8m disappointment this Es season

Both FT8 and WSPR have been given a try on 40.680 MHz.  Apart from Hugh HC02 in Portugal, I have had few spots this season.  My impression is there are fewer people on than last year. 

I know Es has been less good until recently and things could change. For those experimenting on 8m, the more stations on the better, with widespread monitors, even if unable to TX. 

Some quite odd antennas may well be good enough with Es, so if you have a RX capable of monitoring 40.680 MHz, that is probably all you need. 

If 28 MHz looks promising, it may be worth monitoring 40.680 MHz.

This is the real boundary between HF and VHF and a lot may possible.

Sunspots - Friday May 26th 2023

Solar flux is 152 and the SSN 150.  A=11 and K=2. 

10m QRP WSPR (Thursday)

 When on 4m FT8, I am on 10m WSPR QRP TX with 500mW. 

UPDATE 1620z: I was wondering why I had got no 10m WSPR spots in the last hour. It helps if you turn the beacon on!! Guess who had forgotten? Doh!

UPDATE 1704z:  4 unique stations have spotted my QRP so far today.

UPDATE 1928z: 10 stations have spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR today (see table).

4m FT8

 Using my 8m dipole tuned via the auto-ATU in the FT-710, I am on 70.154 MHz FT8. So far, 4 Gs have spotted me with the furthermost G4HGI (244km). No Es yet and nobody spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1905z:  At last some 4m Es, with the furthermost a spot of me by EA6SA (1423km) in the Balearics who gave me a good report. Also a station in Northern Ireland has received me. 6 stations have spotted me on 4m today (see map).

Goodestone Water Gardens - NOT amateur radio

About 2 miles from the National Trust property at Oxborough Hall in Norfolk are the Gooderstone Water Gardens. 

We practically had these to ourselves.  

If going to Oxborough, these are well worth visiting.

See https://www.gooderstonewatergardens.co.uk/ .

10m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

 At the moment I am on 10m FT8 with 2.5W.  So far, 10 stations have spotted me. On RX at 1442z, 40 stations have been spotted.

Sunspots - Thursday May 25th 2023

Solar flux is 164 and the SSN 153.  A=12 and K=2 . 

A vision of the future - NOT amateur radio

This appeared earlier today. It was view of the future in 1930.  

I wonder what they would make of smart phones today! And also Bluetooth earpieces!

Lichen - NOT amateur radio

We saw this on our walk earlier around the village of Reach. We heard another cuckoo (definitely not a pigeon!!)

4m Es

As we are now in the Es season, I shall probably try 4m FT8 from tomorrow. There are now quite a few countries on 4m, which is very different from the 1960s when really just the UK and Eire were on. I was surprised how quiet 4m was outside of the Es season.

A good website showing which countries have 4m allocations is http://www.g0che.co.uk/4m_alloc.php .