Sunspots and 10m - Friday July 10th 2015

Sunspot number is still 131 (K=1) and 10m is expected to remain "fair" .

2m SSB history

IC202

For me, 2m SSB began with the purchase of a 10W pep Belcom Liner 2, which opened up 2m SSB to the masses. Before then, people used homebrew transverters and HF rigs to get on VHF SSB.

After that I owned the IC202 from ICOM which had a very good VXO but less power (3W pep).  Later, the first digital synthesised rigs appeared and 2m SSB really took off.

In the last 20 years or so, certainly here in the UK, VHF/UHF SSB took a nosedive and what little VHF/UHF activity there is is mainly using FM. Here in the UK there is good SSB activity in contests and in good lifts, but little casual use of the SSB/CW modes, which is a pity. Ranges on SSB can be much greater than FM for similar power levels.

When I first used my Liner 2 I was amazed how far I could reach in flat conditions, even with 10W and a small indoor antenna.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/ic202 .

10m Es on WSPR - very quiet

Apart from an early morning WSPR spot from Italy, it has been quiet here on 10m WSPR with just spots from local G4IKZ (18km).  At the moment, 6m is getting more spots and from greater distances. No F2 DX seen on 10m WSPR here.

6m Es on WSPR

There was quite a bit of Es on 6m this morning with some even in the night.  We are at the height of the Es season in Europe now.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs July 9th 2015

Sunspot number is still a respectable 131 (K=1) and 10m propagation is expected to remain "fair". Although because of summertime conditions we should not expect too much of F2 on 10m, Es is likely again to liven up both 10m and 6m.

Surpletronics

Steve, G1KQH (Font of all knowledge) passed me information on this company. He was trying to help me with crystals, but they stock a lot of good stuff. I think this is stuff remaindered by others and sold on. They accept payment by PayPal and orders over £30 have free delivery. Looks like a place worth checking out.

See http://www.surplectronics.com .

New country (I think) spotting me on 6m WSPR

IH9YMC (1946km) on Pantelleria Island (JM56xt) was spotting me at 1114z on 6m WSPR.  I think this counts as a separate country. It is not too far from Tunisia.

UPDATE 1330z:  EA6GF (1428km) has spotted me several times on 6m WSPR today.

UPDATE 1822z:  At 1758z and at 1820z I was (yet again) spotted by 4X1RF (3519km) in Israel on 6m WSPR. This is a very long way for Es and seems to happen very often.

Chinese stock market losses - NOT amateur radio

We should be afraid of what is happening in China. There, stock market losses are huge in the last month and these will affect China and the West. The article linked shows parallels with the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Worrying. With Greece and China the world is facing another financial crisis.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33440565 .

15m QRP

Another rig that rarely gets used these days is my 15m 1W CW transceiver, the MFJ Cub. This works very well and has worked South and North Americans. Currently I have no antennas up for 15m so it has not been used at this QTH. This uses a superhet RX. I guess this is another rig I should consider selling or trading in? If it is not getting much use this is especially true. I must have had it about 15 years now. It is a good little single band radio covering about 70kHz (as I recall) of the CW band. There is a small hole in the case so this can be centred where ever one likes in the band. Another example of a simple "station in a box". A CW key, battery, Walkman phones and 15m antenna and you are on the radio and able to work DX.  It never fails to amaze me how effective simple radios can be. You really do not need to spend a lot. A 15m dipole can be made by just about anyone and does not need to be that high to work well.  If I could work >8000km with mine I am sure you can do at least as well.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/cub .

Sunspots and 10m - Wed July 8th 2015

Sunspot number is 131 (K=1) and 10m propagation again expected to remain "fair".  Es will liven up 10m and 6m. Whether or not we get any real 10m F2 DX remains to be seen. It is mid-summer and most F2 DX (if any) will be N-S.

Most early mornings, I seem to be spotted in Italy on WSPR by 10m Es. Years ago I used to work a station in Rome very regularly who was using 100mW AM on 28.500MHz from a small handheld. I was on SSB.  His equivalent SSB power (i.e. the power in the upper sideband) was a few milliwatts. I had no trouble working him.

2m UKAC contest last night

Only 4 contacts on 2m last night before I had to stop because of my poor voice. Some decent DX heard including an F in IN99 and GJ on Jersey. In all, I was on TX for only about 50 minutes. The contest was 2.5 hours but I had given up by 2000z.

6m Es this morning

In the end I remained on 10m and 6m WSPR overnight. Only G0OQK and G3ZJO 6m WSPR spots. Yesterday G3ZJO was spotted several times in Israel on 6m WSPR by 4X1RF.  

