Bee (at Anglesey Abbey) - NOT amateur radio

We went to nearby Anglesey Abbey, expecting the dahlias to be well out. Sadly, they are not out in the usual dahlia bed in great numbers. They need a few more weeks.

We saw plenty of bees.

BREXIT - NOT amateur radio

It is still too early to tell how this is going to pan out.

The euro, yen and  dollar exchange rates have moved in favour of UK exporters and making imports from these nations more expensive.

I have the feeling that the euro will collapse in value in the next 18 months as the remaining EU nations wake up to Greek debt (there is no way they can repay this) and the likelihood of the Greeks defaulting and leaving the EU. This would really hit Germany.  In the end I think the UK will be fine. The UK was a net contributor to the EU and we voted to leave. This puts an even greater burden on the richer EU members.

It would not surprise me if we had a snap General Election here in the UK, especially if the Labour party commits self-imposed suicide and splits in two. Our current Prime Minister, Teresa May,  did not vote for Brexit and neither did any in my family. If a General Election was to be called then the Conservative Party is likely to get a huge majority.

I am currently reading a book on the history of Europe 1789-1989. I had little idea how the borders and alliances changed so much in the 1800s. Clearly Europe is still evolving.

Big Masts

Southgate News carries the story from Stroud of an amateur who has applied for planning permission to erect a 13.5m high mast. Some of the neighbours have lodged complaints.  Now, each to his own but I certainly would not like an antenna monster in next door's garden.

Having managed to span the globe with small wire antennas you can barely see and with QRP SSB I question whether such large structures are really needed. Each to their own and at least he has done the application through the formal channels.

All I am saying is this is not how I would want to enjoy our hobby. I appreciate this is a personal choice and each of us is different.

Basically I am not a great believer in "cheque book amateur radio". Some choose to spend £10k plus on rigs, linears, masts, beams and rotators. Not me. If one just wants to talk (and by video) around the world all one needs is a £180 laptop with Skype. I well recall the video conferences with my son on the other side of the planet - it was just like he was next door, and all for free with a PC.

Return to 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

This morning, early, I reverted to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. There was early Es on both bands. On 6m JT65 there is more G activity as I am getting spots on 6m whereas I was copied by no Gs on 10m JT65. Best DX spot so far on 6m JT65 is EA7HJ (1833km) in southern Spain who got my QRP very strongly.

Early 10m WSPR spots (500mW)

UPDATE 1538z:  Best DX on 6m JT65 RX is EA8AQV (2988km).

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday Aug 11th 2016

Solar flux is 93 today and the sunspot number 69. K=2. The 10m F2 propagation forecast remains "poor".

Excellent Es on 10m

The Es on 10m was excellent this evening. G3WKW (Bob, an old work colleague) tells me that 6m was open to the USA yesterday. Just my luck to decide to be on 10m!  So, I shall definitely be on 6m JT65 tomorrow and 10m WSPR at the same time.

UPDATE 2006z:  Yet again, I was spotted in South America on 10m this time by ZP4KFX (10277km) by JT65. He is in Paraguay.

PW Datacard, and AM

My Sept 2016 edition of Practical Wireless arrived today in the post. In it, was a data-card showing the HF beacons and on the reverse the latest HF band plans. Although I do not blame PW who just reproduced the band plans for our convenience I am again appalled that AM gets no mention apart from 5MHz.

BTW, am I alone in finding the 5MHz channels totally confusing?

For as long as I can remember just above 29MHz has been the home of 10m AM. Most users use old AM rigs and they sound superb. FM, with wider bandwidths, gets a mention, but not poor old AM. On 10m there is plenty of space for all modes. Why, oh why, does AM get treated like a nasty disease?? As 10m becomes more like a VHF band for much of the year there is a place for AM. Even in the best years, there is space. For much of the next 10 years 10m will be seen by many as a wasteland.

As readers will know, I like narrow-band digital modes like WSPR, JT65 and JT9-1. I also like AM which takes less space than FM, but is treated badly today.

More success on the ULF 101km (2.97kHz) band

Today I heard that Stefan DK7FC's 100nW ERP signal on 2.97kHz VLF was received in a 212uHz bandwidth at 16.8km. He will soon be trying to receive this radiated signal at 30km. I wish him every success.

