The world is changing.
In many ways, despite the constant threat of nuclear war, mine was a lucky generation. We seem to be returning to a world of empires and spheres of influence.
What is happening in Minnesota is typical of the new world order. Different accounts differ wildly and it is hard to tell what is the truth.
Why can't we live peacefully together?
This photo has been on before.
It shows the Yaesu FT7 which was the first commercial transceiver I owned in the 1980s.
During that time DXCC was worked on 10W 10W SSB (QRP).
It had no memories, no synthesiser and a very quiet analogue RX.
Of all the commercial transceivers I have owned, it was probably the very best. It proved that QRP SSB and low simple antennas were all you needed to work the world. I think the antennas at the time were just wire dipoles and a CB vertical.
Back in the 1960s in the UK, Morse (CW) at 12 words a minute was essential to get a licence to transmit on HF.
In most countries this is no longer the case. I think you can get on HF now without Morse. Mostly I use FT8 and WSPR in preference, mainly as my fine motor skills are poor. I have used CW since my 2013 stroke, but rarely.
Back in the late 1960s I used to be taught CW by Bill Honeywill G4PJ (SK) on 160m. He would regularly send me slow Morse over the air. Somewhere (goodness know where!) I had a tape recording of some of these.
I passed my Morse test in the Liver Building in Liverpool whilst at university in 1967 when I first got my G3 call allowing HF operation.
Just a few years ago most had never heard of AI (artificial intelligence). Now it is everywhere: you look, for example, on YouTube as you see a well known person. The chances are this is created using AI. These days many, if not most, of the things you see on YouTube are AI creations created so the creator gets money from adverts when the video is viewed.
Sadly, you have to assume it is AI unless you can be absolutely sure it is not. There are very few sites I now trust.
UPDATE 1405z: 11 stations have spotted me.
UPDATE 2105z: QRT now. Spotted by 24 stations today. See map by Phil VK7JJ.
My beacon has been on most of the morning.
UPDATE 1211z: Best is a spot from Saudi Arabia.
At this time of year the RSPB in the UK runs the Big Garden Birdwatch when people observe the greatest number of each bird type seen in an hour. I have been doing it for years.
This year has been the poorest with very few small birds seen - 5 species with mostly larger birds.
This seems like the world at large sadly. Often those with money and power dominate those smaller than them.
The world is changed by small steps of kindness one step at a time. The bullies of the world must not win.
Last evening my visitor count to this blog went up by a factor of about x10 in an hour!! This is clearly total rubbish.
It's very flattering but clearly not correct. I am not sure how this is calculated, but the algorithm needs changing!
Yesterday we took our elder son to see the flowers at nearby Anglesey Abbey. He was hungry, so we treated him to a hot pie. We are soft!!
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