Outside St Johns - NOT amateur radio

If I have already posted this, please accept my apologies.

This picture shows 2 of our grandchildren last week outside of St John's College in Cambridge. The "Bridge of Sighs", which is world-famous, is to the right just out of shot. There is also a "Bridge of Sighs" in Venice.

EME - moonbounce

VE7SL has been busy again with moonbounce using 140W on 2m with JT65. Steve has a modest station and yet again shows that moonbounce, which used to be for a very few, is now possible for more stations.

It still needs careful optimisation and is never easy. Certainly it still remains beyond me. All credit to Steve.

6m MSK144 RX again

Since breakfast, I have been on 6m MSK144 RX again. So far, 9 stations spotted in 7 countries. Best DX is IS0BSR (1603km).

UPDATE 1006z: S51AT (1250km) brings the total today so far to 10 stations in 8 countries spotted on 6m MSK144 RX.

Sunspots and 10m - Tuesday April 11th 2017

Solar flux is 73 today. Sunspot number is 13.  A=5 and K=2.

Islay, Scotland activation

Southgate News reported that GS3PYE/P, the Camb-Hams group, is again off to Scotland May 6-12.

137kHz transverter

Click circuit to enlarge

It is some time since I tried 137kHz. In fact, I have not tried this band at this QTH. The last time I used this band was at the QTH we moved from in summer 2013, shortly before my stroke. I need to try this band from this QTH.

If you are starting up on the band you may want to look at my TX transverter. With my 20m spaced earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground this was regularly copied by G8HUH some 250km away on WSPR. The ERP with this "antenna" is only about 30uW.  Sadly, the FT817 is deaf at 137kHz.

As you will see, it is very similar to my 472kHz design although this is a transmit only design. It is designed to be used with the FT817 at 500mW.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/137khz_tvrtr .

Repairs! - NOT amateur radio

With springtime comes lawn cutting and hedge cutting. Although the lawnmower was fine, the cordless hedgecutter seems to have seized blades. Sadly the blades did not respond to WD40, so I shall have to try to separate the blades and clean them. Unfortunately the screws used have non-standard heads and I shall have to see if my neighbour has the right sort. I thought they were Allen keys but they are the sort of head you find a lot these days in things they would rather you replaced. I shall have a go at mending. You can buy these screwdrivers, so I may invest in some.

QSYed to 10m JT65 transceive

In the last few minutes I have moved from 6m MSK144 RX to 10m JT65 (2W) transceive.

It remains to be seen whether I spot anyone or anyone spots me. Conditions may allow some N-S DX as long as there is activity!

UPDATE 1635z:  Still no 10m JT65 spots.

UPDATE 1930z: With no 10m JT65 spots I have now gone QRT.

70cm UKAC tomorrow evening

Tomorrow evening is the next 70cm leg of the RSGB's activity contest. Although we have visitors, I can only run 5W, and have no suitable 70cm antenna, I hope to come on briefly.

See http://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/contest_rules.pl?contest=70cmsukac

Dandelions - NOT amateur radio

Although officially a "weed", dandelions and daisies are everywhere now. These signal spring and that we are no longer in winter. To me, they are cheerful flowers.

Sunspots and 10m - Monday April 10th 2017

Solar flux is 73 today. Sunspot number is 13.  A=18 and K=1.

QRP and QRP Club

More from Oleg:

Dear Club 72 members and friends,

Weekly QRP Rendez-Vous Report (April, 9, 2017)
Visitors  of  the week: UA1ADF, US3EN, UR5IFM, RA7RA, RX3DIT, US5ERQ,
OH6NPV,  UR0ET,  IK2RGV,  F6EAH, DK1HW, UA0SBQ, RU3NJC, HB9DAX, R1OA,
UR7VT,  DF2SJ,  SV8CYR, ON4AEF, OF5LP, UR5EFD, UA1CEG/p, LZ2JB, R6FQ,
IK3EDT,  ON6KZ,  SM5ABM,  G3JFS,  R1CAN,  R2FAE, UY1IF, RV3UF, OM6TC,
SV2BBK, RA1M/mm, US7IB
New Visitors:
F6EAH, SV8CYR, ON4AEF, IK3EDT, SM5ABM, G3JFS - you are welcome!
See full Frequenters and Visitors lists on the Club 72 web page.
Some comments...
see full WQR Report on the blog page -http://qrp-club72.blogspot.ru/

Thanks all QRPers for activity and reports.
See you on next "rendezvous".

72! Oleg RV3GM / KH6OB "Mr. 72"


This is a periodic Newsletter of the Club 72. Don't reply to Newsletter address! Send any requests or news to mr72@club72.su please.

New country on 6m MSK144 and new DX record

IS0AWZ (1596km) was spotted on 6m MSK144 RX this morning. This yet another new country and a new DX record on this band/mode I think. So far 6 stations in 4 countries on 6m MSK144 RX today.

UPDATE 0900z:  8 stations in 5 countries so far spotted on 6m MSK144 RX this morning.

UPDATE 1345z: 12 stations in 7 countries so far today on 6m MSK144 RX.

