Switched modes and bands

I have returned to 10m WSPR and 6m JT65. About 2 minutes ago, I restarted the shack PC and did a re-sync to internet time.

UPDATE 1102z: Just a couple of G spots on 6m JT65, but nothing on 10m WSPR so far. At the moment there is no Es here on either band.  JT65 on 6m seems to get G spots whereas 10m WSPR does not, well not very often. As we are more or less at the end of the main Es season, activity is dropping off.

UPDATE 1353z:  Still no Es seen here on 10m or 6m. Others may do better, but it seems pretty quiet here to me.

UPDATE 1435z: I have the feeling there will be no Es here today. I may go back to 10m JT65 to see if South America is within reach today.

Es - all quiet here so far

10m JT65 is my mode and band today currently. As yet, no Es seen, although it is still very early. I may give 6m JT65 another go as I seem to spot more inter-G on 6m than on 10m. If so, I shall go on 10m WSPR as the beacon and antenna will be freed  up.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday August 19th 2016

Solar flux is 80 today and the sunspot number 54. K=1. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor" although every time I have been on 10m in the last week South America has been in reach on 10m QRP JT65. This band is often "open" even when it appears dead.

More Tits - NOT amateur radio

Long tail tit at seed feeder (close-up)

Well this morning there were three long tailed tits on the bird table. The photo shows one on the seed feeder. I tried to photograph all three but they kept flying away! Long tailed tits tend to go around in flocks. At one point there were long tailed, coal and blue tits at the bird table. We also get great tits.

South America (again) on 10m JT65

On every occasion I've been on 10m JT65 recently I have been spotted, or spotted others, in South America. This evening at 1726z PU2TWU (9572km) was spotted. 10m is still open for N-S paths as JT65 proves. My recommendation is leave WSPR or JT running in the background to spot these openings.

A win at last - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned before, I am not a great football fan, but I still watch the tables to see how my old local team is doing. Plymouth Argyle are in League Division 2. Last season, they were in the running for promotion. This season they lost their first 2 games, but they won away from home on Tuesday evening.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/plymouth-argyle  .

Amateurradio.com

See http://www.amateurradio.com/ .

There are often interesting posts on this site. Yesterday there was a post by VE7SL about the increase in JT65 activity on 6m.

Tokyo Ham Fair reminder

Often this is the place where new rigs are first announced. I doubt many outside Japan will be able to go, but it is often worth keeping an eye out for announcements and videos after the event.

20 & 21 AUGUST : TOKYO HAM FAIR

Tokyo International Exhibition Center, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo, Japan 135-0063.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday August 18th 2016

Solar flux is 81 today. The sunspot number is 64. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation is again "poor", although there is Es about, which is some compensation.

10m Es this morning

Well, the Es is back on 10m JT65. Quite early I have been spotted widely in eastern Europe, which bodes well for the rest of the day.

UPDATE 1025z:  Now getting 10m JT65 spots from southern Europe.

Argentina on 10m JT65

LU1MPK (11592km) has been spotted recently on 10m JT65. Every time I have been on 10m JT65 in the last few days I have spotted, or been spotted, by stations deep in South America.

No Es here today?

This is the first day for a long time when I've seen no Es on 10m. I guess we are nearing the end of the Es season and openings will be less frequent? It is still possible there could be some Es around teatime but the 10m band has been very quiet here so far today.

UPDATE 1714z:  Still no 10m Es here.  I have spotted one German but don't think this was Es. No F2 DX to/from South America either so far today, although this could still happen.

Plums next door - NOT amateur radio

Well, our crab apples are nothing like as good as last year, but the orchard next door has plenty of apples and plums already. I think the reason was the odd winter and summer we had. We had a mild, wet winter and a cold, early summer and now it has warmed up. Here are some of the plums.

Goldfinch - NOT amateur radio

This was a goldfinch on the top of our silver birch tree a few days ago. We hear them most days. They are quite common and perhaps one of the most colourful UK garden birds. They tend to fly around in flocks.

10m JT65 - no Es yet today

10m JT65 has been my focus again today. As yet, I have seen no Es but 4X1RF (3518km) spotted me a few minutes ago. I checked sync a few hours ago. Last evening both CE and LU were spotted on 10m JT65.

Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday August 17th 2016

Solar flux is 85 today and the sunspot number 81. K=2. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

UPDATE 1440z:  The K index has dropped to 1.

Chile spotted on 10m JT65

CE3RR (11751km) has just been spotted on 10m JT65. He was one of 2 stations in Chile spotted tonight. I am still on, so slightly hopeful someone there will spot my QRP.

Feeding Ducks - NOT amateur radio

A few weeks ago we went to Bath. The photo shows one of my granddaughters feeding ducks in a park.

