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!
2 Apr 2026
20m FT8 RX (Wednesday and early Thursday)
At the moment and 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 0800z: 2 stations spotted.
1 Apr 2026
10m 5W FT8 (Wednesday)
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.
10m 200mW WSPR (Wednesday)
My beacon was turned on at breakfast.
UPDATE 1003z: Just EA8BFK (2880km) spotting me.
Spring colour
This is the very best time of year with new growth and new hope.
Many colleges back on to the River Cam.
Cambridge late March
At this time of year it is usually quieter here as the university has gone down and there are fewer visitors. The photo shows the back of King's with the River Cam.
31 Mar 2026
My war
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.
WSPR versus FT8
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.
How to win friends
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."
10m 200mW WSPR (Tuesday)
My beacon was turned on at about 0750z.
UPDATE 1340z: 4 stations spotting me.
10m 200mW WSPR (Monday)
See map from WSPR Rocks by VK7JJ.
The spots from the German research base in Antarctica seem almost daily.
30 Mar 2026
Zachtek WSPR beacon
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.
EV batteries - revolution about to happen?
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.
Time for a new reserve currency?
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.
10m 200mW WSPR (Monday)
My beacon was turned on at 0836z.
UPDATE 0844z: Immediately spots by EA8BFK (2880km).
UPDATE 1946z: Spotted by 5 stations with the best Antarctica.
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