Churches blog updates - NOT amateur radio

Today we visited the delightful Norfolk  town with its greens and fine Georgian houses of Hingham. Hingham is a few miles from Attleborough on the road from Norwich to Watton.

We ate lunch at the Lincoln Tea Shoppe and Bistro which is across the main Norwich-Watton road from the church and just off Fairgreen. On the way there and back we visited several churches and I have updated the church blog to include this.

Earlier this week we returned to Dalham church so I have updated the entry last February for Dalham too.

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Sept 19th 2015

Sunspot number is 62 today (K=4) and 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor" today. With moderately disturbed conditions, it is unlikely that great things can be expected of the higher HF bands today. As always, 10m may throw us a surprise. I am on both 10m and 6m WSPR, ever hopeful.

UPDATE 0915z:  Just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me, so far, on 10m WSPR.  6m remains dead here! Not sure why I still bother with 6m.

10m F2 this afternoon

Well, 10m has sprung into life on WSPR. I am pretty sure KD0VWO (7412km) is actually monitoring in Brazil judging by the QTH locator. 

As far as I can tell, there is no Es about here on 10m. This looks like F2 propagation. I remain hopeful for the rest of the day. I use 500mW on WSPR and a very average, low 3 band end-fed wire antenna on 10m.

10m WSPR results this afternoon

UPDATE 1530z:  Nothing at all given or received on 6m WSPR since G8VDQ (93km) was spotted at 1602z yesterday.  So far, no further F2 on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1840z:  Still no further 10m WSPR DX by F2 or Es here.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday Sept 18th 2015

Sunspot number has risen to 72 (K=3) but 10m propagation remains "poor". Another poor day on the higher HF bands?

UPDATE 1120z:  So far just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me on 10m WSPR. As yet, no signs here of any Es or F2 propagation. Others with better antennas on 10m may have fared better.

Another UK Radio Rally

The following Radio Rallies are coming soon:

Sunday 20 SEPTEMBER : CHIPPENHAM & DARC 'MINI' INDOOR RADIO RALLY
Neston Village Hall,
Pool Green,
Neston, Corsham,
Wiltshire SN13 9SN.

OT 10am, £2, U16 free (sellers 9am, £5 per prebooked table), C.

Parking on site is limited but disabled spaces will be made available. Main parking please in Leafield Way (trading estate), 5 min walk, not Pool Green Rd.

E-mail g0iue@btinternet.com or 07584 054 924 on the day only.
www.g3vre.org.uk.

QRP commercial rigs

The FT817 successor may be announced at Dayton next year. If correct, this is about 3-4 years too late.

The ICOM IC703 is not being replaced by the 10W version of the IC7300 outside of Japan. Personally, I do not understand the major Japanese manufacturers. Surely there is a worldwide demand for a 5-10W SDR based, radio?

It seems the huge world-wide QRP market is not being well addressed by the Japanese. It is their loss.  I think they are all nuts!

Ten-Tec seem to be struggling with their latest Argonaut judging by recent price cuts. See http://www.rkrdesignsllc.com/products/transceivers-receivers/ten-tec-model-539-argonaut-vi-qrp-1-10-watt-transceiver/ .

No, personally I think we are seeing QRPers getting a rough deal of late.

FT991 price dropping

Yaesu FT991

MLS are advertising a time limited offer of the FT991 and a bundled SMPSU at £1149.95. Now there will soon be an ICOM competitor albeit with no 2m/70cm but with 4m in the European version (and arguably a better radio?) at less than £1000 in the form of the IC7300.

No, I confidently predict the FT991 will sell for less than £1000 before the year is ended.  If you are in the market for a 100W radio it is a toss-up between the IC7300 (SDR based) and the FT991. At the moment, the IC7300 looks better value.

Yaesu may announce a (long awaited) FT817 replacement at Dayton next spring but don't expect to see units in Europe before autumn 2016 or later, is my bet.  The Yen exchange rate has vastly improved (making Japanese goods less expensive to buy) and now the FT991 has a serious rival - result is Yaesu has to drop its price for the FT991 or they lose out. My advise is wait a few months.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Sept 17th 2015

Sunspot number today is 67 (not bad) and K=3 suggesting  conditions are a little disturbed. 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor". So far this morning just spots from local G4IKZ (18km) on 10m WSPR, but I remain hopeful that we'll see some F2 later. I am also on 6m WSPR (20% TX 30dBm ERP , 80% RX).

UPDATE 0925z:  Still just local G4IKZ (18km) on 10m WSPR and nothing at all on 6m WSPR given or received.

UPDATE 1725z:   All quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR still.

Meteor Scatter software

Steve G1KQH (font of all knowledge) sent me this a few days ago:-

"Did you see a mention of this software in PW, Roger?