Paraguay om 10m JT65 already!

ZP4KFX (10277km) has already spotted me on 10m JT65. This is earlier than previous days and bodes well for further spots from South America later.

Widespread Es on 10m JT65

https://pskreporter.info/pskmap.html

There was widespread Es on 10m JT65 today with lots of Europeans spotting me or being spotted quite early. Just off the map extract was a station in Finland that I spotted.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday August 16th 2016

Solar flux is 88 today and the sunspot number 70. K=0. The 10m F2 propagation forecast is yet again "poor", although my 10m QRP JT65 was spotted in Paraguay again last evening. I presume this was F2.

Our rear garden in mid August - NOT amateur radio

The photo shows our garden in mid August. The rear garden always looks better in spring when there is lots of blossom. The rowan berries are out. The trees in the orchard next door are filled with apples and plums. Our sunflowers (in pots) have yet to flower. The windmill is just visible on the top RHS.

Paraguay (again) on 10m JT65

ZP4KFX (10277km) has again spotted my QRP JT65 on 10m 52 minutes ago. Every time I QSY to 10m he has copied me! PU2PWU (9572km) has been spotted here.

Now on 10m JT65

Earlier this afternoon I switched from 6m to 10m JT65. As expected, no G reports but a few Es spots from middle and southern Europe. I wonder if there will be any South Americans later? I think for now I have given up on WSPR as the WSPRRnet database seems so unreliable.

Expect me to be on 10m JT65 again tomorrow, although I may well stay on 10m JT65 overnight too.

10m WSPR and JT65

Yet again, it is the same stations spotting my 500mW on 10m WSPR - EA1FAQ, OZ7IT, OE6PWD and the WSPRnet database is still very slow. I think it is time for a more permanent move to 10m JT65. I shall change modes this afternoon. 10m WSPR has had its day.

Yes, I may try 10m WSPR again in the autumn. For now I shall be going QRT on 10m WSPR and giving JT65 a try. When not trying for 10m JT65 QSOs, I shall be sending "B G3XBM JO02".

The last time I went on 10m JT65 there were more people active than on WSPR but far fewer G spots than I got on 6m JT65. At least on 10m I am more likely to catch the fleeting F2 openings.

6m JT65 today

Although there is some Es about my best report today on 6m is EI7IX (678km) in the west of Eire. This is probably Es but it could be aircraft reflection.

Sunspots and 10m - Mon August 15th 2016

Solar flux is 87 today. Sunspot number is 61 (K=2) and the forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

As yet I have received no 6m JT65 Es spots but plenty from other G stations. I have spotted one IT9 by Es on 6m JT65. On 10m I see there is Es about but WSPRnet is very flaky yet again taking ages to load. Clearly this database needs help. I shall soon be moving to JT65 permanently on 10m in preference to WSPR.

Railways in Burwell - NOT amateur radio

Our local village museum has an exhibition about railways in and around Burwell. Passenger traffic ended in the early 1960s but freight traffic limped on for a few more years. They also had a video of the branch line to Mildenhall from Cambridge. If local, worth a visit.

6m JT65 and 10m JT65

Although I have spotted Asian stations at great range on 6m JT65 this summer,  I have failed to spot, or be spotted, by any North Americans on 6m. I shall stay on 6m JT65 for now, but may well move to 10m JT65 more. The trouble is I just know that there will be a huge 6m opening to the USA the moment I QSY! Sod's Law. Still I have been active on 6m JT65 most of the Es season, so it will soon be time to move.

I shall soon return to 630m (472kHz) WSPR.  Maybe I should try JT65 on MF?

6m  JT65 spots today

UPDATE 2015z: Today 6m has been more like 40m with plenty of Es right across Europe.

ISWL

For many years back in the 1960s I was an ISWL member. Years later I rejoined for a few years but left way before my stroke. I was saddened that no-one contacted me to persuade me to stay.  Although a friendly bunch, it was no longer for me.

At one time the ISWL had members from all over the world but when I left it was a shadow of its old self with not many members. I contributed to their magazine Monitor most months, but it had passed its "sell-by date". I am not sure how many members it now has but I'd be surprised if the number was much over 150.

See http://www.iswl.org.uk/ .

This is a warning to us all. As radio amateurs (on average) get older we can expect several magazines to go. 20 years from now we might lose pages (or worse) in SPRAT, QST, and RadCom amongst others. Some well known advertisers/dealers may go out of business, there will be less revenue from adverts and a dwindling market for new products. I have said this before, but I fear for the future of our hobby unless we can attract and keep a younger generation.

Old Shack

Old shack in 2009

Facebook throws up memories and today was no exception with a photo of my shack in the old house 7 years ago. In those days I had to share a bedroom, but nowadays I have a dedicated shack. I appreciate this.