Hi ULF friends,
This is the summary of my portable RX experiment in 16.8 km distance to my transmit site. It is into the far field of the 101 km RF wave.
A 100 nW ERP signal was sent and recorded for nearly 2 days.
The recording was started on Saturday, 30th of July (14:58 UTC) and was finished on Monday, 01st of August (12:25 UTC). The transmission was a carrier sent on 2970.000 Hz, it was shifted by +2.5 mHz at 8 UTC on Sunday and again shifted by -5 mHz on Monday, 8 UTC.
In the post processing of nearly 30 GB wav files the signal was successfully detected.
Due to the exceptionally high QRN levels (even for the summer time), the SNR was lower than expected, however the traces and frequency shifts are clearly visible.
Spectrogram of the signal in 212 uHz FFT bin width: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17km212.jpg
Spectrogram of the signal in 47 uHz FFT bin width: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17km47.jpg
A wideband spectrogram giving an idea about the natural and man made noise conditions as well as the frequency response of the tuned loop antenna: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17kmwide.jpg
Wideband spectrogram zoomed to the spectrum of interest: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19882028/ULF/17kmwide3.jpg
The best SNR shown is 12 dB in 212 uHz and 17 dB in 47 uHz.
During the post-processing procedure it happened that SpecLab has plotted a few pixel twice. I don't know the reason.
It looks like i am now seeing the natural background noise on 2970 Hz even in quiet periods (the faint vertical traces). However the man made noise is still playing a role in this QTH.
Further informations can be found in the older emails below.
73, Stefan
PS: A next experiment is planned in a few weeks. The goal is 30 km distance. With lower QRN levels, a better tuned antenna and higher power (already running!) this should give even better results.

Tokyo Ham Fair

I wonder if we will see any new products at the Tokyo Ham Fair on August 20/21st? My ideal rig would be a QRP version of the IC7300 but available in Europe. I know they make versions with lower power for Japan only.

Rally

Friday 12 AUGUST : 23rd ANNUAL MINI-RALLY NIGHT
 
Community Centre, Main Hall, Port Seton, East Lothian EH32 0BQ.  Bring along your own 'junk' and sell it yourself. Tables on a first come first served basis. Entrance fee £2 for everyone. Refreshments will be available. Doors open from 6pm to 9pm. The venue has disabled access.

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

Remember to contact the organisers to check details if travelling far. I'm sorry but there was no phone number given.

Early 10m Es

At the moment I remain on 10m JT65 but may return to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 tomorrow. This morning there was early Es on 10m with my signal spotted in Germany 4 hours ago.

UPDATE 1248z: No shortage of 10m Es spots today on JT65 with my QRP being widely copied across southern Europe.

GQRP SPRAT

As I have said many times before, if I had to give up every other amateur radio magazine I would leave GQRP SPRAT. At £6 for 4 issues a year it remains excellent. It is filled with constructional articles in every issue. If you are a member you can get all the back issues on a DVD at a very good price. It is almost worth joining GQRP just to buy this DVD. To non-members it is £12 plus postage. I can promise you will not be disappointed with GQRP Club membership.

See http://www.gqrp.com/sprat.htm .

Sunspots and 10m - Wed August 10th 2016

Solar flux is 94 today and sunspot number is 72. K=3. Yet again the 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

70cm UKAC contest

Last Tuesday I was away so I was unable to enter the 2m UKAC activity contest as usual. Tonight was the 70cm leg so I went on for a few minutes using 5W to the 2m halo. I only worked one station G4FEV in IO92RG. A few more stations were heard but not worked.

Swifts going? - NOT amateur radio

In May they arrive and for a few months the swifts are screaming in the skies above us. Then, you realise they are there no longer. I think they start to move this month.

I am sure there are swifts still around but there are fewer than a few weeks ago. Just weeks ago there were more than 20 overhead. Let us hope I see their return in the spring. To me, the screaming swifts are the making of an English spring and summer.

This year there were fewer swallows and house martins, but I saw plenty of swifts.

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

Spotted in Brazil and Paraguay on 10m JT65

My QRP 10m JT65 has been spotted in Paraguay and Brazil this evening. Last night I spotted S.America but tonight it was my turn to be copied. The most distant report was by ZP4KFX (10277km) some 90 minutes ago.

UPDATE 2012z:  Copied LU3VCC (12470km) in western Argentina as the best DX on 10m JT65 this evening.

UPDATE 2026z:  In all 9 South Americans were spotted on 10m JT65 this evening.

Back on 6m JT65 tomorrow?

There seems to be more JT65 on 6m than 10m. As there is still Es about, I may return to 6m tomorrow. I can operate on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 at the same time but if I want to use 10m JT65 I have to use the FT817 and PC. For 10m WSPR I can use the stand-alone WSPR beacon leaving the FT817 and PC for 6m JT65 use.

Alibris - NOT amateur radio

Yet again, I had an offer from Alibris today. Every week , I usually get an offer of some kind, usually 10-20% off. This lot are a joke.