Might be useful via your bent wonky wheel?

http://lz2hv.org/mshv

73 Steve
http://www.g1kqh.talktalk.net/"

Elecraft K1 posted to new owner

The Elecraft K1 is on its way to its new owner, who I hope gets as much fun from it as I did in past years.  Over the time I had it, it worked some good DX on CW.  It has not been used since before my stroke. I may put the money towards a new radio at some point in the future. I prefer to do the building myself, but currently my fine motor skills are still not good. Thankfully I can eat most foods OK, although drinks still need to be taken in small sips. Life is tough and I never expected this.

Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday Sept 16th 2015

Sunspot number is 66 today (K=2) and 10m propagation is again "poor". So far today, 10m WSPR has been poor with no Es and no F2 seen here, but see update! This may change. I certainly hope so.

UPDATE 1646z:   EA8BVP (2986km) spotted me a couple of times by (I think) F2 this morning.  I have only just noticed this! Maybe he and others will spot me again later?

Still no 10m Es or F2 on WSPR

Well it is almost 2000z and still no sign of anything apart from local G4IKZ (18km) on 10m WSPR. It was around this time last night that DX was spotted so I'll stick around just in case, although things don't exactly look that promising. I am also on 6m, although that seems a total waste of electricity!

UPDATE 2220z:   No DX on 10m WSPR. Today has been a total dead loss. Tomorrow is a new day though.  I am hopeful that tomorrow will be better. It can hardly be worse than today!  Well I suppose the tree supporting my antenna could blow down or the PSU expires?

More on my stroke - NOT amateur radio

It is almost 2 years ago that I was admitted to hospital.

Stroke - I am still finding things out. The latest revelation seems to be an inability to realise when spellings are wrong. In the past I could easily tell when things were wrong but sometimes it is days before I spot a spelling mistake or that a word is missing in something I've written.

I also struggle with finding some words - I just cannot bring to mind the right word. I know this did not happen before. I have been struggling since Saturday for one word. FRACTAL! Now I have looked it up I shall probably remember it. It is almost as if dragging things up from some parts of my brain is harder than it was.

We had a romanesque vegetable which has fractal patterns but I could not remember the word for the pattern. This is daft, but true.  I do so hate being as I am.

All quiet on 10m WSPR again so far

Just spots from local G4IKZ (18km) this morning on 10m WSPR. Things may liven up later with a bit of Es and F2, but it seems very quiet so far. Es is now out of the main season. F2 openings seem to have started again on 10m.

K1 Sold

Elecraft K1

Today I will get my K1 off to its new owner in Holland. It worked well, but I have not used it since before my stroke. I prefer that someone has it who will use it.

There is one minor fault (which has just occurred) in that the menu button no longer seems to work as it did. I think this is a minor fault and I have declared this to the new owner, who still wants it. 

In the past the rig has been used to work lots of DX including the USA on 40, 30, 20 and 15m. The rig is a 4-band version with internal auto-ATU. The K1 is a decent little radio.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday Sept 15th 2015

Sunspot number has fallen to 52 (K=4) and 10m is expected to remain "poor". EA8BVP (2986km) seems to be a regular again by F2 but I think the USA station copying me on 10m WSPR last night was actually located in Brazil. So I think I have still to be spotted on 10m WSPR in the USA this autumn. When the real W spots return we'll really know autumn is here.

First 10m WSPR spots from the USA this season?

So, they are back (or are they?)! KD0VWO (7412km) in GI95rg square is the very first USA station to spot my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon this autumn. He copied me this evening at 2024z, which is quite late.   Decent F2 DX is back on 10m!

As the days go onwards into autumn, winter and spring it is strangely reassuring to be copied in the USA (or maybe not?) on 10m WSPR again. It is a bit like the returning summer bird migrants: all is well with the world! As I have said before, I think the USA on 10m will be OK this season but a lot more doubtful next autumn. We may still be lucky as the slide to the minimum is slower than the climb to the next peak, however small this may be. This season could be the last time in my lifetime that I see decent conditions on 10m. Now that is a sobering thought.

Also copying me was EA8BVP (2986km). I have the feeling this will be an almost daily thing now.

UPDATE 2146z:   Maybe I am being premature as the QTH locator is in Brazil. Perhaps this is a USA station on holiday and not in the USA at all?  The proof will be if I start to get spots from more USA 10m WSPR stations in the days ahead.

2m big-wheel - 3dBd gain without rotating

Since its erection yesterday in its proper home by David G0LRD all seems to be working well.

A quick check this morning and I am able to copy the Kent, Dutch and Belgium beacons on 2m and GB3LEU (NW of Leicester) beacon on 70cm with the FT817 and 2m big-wheel. This is a single 2m big-wheel (not a stack) from Wimo in Germany.

