6m in the Es season

We are rapidly approaching the Es season, bringing alive 10m and 6m and to a lesser extent 4m and 2m with DX up to about 2000km.

Frequently the distances are much further, bringing into range some true exotic DX on 6m.

This year we also have FT8, which is already proving its value as a DX mode. I shall probably be monitoring 6m FT8 RX this season. I suspect 6m will be "open" far more often than we expect!

10m FT8 yesterday

Quite late (after 9pm UK clock time) 10m FT8 opened to South America with lots of stations spotted. I was surprised, as conditions on paper were dire.

10m often opens N-S and FT8 finds the briefest openings now.

Sunspots - Friday April 6th 2018

Solar flux is 66 (very low) today and the sunspot number 0. A=9 and K=1.

Grass cutting - NOT amateur radio

It has been too wet and cold to cut the grass, but today felt like spring. We have a blue sky and it actually felt like spring for the first time! I managed to cut the front and back lawns this afternoon and even had a beer in the garden afterwards in my shirt sleeves.

Spring? - NOT amateur radio

Today our sky is blue. What a change.  We have had a long winter and, until today, no real spring: winter seems to have gone on for ever. My son planted some daffodils back in the autumn. These (see photo) are now well out next to our shed.

Amateur radio from the Moon?

Southgate News carried a report about 2 Chinese satellites due for lunar orbits in June. These will transmit amateur radio data on 70cms and 13cms.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/april/dslwp-lunar-satellites-will%20transmit-wsjt-jt4g-mode.htm#.WsXni0xFzIU

More OFCOM crappery

You will be amazed to hear from OFCOM that the first stage of their microwave spectrum auction has been completed. I guess this keeps the children off the streets and reporting this beats doing real work (for which a knowledge of RF is needed).

Sadly, all that seems to matter these days is money: everything else seems not to matter.

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/D93ACA184E8C41FF2540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

10m FT8

Despite the poor prospects for 10m, I am on 10m FT8 RX today, ever hopeful. As yet, nothing spotted.

UPDATE 1256z:  Just G4HZW (210km) and G4CJC (74km) spotted so far on 10m FT8 RX. I suspect these come in by tropo.  In flat conditions I could usually work quite distant Gs  with 10W SSB on 10m. With FT8, both these stations are within range.

UPDATE 1506z: Just 3 Gs spotted on 10m FT8 RX today. Not that surprising.

Sunspots - Thursday April 5th 2018

Solar flux remains at 67 with the sunspot number still zero. A=5 and K=2. Poor!

15m QRP

Way back in 1984 I designed and built the Pipit 15m 800mW CW transceiver. For months it was the only rig I used. Some good DX was worked. It was written up in GQRP SPRAT in the days before PCs! Years later the box was used for something else. Taking it apart is now regrettable.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/15m_pipit