The 200mW beacon was turned on at about 1900z.
UPDATE 1948z: Many spots of me by EA8BFK (2880km). At the peak I had about 28dB in hand!
12 May 2026
Fiddling as Rome burns?
In the UK there is a debate about whether the Prime Minister should be replaced. To me this seems like "fiddling as Rome burns".
Within 12 months we could have rationing of some foodstuffs and fuel, and live in a world that is radically different.
With Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, Taiwan, Sudan etc, not forgetting climate change and a widening gap between rich and poor, the world has a great deal to think about and act upon.
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.
11 May 2026
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.
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.
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