It has 3dBd horizontal gain and is omni-directional.  It is an ideal SSB/CW/data antenna for casual operators like me. "Real" operators would use it and a beam:  the big-wheel to watch all 360 degrees and a big gainy beam to pounce in the choice direction. Being one who does not take the hobby too seriously just the big-wheel suits me and my style of operating! I did not look for other beacons. It is nice not having to worry about a beam and rotator.

I have still to try this antenna (and feeder) as an HF vertical via my ATU. It should work on at least some HF bands.

No Es or F2 on 10m WSPR today, so far

Things have been very quiet on 10m WSPR today so far with just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me. I am hopeful of some F2 later, but I have seen no Es today on the band here.

UPDATE 1522z:  No signs, here at least, of any Es or F2 propagation on 10m WSPR so far today.

UPDATE 1650z:  Still no signs of Es or F2 propagation here so far today on 10m WSPR.  Meanwhile, 6m remains a total dead loss with no 6m WSPR spots given or received all day.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Sept 14th 2015

Sunspot count today is 75 (K =3) although 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor".

Churches blog updated - NOT amateur radio

Last week we visited Blythburgh and Ufford Churches. Both are near Aldeburgh on the east coast where this famous shell statue is located.  I have updated the East Anglian Churches blog to include these churches. I may add further photos and text later.

See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ .

David G0LRD - thank you

Thanks to the kindness of G0LRD, David, who selflessly drove out to my home on a Sunday afternoon, I now have my 2m big-wheel installed in its proper permanent home. David was a complete stranger until today (although we'd briefly contacted on 2m) and I cannot thank him enough for his selfless kindness. The antenna works well on 2m (and even 70cm) and the whole installation looks great.

Years ago erecting this antenna would have been easy but at the moment I am just too wobbly. There are some very kind people in our hobby.

David - thank you.

Tenbox 10m AM transceiver (again)

10m (28MHz) will probably be in decent shape for another 12 months, possibly more. After that, apart from summertime Es and the occasional N-S F2, the band will behave more like a VHF band again.  Even now, it makes a decent band for local natters, when the band is "closed" for DX, especially in the dark evenings. If you are interested in local QSOs on 10m, you might care to start with my Tenbox transceiver (29-29.1MHz is where most 10m AM is concentrated), which is a 250mW AM design. I started this before my stroke. It is really unfinished and it could do with a TX linear amp and a LS amp for the RX. It is a very simple design, based on low cost parts, which can be used as inspiration for your own project. This uses a very simple RX and it is not designed for AM DXing, although it has copied Ws on 10m AM. The RX, although simple, is very sensitive on AM. There is a video on the link below.
 
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/tenbox .

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Sept 13th 2015

Sunspot number is 87 today, which is quite respectable, and K=2 which suggests relatively undisturbed conditions. 10m propagation remains "poor" though. I think we can expect some F2 on 10m on a regular basis from now on. On 6m, we might see some Es if we are lucky but 6m F2 is unlikely, although more southerly stations might just catch some TEP.

No 10m Es yet today so far

Unlike yesterday, I have seen no Es on 10m WSPR as yet. Things could change, but it is quieter than Saturday.

10m F2?

EA8BVP (2986km) spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon this evening several times. I think this may be the first F2 propagation seen here on 10m this season. There was no Es around at the time and the distance is right for F2.  Last winter and spring this station copied my beacon just about every day for months on 10m.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Sept 12th 2015

Sunspot number has risen to 79 (K=3) but 10m conditions are expected to be "poor" again today.

Still Es on 10m WSPR

It pays to have a WSPR beacon running on 10m. Even this late in the season, there is still some Es about and at unusual times. The following stations managed to copy my 500mW WSPR beacon in the last 12 hours:

Unique stations spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon in last 12 hrs

In may cases they copied me several times. These are just the unique stations, not all the reports. In the meantime, 6m WSPR has been very quiet.

For those prepared to look, there is Es at most times of the year. OK, not as common as in the main Es the season, but it is there at times. This is where WSPR beaconing really shows its worth. I hope to continue 10m WSPR beaconing whenever the antenna is available. The overnight results last night convince me more than ever the worth in doing this.

Still quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR

I have been on 10m and 6m WSPR all day but only local G4IKZ (18km) has been spotting me on 10m. No signs of Es on either bands, so far.

Simple 28MHz WSPR (or PSK31) RX

Facebook is throwing up memories from 3 years ago and one of these was a schematic for my WSPR RX for 10m, using low cost 14.060MHz crystals with a Polyakov mixer (injection at half signal frequency) The circuit worked well and could also be used for PSK31. Essentially this is a direct conversion receiver, but it mattered not. Even if you bought all parts new it is very inexpensive.  3 years later I would replace the 2 diodes by Schottky ones as these are now low cost and need less injection than the silicon ones shown.

