Government Bonds

Government debt is financed by investors putting money in government bonds.  These are usually considered a safe haven with a certain yield over a given period. 

The trouble is currently interest rates are much higher than a few years ago, so governments have to pay a large amount of their budget on servicing this debt as is the case in the USA and UK.

 The danger is foreign investors think twice about buying this debt in the future. 

At the moment the US $ is the world's reserve currency. For how much longer?

8m FT8 RX (Tuesday)

Once again, I am monitoring 8m FT8.

UPDATE  1206z:  No spots. This will probably be my last day concentrating on 8m FT8. I am disappointed in 8m activity.

UPDATE 1822z: Just EA3ERE (1153km) spotted. QRT soon.

Sunspots - Tuesday May 12th

 Solar flux is 116 and the SSN 79. A=5 and K=1.

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.