Several rigs and the PC have changed.

The UK Pound - NOT amateur radio

At the moment, the UK pound seems to have stabilised since we voted to leave the EU. The value (about 10% lower) should work in favour of exporters, although less so if their raw materials are imported.

Imports become more expensive. Does this mean we will buy more UK food like UK bacon? Much of our food is imported. We could eat more UK grown food and this would help our balance of payments.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/market_data/currency/default.stm .

Slowly declining solar activity

Sunspot numbers (smoothed) are now about a third of their value at the last peak. Slowly, but surely, the solar activity is falling away. It will be some years to the next minimum (2019/2020?) and the next peak is expected to be poor or even non-existent. We wait and see.

Certainly the lower bands will become more important, although there is still propagation on the higher bands despite people going down the bands. I advocate WSPR or JT modes when the higher HF bands are quieter.

In years gone by I was surprised how useful 10m was with 10W SSB inter-G. In RSGB 10m contests at night I could always work stations on the south coast and Yorkshire despite just using a dipole. WSPR or JT modes should be far better.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

6m JT65 and 10m WSPR

Well, it is now 1045z and I am still unable to access the WSPRnet database, so I have no idea what is happening on 10m WSPR.  Meanwhile, 6m JT65 continues apace with lots of spots from the UK and lots of Es from across Europe. I like JT65 but am disappointed with WSPRnet as every few weeks it just falls over.

The times I have tried JT65 on 10m I have reached South America every evening. Although it is not quite as good theoretically as WSPR, the higher levels of activity seems to more than make up for this. To be honest, I get better results with JT65 than WSPR.

UPDATE 1302z:  WSPRnet is still unavailable. This is hopeless.

UPDATE 1954z: WSPRnet came back briefly, but when I last looked it was still down.

HF digital audio and video

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEO9qcg3eyk

Southgate News reports on HF DV with video. Impressive.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday August 14th 2016

Solar flux is 89 today (not too bad) and sunspot number a respectable 73. K=1. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

Although there is Es around early on 6m I have been unable to access the WSPRnet database to check on 10m WSPR. This database does seem prone to failure frequently. Like many who use it, I have offered some small financial help as it is run for free and needs some professional help I think. In contrast, PSKreporter has never failed in all the time I have used it. WSPRnet is so useful and I just wish the owner would get help. Without it WSPR is no good, in my view.

QRP and QRP Club

Another newsletter from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

QRP Rendez-Vous weekly report (August 8 to 14, 2016)
Visitors  of  the  week:  US5ERQ, HB9WG, UA1ASB, US3EN, DK3WX, DF9QV, UR5EFD, UA1CEG, OH6NPV, UR0ET, UA1ADF, SM2FIJ, UR7VT, HB9DAX, OK1FAO, IZ5GHG,  G4SSH,  Z35M/m,  F6ACV/p,  PD7CJT,  4O3RAB,  UY0IF,  RU3NJC, RA1M/mm, OE5HIL, DJ2MX/p, R2FAE, ON6KZ, F6FAI, R4NX, UA1CEX, UA4NU
op. Oleg R4NX became Honor Frequenter of the "rendezvous? round tables
See full Visitors and Frequenters lists on the Club 72 page -
www.club72.su
All weekly reports and Club 72 news on the blog page -
http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/
Thanks all for activity and comments!

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"

Plymouth Argyle - NOT amateur radio

As football goes you could not wish a worse start. Plymouth Argyle were in serious promotion contention last season but this season they have lost their first 2 games and they are the lowest placed professional team in the entire football league. A lot can, and must, happen if they are not to be out of the league next season. What usually happens is they start by sacking the manager. I certainly hope they have a major turn-around. It is early days.

Plymouth Argyle used to be my nearest club. Although not a football fan, I always look to see how they are doing.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/plymouth-argyle .

WSJT-X v1.7

There is a new version of WSJT-X available in pre-release. Quite a few stations are using it. It was announced on a Yahoo group a few days ago. I am still using V1.6, but may upgrade and give it a try. WSJT-X brings together WSPR with JT modes. V1.7 I believe is better still and adds some more modes I think.

10m WSPR - same old, same old?

There is a difference between 6m JT65 and 10m WSPR. On 10m WSPR I am often spotted by the same stations over and over again. On 6m JT65 there seems more activity and a greater variety of stations.

It is a pity there are not more users of WSPR on 10m. I guess people want it easy so go to lower bands when things get tougher? On 6m JT65, I expect activity will drop after the end of the Es season which is a pity.

WSPR and JT65 are good modes when conditions are marginal or variable as all stations are in a small part of the band and the station can run in the background. With JT65 you can have real 2-way QSOs too.