More rallies

I have been informed of more radio rallies:

"Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : ANDOVER RAC BOOT SALE
Wildhern Village Hall, SP11 0JE. CP, £2 - Buyers, £8 - Boots, £10 - tables in the hall (book ASAP). OT 9:30/10am, TS, CBS, C, DF, WIN. Martin, M0MWS 07776 181 646

Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : BRITISH VINTAGE WIRELESS SOCIETY MURPHY DAY
Mill Green Museum, Hatfield AL9 5PD. www.bvws.org.uk.

Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : TORBAY ANNUAL COMMUNICATIONS FAIR
Newton Abbot Racecourse, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 3AF. B&B, C, DF, RSGB book stall, OT 9.30/10am, £2. Mike Dixon, leave message on 01803 557 941, rally@tars.org.uk.

Sunday 13 SEPTEMBER : WEST KENT ARS RADIO AND ELECTRONICS FAIR
Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, St John's Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9XB. TI, CP, £3, 9.45/10am, TS, B&B, C. Dave, G4OTV, 07795 211 166, rally@wkars.org.uk. www.wkars.org.uk.

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

Sunspots and 10m - Friday Sept 11th 2015

Sunspot number is 42 (K=7 which is disturbed) and 10m propagation is "poor".  It is very unlikely 10m will be any good today. Unless there is some rare Es, 6m is likely to be a total dead loss again today.

10m and 6m WSPR

Just local G4IKZ (18km) spotting me on 10m WSPR today and, so far, no spots at all given or received on 6m WSPR today.

Magnetic Loops on HF TX

It is some while since I used a magnetic loop antenna on HF TX, but these antennas work well, if you can accept their very narrow bandwidth. In fact the sharper the tuning, the more efficient it is likely to be. I used a small magnetic loop made with small-bore central heating copper pipe and was amazed how well it worked with WSPR spots from Japan on 20m with the loop in the shack, which was an upstairs bedroom at the time. Ideal applications are where frequent retuning is not needed such as PSK31, JT65 or WSPR. On 10m they can be very efficient. Even on 20m I was very impressed. Bandwidths are usually measured in kilohertz. Losses have to be kept low if they are to be efficient. Even thin wire will work but the antenna will not be as efficient. As a minimum coax cable or copper pipe should be used for the loop. At QRP powers ordinary air-spaced capacitors work fine to bring the loop to resonance. At 100W these may well arc over.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/magloop .

Aldeburgh trip - NOT amateur radio

Cottage next to Ufford Church

Today we went to Aldeburgh on the East Coast of East Anglia. We stopped at Snape Maltings for lunch and stopped at Ufford Church on the way there and Blythburgh Church on the way home. Both are famous. At Aldeburgh we saw the famous shell sculpture on the beach. Some hate it, but it is quite dramatic. I like it. It stands about 4m high. At 154 miles, round trip, this was my longest drive since my stroke. At the end I was tired, but it was a lovely day out in the September sunshine.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldeburgh .

Shell sculpture on beach at Aldeburgh

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Sept 10th 2015

Sunspot number is 49 today (K=1) but 10m is expected to remain "poor".

10m promise?

There were early morning (breakfast time) 10m WSPR spots from I and OZ today. Also G4CUI (172km) by tropo. I have a feeling today will be quite productive on 10m WSPR, especially by Es.

UPDATE 2122z:  No more Es seen on 10m since those early spots. Yet again, 6m WSPR has been a dead loss again with not a single spot either given or received!  I thought we were in for a better 10m day but it was not to be, here at least.

QSYed to 630m (472kHz) WSPR from 6m

Today 6m WSPR has been a total dead loss with not a single spot. I have decided to move down to MF (5mW ERP TX 20%, RX 80%). Hopefully it will be more productive, especially after dark. So far this autumn my best DX on RX is 995km, even without the preamp.

UPDATE 1900z:   DK7FC (669km) has already been spotted twice strongly. It is only just going dark here.

All very quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR here today

Well, it is very quiet here today on both 10m and 6m WSPR, with not even the locals and GDX around! Maybe the bands have been deserted? At the moment there are 27 stations shown as active on 10m WSPR in the world and just 13 on 6m in the world.  Of course this does not include those valiantly trying but not being copied.

UPDATE 1412z:  Just one 10m spot so far: Es propagation with a spot by DK6UG (633km) at just before lunchtime. So, there is some 10m Es still, but not much! 6m has remained quiet here all day.

Monarchy - NOT amateur radio

Later today the UK queen will beat Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in British history.

I have mixed views on monarchy: it seems to work here (at least with the current queen who is well respected) and I cannot readily think who would be president if we were a republic.

Yet somehow the idea of rank and privilege grates on me: why should someone be queen just because her "line" is royal? No, I think our queen has served us well, but I have mixed views on the monarchy as a concept.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34177107  .