10m 500mW WSPR (Wednesday)

My stand-alone W5OLF (SK) beacon was turned on after breakfast, It must now be over 10 years old.

UPDATE 2215z:  21 stations spotting me.  Map courtesy of WSPRrocks by Phil VK7JJ.

Amaryllis

Every year we grow amaryllis bulbs and enjoy watching them grow in to enormous plants. 

It usually takes about 6 weeks to grow from just the bulb to mature flowers. 

We often have them out around now and I have a new one to plant that should mature around mid February.

Sunspots - Wednesday December 31st

 Solar flux is 182 and the SSN 141. A=8 and K=1.

10m 500mW WSPR (Tuesday)

My beacon was turned on at about 1500z.

UPDATE 1526z: So far, spotted by just one station in the USA.

6m 5W FT8 (Tuesday)

At about 1455z, I QSYed to 6m 5W FT8.

UPDATE 1521z:  Spotted by 5 English stations.

10m 1W FT8 (Tuesday)

 As mentioned earlier, I decided to go on 10m 1W FT8.

UPDATE 1435z: 1l0 stations have spotted me. See map.

DXpedition

 

These days I don’t chase DX but you may be interested in the DXpedition to an island in the Caribbean quite close to Puerto Rico. I  had to check where this was as I had no idea!!

Too interconnected?

In these days we live in a very interconnected way and we take this for granted. 

Electricity in the UK (and many places) comes from gas a great deal still. Most of the UK's food is imported. Most goods are bought with cards. Fuel is imported. Most of out manufactured goods come from abroad. The internet works because it is vastly connected. Most of us depend on our smart phones.

Just imagine if we had a sudden shock and had to live without some (or all) of these. Would society be able to cope? 

Tuesday plans

 Probably more 10m 500mW WSPR and 6m 5W FT8, but I may decide differently! In the end I went on 10m FT8 with 1W!!

Fog of war

Always in times of war opposing sides slag the other side off. 

It is hard to see through this “fog” and get at the truth.

The measure of a good politician is to be able to see through this and steer the right course.