Warmest place in the UK on Sunday - NOT amateur radio

Well, apparently Cambridge was the warmest place in the UK yesterday. Temperatures exceeded 25 dec C. Today it is still bright and sunny but much cooler.

Enjoying the sun - NOT amateur radio

We have had a decent few days with a high pressure system overhead. Today, temperatures reached 23- 24 deg C. Tomorrow it is likely to be much cooler and duller. We ate lunch in the garden for a change.

This blackbird was obviously enjoying the good weather. It stayed in this position for quite a while.

Sunspots and 10m - Sunday April 9th 2017

Solar flux is 73 today, but the sunspot number is zero again. A=16 and K=4.

WISPY WSPR beacon

Some time before my stroke in 2013, I designed a simple WSPR beacon for 10m that used low cost 14.060MHz QRP crystals doubled. These pulled up sufficiently.

This beacon was copied all across the globe. It uses a DSB transmitter, so the power goes out on two frequencies so the power in the WSPR slot is half. With the Es season approaching you may like to build it. 10m should be fun May-September in the Northern Hemisphere.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/wispytx

The PA could be replaced by paralleled 2N3904s instead of the 2N3866 to get more power for a few pence. 2N3904s are very very cheap. If you look at my Tenbox (also on my website) you will see the idea. Don't forget the emitter resistors so power is shared!

New country on 6m MKS144 RX

S59A (1287km) is a new country on 6m MSK144 RX. I have spotted most of Western and Northern Europe on this mode. I am still on this band/mode.

UPDATE 0944z: 6 stations in 3 countries spotted so far on 6m MSK144 (G,S59,HB9).

UPDATE 1325z: 11 stations in 5 countries on 6m MSK144 RX now.

UPDATE 1540z: 12 stations in 5 countries now.

What will solar cycle 25 be like?

The brief answer is no-one knows. Some have predicted a long period without sunspots but some have suggested the peak could be similar to cycle 24.

In truth, we'll have to wait and see. It seems probable we are unlikely to see the massive peaks that some of us remember. If we see a peak at all, it is likely to be a modest affair.

See http://www.solen.info/solar/.
See https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/12/21/solar-cycle-25-amplitude-prediction/
See http://spaceweather.com/ .

Sunspots and 10m - Saturday April 8th 2017

Solar flux is 66 today and sunspot number 27. A=10 and K=3.

UK Rally

APRIL 9th 2017 : NORTHERN AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETIES ASSOCIATION EXHIBITION (Blackpool Rally)

Norbreck Castle Exhibition Centre, Blackpool FY2 9AA. There is car parking at the venue and a talk in station will be in operation. There will be trade stands, a Bring & Buy, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Doors open 10.30 with disabled visitors gaining access 15 minutes earlier. Dave, M0OBW 01270 761 608 dwilson@btinternet.com (www.narsa.org.uk).

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

Ham Radio Horizons

According to Southgate News,  this magazine is now available online.

See https://archive.org/details/hamradiohorizons

Back on 6m MSK144 RX

Since just before breakfast I have been in 6m MSK144 RX. So far, 6 stations in 4 countries spotted with the  best DX SM0NKZ (1404km) in Sweden.

UPDATE 0938z:  Now 7 stations in 4 countries on 6m MSK144 today so far today.

UPDATE 1240z: Now 19 stations in 11 countries today on 6m MSK144 RX. Best DX is EA5WU (1423km).


UPDATE 1852z: Now 22 stations in 12 countries.

Marsh Harriers and Bittern - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon we drove to Lakenheath Fen. This is 21.6 to 23.6 miles from here depending on the route.

We saw 3 marsh harriers and heard a bittern boom. There are lots of chiffchaffs around now. Sadly, no cranes.

There was a glossy ibis there which we also did not see. On the North Norfolk coast my son with his family saw some seals up close and his first swallow of the year.

Sunspots and 10m - Friday April 7th 2017

Solar flux is 85 today and the sunspot number 38. A=7 and K=2. What will 10m bring today?

Swallows return

Today we spotted our first swallow (bird) this year flying N-S over the allotments behind Burwell Museum at breakfast time this morning. In a few weeks they will be common!

April 7th is one of the earliest times I have seen these up here, although there have been reports in Devon a few weeks ago. There were days when I thought I would never live to see this day. The cycle of life goes on.

See https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/bird-and-wildlife-guides/bird-a-z/s/swallow/

10m JT65 again

G4KPX (14km) spotted me earlier this morning. I shall be sticking with 10m JT65 most of today again, although I am unsure of HF conditions. 10m has been quite good of late.

UPDATE 2200z: G6SSN (75km) spotted me on 10m JT65 and called me this afternoon, although I was beaconing at the time.

Alien planet with atmosphere - NOT amateur radio

The BBC reports they have detected a planet in a distant solar system that has an atmosphere. With a surface temperature of 370 deg C it is unlikely to support life as we know it.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39521344

Cambridge Concert - NOT amateur radio

My wife's concert is coming up.

