!) this is a moment in history.
This used to be a very important day in the UK. It is Lady Day, which marked the day of the annunciation of Mary in the Christian calendar.
In secular affairs it was a Quarter Day on which long contracts were often settled.
I remember it as the day in 1959 when we moved house!
UPDATE 1611z: Spotted by 4 stations with the best PP5ZX{10058km). See table.
For weeks I have been following the 2 bit Da Vinci videos on the Donut batteries recently announced. It really looks as if this is real.
I truly think we are on the edge of a real breakthough at last.
At about 1505z, I changed to 10m WSPR with my beacon.
UPDATE 1544z: 4 spots by EA8BFK (2880km).
Later I hope to go on 10m FT8, mainly RX.
All being well it should be available in July. Most of the parts are already placed on the PCB.
In my view these are almost there.
By next year probably several companies will be launching EVs with huge ranges and fast charging times. Many will charge their car overnight at home when needed.
Electric cars, if low cost and with >700 miles on a single charge, will transform motoring. Fast charging times are a bonus.
At the moment China is ahead. In my view, the USA is in great danger of missing out on the coming revolution. In my opinion, we are on the cusp of a revolution as big as the death of CRTs and film cameras.
Sold state batteries could be transformative.
See https://www.autonocion.com/us/solid-state-battery-race-continues/.
These feel like the future.
More and more people are looking for a means of communication that does not depend on the internet. These are mesh based messaging systems, so the more nodes the better. In urban areas there are more and more nodes springing up. In rural areas, nodes may be far apart.
They use 868MHz in Europe (I think), licence-free LoRa. Units - including solar powered external repeaters suitable for mounting on houses - are available on-line at low cost.
I have the feeling things will mature in the coming years. At the moment it feels like the early days of the internet.
In about 10 years' time I can see this getting there. It's not there yet.
It would appear there is far more experimentation (and licence free!) than with traditional amateur radio. In the future I can see ISM and other licence free systems replacing amateur radio.
On 10m FT8 RX South Africa spotted, but the band feels less lively than normal.
Although on TX very briefly, spotted by a couple of European stations.
UPDATE 1138z: 8 stations spotted. Again I had problems with ChromeOS not displaying PSKreporter maps correctly. On Firefox all was normal. See map.
UPDATE 1604z: 76 stations spotted here. See logbook extract.
UPDATE 2130z: QRT.
My beacon was turned on at about 1516z.
UPDATE 2142z: Spots lots of times by EA8BFK (2880km). Now QRT.
Because of my poor voice, I mainly use WSPR and FT8 these days. Especially with FT8 there are couple of things making QRP operation harder these days.
Firstly, it is quite possible to be "clobbered" by a stronger station. Often this station is inaudible and a person does not know he or she is co-channel with a much stronger signal.
Secondly, in some places, the noise floor can be high due to all the noisy electronics many people use like switched mode power supplies in TVs, PCs and the like. Over time the noise floor, especially in towns and cities, is well above what it was even 30 years ago.
You are far less likely to be "sat on" by a stronger station with WSPR than FT8, but cycle times are nearly 2 minutes rather than just 15 seconds.
"Poking the hornets nest" comes to mind. Let's hope those who started it know how to end it.
On 2 devices are different browsers pskreporter.info maps has been acting strangely this weekend.
If it was just one PC and one browser I might suspect a local issue. Sometimes it is fine.
Have others seen similar issues?
UPDATE 1104z: On the IC-705 no issues. I suspect the RX in the QDX-M is not always working properly. Now RX only using the IC-705. There is no issue with PSKreporter.
My QDX-M was turned on at about 0852z. Apart from a very brief TX period, I am RX only.
It is owned by the University of Cambridge, UK.
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The photo shows the Droitwich transmitter near Birmingham.
This is licence free and does not need the internet.
Instead I think it sends messages using a mesh network, so the more users the better.
Recently there has been a great deal of excitement over Donut batteries and their claim to have produced a solid state battery with some remarkable properties.
The only way to be sure about what it is would be a tear-down of one of these batteries.
Some independent testing casts some doubts on these claims.
What is certain is that whichever company brings a solid state battery to market first will start a real revolution and make a lot of money!
If it ever came to market I would expect the price to be very keen as there could potentially be a huge market if it was programmable for different bands like all the flavours of CB bands, 10m and 12m amateur bands.
