8m TX permit - still waiting

OFCOM got their money last week. I am still waiting for the actual licence to come through. 

In the meantime, with a dummy load, I checked the widebanded FT817ND definitely produces output on 8m - it does, as I thought I had already checked. Early April was my start date.

If I don't hear before the weekend I may give them a gentle reminder!

160m FT8 RX overnight

Overnight I was on 160m FT8 RX with the untuned 10m antenna. Plenty of European stations spotted. I shall see if there were any from the USA if PSKreporter returns to normal later.

UPDATE 2040z:  Nothing from "across the pond" last night. 112 stations spotted.

10m FT8 RX (Thursday)

Currently, I am on 10m FT8 RX. So far, after about 10 minutes, several stations have been spotted locally, but there seems to be a problem with PSKreporter as I am seeing no spots from anyone.

UPDATE 1315z: Still nothing on PSKreporter. I think the issue is at their end. I did not realise just how important PSKreporter was to my monitoring. I presume others are also seeing this?

UPDATE 2035z:   PSKreporter is back, but the band is dead and all stations spotted on 10m FT8 are not there of course!

Saharan sand - NOT amateur radio

Every few years, if the weather patterns are right, we get a deposit of sand from the Sahara Desert.  

Our clean white car was covered, but seems to be clean now. Not so the windows and windowsills!! 

Forsythia - NOT amateur radio

 

This was seen on the walk to see our son. 

Sunspots - Thursday March 17th 2022

 Solar flux is 107 and the SSN 41. A=4 and K=1. 

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Iran - NOT amateur radio

It sounds like the detained dual nationality Briton is (eventually) being released from Iran and is on her way back to the UK. It appears the Iranian authorities were holding her because the UK government was breaking international law for withholding £400M from a cancelled tank order in the 1970s.

Several things come to mind:

    1.   The UK government should always operate within international law.

    2.   The Iranian government has no right to hold an innocent mother all this time as a hostage and bargaining chip.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60756870 .

UPDATE 1340z:  She is on the plane. I hope she is soon reunited with her family.

Bark texture - NOT amateur radio

 

We saw the bark in the photo in the Abbey Gardens in Bury-St-Edmunds yesterday.

10m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

Since about 1005z, I have been on 10m FT8 RX. So far today (it is now 1018z) already 46 stations have been spotted. Very encouraging.

UPDATE 1206z:   215 stations spotted.

UPDATE 1336z:   347 stations spotted.

UPDATE 1843z:   717 stations spotted.

Geosynchronous Oscar 100

Every few weeks I give an update on the activity levels on the narrowband transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. 

My last peek was at 0910z on a weekday. Activity levels were lower than I have ever seen. No doubt activity levels would be higher at a weekend or in the evenings in Europe where most of the activity comes from.

If I was a satellite manufacturer, launcher or AMSAT, I would spend money some other way.