OH7AZL (2000km) is now spotting me on 6m WSPR at 0924z.

Pipit 15m transceiver

This rig was designed and built many years ago. It spanned some impressive distances and worked well. The receiver was a direct conversion and the gain adjustment was before the mixer, so RF gain could be reduced easily which helped strong signal handling. No RX-TX offset was needed as this was just about right anyway. For quite a time it was the main rig used and every QSO felt like a million dollars! It was written up in GQRP SPRAT a very long time ago (30 years ago?). It is hard to get much more fun than using something this simple and working a long way regularly with it.

Before I had crystals for the CW part of the band my very first QSO was a USA SSB station that I called that was located near Chicago some 4000 miles away. I nearly fell off the chair when he replied.  After than I knew anything was possible. I really should rebuild it someday.

It crossed the Atlantic many times. I even used a 10/15m trap dipole (very low) occasionally and never used anything bigger than a low wire dipole. Output power was 800mW, quite enough I found for solid CW QSOs.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/15m_pipit .

Old home movies online - NOT amateur radio

See http://player.bfi.org.uk/new/

Since lunchtime, the BFI has made available thousands of old digitised home movies online. This is a treasure trove as some are well over 100 years old.

Chinese SPAM and British Gas - NOT amateur radio, just amateurish

I am sorry to report that most of my SPAM messages (deleted at the earliest opportunity) come from the Far East and most are from China. I am now getting expert at spotting these, which have no relevance to the actual post. Most want to advertise a link. Sorry, you are wasting your time as these comments rarely get
as far as being published even. Many are probably generated by computers anyway.

By the way, weeks after waiting in for British Gas to install smart meters I have received many emails but no explanation why no-one turned up in the agreed 5 hour slot. British Gas seem hopeless, but so are many energy suppliers here in the UK. "Arse and elbow" comes to mind: they only seem able to communicate with customers by computer and they do not seem to know what other divisions in the same company are doing.  Despite billing me at the new QTH for 2 years, they have my wrong details on their system. I can only change this if I say I've moved house. Doing this would probably just throw their system into total confusion, so for now I am still awaiting a phone call from a human being. Smart meters? Oh I forgot to mention that their system says smart meters will not be available here for several years to come.  Despite this, it was British Gas who contacted me to arrange the date for installation that never happened. Basket case? You bet they are! I can remember when you could actually talk to people who knew. Same with my bank. You used to be able to talk with a  local bank manager. Nowadays you get a call centre 5000 miles away. We have moved backwards.

In my business life, people would have been retrained or even sacked for the sort of customer service that seems to be the norm these days. Does no-one really care about customers any more? I guess not.

British Gas - more like British Crap based on my recent dealings with them. British Gasbags maybe?
Barclays - your friendly local bank?  Only if you want to talk with people in India who have no idea who you are at all.

Furthermost G on 6m WSPR

G4IJM (271km) was spotted on 6m WSPR at 0908z today. This is the furthermost G that I have copied on 6m WSPR by any propagation other than Es or F2. I suppose it could have been some form of backscatter or aircraft assisted tropo?  Interesting distance. Unfortunately I was too late checking the trace to see if there was any evidence of aircraft reflections. Most signals  in the last hour from G0OQK (98km) have had some evidence of aircraft reflections - usually multiple traces every time the signal decodes.  IU1DZZ (973km) has been copied multiple times this morning by Es on 6m as has IK1NET (981km).

UPDATED 1343z:  Spots exchanged both ways with CN8LI (2113km) just after lunchtime on 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1652z:  So far today CN8LI (2113km) has been spotted 9 times (sometimes very strongly) and he has spotted me twice.  I shall be going QRT on 10m and 6m late this evening and not stopping on overnight.

UPDATE 2028z:  CN8LI (2113km) has been spotted 14 times today so far and he has spotted me 10 times on 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 2125z:  I have only just seen that I was (yet again) spotted by 4X1RF (3519km) at 0738z this morning.

Terrorism - NOT amateur radio

It is now 10 years since many people were killed in a terrorism attack in London. Terrorism is not the way and will never, ever, result in good.  No,  hearts and minds are changed by acts of true love and kindness, and by forgiveness.  This may take a long time, but it ultimately is the best way.

I am moved to tears when I read of Japanese soldiers and their captives in WW2 forgiving past wrongs. In the past nearly every nation has done great wrong. The world would be a happier place if we were all able to forgive and work constructively for a fairer, just world. Each of us has a small part to play by doing our bit to make a kinder world.

Although not a Quaker, I have much sympathy with their quiet way of peace. It was the Quakers who encouraged both sides to work constructively for peace in Northern Ireland. Who would have thought that Martin McGuiness and Ian Paisley would sit together and enjoy a laugh? 15 years before this would have been unthinkable.