The Iranian war is what they call asymmetric in that you have the power and might of the USA and Israel against Iran that has many low cost drones and can choke off the Straight of Hormuz .
Israel probably wants regime change whereas the USA is probably looking for an off ramp to avoid misery in the rest of this presidency.
My beacon was turned on at about 0630z.
Many of the videos on YouTube are now AI generated sadly.
When these allow you to imagine what life was like like maybe 1000 years ago they can be very useful. Some of these are very good.
Sadly, it is all too easy to create a famous person saying something that they would never ever say. The sad thing is people believe this is true.
The only thing is to assume the video is an AI creation unless you can be absolutely sure of the source.
We have had good weather yesterday and today.
My beacon was turned on at about 0900z.
UPDATE 2232z: Spotted by 12 stations.
Sorry but I can’t follow the logic of US President Trump. At one moment he declares he has won the war with Iran, then he is calling on NATO allies to clear the Strait of Hormuz, now he doesn’t need help. He seems to alter his position every day?
My beacon was turned on briefly at breakfast time.
UPDATE 1432z: No spots. About to change back from 10m FT8 RX to 10m 200mW WSPR TX.
UPDATE 1541z: So far, spotted by just 2 stations in the Canary Islands multiple times.
UPDATE 1919z: Spotted by 3 stations with the best PP5ZX (10058km). QRT soon.
I think most western nations see Iran as a potential threat. However, it would appear, allegedly, that the US president did not realise what he was getting in to. Like many, I do not know how this will end.
After a very brief period on TX I am RX only.
It was a small package that I was not expecting and I had no idea what was inside.
On opening it, I saw this which I was not expecting at all. They sent me a certificate and I thought that was it.
Thank you GQRP Club so much.
Opinions vary over what happens to the essential “us” when we die. Many religions believe in some sort of afterlife, but we really don’t know.
What we do know is that is that our genes get passed down the generations. We probably have some sort of connection with our ancestors millions of years ago.
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The HW7 a QRP HF transceiver was produced first, then the HW8 (which I owned) and finally the HW9.
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For several years I have enjoyed my Chromebook.
This one is supported with updates until 2034. It seems to work perfectly.
I changed to 10m FT8 at about 1515z.
UPDATE 1526z: Spotted by a couple of stations, but now RX only. 32 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX.
UPDATE 1843z: 70 stations spotted here. Suggests conditions were probably not good.
My beacon has been on until about 1510z
UPDATE 1523z: Only 2 stations in the Canary Is have spotted me. Now QRT .
This video shows a possible way to improve the range of a handheld by adding a counterpoise.
I only came across this blog seeing a post in Amateur Radio Weekly.Maybe true experimenters are not in amateur radio?
These were seen at the Cambridge Botanic Gardens on Saturday .
This was posted on DX Explorer some 6 months ago. The receiver is available from China at a very low price. Watch out for counterfeit copies!
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My TX beacon was turned on at about 0943z.
UPDATE 1553z: Spotted by 4 stations with the best PP5ZX (10058km) in Brazil.
Late in the afternoon I switched to 10m 200mW WSPR TX. In the end I went QRT at about 2030z.
Before my 2013 stroke I enjoyed 481THz optical tests over the horizon. What surprised me at first was that, even when absolutely nothing was visible in the sky, clear signals could be decoded on a PC as long as the aim was correct. My tripod and aiming left a lot to be desired! If I was fit enough to repeat these tests I think a much better tripod would be called for allowing better repeatability.
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The world of home computing is dominated by MS Windows and Apple Mac (to a lesser extent), whereas I understand Linux is used by the most powerful computers in the world.
I mostly use a Chromebook that runs Chrome OS (using it now) and am so pleased with this OS. It is fast and does almost everything I do. They also tend to be less expensive. The Chromebook has been used for years now.
A friend of mine did an external drive with a version of Linux, but I have resisted changing my Windows PC to Linux, for now at least.
I am definitely not a PC expert, so tend to remain with what I know!
Today I am on 10m 2.5W FT8. Apart from a very brief period on TX (1 local spot) I am RX only.
UPDATE 1106z: Just 4 spots so far with the best A71MM (5184km) in Qatar. Disappointing so far. I must check that nothing is wrong.
UPDATE 1143z: Plugging the antenna into the IC-705 revealed lots of stations, I plugged the antenna back into the QDX-M and immediately spotted 67 stations! I wonder if the coax plug is intermittent?
