8m FT8 RX (Monday)

Although I no longer hold a UK TX permit for 8m, I still monitor 8m FT8  from time to time. 

I am monitoring today.

UPDATE 1308z:   Just G8VER (64km) spotted.

10m 200mW WSPR (Monday)

My beacon was turned on at about 0545z. 

UPDATE 1306z:   No spots.

Friedrichshafen

In late June is the big German exhibition, which I think is the biggest amateur radio gathering outside of the USA. I have never been.

UK politics

In the last week we have had several English council elections as well as elections to the devolved parliaments in Wales and Scotland.

One thing is clear: people want a change. 

We are seeing the end of the 2 ruling parties (Labour and Conservatives) that have governed the UK for about 100 years. The parties coming to the fore are Reform and the Greens.

Often, local elections are protest votes against the ruling party.

Reform is on the right politically whereas the Greens are on the left.

Reform has a charismatic leader. Sadly, the current Prime Minister, is a principled man, but not very charismatic. I suspect Reform would be badly affected if anything happened to Nigel Farage.

Kaliningrad

This is an isolated part of Russia bordering the Baltic. Lithuania is stopping transit across its territory because of EU sanctions. Russia is unhappy but knows Lithuania is in NATO.

Joe Blogs

 This is an analysis of the world economy yesterday. Worrying.  I think President Trump has made a huge mistake and the world will not forget.

70cm FM FM321

This was an amateur radio version of an Australian UHF CB rig. I owned one and it was excellent. 

This must have been in the 1980s and some excellent simplex  QSOs on 70cm FM were made.  Often  70cm opened up when 2m did not.

It was one of the first (if not the very first) synthesised rigs.

K9YA Telegraph has a USA advert on its FaceBook page. 

Sunspots - Monday May 11th

 Solar flux is 126 and the SSN 89. A=5 and K=2.

10m 200mW WSPR (Sunday)

At about 1540z I switched to 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1728z:   One spot from a station in Kenya I presume by F2. One European spot by Es (I think). EA8BFK (2880km) could be F2 or Es.

UPDATE 1910z:  10 stations have spotted me. See table.

UPDATE 1954z:  16 stations have spotted me.

Granddaughter

Overnight Saturday/Sunday we had one of our granddaughters sleeping here. 

All the grandchildren are growing up (too) fast!