No, in the end talking true peace and reconciliation is the only way, not bombs and bullets. Bombs and bullets ultimately stir up more hate.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues July 7th 2015

Sunspot number is 131 (K=1) and 10m is expected to remain "fair" today.

UPDATE 0912z:   This was a screen shot of my WSPR received near Moscow earlier this morning before we had breakfast.  It was received by Alexander UA3ARC from his country QTH (which looks very nice Alexander).  It is always interesting to see how my signal is being received.  It is also interesting to see what else Alexander was copying, presumably by Es.  I use 500mW on 10m WSPR from a tiny little single board beacon (WSPR-AXE-CW by W5OLF). The little beacon makes the FT817 rig look big, HI. The tiny beacon is totally stand-alone and needs no PC. It has been copied all over the world. I love it and use it most days. One of these days I must get one for 20m too.

UPDATE 1512z:  Plenty of Europeans by Es on 10m WSPR this afternoon.

6m and 10m WSPR overnight

Since the Es openings yesterday only G stations overnight on both bands. I shall probably stop these overnight sessions as they have proved rather unproductive.

Best DX overnight was a report from G4CUI at 172km on 10m WSPR.

I see that I am now getting reports from Russia and Italy on 10m presumably by Es (see later post).

Chinese rip offs - NOT amateur radio

Sorry, but the Chinese should not be allowed to do this, in my view. Pariahs? They get away with this because we allow them to. Allow them free reign and all western businesses will be ruined.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx5zdf-bG4c .

Elecraft K1

One of my least used rigs (it has still to be used at this QTH!) is my 4-band Elecraft K1 CW transceiver. This covers 40m, 30m, 20m and 15m CW at up to about 7W. It has the auto-ATU built in so just needs a 12-13.8V supply, CW key and end-fed antenna to be on the air.

At my old QTH it has worked lots including the USA on all bands with a simple end-fed wire antenna down the garden.  I really should consider selling it or trading it in as it is not being used.

Cranial osteopathy for stroke - NOT amateur radio

Some people think that cranial osteopathy is a "snake oil" treatment. I have now had 4 sessions in Cambridge to help me with my remaining stroke related issues and I think it is helping me to relax.

Certainly the massages are very relaxing. Although I still have problems with speech and swallow of thin liquids and I still feel drunk (wobbly) when walking,  I do seem less tired than I was.  For now, I am continuing the sessions in the belief they are helping. Overall, I desperately want to get back to normal.

6m and WSPR settings

CN8LI (2113km) has been very strong with me but often just outside the lower band edge on my WSPR setting. I have readjusted my frequency so CN8LI is now appearing 20Hz higher. I assume this is Es propagation but it could just be F2 propagation. This is probably my settings being off rather than CN8LI as I had the same issue last summer.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon July 6th 2015

Sunspot number has risen to 131. K=4 which suggests quite disturbed conditions. For the first time in a while 10m propagation is described as "fair" rather than "poor".

Flattered? 472kHz TX transverter kit

An anonymous comment in my last post brought to my attention that there is now a kit based on my 472kHz transverter. I see the kit uses toroids whereas I used homemade coils wound on PVC pipe pieces. Flattered!

See http://njdtechnologies.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/MF-Solution-Flyer-2015.jpg .

6m Es

Apart from a brief opening at 1350z to CN8LI (2113km) I have seen no evidence of Es on 6m WSPR. Weather (and storms) allowing, I shall stick with 10m and 6m WSPR through the night again.

UPDATE 1052z:  It looks if the bad storms are over eastern Germany, so I shall remain on 10m and 6m WSPR overnight.

Yaesu copy?

Latest from G1KQH (font, or is it fount?, of all knowledge):

Just brought to my attention by G0FTD

Chinese Michael takers 

http://www.409shop.com/409shop_product.php?id=123665

You can bet its Baofeng based?

73 Steve
http://g1kqh.blogspot.co.uk/

It amazes me that no copyright is safe in China. They will, it appears, rip off any radio. Even the name is a give away. But note the ridiculously low retail price.

Yaesu watch your backs. The Chinese are on the march and you are in the firing line!

Big wheel antennas

Next winter I want to replace my hand rotated beams for 70cm and 2m with a big wheel stack for either 2m or 70cm. I was going to erect a 2m big wheel stack (of 2) but looking at the logs it may better to erect one for 70cm which is the more interesting band.

