10m F2?

EA8/G4CAZ (2840km) spotted my 10m 500mW WSPR beacon this evening. Although this could have been Es, I suspect this was single hop F2 propagation. Time and direction point to F2.

UPDATE 2130z:  Lots of spots from this station, including one quite recently. My bet is F2.

Profound exhaustion - NOT amateur radio

Since my stroke almost 3 years ago I have suffered from bouts of profound exhaustion after doing physical or mental work for more than about 20 minutes. No-one and I really do mean no-one seems to get it including medics, my wife, friends etc. They all say how well I look and assume I am fine.

Well, I am definitely not right! No matter what, this exhaustion is profound and quite unlike anything I've known before. It is not tiredness, just a feeling of utter exhaustion. After a short rest I am fine again.

To be honest this gets me down. As hard as I try, this never seems to go away. I hate it. In an ideal world I would rest more, but I know this is impossible.

I have great sympathy for others who have hidden disabilities: people may look fine on the outside but feel dreadful inside. This is how I am a lot of the time. Not always mind you. There are better days and times.

EU referendum - NOT amateur radio

As the vote get closer I really do not know how to vote. All the major politicians recommend staying IN, yet there is so much wrong with the EU. Leaving would certainly mean uncertainty in the UK, but I suspect the EU will fall apart within years if we leave. There are real issues within the EU: the Euro, profligacy, inefficiency, all those unnecessary laws. At the same time, the EU is a voice of good. No, it is not an easy decision.

Dying - NOT amateur radio

When 18, you think life goes on for ever: you have all of life ahead of you. At 67 you know you have, maybe, 20 years and possibly much less ahead. Thoughts turn to what happens when you die.

Is there life after death? Is it like before you were born? I cannot remember anything about before I came into this world so would the same after death be any worse?

As I have said before, all major religions have some sort of belief in an after-life. Wishful thinking?  I simply do not know.

It is possible that no-one else sees and experiences what we do. In an infinite universe (or multiverses?) anything is possible. We find it hard to contemplate not existing.

In the meantime, we have to make the most of life. Life is very precious.

More UK Rallies This Weekend

Sunday 5 JUNE : CENTRAL SCOTLAND AMATEUR RADIO MINI CONVENTION
Crofthead Community Education Centre, Templar Rise, Dedridge, Livingston EH54 6DG. There is car parking on site and the venue has disabled facilities. Doors opena at 10am with disabled visitors gaining access 10 minutes earlier. Admission is £4. There will be trade stands, a flea market, special interest groups, an RSGB bookstall and lectures during the event. A raffle will take place. Details from John, MM0JRR, 01506 437 908 or by email to johnrayne333@gmail.com.

Sunday 5 JUNE : SPALDING & DARS ANNUAL RALLY
The Sir John Gleed Technology School, Halmer Gardens, Spalding, Lincs PE11 2EF. The venue has free car parking and talk in is on S22. Doors open at 10am. There will be trade stands and outside car boot area. Catering will be available on site. More information from John, G4NBR on 0794 630 2815 or Graham, G8NWC on 0775 461 9701, email rally-secretary@sdars.org.uk. www.sdars.org.uk.

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Very early 10m Es

I turned on my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon very early today and was rewarded with a spot by DK0SC (827km) as early as 0558z. This was the only spot so far but it was very early for Es.

UPDATE 1130z:   No further 10m Es spots all morning. I was lucky to be caught this early.

UPDATE 1354z:  Plenty more Es seen on 10m WSPR but 6m WSPR has again been a dead loss here.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri June 3rd 2016

Solar flux is 85 today. number is 27 (K=1) and the forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor" though Es is likely to liven up the band.

SOTABEAMS filters for FT-817

See http://www.sotabeams.co.uk/ssb-cw-filter-module-for-the-ft-817/ .

I admit that I first spotted this on the Southgate News website.   Looks like a useful add-on for the FT817, although installing looks more complicated than I expected.

Summer? - NOT amateur radio

According to the Met Office we are on the second day of summer. We have had better days in mid-winter! The photo shows the external temperature after lunch. It was taken in our car and it did not vary for the whole journey. In the meantime, the west of the UK is bathed in sunshine.

Es + F2 on 10m WSPR?

Today is one of those days when we might see Es linking up with F2 further south, allowing 10m WSPR to reach southern Africa or South America. It probably will not happen, but it could. This precisely where regular WSPR use is so valuable.

UPDATE 1330z:  Plenty of 10m WSPR spots in Europe, but nothing further afield here. Still nothing on 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1855z:  It now seems unlikely I'll see any 6m spots today. This was the same story as in previous summers when the band was open but very few were using WSPR. It is easy to work Es with SSB (just a few watts is enough) so people don't bother with WSPR. Although this is understandable, it is a pity. WSPR allows almost continuous monitoring so even the briefest of openings can be detected, even with low ERP.  For to be effective lots of people need to be on for lots of the time, ideally into the evenings. 10m WSPR continued to be good with plenty of spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon from right across Europe. My old workmate Bob G3WKW achieved good results on 6m JT65 today. I guess I need to use this mode more!

