New record number of visits to blog

Yesterday saw a new high in daily visits to this blog. I have no idea why!

As you know, I try to reflect what interests me, what I am doing in our hobby and a few things which are unrelated to amateur radio. I intend to continue in much the same way, hoping you all find something of interest here. Please let me know if you think the blog is missing anything important.

Clearly there is a QRP bias, but my stroke has made me concentrate on what I can do. This year, I want more 2-way QSOs but as I find speech hard (for too long) I will be looking for JT65 and JT9-1 QSOs in the main.  Of course, these will be with just a few watts.  When not in the shack I shall be on WSPR monitoring elsewhere in the house.

As I am slower at spotting errors than I was, please let me know if you see any. I try to correct any I notice but I must miss some.

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Jan 19th 2016

Solar flux is 99 today and sunspot number 48 (K=3) and the forecast for 10m propagation continues to be "poor".   I am not expecting great things on 10m today, but I am often surprised.

QSYed to 472kHz WSPR

After most of the day on 10m WSPR, I have now QSYed to 472kHz WSPR for the evening and night.  For some time I have had problems accessing WSPRnet. Again I am TXing with 5mW ERP and on RX for 80% of the time using the earth-electrode "antenna" with no preamp on RX.

10m USA yet again

As well as G8VDQ (93km) earlier by tropo and aircraft this morning, WA4ZZW (6873km) was spotted on 10m mid-afternoon. Both stations were using 5W. I have been on 10m TX (randomised TX frequency) continuously until the last few days since when I've been on RX for 80% of the time.

Yaesu

As a proud owner of Yaesu gear going right back to an FT7 in 1979, I wish them well.  In  recent times, life has been very hard for them, and they seemed to lose their way. Today, they still face a threat from China and many of their radios are struggling to compete on price. I was totally amazed at their stupidity at not bringing an FT817 successor to market as we approached the solar peak.

It is rumoured that an FT817 successor will be announced at Dayton in May this year. Like many around the world, I hope they do. There is (was?) a vast market for this product as the original FT817 is now very very old. To do a successor would be so easy.  Yaesu - get real and release this product before you lose the market. To not put too fine a point on this, I think if you do not, then you risk bankruptcy within 5 years.

My recommendations to Yaesu are:

1. Design in Japan but make in China (but with excellent quality control in place from the start).
2. Launch a successor to the FT817 soon.
3. Look at your product range and rationalise it.

You must survive. This is the real world.

QRP Kits

The kits that were Hendricks are now Pacific Antenna. I have no idea how long ago this change happened. They market a fine range of QRP kits.

See http://www.qrpkits.com/ .

QRP and low sunspot activity

There is some debate over QRP and declining solar activity. Certainly more power helps when conditions are marginal although often if a path is open then a few watts are fine for a QSO. At present, I use 5W maximum and most times 2W yet still seem to get spotted around the world on WSPR and JT 2-way modes. As I have mentioned before, even at the rock bottom of earlier solar cycles I have still worked LU (over 11000km) on QRP SSB on 10m with very modest wire antennas. No, more power may help with a pile-up but even QRP is fine if the band is open. Of course, summertime Es generally needs only QRP. I have worked Es DX on 6m with QRP and a helical whip on the FT817. Es can be great fun.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon Jan 18th 2016

Solar flux is 101 today. Sunspot number is 48 (K=0) and the forecast for 10m propagation is "poor" still.  I QSYed to 10m early and am already TXing for 20% of the time at 2W and looking for others on 10m for 80% of the time. Overnight I was on 472kHz (630m) RX with the preamp, but nothing new copied on that band.

UPDATE 0910z:  Not surprisingly, no spots given or received yet on 10m WSPR.  It is still very early.

QRP club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

See QRP Rendez-Vous weekly report on the Club 72 blog -
http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Thanks all for activity and for comments.
This week visitors:
UA1CEX,  UR7VT,  DL1EIG,  UR5EFD,  PA0WDW,  UA1CEG/p,  RV3GM, OH6NPV, UA1ADF, OE6GUG, RU3NJC, OK2LA, UA4NU, DL6UNF, SM5MEK, DF9QV, RA1M/mm, DL7MA,  S57TX,  IK5IIS,  ON4MB,  RN4NAA,  ON6KZ, OM6TC, RW3AA, HA2NK, IV3DGY, RX9CBS, G6HUI
See you all on the next week QRP Rendez-Vous, schedule -
www.club72.su

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

472kHz WSPR

At 1750z I QSYed to MF (5mW ERP TX 20%, RX 80% with no preamp).  As yet, no spots but it is early evening and the crystal in the transverter is probably still settling on TX. On RX the transverter simply passes the signal directly to the FT817.

UPDATE 1815z:  I see local Jenny  G0VQH (15km) was the first spotter on 472kHz WSPR this evening.

UPDATE 1835z:  These are the 472kHz WSPR spots so far this evening.

UPDATE  1935z:  Currently I use WSJT V1.6 for WSPR and JT modes. At 1916z I spotted PA3ABK/2 (306km) for the second time this evening but the spot did not appear on WSPRnet. I checked my clock was synced (it was) and I have internet connectivity. Maybe there is a bug with  V1.6 or WSPRnet was down at the time this would have been uploaded?

UPDATE 2016z:   I am now RX only on 472kHz WSPR with the preamp.

A nice mix on 10m today

This afternoon, there was a nice mix on 10m WSPR. KA3JIJ (6680km) was spotted mid-afternoon by F2 and later G4CUI (172km) was spotted as GDX by tropo and aircraft. No-one spotted me this afternoon.

UPDATE 1745z:  Time to QSY to 472kHz (630m) WSPR for the evening and overnight.

10m - still quiet

Apart from 4X1RF (3519km) earlier this morning, 10m WSPR has been very quiet. I may QSY to JT9-1 on 20m later for some 2-way QSOs. We plan to go out shortly, so this would be later in the afternoon.

Stroke - NOT amateur radio

A nurse who worked in neurology at Addenbrookes hospital today described me as, "a walking miracle", but I'd settle for my old self please!  Although I still feel I'm living "on the edge" each day,  I am thankful to be here, but I wish I had no problems with my voice, swallow, felt less giddy, and got less tired.  My fine motor skills are still far from right.

In many ways I am lucky and I could have been left much worse. Today I have to adapt to the new "me" and hope things still improve, albeit slowly.  Everyone says that I look so well. This, in many ways, makes it worse as they all assume I am well, when I really am not at all well inside. I have mentioned this before, but in some ways a visible form of disability might be easier. At least people would know one is not well.

Imagine you are living in a fog: this is how I have felt for over 2 years. It gets you down, no matter how hard you try. When I drive it takes all my concentration. Life is hard and I wish this on no-one.

Hawkedon - NOT amateur radio

The East Anglian Churches blog has been updated to include Hawkedon, Suffolk. This is a fine old church now in a very rural setting. See http://eachurches.blogspot.co.uk/ . I may add more photos later.

UPDATE 1230z:  I have now added photos of the bench ends.

Sunspots and 10m - Sun Jan 17th 2016

Solar flux today is 101 and the sunspot number 38 (K=2). 10m propagation is again expected to be "poor". I have been on 10m WSPR at 2W for about 10 minutes and am on 10m WSPR RX 80% of the time.  I was not active on any band overnight. It is still very early, but no spots given or received as yet.

UPDATE 1045z:   I see that I was spotted by 4X1RF (3519km) at -22dB S/N at 1022z. I assume this is single hop F2 on 10m.

Milky Way and Aurora - NOT amateur radio

See https://www.facebook.com/greenpeace.canada/videos/10153577012364961/ .

If you have a Facebook account you may be very impressed by this time-lapse photo. It certainly impressed me!  I am unsure you can see it without a Facebook account.  If not, try the Greenpeace Canada site.

QSYed to 10m WSPR

Rather later than planned, at around 1600z, I have QSYed to 10m WSPR from 20m. I think I left this rather too late. Earlier, I was spotted in the USA on 20m WSPR.  On 10m, I am using the FT817 and more power (2W) and on RX 80% of the time.

UPDATE 2230z:  I have now gone QRT on all bands.  Only G8VDQ (93km) spotted on 10m WSPR early evening, although I was late getting in 10m today.

Heathkit comeback?

There is a very mixed review of the new Heathkit kit (the GR-150) on http://www.amateurradio.com/ today. Although I admire the attempts to resurrect Heathkit, they have to have excellent quality control, competitive prices and good kits. Selling anything else is not a recipe for success. The amateur kit market is a cut-throat business and second class is not good enough. Heathkit has to be first class or they will fail.

20m WSPR

As I was getting lunch for my XYL and I, I remained on 20m WSPR.  K9AN (6505km) was the first USA station to spot me on 20m today. I may well switch to 10m later. At the moment I am just resting and watching WSPRnet on a laptop in the lounge.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat Jan 16th 2016

Solar flux is 104 today and sunspot number 38 (K=1). Forecast for 10m propagation is "poor" again. At present I am on 20m WSPR but will probably move to 10m WSPR later, unless I try for more JT9-1 2-way QSOs on 20m.

QRT on all bands

No more 10m spots since the YL station this afternoon. I have gone QRT on all bands.

10m - magic band!

Many times before I have said 10m, like 6m, is a "magic band" that likes to surprise you. Today was no exception. Little did I expect to both give and receive WSPR spots with South America, but that is what the band turned up today. 4X1RF also spotted me in Israel on 10m. Magic band indeed!

UPDATE 1610z:  I now see that YL2GL (1747km) is being spotted. This is probably wintertime Es.

10m WSPR with FT817

For a change I am on 10m WSPR with the FT817 at 2W (more power) but listening for 80% too. As yet no spots, but I shall be on 10m most of the day.  I am hopeful of some wintertime Es and maybe some inter-G DX too on the band. I think F2 10m DX is unlikely.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri Jan 15th 2016

Solar flux is 104 and sunspot number 36 (K=3) today. 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor".

GM4SLV: John Pumford-Green

For many weeks no-one had heard any news of GM4SLV.  After hearing nothing I rang his home in the Shetlands this evening (fearing the worst) and I was so pleased to hear his voice. John is taking a break from the hobby, but all is well.  So the message is "don't panic Captain Manwaring". He is fine.

Australia on 20m WSPR

As we had visitors, I decided to use the WSJT-X V1.6 on 20m WSPR this afternoon. As well as lots of USA spots, I was spotted in Australia twice. Obviously the low Par antenna does a very credible job on 20m. Best DX was VK3AXF (16850km).

Another JT9-1 2-way QSO

Not long ago I had a 2-way QSO with OK2PDH by 20m JT9-1. There is little doubt that JT9-1 and JT65 are ideal modes for me currently. They don't need much power and QSOs do not require me to use my (poor) voice.

Stroke after-effects

I am still suffering with the after-effects of my stroke 2.5 years ago. I still have a very poor voice and still feel giddy walking. I also still tire easily and my fine-motor skills are not good. Although others tell me I am still improving, improvements are now very slow coming, so it is a case of coming to terms with me as I am now. Things upset me more easily and I seem more emotional. I also wonder about some aspects of my memory.   It seems harder than it was to spot errors in spelling and writing: words that shouted out at me as being wrongly spelt no longer do so. Of course, I am putting all this down to my stroke, but it may be old age creeping up on me!

JT65 20m 2-way QSO

About 45 minutes ago I worked EA1EAS (1335km) on 20m JT65. This was with the Par tri-band antenna running 5W via the ATU. I received a better report than I gave.  I don't think there is much wrong with the Par antenna and wonder if the wet weather has made it go off tune? The ATU easily corrects the mis-match and it certainly works. From PSK reporter I see than I was being copied all across Europe again.

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs Jan 14th 2016

Solar flux is 103 and sunspot number 26 (K=3) today. 10m propagation is again expected to remain "poor". 10m is not likely to be great today, at least not on F2,  although wintertime Es may liven things up again.