2 big wheels, suitably stacked, should give about 5dBd gain horizontal and need no turning. This is not far off the gain from my 5el yagi in the best direction.  Quite often I work stations off the direction of maximum gain. For my kind of operation (mainly UKAC contests and beacon monitoring) I think a big wheel is well suited.

70cm big wheel stacks are a lot smaller than the 2m versions. The stacking distance is smaller too. Commercial big wheels are available from Wimo in Germany.

See http://www.wimo.de/big-wheel-antennas_e.html .

Four metres

Four metres (70MHz) is now quite widely allocated in Europe and a few other countries.  At one time this was only allocated in the UK and some UK territories. A few years ago I wanted a way of getting on 4m as this was one of the few bands not covered by my rigs. A simple transverter was called for. The following design fitted the bill. There are very few commercial rigs for the 4m band, among them being the IC7100 from Icom.

It is possible this design has appeared here before.

At the current QTH I have no antennas (even dipoles) for 4m, but I worked some decent distances on an fixed indoor dipole at the old QTH. It should certainly be possible to work Es DX with this transverter although I have not tried. I need to erect a 4m antenna!

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vuhf/4m_tvtr .

Sunspots and 10m - Sun July 5th 2015

Sunspot number is 111 today and K=3 . 10m is again expected to remain "poor".  Although F2 conditions are not expected to be up to much, Es may well liven things up on 10m and 6m WSPR.

I usually give a sunspot post each day, but I missed yesterday.

Canary Is again - EA8BVP

EA8BVP (2986km) has been spotting me yet again on 10m WSPR. I think this is single hop F2, but it could be Es.  There has been a very little 6m WSPR evident today.

Back on 10m and 6m WSPR after the storms

Antennas,rigs and mains power reconnected at 0811z .  Now back operational on 10m and 6m WSPR.

Overnight storms

All rigs and antennas were disconnected last night. This was just as well as there was a nasty storm at about 0115z with thunder, lightning and lots of needed rain.

No storms here - yet

Well the weather is very hot for the UK and temperatures here are around 30 deg C again today. No sign of the promised thunderstorms, which are still a long way away.  According to the map, the nearest are in SE France and S Germany.

See http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en.

It certainly feels like we are due a storm. The weather has all the signs, although there are no thunder clouds building yet. Give it a few hours maybe? If feels close and muggy as if the air needs to be cleared. For now, I shall leave rigs and antennas connected to the 10m and 6m WSPR kit, but I shall be watching those maps carefully.

UPDATE 1548z:  At the moment all the storms are missing us.

Morocco again on 6m WSPR

CN8LI (2171km) has spotted my 1W ERP 6m WSPR signal 3 times so far today (at 1438z).  I'd like to be spotted much further, but no luck yet today on 6m. Plenty of Es so far already on 6m WSPR, but it is really some transatlantic or Gulf states DX that would really be nice. I keep active, but no luck as yet.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday July 3rd 2015

Sunspot number has climbed back to 111 today (K=1) with settled conditions. 10m is again expected to remain "poor". We just could see some 10m F2 DX today, just maybe.

Overnight on 10m and 6m WSPR

Overnight I saw no evidence of Es until breakfast time this morning on 6m with station in Finland coming through. The common wisdom is Es but I still wonder if noctilucent clouds are responsible for some of these very northern openings. It requires someone to correlate 6m openings and the presence of these clouds. I  could well be totally wrong.

On 10m WSPR no Es DX  since last evening. Late breakfast time I see Norwegian and German stations are spotting my 500mW WSPR. EA8BVP (2986km) is spotting me this morning, although this could well be single hop F2.

UPDATE 0935z:   Widespread Es now on 10m WSPR.  Also decent Es on 6m WSPR this morning.

England and storms

It looks, for now, as if the worst of the storms have passed but I am continuing to monitor the storm risks. The worst of the storms seem to be over the North Sea. I shall go QRT (again) if the risk looks too high. According to the maps, there is a higher risk of more storms in S.W. England and in the north. Maybe we'll see more storms this way tomorrow?

See http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en .

UPDATE 2210z:  10m Es evident until about an hour ago, since when just G4IKZ (18km) on that band. 6m has just been G stations so far.  Maybe I missed 6m Es earlier in the day?  At the moment, all the big thunderstorms seem to be missing the UK, according to this map.

Back home again - so back on 10m and 6m WSPR

With the XYL at a pub near Eyam

For a couple of nights we have been away at a sibling reunion at my brother-in-law's in Lichfield.  So my blogging activity has been very low.This was my longest drive since my brain bleed (about 110 miles each way).

I am now back on 10m and 6m WSPR.

Sunspots and 10m - July 2nd 2015

Sunspot number is 49 (K=1) and 10m propagation is "poor" again.