Sunspots - Wednesday November 7th 2018

Solar flux is 68 and the SSN zero. A=10 and K=3.

USA mid-terms - NOT amateur radio

"It is no exaggeration to say that the direction America takes will hinge on these results."

Today, the people of the USA vote in their mid-term elections for some of the Senate seats and all of those in the House of Representatives. It is a brave man who predicts the outcome. 

As an outsider, I see parallels in Trump with a certain European leader of the 1930s. Unbridled power can be dangerous and this is a chance to clip wings somewhat. The leader of the USA may have the best interests of the American people at heart, but unbridled power? Is that what the USA really wants? If it is, we face a much more uncertain future. 

With swings to the right in several countries, we live in dangerous times.  What continues to amaze me is how so many in the USA believe their best interests are served by a very, very rich businessman. 

"Make America great again" … yes please! 

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46099744 .

OFCOM monthly update

As usual, OFCOM has published its monthly update. I suppose this keeps them busy and is better than having to understand anything that really matters.

Seasons - NOT amateur radio

There is something good about every season. In the summer it is the long warm evenings and the summer migrant birds. At the moment, it is the autumn colours and pumpkins. Those in the photo were at Brandon Country Park in Suffolk.

472kHz WSPR last night

The best night this season on MF with 11 stations spotting my 10mW ERP and yet again being copied in Norway. LA3EQ must have a quiet noise floor!

472kHz WSPR RX last night

472kHz WSPR TX last night

Sunspots - Tuesday November 6th 2018

Solar flux is 68 and the sunspot number zero. A=35 and K=4.

10m FT8

As usual in the daytime and early evening, I am on 10m FT8. A promising start with spots on 10m FT8 received from eastern Europe and Russia with best DX RG7F (3080km).

UPDATE 1450z: One 3B9 and 2 South Africans spotted and loads of Europeans. I wonder if we'll see South America on 10m FT8 later?

UPDATE  1929z: 2 South Africans, 3B9 and later best DX VP8LP (12273km) in the Falkland Is spotted on 10m FT8 RX.

2m activity contest this evening (UKAC)

If you are in Europe, the RSGB organised UKAC 2m session for November takes place this evening at 8pm UK clock time (2000z). Even if you do not enter the contest then activity is usually good, so plenty of stations to try and work. I normally go on for the first 30-60 minutes running 5W to the omni antenna.

UPDATE 2140z: 7 contacts with the best 116km with 5W and the omni antenna. Not great, but fun. As usual , very restricted on-air time because of poor voice.

Stations worked on 2m in UKAC this evening

472kHz WSPR

After the East Cambs net on 144.575MHz FM, I QSYed to 472kHz WSPR. At the moment IW4DXW (1190km) is the best DX on 472kHz WSPR RX. On TX (10mW ERP) just the usual suspects.

CB radio

When CB was first legalised in the UK (1981?) I gave it a try and it was very busy. Since then, I have not really used it.

Somewhere (just found them!) I have a pair of CB handhelds. These are crystal controlled, single channel, radios. I seem to recall a 2-way QSO over about 1km with these back-to-back on their whips. This was a very long time ago!

In recent years I believe one can now legally use AM and SSB in the UK on CB. Like repeaters, I suspect 27MHz CB is much quieter now.

My question is does any reader use CB these days? 

At one time it was quite popular with farmers on tractors locally. I suspect with licence free 446MHz gear (and the equivalent in other countries) use of CB channels has nose-dived.

Gear is low cost, so maybe I should give it another try sometime. At one time there were plenty of UK FM CB radios converted to 10m FM. This was popular with many. At one time 10m FM was quite busy locally.