160m FT8 RX last night

160m FT8 spots overnight with the
earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground

Another amazing evening and overnight on 160m FT8 RX with the FT817ND and the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground with 496 stations in 5 continents spotted with best DX ZS1LS (9738km).

UPDATE 1102z: KV4FZ (6764km) spotted at 0922z. This looks classic greyline with the Caribbean in darkness. A VY2 was also copied on 160m FT8 RX this morning, but this did not reach PSKreporter for some reason.

Quakers - NOT amateur radio

Although I cannot confess to having a faith these days, I admit to being an agnostic, I have a great deal of time for the Quakers in the UK. They seem to be the one group working for equality and peace. Unlike some religious groups they believe in faith in action and think there is "something of God in everyone". Most (all?) believe in simple living. Their business ethics are based on honesty and justice, something we are lacking in the UK and many countries currently.

See https://www.quaker.org.uk/

OFCOM

OFCOM is consulting on some short range wireless devices operating in the 800 and 900MHz regions. See their website for further details.

UK election day, Dec 12th - NOT amateur radio

If you live in the UK, today is the day we vote in a General Election. For the first time in nearly 100 years this is being held in December with dark evenings. Many in the UK are bored with BREXIT and leaving the EU.

The election outcome is very unpredictable. If the ruling Conservatives win an outright majority, they will press ahead with their BREXIT deal. As likely is a hung parliament with minor parties holding the balance of power.

UPDATE 1104z: I have voted. Deciding where to put my cross was not easy.

Sunspots - Thursday December 12th 2019

Solar flux is 71 and the sunspot number still 0.  A=6 and K=1.

160m FT8 today

This evening and overnight, I think I'll stick with 160m QRP FT8 using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. In the last 30 minutes already 23 stations have been spotted with best DX being RW0AR (5585km) in Asiatic Russia.
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UPDATE 1900z: On 160m FT8 RX 144 stations spotted so far this afternoon. With 2.5W TX just 1 G spot so far. In the last day 773 different stations spotted on 160m FT8 RX. Quite staggering.

UPDATE 2017z: A 2.5W FT8 CQ just now was spotted by 4 stations in 3 countries (no QSOs) with best DX being a spot by DK1BN (540km). On 160m FT8 RX now 200n stations spotted in the last 6 hours.

UPDATE 2045z: WU1ITU (4831km) in Maine,USA, is already coming though! 244 stations spotted here on 160m FT8 RX in the last 6 hours.

What IS a QSO?

Earlier I had an interesting email from a friend in the village about what was a QSO. To him, unless there was a 2-way voice contact it was not really a QSO. He did not like FT8 contacts because these could be done PC-PC without a human even being present. These days, using systems like Echolink, one can talk to handheld stations on the other side of the world.

His email got me thinking. I use FT8 mainly because I use QRP and my voice is poor these days. I can still use voice modes, but it is hard work both for me and those at the other end!

Having said that, I like being able to assess conditions with WSPR and FT8. These systems work with weak signals and are far better aids to seeing if a path is open than SSB or CW can ever be. For a start, using the internet databases, there are lots of people monitoring and they are all monitoring the same small chunks of spectrum. Last night, for example, there were 17 FT8 QSOs on 160m in just 2kHz of spectrum. Being weak signal modes, brief openings are caught. On 2m FT8 I can be consistently copied at great range with 2.5W to a simple omni antenna. On 2m QRP SSB I struggle to work over 200km. With FT8 double or more distance is possible with QRP irrespective of conditions.

To me, Echolink QSOs are not "real" QSOs as most of the way the internet is the bearer.

I guess all we can conclude is a QSO is different for different people. Old timers (like me?) still like DX contacts by "real" radio, whereas these days this is arguably unimportant. To me, the challenge is propagation. For some it is the joy of just talking to people.

Tax Returns - NOT amateur radio

About this time I get around to submitting a tax return to the UK's Inland Revenue. In the USA I think this is the IRS. I forgot my Government Gateway ID and spent about an hour going around in ever decreasing circles. You would think they would put this on last year's tax return! No, this is too obvious. In the end I found the old one and successfully logged in.

Next year I think I won't have to do a tax return although I expect I still will have to tell them about gift aid. Not everyone has to do a tax return. In the past it was necessary if you had income from shares or houses. I have neither.  I hate doing tax returns.

160m FT8 overnight

Amazing! Since turning on 160m FT8 RX early last night I have spotted 691 stations in 5 continents. On 160m FT8 TX I was spotted 13 stations in 5 countries with the best spot by DK2LO (650km) with 2.5W.  The earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground certainly works for me!

Stations spotted on 160m FT8 RX using 

the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground

Sunspots - Wednesday December 11th 2019

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=2.