10m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

At about 1546z, I decided to stop my WSPR beacon and turn on the IC-705 at 6W FT8.

UPDATE 2034z:  Spotted by 339 stations with the furthermost YE4LWU (11246km) in Indonesia. See map. QRT now.

Slow decline? - NOT amateur radio

 As far as I am aware there is nothing wrong with me, apart from the after-effects of my 2013 stroke.

However, I am now in my mid-70s and starting to feel old. Every step I take I am careful not to fall, I can no longer run, sex used to interest me, but no longer does, my energy levels seem to be declining and I am hopeless at remembering the names of people! Things seem to have gone downhill in the last 24 months.

I fail to see how someone old like me would want to be president of the USA!!

The approach to King’s College, Cambridge , UK - NOT amateur radio

 

This was the path up to King’s this morning.

10m 500mW WSPR (Wednesday)

 My beacon was turned on at about 0745z. EA8BFK (2880km) has already spotted me 11 times at 0850z.

UPDATE 1530z: 6 stations have spotted me. See table.

Swallows returning - NOT amateur radio

To me, spring is traditionally heralded by the return of migratory swallows from southern Africa.  

Here we see far fewer than we used to although swift numbers seem to be holding up, despite there being fewer natural nest sites. We don't usually see swifts here in East Anglia until May. Often you can hear screaming feeding parties and then look up and see them.

Apparently some swallows have already been spotted in Devon. 

There was a December record in South Devon, so this one may have attempted to over-winter. I don't know if it survived. With climate change and milder winters some might attempt it and survive.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/swallow .

Sunspots - Wednesday March 26th

 Solar flux is 156 and the SSN 58. A=15 and K=4.

10m as the sunspot count declines

It is probably the case that I am rare in quite looking forward to the quieter solar years when propagation on 10m becomes more difficult. 

At the moment a few watts of 10m FT8 seems to get all over the planet. It is quite easy at the moment. 

At sunspot minimum it will be far harder, but it will be interesting to see how 10m FT8 QRP behaves then. It is my view that as long as monitors continue to look at 10m FT8 we will find paths open far more than we thought. 

As I have said many times before, people move to lower bands as it is easier. Sticking with 10m we will be doing real research. It would not surprise me to see N-S paths possible right at sunspot minimum with FT8.

Direct to smartphones from space? - NOT amateur radio

OFCOM is to permit satellites to communicate directly to smartphones if the terrestrial links are poor. I have no idea how feasible this is as traditional satellite phones needed big antennas. 

Perhaps OFCOM is doing this "just in case" it becomes feasible in the future?

MUF

The Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) is a good guide to the highest frequency to use on a given path. This map, although not always correct, is a useful guide.

See https://prop.kc2g.com/ .

Tower of London - NOT amateur radio

At the weekend we treated our daughter-in-law and her children to a trip around the Tower of London. She thoroughly enjoyed it and wants to go again! 

It has an important part in English history and dates back about 1000 years.