Early 10m Es

As you may recall, I moved from WSPR to JT65 on 10m yesterday for a change. This morning there was early Es with spots from France and Germany. In theory, JT65 is a little bit worse than WSPR but I think there are more people internationally than on WSPR. With the highish sunspot number it is possible I will be spotted in South America later.

UPDATE 0944z:  Just been spotted by EA3ZE (1189km) in NE Spain on 10m JT65.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday August 9th 2016

Solar flux is 95 today and sunspot number is a respectable 91. K=3. Yet again the 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,
QRP Rendez-Vous weekly report (August 1 to 7, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week: UR0ET, US5ERQ, UR7VT, US3EN, OH6NPV, UR5EFD, RN6AN,  RV3GM,  OM6TC,  SM7RYR,  DF6ZX, IZ0AYM, ON4FI, DL3HXX, DK7ZH, DL7MA, TF/RA1M, G3XJS, UA1CEG/p, R2FAE, IK7XW, SM7ZDI, G4MLW, RU3NJC, RV3DSA/0, F5IN, UA1ADF, DL1BAT, F6BZG/p, G4HOM, IZ7AVY, OH6TX, ON7FR, RW4C, ON6KZ, G4PSI, UT8NR, G0HIO, F5PLR
ON7FR became Honor Frequenters of "rendezvous" round table - Congrats!!!
See  full Visitors and Frequenters lists also "rendezvous" schedule - www.club72.su
Enjoy full weekly report with soapbox and pictures - http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Sunspots and 10m - Monday August 8th 2016

Solar flux is 96 today. Sunspot count is 63 today (K=2). The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

10m JT65

As an experiment, I have moved to JT65 on 10m today. I was getting JT65 spots on 6m until just before QSYing about 40 minutes ago including some night-time Es. As yet, nothing reported on 10m JT. I think my antenna is not as good on 10m as my vertical V2000 is on 6m, but the cable loss is lower.I suspect my ERP on 10m is a bit lower.

UPDATE 1325z: Although my 10m JT65 has been received in southern Europe by 10m Es, I have had fewer spots than on 6m. There could be several reasons. Firstly the antenna may not be as efficient and the ERP may be far less than on 6m. Secondly, Es may be reducing in quantity now we are getting later in the season. Thirdly, there could be fewer people monitoring on 10m JT65 than on 6m JT65.  I expect it is a combination of all three.

UPDATE 1726z:  A couple of South Americas spotted on 10m JT65. Best DX so far is PY5EJ (9889km). So far, my own signals have not been spotted in South America. This may have been Es but I suspect it was either F2 or a combination of Es and F2. As this is a N-S path there could be equatorial spread-F involved. I am no propagation expert, so I welcome inputs from others who have better knowledge.

UPDATE 2016z:  With just 6 Es spots on 10m JT65 all day and not a single spot from any G stations, I suspect there are fewer stations on 10m JT65 than 6m JT65. The bonus was a couple of spots of South Americans although the day passed (so far at least) without my own 10m JT65 signal being spotted outside Europe. I shall be on 10m JT65 again tomorrow.

Southgate News reports on 4m in Australia

Yesterday Southgate News reported that the WIA (Australia's national society) had expressed an interest in 4m. There is a possibility this could happen too as this part of the spectrum is being used less in Australia as it is in the UK.

It looks increasingly possible that 4m could become a major band across the world. 4m seems better than 6m in many ways and of course the IC7300 covers 4m in Europe.

6m JT65 and a switch to 10m JT65 soon?

Today's 6m JT65 results

6m JT65 (1W ERP vertical) continues to give me good results, mainly by Es. Later this week I may leave 6m JT65 and try my luck with this mode on 10m instead.

Es on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65

Both 10m and 6m have already shown plenty of Es with spots from Hungary and Austria of my 500mW WSPR beacon on 10m and  several spots of my 1W ERP JT65 on 6m. So, it looks like there is still plenty of Es around.

The peak Es season (northern hemisphere) is May, June, July although there are spots to be had at any time of year, in reduced numbers as long as there is activity. I have had QRP 6m SSB contacts well into September.  There tends to be a smaller peak (don't ask me why) around December and January.

Weak signal modes like JT and WSPR allow people to be on these bands at quiet times. Hopefully use of weak signal modes will allow some of these brief openings to be caught. It would be much harder with SSB or CW.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday August 7th 2016

Solar flux is 83 today and the sunspot number 33. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Africa (at last) on 6m JT65

CN8YZ (2233km) in Morocco was just spotted on 6m JT65. Remarkably, this is the first station in Africa that I have copied all summer. In past seasons, I regularly worked stations in North Africa with QRP SSB.