More IC7300 reviews

See http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/12742 .

I see there are now 95 reviews of this radio on eHam with an average of 4.9/5. One person clearly has some reservations, but most love it. I like the look of it too, but not the price.

UK Rally

4 & 5 JUNE : SUSSEX ELECTRONICS AND RADIO FAIR (SERF 2016)

Eastbourne Sports Park, Cross Levels Way, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 2UF. The venue has free car parking as well as camping and caravanning on site and there are disabled facilities. A talk-in station will be in operation as well as a special event station. Doors open from 10am to 4pm and admission is £3, children free. There will be indoor/outdoor trade stands and catering on site. There will be a room for talks and demonstrations. More information from Dave, G8PUO on 07807 074 538 or by email to admin@serf.org.uk. www.serf.org.uk.

A list of rallies can be found at http://rsgb.org/main/news/rallies/

Overnight on MF

Just PA3ABK/2 (306km) spotted and no-one spotted me. It really is time to "pull the plug" until the late summer as there are fewer and fewer stations active at this time of year. I should concentrate more on 6m WSPR.  For the autumn, I really should try to get a better antenna up.

Begonias - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday (first day of summer - cold 12 deg C and drizzle!) I planted 46 begonias in our front garden. We have more for the back garden. Once planted, these need very little attention and they provide colour until the frosts in late autumn. I just dig a small hole for each, throw in some compost and plant each flower. Usually they are very easy plants for the summer and autumn. At the end of this I was very exhausted - still an after-effect of my stroke. In the past this would have been easy.

We usually put in winter flowering primroses for the winter.

Early Es again on 10m WSPR

Even though 10m F2 may not be too hot, there is plenty of Es around on 10m.  I4ZTO (1185km) and others were spotting me before breakfast and I was spotted in Scotland late last night on 10m WSPR and LZ1UBO (2039km) this morning.

UPDATE 1008z:   EA1FAQ (1249km) has just spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1012z:  Still no spots on 6m WSPR. I am on RX 80%.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs June 2nd 2016

Solar flux is 87 today and sunspot number 30 (K=1). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QSYed from 6m to 630m WSPR

As I gave and received no spots at all on 6m WSPR all day, I have QSYed to 630m (472kHz) WSPR. The 10m WSPR beacon is still on. Already PA3ABK/2 (306km) has been spotted on MF. I took the opportunity to resync the PC and 10m beacon to internet time.

Lightning maps

See https://www.lightningmaps.org for information on lightning in Europe. As I write, there are storms in Europe but not in the UK.

Solar activity sliding

If you look at the trends, we are definitely on the slide down from the last solar peak. Solar flux has regularly been in the 80s of late. Sunspot numbers are much lower than last year. It will be interesting to see how propagation is on 10m this autumn compared with last autumn.

It is quite likely we will see years and years of poor solar conditions as the forecast for the next peak is not good. This will mean the lower bands will become more important. It is a pity that man-made noise is so much worse these days on the lower HF bands in particular. This is a problem in urban areas especially. Luckily Es does not seem to be affected by solar conditions.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

"Upcoming" - NOT amateur radio

On a recent Facebook posting I was criticised for using this word ("upcoming") as being an "Americanism" of the English language. I have used this word for years and years and certainly did not believe it was American English.  If I am mistaken then I am happy to be corrected. My grammar has never been a strong point and my use of the language often poor. Often spelling mistakes are due to my keyboard, although I do make mistakes!

Sunspots and 10m - Wed June 1st 2016

Solar flux is 86 and the sunspot number 40 (K=1). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation is "poor" again.

Back to 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR

As of a few minutes ago I am back on 10m and 6m WSPR. Overnight I was on 40m WSPR but just one DX spot from K9AN (6505km) in the middle of the night.

UPDATE 0912z:  DL4MFC (914km) has spotted me on 10m WSPR. This is early for Es, so bodes well.

UPDATE 0920z:  I am now being spotted widely on 10m WSPR across great swathes of central Europe.

UPDATE 1108z:  Still plenty of Es on 10m WSPR but no spots so far on 6m WSPR.

QSYed to 40m WSPR

As of about 2120z I went QRT on 10m WSPR and 630m WSPR and started up on 40m WSPR (2W TX 20%, 80% RX). Best DX from the first TX session was SV8RV (2269km). My antenna is far from ideal on 40m.

House quiet again - NOT amateur radio

Our "London" grandchildren were collected by their dad this afternoon. Once again the house is quiet. It was lovely to have them.

