Amateur VLF

The photo shows the signal from Germany on sub 9kHz. It was taken in 2011. Amateur VLF DX requires very stable signals, very narrow filters and long integration periods. Integation periods are hours or even days so casual listening will not work!! 

Sunspots - Thursday March 4th 2021

Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 30.  A=23 and K=3.

2m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)

This evening, I am almost exclusively on 2m FT8 RX with the big-wheel omni antenna. As usual, any brief TX periods will be at 2.5W. 

I think there is a contest as the FT8 chunk is very busy. On RX, 40 stations already spotted and my very brief TX session was spotted by 4 stations. 

The photo shows the activity on G0LRD's grabber a little while ago - busy!!

See http://82.71.9.63:8080/cap/ .

UPDATE 2225z:  118 stations in 9 countries spotted on RX.

A mug .....me? - NOT amateur radio

You will be pleased to hear that I will get over $360k in my account if I just tell them my bank details.

Oh yes!! ...I am in such a rush to tell them.

17m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)

Since just after 1200z, I have been on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop. So far, 9 stations have been spotted on RX and 2 stations have spotted me on TX with the furthermost being CU2GI (2575km)

UPDATE 1710z: 17 spots on RX and 4 stations have spotted me on TX.

Original Fredbox 2m transceiver photos

Whilst clearing the loft, my XYL came across the original photos of the original 2m AM Fredbox made back in the mid 1970s. It was rebuilt some years ago. The original photos are attached here.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/fredbox

10FT8R - 10m receiver for FT8

As my fine motor skills are not as good as they were, I have decided to start with a receiver based on WISPY for 10m FT8 using 14.040MHz crystals pulled very slightly to 14.037MHz and a Polyakov mixer.  Polyakov mixers need oscillators running at half the received frequency. This also means the radiated signal from the oscillator is very low.

At some point later, I will extend this to a full FT8 transceiver. The receiver will work with free WSJT-X software running on the PC.

As 10m gets better, the whole world should be spotted on a receiver that is unbelievably simple costing the same as a few drinks out.  Of course during the Es season 10m is good out to about 1500km at any point in the sunspot cycle, so this RX may be used at other times too without tying up the "big rig".

53 years ago - NOT amateur radio

My wife and I met 53 years ago. How time flies! We met in 1968 and married in 1971, so our 50th wedding anniversary is later this year.

We have 2 children and 4 grandchildren.

160m FT8 RX overnight

Last evening and overnight I was on 160m FT8 RX using the FT817ND and the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. 160m FT8 seemed very busy as the photo shows. Once again, there were many N. American stations in the log which has 355 stations logged on 160m FT8 RX.

Quantum Entanglement - NOT amateur radio

One of the aspects of quantum mechanics that fascinates me is quantum entanglement. According to quantum theory, quantum entanglement suggests that particles completely separated (even at the other ends of the universe) can share something in common. One day, this may be a clue to teleportation. There are aspects of this which are totally weird. 

In my view, we still have a lot to learn about physics. Quantum mechanics and relativity seem to be imperfect descriptions and I can imagine in the next 100 years we will find other more integrated, theories that better describe things.

In 100 years you can imagine our descendants looking back at our theories in amazement.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement .