10m F2 DX

PU3WSF (10416km) has been spotted on WSPR 2 times in recent minutes. I shall stay on 10m WSPR a bit longer in the hope that my own signal will reach S.America before the band dies out. Good to see some F2 DX on the band. At this time of year it is possible some of these openings are a combination of Es and F2 further to the south. There has been Es right across Europe all day on 10m.

UPDATE 2135z:  Nothing on 10m WSPR for over an hour now. I am staying on the band overnight, but think we have now seen the end of F2 and Es for the day.

FT817 replacement announcement?

If the rumours are to be believed, this month we may get an announcement at Dayton on a replacement to the FT817. Of course, it is entirely possible we will not!

In my view, Yaesu have "missed the boat" and should have launched such a product on the approach to the sunspot maximum rather than on the downward slope.Yaesu certainly need some "must have" features if they are to be as successful as with the FT817.

Plentiful Es on 10m

It will soon be time to get back on 6m as the Es season is really with us now. There is daily Es on 10m and I expect there will be Es openings on 6m too. I have not seen any F2 DX on 10m WSPR for a little while. It will be interesting to see if 10m opens to the USA this autumn. I think it will on a few occasions and certainly far less often than last year. Any USA 10m spots this autumn will be a bonus.

Stroke update - NOT amateur radio

2.5 years after my cerebellum bleed, I am still suffering. The worst are the poor speech, the profound exhaustion I suffer after most mental or physical exertion and feeling drunk all of my waking hours. To others I look fine. This is part of my frustration: everyone thinks I am fully back to normal, whereas I know different. It is very very hard to accept.

UPDATE 1528z: This afternoon I creosoted (actually a substitute these days) our garden shed. In the past this would have been a quick and easy job, but now it really exhausts me. There is still one side to do tomorrow as well as putting up a different bird box for next season.

Sunspots and 10m - Sat May 7th 2016

I have been on 10m WSPR since about 0715z (2W TX 20%, RX 80%).

Solar flux 89 today and sunspot number 56 (K=2). The 10m propagation forecast remains "poor". although withe the Es season we can expect some short-skip in 10m most days.

UPDATE 0908z:  Plenty of Es short-skip on 10m WSPR already, plus locals.  Today could be quite productive on 10m WSPR by Es. It would be good to see some N-S F2 propagation on the band too.

Rally in Northern Ireland (Ulster)

Sunday 8 MAY : 35th LOUGH ERNE AMATEUR RADIO RALLY

SHARE Centre, Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland BT92 0EQ Doors open from 11.15am to 4pm with disabled visitors gaining access 15 minutes earlier. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy, car boot area, flea market, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. A licensed bar and catering will be available on site. Lectures will form part of the day's activities and there will be a prize draw during the day. Camping is available. More information from Michael Clarke, M5MTC on 0286 862 1436 or by email to mi5mtc@learc.eu. www.learc.eu.

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

Secure blog connection if you want

Set your link to https://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com if you want a secure blog connection. This is a recent Google change. The old links should still work. Note the https not http:// in the URL.

All quiet on 10m and 6m WSPR so far today

So far, there have been no spots on 10m WSPR or 6m WSPR. No F2 DX and no Es in evidence. This quite different from yesterday when on 10m there was a lot of Es about.

UPDATE 2116z:  EA1FAQ (1249km) was copied on 10m WSPR by Es earlier.  I have now QSYed to 630m (472kHz) WSPR for the night until after breakfast tomorrow.

RRS Sir David Attenborough - NOT amateur radio

The new polar research vessel has been named after Sir David Attenborough and not Boaty which was the outcome of a popular vote. I think this is the right decision.

Sir David Attenborough is a very famous UK naturalist with a world-wide reputation. Most of his life he has inspired others with a love of the natural world. Such a nice tribute.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36225652 .

IC7300 groups

As you know, I quite like this new ICOM, but not the price. Unless a good replacement for the FT817 comes along I may buy one later when the price drops. Steve G1KQH has sent me details of some IC7300 Facebook groups.

Joined this one

https://www.facebook.com/groups/829412910506732/

and this one:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/920301584731431/

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

People you no longer hear about - NOT amateur radio

If you live in the UK the names Peter Skellern and Richard Stilgoe may sound familiar. These pianists and singers were popular in the 1980s but I have not heard them or seen them for many years. As far as I know both are still alive, but they seem to have dropped from view. Perhaps they've had a change of career?

Change - NOT amateur radio

It probably happens to everyone and certainly does here. One go along a path that is little changed for years and then something happens to change things - like someone stops working, you move, or someone close dies. I guess we all have to accept that change happens. It is part of life. When it happens it comes as a shock, but one has to move on.

Sunspots and 10m - Fri May 6th 2016

Solar flux is 87 today. number is 55 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m F2 remains "poor" although there is now Es to liven things up in the Northern Hemisphere.

What a difference a day makes - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday I saw my first swift (bird) of the season. Today they seem to be everywhere!

This afternoon there were several feeding on insects high in the sky and there was a house martin high over our windmill. This morning we saw swifts in Newmarket and a number over our village  with a sparrowhawk.

In just one day swifts have gone from being rare to very common.

USA Presidential Election - NOT amateur radio

This is a "democratic" election and I am only observing from afar. Mind you, you need to have millions or billions to have any chance. Neither candidate fills me with joy but I am truly amazed that the republican candidate is so popular.

Come the outcome, the world may be a different place if the USA takes a more isolationist stance in the world again.

Here, in the UK, we are electing some local and semi-local politicians. Here in East Anglia we are just voting for a new Police and Crime Commissioner for which I have received no data at all, so I am not voting for this QUANGO which must be costing UK taxpayer's millions.

Aurora tomorrow?

There is a chance of aurora May 6th according to Dr Tamitha Skov on Twitter. I don't use Twitter much but get a daily email.

Radio Amateur's Exam

It is different these days but I took my RAE on May 13th 1966. Thanks to a link from Steve G1KQH, I can see the paper I took. I have to say I do not recall any of the questions today. It was a long time ago, HI.

"Old RAE papers, do you really know your stuff?:

http://www.g4dmp.co.uk/rae/

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

Sunspots and 10m - Thurs May 5th 2016

Solar flux is 90 today. Sunspot number is 67 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor". Yesterday there was a brief Es opening, but no F2 DX.  Today is likely to be similar - I am not expecting great things, but hope to be surprised.

Daytime WSPRing today

The 10m WSPR beacon has been resynced to internet time. I have decided to stay on 10m and 630m WSPR all day today. 6m was a dead loss yesterday so I am not using 6m today.

UPDATE 0854z:  Overnight there we no 10m spots. 630m (472kHz) WSPR was more productive, although there were few stations copied and my best TX DX on 472kHz (5mW ERP) was just Holland. I have already been spotted in France and Finland on 10m WSPR and by G8LCO (58km) on 472kHz WSPR.

UPDATE 1226z:   Lots and lots of Es spots on 10m WSPR today - so many I have lost count!  On MF just spots from G8LCO.

UPDATE 1505z: 10m WSPR has been buzzing all day with 96 spots so far from all over Western Europe. A good day. No F2 propagation here, but made up with good Es.

Overnight WSPRing

For a change I am WSPRing on 2 bands overnight.  Firstly on 10m, although I doubt anyone will spot me (!) and secondly on 630m (472kHz) where I am pretty sure I shall be spotted and will spot others.

Although I was on 6m WSPR all day until a few minutes ago, I spotted no-one and no-one spotted me. In all, 6m was a bit of a waste of time!

UPDATE 2115z: Just G4ALH and me G3XBM are shown as transmitting on 472kHz WSPR from the UK. There are quite a few more stations on RX and a few Norwegians on TX that I might copy.

First swifts spotted - NOT amateur radio

To me, swifts herald summer. Today, just before lunch, I spotted my first 2 swifts of the season high overhead. This is about the time I first see them here. There have been reports of swifts in Devon for a couple of weeks.

Hearing these summer visitors screaming in the evening sky brings real joy to my heart. Summer is nearly here!

Swifts have much narrower scythe like wings than swallows and house martins. They are late to arrive and leave early. They spend most of their lives on the wing. Years ago one crashed in the road and I was lucky enough to care for it overnight and handle it. The next day it just flew off!

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/s/swift/

FCC - so so S L O W .....wake me!

It is hard to believe just how slow the FCC is being over the release of the 137kHz and 472kHz bands in the USA.  Years have passed and neither band is released. The FCC is worried about interference to utilities. For goodness sake! Surely they could release both bands with a tight ERP level initially on a "non interference" basis? I moan about OFCOM but the FCC seems far far worse!