Antenna faulty

It looks like my tri-band Par antenna, which should be a good match on 10m, 20m and 40m is faulty.  It is a good match on 10m, but only on 20m and 40m via the ATU. Tomorrow I shall try loading it up as a long wire tuned against ground via the ATU. Somewhere I have a Sandpiper Poliakov vertical that I should erect. As I recall  this has a 9:1 unun so it matches well on most HF bands via an ATU.

Even soldering on a coax is hard work these days! Oh to be fit.

At the moment I am on 630m WSPR using the earth-electrode "antenna".

Yet more wintertime Es on 10m WSPR

All afternoon, 10m WSPR has shown plenty of evidence of wintertime Es with lots of spots from middle Europe.  December and January are the peak months in winter for Es although May, June and July are the best for Es.

Lincoln President Mk 2

This rig (mint) has barely been used since last winter. It works well too. The FT817 does all I need really. Because of my poor voice, I mostly use digital modes these days.  So, I shall probably box the Lincoln and use it as a trade-in later.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed Jan 13th 2016

Solar flux is 106 today and sunspot number 29 (K=2). The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor". More in hope than expectation, I have been on 10m and 6m WSPR since breakfast. Overnight I was on 630m WSPR but just the usual stations, again.

We are definitely on the slide down the solar cycle, but 10m becomes more interesting, not less, as the sun goes "off the boil". Es enlivens 10m for several months each year and the band still supports QRP SSB DX N-S even in the worst years. 10m is a great band if you like a challenge and WSPR in the declining years on 10m should help to winkle out those fleeting openings. Never give up on this great band, our biggest HF band by far with space for most modes.

UPDATE 1010z:   No spots as yet on 10m or 6m WSPR although it is still very early.

UKAC - 70cms leg tonight

Tonight is the first 70cm leg of the RSGB's 70cm activity contest:

This contest takes place on Tue 12-Jan-2016 20:00 UTC
The rules for the contest can be found here
http://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?contest=70cmsukac
 
Regards,
CC

UPDATE 2154z:  With just 1 station heard (G3YDY) and a high SWR on the antenna, I gave the contest a miss tonight. I went briefly on 10MHz WSPR and then back on 472kHz WSPR.

PI4CQ

Well, everyone in our hobby is a little mad I suppose!

See https://twitter.com/PI4CQ/status/686684040406142976?t=1&cn=ZmxleGlibGVfcmVjcw%3D%3D&sig=619126d5851ba6cc8594d82b29d11956a49fe6dd&al=1&refsrc=email&iid=ad255aadf0224eeeb292bd8bcdf32522&autoactions=1452612574&uid=3032771439&nid=244+595

DXpedition to Scarborough Reef I think.

20m JT9-1

After lots of CQs without QSOs I worked UA2FAK in reply to his CQ. I got a better report than I gave him, despite running 2.5W from the FT817. When I was calling CQ I see from PSK reporter that I was getting all over Europe from Scandinavia and Greece to Southern Spain.

I have now QSYed to 20m WSPR so I can monitor in the comfort of the lounge. Best DX so far on 20m WSPR is a spot from EA8/LA3JJ (2870km).

Sunspots and 10m - Tues Jan 12th 2016

Solar flux is 109 today. Sunspot number is 41 (K=3). 10m propagation is expected to remain "poor" although, like yesterday, some wintertime Es may liven things up a bit.

10m and 6m WSPR

Overnight I was on 630m WSPR where I gave and received spots to/from the same few stations. At the moment I am in 10m and 6m WSPR but I hope to go on JT9-1 (probably on 20m) later in the day.

10m and 630m WSPR

My 10m WSPR beacon is still running and I am also active on 630m (5mW ERP 20% TX, 80% RX no preamp and earth-electrode "antenna").  At 2000z I shall QSY to 144.575MHz FM for the East Cambridgeshire net. As my voice is not good, I try not to speak too much and usually finish by 2030z. I shall go back to 630m WSPR after I finish on the net.

UPDATE 2255z:  I see that David G0LRD (25km), who very kindly came over and erected my 2m Big-Wheel antenna,was spotting me on 630m.  I shall remain on 630m (472kHz) WSPR overnight although I went QRT on 10m WSPR some hours ago.