12m QRP FT8 with the tiny QDX (Friday)

You can tell that this band is far less busy than 10m. 

I have been on for about 30 minutes. Although I have copied stations as far away as China, it is far less busy than 10m. Just one local station has spotted me.

UPDATE 0910z: 4 spots of my QRP as far away as Asiatic Russia. Definitely a lack of activity and not propagation. 

UPDATE 1100z:  So far today 12 stations have spotted my QRP 12m FT8 and I have spotted 46. I am wondering if one of the factors is fewer people have beams on the WARC bands? On 10m, several people use low cost CB yagi antennas.

Stations spotted on 12m FT8 RX to 1310z

UPDATE 1310z:   28 stations have spotted my 12m QRP FT8 TX and I have spotted 99 stations on RX. So far, just one USA station has starting to appear (see map).

UPDATE 1848z:  216 stations have been spotted on RX and 71 stations have spotted my 12m QRP FT8 TX from the QDX with the furthermost YE6YE (10260km) on Java.

Stations spotting my 12m QRP FT8 today

UPDATE  2129z:   138 stations have spotted me on 12m QRP FT8 TX and 248 stations spotted here on the QDX.

Rallies this weekend

The following rallies have been notified to me. As I have no control over these emails, I always advise checking the data is correct before travelling any distance.

• Saturday April 15th - 37th QRP convention, Sherborne, DT9 3AA.  Contact qrp@yeovil-arc.com
• Sunday April 16th  Cambridge Computer Group Rally. Foxton nr Cambridge.CB22 6RN. Contact rally2023@cambridgerepeaters.net
• Sunday April 16th - Holsworthy Spring Rally and Boot Sale, EX22 7FA.   Contact m0omc@m0omc.co.uk

OFCOM updates

A reminder that OFCOM updates the details held on licences etc every week. Check the OFCOM website for more details. 

Historic Plaques - NOT amateur radio

Around our village we have a number of plaques to commemorate well known people or places. There is a copy of these in our superb village museum. 

4m UKAC next Thursday

I must remember to this! 

So far I have been disappointed by the lack of activity on this band outside of the Es season. Hopefully things will be better in the activity contest. 

As I recall things from many years ago, it was a good band for inter G QSOs. Since then (1970s) VHF activity has nosedived. 

Friday plans

Almost certainly I shall be on the air with the tiny QDX, although I am not sure what band. Maybe I should try 12m for a change? 

I tend to operate as a beacon and rarely chase others. To me, seeing who receives me is enough. DXCC chasing no longer appeals. 

Sunspots - Friday April 14th 2023

Solar flux is 160 and the SSN 154. A=6 and K=2.

Why I don't like lightning - NOT amateur radio

My brother just sent me some photos of a lightning strike on a house about 200m from them. My brother has no broadband and the electricity is being provided from a generator supplied by the electricity supplier. 

It can do serious damage!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/lightning-maps .

Not on 8m currently

Until the Es season, I have decided to give 8m a miss. 

With higher ERPs I know some remarkable DX becomes possible, but up to now my experiment has been to find out what would be possible with very low ERP. It would appear that with QRP FT8, some remarkable distances are possible in the right conditions. As the sunspot number climbs still further, we could see some remarkable reports next autumn on 8m. 

Already  the beacon ZS6WAB on 40.675 MHz has been copied in Western Australia.

Acceptance? - NOT amateur radio

Although in many ways I still feel like a teenager inside, I know I am an old man sadly. Some things that would have been easy 50 years ago are now very hard or impossible. Perhaps we all have to accept the person we are now and learn to accept that some things are now not possible - harder said than done!