DXing - realtime maps

This is a useful resource from VHFDX.net to track openings on 10m and upwards into the VHF bands. A mapping system that plots recently reported QSOs. Thanks to G4ILO for pointing this out to me.

See http://www.vhfdx.net/spots/map.php

Poor Es so far?

Is it just me or is this Es season well below par so far? Very little heard on 6m so far and even on 10m the openings have been short and signal strengths not exceptional. Most stations I hear I can work, even with my wire halo and 5-10W, but there don't seem to be that many on! Tonight for example, 2 EAs and 1 CT1 heard and worked, but that's all. Later I worked SM3EAE with 5W CW.

10m F2 DX

Well, last night 10m opened up a bit with PY2WAS in Sao Paulo, Brazil coming through weakly around teatime. At this time of year there are sometimes North-South openings in which part of the path is assisted by sporadic-E for the first "hop" linking then with F2 propagation further south. Last night's opening may have had a bit of this, but there was little spor-E about and that was all weakish. Earlier there was an OH8 station audible from Oulu in northern Finland and I swear he sounded auroral.

Scout Regen RX kit

Hendrick's QRP Kits in the USA have just introduced a nice little regen receiver kit for beginners and more experienced hams and SWLs. The Scout is a simple 2 band regenerative receiver covering from 3.5 -11MHz. It is based on the classic design by Charles Kitchin published in QST some years ago. It is to be launched at Dayton and on sale from May 12th.

See http://www.qrpkits.com/scoutregen.html for more details.

New (lower) sunspot peak predicted

NOAA has just a few minutes ago (1600z May 8th) released a new sunspot prediction with a peak of just 90 and much later than forecast before (now in 2013).

See http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/

Maybe I'll have to give 10GHz rainscatter a go after all...

Grandson time

We have two grandchildren. One came to stay with us for the last week and this is a shot of him and I in our garden. If I recall, we were discussing something really deep and serious like the bird that had just landed on the bird table! Both grandchildren bring us such joy and being a granddad is such a wonderful thing.

DXing has to take a back seat when he is with us, but who cares too much? Now our grandson has gone back to his home, I am a little more active on 10m and 6m again.

Stations worked on 10m QRP

Pavel, UR5WCQ was a good signal, but alone, on 10m SSB at 1323z and was worked giving me a report of RS53-55.

Earlier, EA5ON/M was on 10m calling a W4 station across the pond, but I could not hear the W4.

Tuesday May 5th and nice QSO with Andy SQ9MEE in the log on 10m SSB

More sporadic-E now

This evening at 1800z I turned on the 10m rig and heard EA3BOX booming in on 28.487MHz SSB. A quick call and back came a 58 to 59+ report. Yesterday I heard SM3NQM on 6m SSB, so the season has clearly started now.

10m open (spor-E)

II0DIVA (special call) coming through on 10m SSB this evening. This is the first sporadic-E heard this season. Later, at 1910z, I worked IY7GM, another special call, with a 59 report received using the IC703 and the wire Homebase-10 halo. He was 58 with me.

Sunspots are GO!!

At the end of April we seem to be seeing green shoots of recovery not only in the economy, but also in the sunspot count: today the sunspot number reached 15, a number not seen in some while.This was just a few days after another spot was present, albeit very briefly. Can we hope that this signals the real end of the minimum with better HF days ahead? Let's see what things are like in another 28 days .....and keep fingers and toes crossed.