9 Jul 2026

Sunspots - Thursday July 9th

 Solar flux is 116 and the SSN 81. A=12and K=1.

8 Jul 2026

Apple carplay

 A visit to the App Store on my iPhone SE should have taken me straight to the Apple Carplay app so I thought. Wrong.  Instead I was faced by a barrage of apps that supposedly allow me to connect my iPhone to the car.

What I am after is the Apple app. assuming there is one?  I do not want to download the wrong app.

Surely a giant like Apple would be able to direct me to the correct app immediately on their own app store!

Apparently not.

Anyone know the correct app please?

A really simple way of increasing the range of EVs?

 An Australian company may have the answer to dramatically increasing the range of electric vehicles.

6m 3W FT8 (Wednesday)

My gear was turned on at about 1133z.

UPDATE 1942z: 336 stations have spotted me today.

10m 200mW WSPR (Wednesday)

 My beacon has been on since about 1133z.

UPDATE  1940z:  Spotted by 70 European stations.

European Es


This site is a good place to go to get a "snapshot" of Es in Europe. I think there is also a page on Es in the USA and Canada.

See https://www.tvcomm.co.uk/g7izu/radio-propagation-maps/europe-sporadic-e/

8m FT8 RX (Wednesday)

Today, I am trying 8m FT8 RX. I might spot a few stations! 

UPDATE 1130z: Nobody spotted. This afternoon, I may try 6m 3W again. It seems that interest in 8m is low now we are way after the sunspot maximum.

Yesterday on 6m FT8

Yesterday was brilliant on 6m. 

Stations spotted yesterday on 6m FT8 RX

On RX I copied stations in Alaska and the west coast of North America. It came as a surprise that Alaska is about 500km closer. I guess the Mercator map projection distorts the path. Conditions must have been good as the path to Alaska is over the pole. In all, 487 stations were spotted with several in North America. 

Stations spotting my 3W 6m FT8 yesterday

On TX with 3W FT8 to the V2000 vertical omni some 516 stations spotted me including the USA and Caribbean.

Sunspots - Wednesday July 8th

 Solar flux is 110 and the SSN 50.. A=4 and K=2.

7 Jul 2026

Press bias

The news was released today that a long-term UK politician (Nigel Farage) has resigned as an MP.  He has been questioned recently about payments to him. He claims these donations were for personal protection and did not need to be declared.

Allegedly, one of the UK newspapers published a photo (I think) of where his daughter (?) lived. I am not a supporter of his party, but I am totally opposed to this sort of gutter journalism. It is totally uncalled for.