6m 1W FT8 (Saturday)

 My gear was turned on just after breakfast.

UPDATE 0842z:  Spotted by several English stations and one in Poland.

Interconnectedness

In the West we are very dependent on imported food and imported energy. Energy powers nearly everything from water supplies, banking, sewers, traffic lights, the internet etc..  If we were suddenly denied these then society would be very different. We would adapt as we always do. 

I suspect there is an unwritten thing like MAD (mutually assured destruction) for nuclear weapons that if you were ever to do that to us we will do the same to you. I hope so.

10m 200mW WSPR yesterday

Yesterday was a good day with 9 spots from Brazil as well as plenty in Europe.  Maybe the Brazilian spots were a combination of F2 and Es? In all, spotted by 37 stations yesterday.

Snapseed experiments

 

I have been experimenting with Snapseed (an app) frames. This photo is of a hummingbird hawk moth that  migrates from Southern Europe to the UK. They are now more common possibly due to climate change? The wings beat at about 75 beats a second so they can hover.

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

Sunspots - Saturday August 29th

 Solar flux is 116 and the SSN 92. A=15 and K=4.

6m 1W FT8 (Friday)

My gear has been on since before breakfast.

UPDATE 1309z:   179 stations have spotted me today (see map).

10m 200mW WSPR (Friday)

My beacon has been on since 0610z.

UPDATE  1311z: 41 stations have spotted me. Es I guess.

Sunspots - Friday August 28th

 Solar flux is 122 and the SSN 76. A=4 and K=1.

The USA in deep trouble?

 It would appear the USA is now seen as an unreliable partner around the world.

6m 1W FT8 (Thursday)

As my son has gone home and the storms are some way away, I am on 6m FT8.

UPDATE 1409z:  Spotted by 13 stations.

10m 200mW WSPR (Thursday)

As the thunderstorms seem to be some way away and my son has gone home, I have gone on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1410z: Spotted by 24 stations.

Garage clearance

 Earlier we cleared the garage and went to the dump. Other stuff will go to a charity shop. 

Day off radio ?

 As my son is here for the day and we have a trip to the dump later, I am having a day off radio. We also have thunderstorms forecast.

UPDATE 1134z: If the storm risk is low I may go on later .

Sunspots - Thursday August 27th

 Solar flux is 131 and the SSN 99. A=3 and K=1.

6m 1W FT8 (Wednesday)

My gear was turned on at about 0930z. 

UPDATE 1206z:  Just spotted by 7 UK stations.  No evidence of Es.

UPDATE 2100z : 13 stations spotted. Some Es I think.

10m 200mW WSPR (Wednesday)

As the lightning seems a long way away my beacon is on  .... for now!

UPDATE 2108z: Spotted by 4 stations including 1 in the USA. QRT with thunderstorms expected overnight 😢.

Why can't we all live in peace?

Right across the world people seem to be angry.  In the Middle East, the UK , the USA, nearly everywhere, people and nations seem to be angry.  

Maybe this is human nature, but I am sure most people everywhere want to live in peace with enough to eat and drink and a secure home. 

The main causes for conflict seem to be greed and insecurity.

Basically, people everywhere are the same.

DX Explorer

This is a YouTube channel I very much like. 

He is not afraid to say when he doesn't know something, but is always willing to try things. He is a real experimenter. See, for example, his latest video about his simple sferics receiver.

Not today?

With thunderstorms possible, I shall probably not go on 10m or 6m today. I had better keep an eye on the lightning map. At the moment it is over Belgium and we have no rain (yet!). 

Sunspots - Wednesday August 26th

 Solar flux is 132 and the SSN 83. A=4 and K=0.