Helsinki - NOT amateur radio

In 2018 we did a tour of the Baltic and visited Helsinki, a city I had visited several times for work and holiday. It is a fine city but it can be cold in winter. I have been there in summer and winter.

We went in early summer and saw these barnacle geese with young. In the UK they are a winter bird so it is interesting to see young.

Walk - NOT amateur radio

This morning we did a walk around the village and did some shopping. On the walk we saw this tub of flowers.

10m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

My 500mW beacon was turned on  before breakfast.

UPDATE 0957z: Already 5 stations spotting me including V51RS (8481km).

UPDATE 1334z:  Still the same 5 stations spotting me.

UPDATE 2051z: 77 stations have spotted my 500mW WSPR today. QRT soon.

6m 5W FT8 (Tuesday)

Although I came on well before breakfast today, just 11 English spots so far.

UPDATE 0946z:  62 spots of my QRP so far. 

UPDATE 1136z:  81 spots of my 5W 6m FT8 with the furthest VO1SIX (3933km). See map.

UPDATE 1614z:  242 stations have spotted me. I suspect the station in Newfoundland spotted me by double hop Es. See map.

UPDATE 2117z:  731 stations have spotted me today. 1 station in the Caribbean has been spotted.

Sunspots - Tuesday June 24th

 Solar flux is 122 and the SSN 105. A=8 and K=1.

Gilbert and Sullivan orchestra - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned before, last Friday evening we went to a local performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan light opera "The Gondoliers". 

The photo shows the small orchestra.

Quantum entanglement - NOT amateur radio

Ever since doing quantum mechanics as part of my university course a very long time ago, this has fascinated me and made me realise how little we really know. 

Our grasp on things is really so poor. You just wonder how things will develop in the next 100 years.

This video may (I say "may") help with understanding quantum entanglement. I think the basic thing is to think of objects as a wave function that exists in all space and all time for everything. We think of things as objects that exist in just on place, whereas they may (just) exist everywhere and always, which is counter-intuitive.

All we can be certain of is the universe is stranger than we even thought.

10m 500mW WSPR (Monday)

If I was going on 6m FT8, I thought I might as well turn on the 10m WSPR beacon!  6 stations have spotted me, mostly by Es.

UPDATE 1915z:  Spotted by 22 stations today. See WSPR Rocks map by Phil VK7JJ. Furthest is Namibia in S.W.Africa.

Change of plan

I took a look at PSKreporter and saw lots of Europeans working Far East stations on 6m FT8.  I thought, "just like me, take a day off and miss all the fun". So, I decided to go on 6m 5W FT8 after all. Lots of Es, but no Far East on TX or RX noticed here. 

I think I was too late.

UPDATE 1933z:  241 stations have spotted me.

Day off radio?

At the moment, I have no plans to go on the radio today. If there is a big opening on 6m I might change my mind later.