The picture of the body was by our little granddaughter aged just 5. She copied it from a book, which was a birthday present. Like her slightly older cousin, she enjoys drawing and painting.

Tonight - what band?

OK, I think I am wasting my time during the late spring and summer on 472kHz WSPR. So, the question is what band, if any, do I WSPR on this evening and overnight? 40m is usually a good bet and it is a few months since I have tried this band. Maybe I'll try 40m this evening.

New HF band Plan

See http://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/downloads/Documents/HF/IARU-Region-1-HF-Band-Plan-2016/  .

Southgate News has a link to the new Region 1 HF band plan.

10m WSPR - some Es

EA1FAQ (1249km) spotted my 10m WSPR 4 times this morning. So, there was Es about, but not a lot. Reports weren't bad but localised.

UPDATE 1906z:  Several more spots from EA1FAQ as late as 1902z. I shall stay on 10m WSPR a little longer then QSY to 40m WSPR.

The EU referendum - NOT amateur radio

With only a few weeks to go, the outcome is hard to judge. Yes, the EU needs to reform, we are probably better off as a nation IN the EU than out of it, the campaign has been poor, leaving the EU would be hard but not a disaster.

ICOM IC7300 reviews

There are now 10 pages of reviews (93 reviews) of the new ICOM transceiver on eHam.net. Most reviews are 5/5 which is very good. Just a few have had a few niggles so scored it lower. When the price drops, I shall probably invest in one. I am sure the price will fall later in the year, although at the moment they are creaming off sales at silly prices from early adopters.

See http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/12742 .

Overnight on 630m (472kHz) and 10m WSPR

Just G8LCO (58km) copied me last night on MF and PA3ABK/2 (306km) was received. There are fewer stations on until the autumn. This is normal.

On 10m WSPR, just spots from G4KPX (14km) with no signs here so far of Es.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues May 31st 2016

Solar flux 86 today. Sunspot number is 56 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m F2 propagation is "poor" again.

Anglesey Abbey - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon we visited Pilgrim's Lawn at Anglesey Abbey with our "London" grandchildren. They had a great time and were able to run around and burn off some energy.

We visit here most months. Today being a Bank Holiday in England, it was quite busy in places.

W+S Open Day

I heard about this too late to notify people! Usually I get 1-2 days of notice of upcoming rallies and similar, but not on this occasion. Let's hope that those that went along had a good time.

10m and 630m WSPR today

10m was open (again) early for Es propagation with my 10m 500mW spotted as early as 0706z this morning right across Europe. I have been spotted by G8LCO (58km) on 472kHz (630m). I have still to be spotted by Es outside Europe. I am still hoping for some transatlantic Es on 10m but I've been unlucky so far.

 6m was open for Es today, but I suspect most are working DX on SSB and CW rather than WSPR.

UPDATE 1950z:  It seems odd that most of the late 10m Es spots are from Scandinavia. This evening there were spots from Denmark and Norway LA3JJ (993km). In past Es seasons I have noticed later openings from the north. I resynced the beacon and PC about an hour ago.

Grandchildren still here - NOT amateur radio

We still have our "London" grandchildren here until tomorrow afternoon. They are full of energy!

This is a photo of one of my granddaughters. At the moment they are both playing in the garden but we may go out for a picnic this afternoon.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon May 30th 2016

Solar flux is just 83 today. Sunspot number is 25 (K=3).The forecast for 10m F2 propagation again remains "poor".

Late 10m WSPR Es again

OE3BUB (1229km) was still spotting me at 1836z this evening on 10m WSPR. I have the feeling there will be Es around on 10m for a while yet.

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Visitors  of the week: UR7VT, RU3NJC, US3EN, UA1CEG/p, UA1CEX, EW1CY, RV3GM,  UA1ADF,  UA4ATL,  OH6NPV, DL4KC, UR5EFD, RA1M, UA1ASB, UR0ET, R1OA
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 web page.
See all QRP operators on the next "rendezvous" QRP Nets, schedule here
- www.club72.su

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Sod's Law?

So today I decided to give 6m a miss only to be told that it was open to Europe this morning! 10m WSPR has been good with Es spots all day. MF (630m) has been good too all day.

Cancer - NOT amateur radio

On of my wife's friends has, out of the blue, been told she has breast cancer that has spread. It was a total shock. It was picked up by a routine screening. She had had no pain or warnings. She has been told she has less than 5 years to live. Both my father and grandfather died in their 60s of heart conditions. I know my time is limited. Maybe I'll live to 95 or I could die next week. However I have hope. What she has been told is, in effect, a death sentence. I'd find this hard to accept. Clearly she is very worried. She has not been helped by her doctor who was rather uncaring about the whole thing. With cancer there is always hope. Some do recover and surely she should have been told this.