This is from the ARRL site...

"Meanwhile, the Amateur Radio community continues to await action on ET Dockets 12-338 and 15-99 that would spell out service rules for the new 2200 and 630 meter Amateur Radio bands. The FCC was expected to issue a Report and Order last fall. That subsequently got moved back to the first quarter of 2016, which also has slipped.
Regulatory provisions under consideration have included a possible notification requirement by some radio amateurs to utilities that operate PLC systems in that region of the spectrum, prior to their starting operation on either new band. Utilities use unlicensed PLC systems to control parts of the electrical power grid.
Earlier this year, the ARRL has asked the Commission not to adopt overly broad requirements to notify utilities in advance of intended Amateur Radio operation on the pending bands. The Amateur Service would gain access to 135.7-137.8 kHz (2200 meters) and 472-479 kHz (630 meters). Both bands have been used by numerous Experimental (Part 5) licensees, and the ARRL’s WD2XSH 600 Meter Experiment continues."

FCC - the world looks on and is amazed!! Wake up!! One cannot help thinking that the FCC is a pile of bureaucrats who do not understand radio. Please, release these bands in the USA.

Ossett UKAC Operators

I received a very kind letter from Robert G8BUN inviting me to become an Honorary Member at Ossett Amateur Radio Operators as I operate in the UKAC contests. This was very kind and much appreciated. My voice is not good and I am pretty limited in operating time on all speech modes.

10m and 6m WSPR

I went QRT on 630m (472kHz) WSPR about 50 minutes go and returned to 10m and 6m WSPR. Overnight on MF there were no great surprises with just DC0DX (467km) spotted. There are far fewer active TX stations on the band now.

UPDATE 0940z:  No spots yet on 10m WSPR and 6m WSPR.

UPDATE 1048z:  Still no 10m and 6m WSPR spots. 

UPDATE DF4UE (758km) spotted my 500mW 10m WSPR this afternoon. Es I assume.

Sunspots and 10m - Wed May 4th 2016

Solar flux is 91. Sunspot number is 57 today (moderate) and K=0. The propagation forecast for 10m remains "poor" again. Let's hope there is some Es to liven things up on 10m and 6m.

Dad - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday would have been my dad's birthday. He would have been 98 although sadly he died in his late 60s in 1987 from a heart attack. I can't imagine him being 98. He died young but he was otherwise healthy to his end.

I regret not speaking to him about his Pathfinder years in the RAF. There were brave young men on both sides in WW2. Dad did not like to speak about those days. Looking back he was very very brave.

The war years impacted him greatly and he was happy not to be reminded of them. The funny thing is if he walked in the door now it would seem so natural. There is so much I'd want to talk with him about.

If your parents are still alive ask them the questions before it is too late.

Sepura shares - NOT amateur radio

Although a long way below their peak, Sepura (SEPU) shares are rising again today despite a large fall in the FTSE 100 share index. At the moment they are trending upwards. You may recall that this was the company I worked for before I retired 8 years ago. How time flies!

See http://www.lse.co.uk/ShareChart.asp?chart=intraday&sharechart=SEPU&share=sepura

UPDATE 1500z:  At the moment these are 80.5p. They have been climbing for several days in a row now.

More from OFCOM

See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1st-tues-0516 for more from OFCOM.

"Ofcom is committed to a thriving telecoms sector where companies can compete fairly and businesses and customers benefit from the choice of a broad range of services."

Yes. 

2m UKAC tonight

A reminder that the 2m leg of the RSGB's activity contest is tonight 1900-2130z. The 2m leg is the first Tuesday of the month. With warmer weather, we can expect more portable stations active on hilltops.

As usual, I shall be on with 5W SSB QRP and my big-wheel horizontal omni antenna. 200km seems about my maximum range, although I rarely stay on for more than 60 minutes as my voice is so poor.

Not having to turn the antenna is helpful. If the station is a decent strength then it is worth calling. I usually go looking for others which I find is the best tactic with QRP. This is usually productive although I keep missing others using the same technique such as G2XV who is quite local!

UPDATE 2100z: In the end I worked 9 stations with best DX 172km. See map below of QSOs. Heard but not worked were stations in Wales, Cornwall and France. I had to give up after 60 minutes because of my poor voice.

Matching the earth-electrode "antenna" at 472kHz

I get asked how I match my earth-electrode "antenna" at 472kHz. Well, it depends on your ground resistance. At my old QTH I just connected the transverter directly to the earth electrodes as my ground looked like somewhere between 40-60 ohms resistive. I used an audio oscillator and looked for half voltage by adjusting the series resistance. At the "new" QTH the earth resistance is much higher so I added a 3C90 step-up 42mm diameter transformer and adjust the tap on the secondary for maximum antenna current. I am sure the purists will have a good laugh, but it works. Here is a photo showing the arrangement. I am sure the purists will ask how did you determine the windings? In good amateur fashion I experimented and found what worked. Incidentally, I tried the earth-electrode "antenna" on 160m and on the first night was spotted in Sweden! I think it works as a loop in the ground and would be bigger at lower frequencies. At 137kHz it should form quite a large loop in the ground, although I have not tried this band at all at this QTH. I got the 3C90 toroid from Farnell a few years ago. I assume these are still available.

3C90 matching transformer and antenna current meter for 472kHz

Sunspots and 10m - May 3rd 2016

Solar flux is 91 today. Sunspot number is a decent 75. K=4. The forecast for 10m (F2) propagation remains "poor", although we hope Es livens up 10m and maybe 6m.

UPDATE  1600z:  No spots as yet on 10m or 6m WSPR. So far, a very disappointing day here on 6m and 10m WSPR. I shall remain on until dark, ever hopeful!

Returned to 10m and 6m WSPR

Since about 0815z I have been active on 10m WSPR (500mW, 100% TX, randomised freq) and 6m WSPR (1W ERP vertical  20%, RX 80%). I went QRT on MF but may return after dark.

Overnight on MF

No great DX last night on 472kHz WSPR. EA5DOM (1525km) was the best DX on RX again (he is always a good signal when active) and the best TX DX (5mW ERP) was to Holland. There are definitely fewer stations on the band now than at the peak of the season.

10m amd MF WSPRing

It was gone teatime when I noticed no spots at all on 10m. Then I saw the PC had closed the WSPR program to install updates so I had not actually been on 10m WSPR for some time! This may have been several hours! Doh!

Anyway, at 1900z I restarted the PC and did a time resync and started up on 472kHz (630m) WSPR. No great DX so far but I am being copied in the Sheffield area (IO93) and am copying a Dutch station. Nothing special but I am definitely on 472kHz WSPR! I shall remain on this band overnight and switch to 10m WSPR after breakfast.

Fewer swallows definitely - NOT amateur radio

On our recent trip to Lichfield I only saw 1 swallow, confirming what I thought that there are fewer swallows around this year.

They are around now, but I have seen far fewer than in previous years.

I hope this is just a blip, although there have been far fewer house martins than years ago. Is this global warming or an El Nino effect?

Guess what? - NOT amateur radio

Yes, you guessed, Alibris were offering 15% off for 24 hours only.

All quiet on 10m WSPR

As mentioned in an earlier post, I have been on 10m WSPR since just after lunch when we arrived back home.

UPDATE 1600z:  No 10m WSPR spots given or received so far today.#

UPDATE 2200z:  See later post. Doh!  Idiot.

Away so nothing yesterday - NOT amateur radio

We were in Lichfield for my brother-in-law's 70th birthday party, so I was not able to update the blogs. It was a good family get-together. I guess it won't be too long before some of us meet for funerals! It will be some years before there is a round of grandchildren's weddings. For some of these we may be around, but it is unlikely we'll see them all get married. Still, this is how it has always been since time began.

Lichfield is a small city to the north of Birmingham. It has a very nice cathedral with three spires. Unusually, the cathedral is made in red sandstone. It has some fine carvings over the entrance. Lichfield itself is charming with many fine old buildings and a pedestrianised centre. There are 2 large lakes near the cathedral. I guess at one time these were stocked with fish for monks nearby?

More (about China) via Steve G1KQH

This came from Steve yesterday. He like his Chinese bargains!

China cuts TAX, Cuts, not increase! Standby for even Cheaper Baofengs!

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-05/01/c_135327077.htm

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

Sunspots and 10m - Mon May 2nd 2016

Solar flux is 82 today and the sunspot number is 23 (K=1). The forecast for 10m propagation remains "poor" today. I b=have been active on 10m WSPR (RX and TX) since about 1304z.  There was no forecast yesterday as we were away for the weekend.