UPDATE 1337z: Re-soldered the plug and again lots of stations copied on the IC-705 but remarkably few on the QDX-M, which is very odd. Looks like there is something amiss with the QDX-M. It also seems to be running somewhat warm, which I would not have expected RX only on the QDX-M. Has anyone seen anything similar?
Maybe it is as a result of having got 10m QRP SSB way back, that I seem to get as much pleasure from RX nowadays as TX. I know everyone is different and this is a good thing.
It never fails to amaze me how far away some stations were. Even my low ERP was spotted at 327km!! The map shows the stations spotted here.
I am on 10m 2.5W FT8 although I shall probably be mainly on RX.
UPDATE 1623z: 645 stations spotted as far as Japan and South Africa.
For years the Iranians have been considered the pariah state of the Middle East.
I am not naturally a politician, but I have severe doubts that the USA and Israel will do any good and it looks like they are doing real harm.
There are other examples of asymmetric wars such as Russia and Ukraine. This one has lasted 4 years already.
President Trump is saying the war will soon be over yet Iran still has loads of fast small gunboats which could cause havoc in the region to say nothing of the hacking harm they could do across the planet. My own view is the USA is entering its biggest crisis in nearly 100 years.
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My beacon was turned on at about 0615z.
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It looks a very handsome rig, although I do not think it was ever mass produced.
I have never seen it for sale.
It seems to me that we are still waiting for that breakthrough moment similar to that which moved us all from CRTs to LED displays or moved cameras to digital.
In the case of cars it would be range and cost. Almost exclusively electric cars need batteries with lithium and have limited range. Imagine if we could charge at home infrequently and have huge ranges at a price people could afford.
There has been a lot of excitement about Donut batteries who claim to have produced a solid-state battery with some remarkable figures. If true, this could be the start of a revolution. I believe the Chinese company BYD has also released an electric car that does not use lithium batteries.
If we really could buy cars that no longer need petrol or diesel with similar ranges we would be free of the stranglehold of the oil market.
It is coming, but just how soon?
My beacon was turned on at about 0815z.
It was nice to see visitors enjoying themselves.
King's Parade is a popular part of the city.
Every day, I get a report about visits to this blog.
In my view, they are total rubbish. Already today, I am supposed to have had more than ten times the number of visits I used to see in a whole day!
I have no idea how this is obtained, but it feels wrong. Flattering if true, but highly unlikely!
My TX Zachtek beacon was turned on at 0836z.
UPDATE 0843z: Just EA8BFK (2880km) spotting me.
Most days I watch the YouTube videos from Times Radio. They have some very well informed speakers.
There have been reports of bad audio unless the settings are adjusted but I have no idea if this has been improved in later models.
On the face of it, it looks a bargain, but I have not used one.
I would imagine you would get stung for duty.
In the world of politics and economics the videos by Joe Blogs are informative. Most days I like to hear what he has to say. It's nice to see something that is not AI and that you can trust.
That's the trouble these days: you can never be sure that what you see is what the person really said unless you definitely trust the source.
In the end I gave up on 8m FT8 RX and QSYed to 10m FT8 using the IC705 at 5W.
UPDATE 2020z: My 5W 10m FT8 was spotted by 19 stations mostly in the USA. On RX, I have spotted 484 stations with the best LT5X (13475km) in Tierra del Fuego in Argentina.
UPDATE 2022z: QRT.
I think they made versions for 15m, 10m, 6m, 4m and 2m. Sadly, I think they are no longer available.
All are now in flower and they look very colourful.
They will be replaced by summer bedding plants later.
Probably not visible are the weeds. I cleared them all about 2 weeks ago - honest!
Today, I am trying 8m FT8 RX again.
UPDATE 1450z: No spots. I think my antenna must be poor on 8m. I might try the coax to my 2m antenna via an ATU if it works at 40.680.
There are few trees, in the summer days are long and very short in winter, and it can be very windy. Being much more northerly, it tends to have weather colder than further south.
Whatever views you hold on President Trump of the USA, he is the voted leader of the most powerful economy in the world and will be (at least) president until the next US presidential elections in about 3 years' time.
Most days I watch The Trump Report on YouTube as a video.
My gear was turned on at about 0915z. After a very brief TX period (4 stations spotted me) I have mainly been RX only.
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