Solar conditions

 We are now on the downward part of the solar cycle with the peak a few years ago. Conditions are still quite good, but will decline later.  Often the higher bands are better than activity suggests.

The magic band

Many people think of 6m as the "magic band". Openings occur when least expected. Other times all that can be heard is white noise.

Around this time, as regular as clockwork, 6m opens to the Far East from Western Europe, probably linked to the formation of noctilucent clouds. 

At this time of year Es often links with F2 propagation further south bringing really long distance communication within range such as yesterday when stations well south in Brazil were copied on 6m. Stations in the Caribbean were also being worked, so perhaps the first hop was some sort of chordal hop E layer propagation. 

I’m only using a V2000 vertical so those with high gain beams could have done much better. 

I can see why many call it the "magic band" !!

Consciousness

What happens when we die is a mystery. On a purely biological level our brain cells die so there are no neural connections left. With this analysis we just cease to exist.

In many cultures there is a belief that something of us lives on somehow.  We like to think we, and our loved ones, are "still there" in some form. The truth is our brains are too small to comprehend.

Sunspots - Monday June 1st

 Solar flux is 136 and the SSN 110. A=10 and K=2.

Heathkit HW-8

These were very popular QRP CW transceivers some years ago. I owned a built one and had lots of fun with it. As I recall, I mostly used it on 15m CW and had plenty of DX QSOs despite it being just 2W.

Although I have yet to get it, I have just bought a much modified HW-8 ready built. Whether I use it depends on my ability to send CW!!

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/heathkit-hw8

iPhone amateur radio apps

Many people have iPhones. I had no idea (until seeing it in Amateur Radio Weekly yesterday) how many apps there are for Apple and Android. Many of these are free and very useful.

Check the iPhone app store.

The Knowledge

Every day in my email I get The Knowledge newsletter (Google it). It is free. Shown today was a farmhouse in Suffolk, UK. 

I am sure many can afford it.

6m 3W FT8 (Sunday)

My gear was turned on at about 0905z

UPDATE 1700z:   Spotted by 199 stations (mostly European) and I have spotted 259 here, presumably Es mostly.   

UPDATE 2130z:   At last, 3 stations way down in Brazil were spotted with the best PY5XT (9891km).

10m 200mW WSPR (Sunday)

 My beacon is on.

UPDATE 1341z: So far 46 European stations have spotted me. Es I guess.

Hotel breakfast

Most hotels now have a buffet breakfast that keeps you going all day. This was my breakfast in Canterbury yesterday.