UPDATE 1204z:  At last a spot from 4X1RF (3518km) on 6m JT65 from Israel. This the second time I've been received in Israel this summer on 6m JT65 but the first time by 4X1RF.

Chordal hop Es?

I am still seeing plenty of 6m Es but very little long distance Es. I am of the view that these (or some) long Es paths are some sort of chordal hop propagation and not the "conventional wisdom" of multi-hop Es. Today there has been good Es on 6m to southern Europe,but nothing further. In the past I have received much further and been seen in Israel earlier in the Es season on 6m JT65.

Siamese banana? - NOT amateur radio

Never, ever, in all my life had I seen this before: two bananas fused together. Seen plenty of double yolk eggs but never this, until this week. Perhaps they usually get rejected by the UK supermarket buyers? Anyway, this looked amazing.

Museum of Liverpool - NOT amateur radio

As I mentioned yesterday, we had 4 nights with our old friend Pete on the Wirral near Liverpool. As always he was a great host and we visited several old haunts.

Liverpool has been through a regeneration since we were there and we were impressed. The people were always warm and friendly but the changes make it an even better place. Anyone off to a UK university could do a lot worse than choosing Liverpool.

My wife (and my mum in the 1930s) went to St Kaths College. This has now become Hope University. It has changed a bit since my wife was there in the 1960s, but it is lovely with great grounds and just a bus ride from the middle of this vibrant city.

In the regenerated docks area is the Museum of Liverpool which is free and one of the best museums I have ever been to. In the docks area is a Tate Gallery and don't forget the Three Graces!

OFCOM

A few days ago I got a note from OFCOM about their Communications Market Report 2016. See http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/market-data/communications-market-reports/cmr16/?utm_source=updates&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CMR16&utm_term=CMR%2C%202016%2C%20communications%2C%20market%2C%20report

Rallies

Sunday 7 AUGUST : 27th KING'S LYNN ARC GREAT EASTERN RADIO RALLY

Gaywood Community Centre, Gayton Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4DZ. Talk in will be available on 145.550MHz and doors open at 9am with admission £2. Car parking is free. There will be trade stands and a Bring & Buy. There are amateur radio pitches outside as well as table inside. Onsite catering will be available. Details from Ted, G4OZG on 01553 768 701. www.klarc.org.uk


Sunday 7 AUGUST : LORN RADIO RALLY

Crianlarich Village Hall, Main Street, Crianlarich, Perthshire FK20 8QN Doors open at 10.30am and entry will be £2. Raffle tickets cost £1 and the draw will take place at 1.30pm. There will be a Bring & Buy, trade stands and local groups. Tea, coffee and light refreshments will be available. Details, by email to, lornradioclub@gmail.com

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

As always, check the dates and status with the rally organisers to avoid disappointment if you have far to travel.

Es on 10m and 6m

I have been back on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 since breakfast. There is Es on both bands with my 500mW being spotted in Germany and Spain. On 6m JT65 (1W ERP vertical) I have copied one Italian station so far this morning as well as being spotted by an English station.

UPDATE 1036z:  My 6m JT65 has been spotted in southern Spain and in Finland already. Things look promising.

UPDATE 2120z: A good day for 6m Es with spots from all over Europe.

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday August 6th 2016

Solar flux is 80 today. Sunspot number is 36 (K=3) and the forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Back on 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 tomorrow

All being well I shall be back on 10m and 6m QRP in the morning. When away, everything is switched off and PC and antennas are disconnected. Some will remember that nearby storms can cause rig damage even without a direct lightning strike.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday August 5th 2016

Solar flux is 79 today. Sunspot number is zero today (K=3). 10m F2 propagation is yet again "poor".

Back Home - NOT amateur radio

We were away for a few nights in Liverpool staying with our best man of 45 years ago. This is where I was at university a long time ago. This has meant no blog updates for a few days.

More VLF from Alaska

From Laurence KL7L. This was posted a few days ago to a Yahoo group..

Been fairly active on VLF tonight with a lot of active Chorus and noise bands up to 9KHz at times – not as noisy as this.

Local thunderstorm after noon a week or so back – I'm running a slow instance still on 8kHz if someone want to shove up a carrier or two.

http://kl7l.com/14thjuly160236z.mp3

73 Laurence KL7L

Aspire and 7m vertical wire on a dock by the lake 100m of cat5.

UPDATE 0821z: Several German stations are still testing (radiated transmissions) at 8.27kHz and 2.97kHz. DK7FC has still to be received on ULF in the UK with Paul Nicholson in Todmorden unable to see anything at all after 9 days looking in very narrow bandwidths. Paul is till trying different settings of filters.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday August 1st 2016

Solar flux is 72 today and the sunspot number 12. K=1. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor". There is still Es on 10m and 6m.