Sunspots - Friday August 8th

 Solar flux is 151 and the SSN 150. A=4 and K=1.

Es in August

 Although I cannot be sure, recent spots on 10m QRP WSPR and 6m QRP FT8 look like Es. 

In many ways, this has been as good as at any time this season. The usual pattern is Es diminishes about now with a small peak for some reason in December/January.

I just wonder if Es is somehow related to global warming? 

Certainly the very long 6m paths to the Far East from Europe linked to  mesospheric clouds are more common. 

10m 500mW WSPR (Thursday)

My beacon was turned on just before 0800z.

UPDATE 1330z: 34 spots of me. V51RS (8481km) is the furthest.

UPDATE 2047z: QRT.

6m QRP FT8 (Thursday)

In a short while I intend to go on 6m FT8 with my 5W FT8 to the vertical omni V2000 antenna.

UPDATE 1712z:  My 6m FT8 was turned on at about 0808z.  323 stations spotting me. Mainly Es? Nothing transatlantic. See map.

UPDATE 2047z: QRT.

2m FT8 yesterday evening

Stations spotted on
2m FT8 with
the big-wheel yesterday

Yesterday evening was the 2m FT8 activity contest. 

I worked a couple of stations with my 5W and big-wheel omni antenna. 

In all 123 stations were spotted. I was mostly on RX. 

I am sure some sort of scatter is involved. 

Sunspots - Thursday August 7th

 Solar flux is 158 and the SSN 154 . A=6 and K=0.

What a difference

We had a very dry spell in July and the grass turned brown. 

Since then we have had about 60mm of rain. The grass is long and green. 

The flowers have done well too.

Acceptance

Maybe this is something that happens in old age?  

In our youth and adult life we (hopefully) have had some happy memories. We seem to chase these forever, trying to recreate them.

As we get older we have to accept them for what they were: good memories, that cannot be recreated.  We must waste valuable energy trying to chase these, when in reality we have to accept that we had these and be thankful.

See https://poets.org/poem/shropshire-lad-xl

Someone wrote that we grow old too soon and wise too late!

10m 500mW WSPR (Wednesday)

My beacon was turned on at 0840z.

UPDATE 0951z:  2 stations in Austria spotting me.

UPDATE 1310z: V51RS (8481km) has spotted me several times in addition to a few Europeans.

2m QRP FT8 (Wednesday)

 In the end I went on 2m QRP FT8.  

Stations spotting my 5W FT8
today to the big-wheel omni

UPDATE 1301z:  23 stations have spotted me. People wonder why 2m is quiet these days. They obviously don't check FT8 as this is where people seemed to have moved to! 12 stations spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1346z: On 2m FT8 RX only for a period. 18 stations have been spotted   here. 

Stations spotted
here at 1745z
on 2m FT8

UPDATE 1745z:  49 stations have been spotted here.