Cambridge Grand Arcade - NOT amateur radio

A few days ago we walked through the Grand Arcade in central Cambridge, UK. This is a covered pedestrian area, so ideal for wet weather shopping. As usual, there are plenty of stores which you find in most big cities and very few independent shops. Probably the business rates are too high?

Return to 10m JT65 (2W)11448km

Quite late this morning, I returned to 10m JT65 transceive running 2W. As yet no spots.

UPDATE 1400z:  Still no 10m spots today so far.

UPDATE 1530z: Still no 10m JT65 spots here today. The rig and PC will be on for several hours yet.

UPDATE 2114z: G0LRD (25km) is my best TX DX today. LU1ECO (11448km) was the most distant station on RX.

Sunspots and 10m - Thursday April 6th 2017

Solar flux is 83 today and the sunspot number is 37. A=10 and K=1. Yesterday was good on 10m JT65 with my 2W spotted in Brazil for the first time this year.

Eating out - NOT amateur radio

Most of the last week we have had the "London" grandchildren staying. A few days ago we went to Cambridge and ate out at a small independent café called Le Patissier which is opposite St John's College. The food was good, prices reasonable and staff friendly and this is the fourth time I have eaten there.

New amateur record at 970Hz

From Stefan DK7FC:

"Hi ULF friends,

Saturday night i build an active E field receiver optimised for ULF. It is using a BF862 front-end as a source follower and a LT1028 with 20 dB gain. There are 3 RC filter stages cutting off at 10 kHz. Furthermore there are two isolation transformers in series, 4:1=>1:10. In the center they are parallel resonated. This gives a further good low pass filtering and some additional gain below 3 kHz. It was a quick construction without thinking to much, soldered at night, 02 AM local time. The antenna probe is a 1m long steel rod (for welding) with 2 mm diameter. The antenna height above ground was just 2m. There were no trees in a radius of 20 m.

For transmitting i'm again using the modified 5 kV mains transformer. At 970 Hz, the antenna impedance is 342 kOhm! So i can just run 15 mA antenna current which means 3 nW ERP. The new ALC build inside SpecLab holds the 15 mA accurately and protects the transformer that way! SpecLab is a very well usable tool for transmitting on VLF/ULF, thanks to DL4YHF!!
The transmit frequency was 970.005 Hz.

I didn't expect much, thought that this distance may be to optimistic. The last signals were very weak on my tree grabber in 3.5 km distance. But that tree grabber is using loop antennas and they are not sensitive in that frequency range. So there was a certain chance to see a trace, maybe in 212 uHz???
I drove to JN49JL00EB and built up the receiver there because it is a quiet location, a nice region for a walk and, there is a good restaurant not to far!!!!!! So it was easy to spend some time there and let the Raspi (using a GPS module on the right soundcard channel, with PPS+NMEA) record for nearly 3 hours at 24 kS/s.
This is the path between TX and RX: http://no.nonsense.ee/qth/map.html?qth=JN49JL00EB&from=jn49ik00wd  A distance of 7.2 km, or 0.023 wavelengths or 14% of the distance to the far field border. So it is still a near field experiment.
It is about twice the distance i've managed in the last test.

Now i'm back in the shack, analysing the recording and to my surprise i can see a strong trace of 30 dB SNR in 424 uHz!!! See attachments in 424 uHz and 3.8 mHz.

All this makes me much more optimistic to reach farer distances. I tell you i will crack the far field border on that 309 km band! That would be a distance of 49.3 km.

There must have been some local thunderstorms not to far away, because there was QRN in the observed spectrum. So the SNR can be improved a bit by doing the next test in the late morning hours. Also the resonance of the transformers seem to be a bit to low, so maybe i can reach a bit more sensitivity when optimising that resonance. It could further help to rise the effective height of the antenna. Flat fields rather than the deep forest is the region to select now....

73, Stefan"

OFCOM and mobile repeaters

OFCOM is consulting on mobile repeaters.

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/26E022FC8AA20F74/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

Tawny mining bee - NOT amateur radio

For several days now, I have seen little mounds of soil with a hole in the middle in my grass. For a while I thought this was ants then I saw a bee. Further research has pointed me to Tawny Mining Bees. These are solitary bees that don't live together. They are small bees with ginger hairs.

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

10m JT65

Although no spots seen as yet, I have been on 10m JT65 today. We are nearing the start of the Es season which should see 10m and 6m open to lots of Europe from the UK even with QRP SSB.

UPDATE 1920z:  No spots all day, at least not showing on PSK reporter maps. Still running overnight, so might catch some aircraft reflections later?

UPDATE 2032z: PY2RSA (9473km) spotted me on 10m JT65 not too long ago. Not shown on PSK reporter maps was a spot of an N0. This may have been because I lost internet connectivity for a period. I have since gone QRT.

Sunspots and 10m - Wednesday April 5th 2017

Solar flux is 93 today and sunspot number 75. A=20 and K=2.

OFCOM Update

Every month, OFCOM produces a "Communications Update". This is the latest version.

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/8EAFA4273AD97B72/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

St Johns, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

The colleges at Cambridge University are always worth a visit, but they look so good in spring. This was the view of St Johns this afternoon. We just missed the rain.