9 Feb 2018

10m FT8

After a disappointing evening on 136kHz with just G3XDV (61km) spotted on OPERA and nobody on WSPR, I have QSYed to 10m FT8 RX.

No spots as yet, although I only turned the rig and PC on about 10 minutes ago.

UPDATE 1027z:  F5RD (681km) spotted.

UPDATE 1247z: A couple of Gs to the west of London spotted, probably off the aircraft stack for London Heathrow?

UPDATE 1645z: No further spots since this morning on 10m FT8 here. With promising solar numbers (relatively!) I was hoping for better. I'll give it an hour or so then probably QSY to 472kHz WSPR RX.

UPDATE 2030z: Doh! Since before teatime I was trying to receive 10m FT8 with the RX off! Stupid boy! I turned off the PSU when I was soldering wires to my 472kHz preamp and forgot to turn it back on again. I feel so stupid.

Amaryllis one year on - NOT amateur radio

We have several amaryllis plants this year including this one which was very successful last winter. Over the summer we did all the right things, but since October it refused to grow and just froze. My wife put it in the garden expecting it to rot and die.

I noticed a few weeks ago that it was still going, so I replanted it and brought it back inside again. Since then it has started to grow again, although we'll have to wait and see. It would be great if it took off and flowered.

Sunspots - Friday February 9th 2018

Solar flux is 78 today and the sunspot number 22. A=4 and K=1.

8 Feb 2018

136kHz RX

As 10m and 6m were quiet, I have QSYed to 136kHz RX on WSPR and OPERA.

10m WSPR TX beacon now ON

The 10m 500mW WSPR beacon has now been turned on. This is on TX 100%, but the frequency is randomised. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1655z: No spots.

UPDATE 1835z: Still no spots, so QSYed to 136kHz RX.

6m MSK144 RX and 10m WSPR TX

Although I am on 6m MSK144 RX, I may well turn on the 10m WSPR TX beacon as conditions look quite promising. I can do this as I use a different antenna and the beacon does not need a PC.

UPDATE 1354z: No spots.

UPDATE 1650z: GM4FVM (428km) spotted very strongly (+10dB S/N) earlier this afternoon.

Sunspots - Thursday February 7th 2018

Solar flux is 77 today. Sunspot number is 20. A=4 and K=1. This is the highest sunspot number for some time.

Sydney Sussex Collee, Cambridge - NOT amateur radio

This is another view of Sydney Sussex college in Cambridge. I pass this every Tuesday and Wednesday. Cambridge is filled with ancient and beautiful buildings.

Commradio CTX-10 transceiver

Although shortly to be available in the USA, I am not sure if this will be available in Europe which needs CE approval. It is a very small 10W QRP radio that can be set at 1, 5 and 10W. In the USA it will sell for $999.

The CR1a receiver has been available for some time. There are quite a few YouTube videos of this.

See https://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/6010.html .

7 Feb 2018

136kHz WSPR RX and OPERA RX

At about 1920z I QSYed to 136kHz RX from 50.280MHz (6m) MSK144 RX.  As yet, no spots.

6m MSK144

Yet again, I am monitoring 6m MSK144 on 50.280MHz. Most days this produces spots from several European countries. The main propagation at this time of year is random meteor trail reflections. Signals are brief, but often strong.

UPDATE 0904z: No spots as yet.

UPDATE 1410z: S59SV (1280km) in Slovenia spotted strongly this lunchtime.

UPDATE 1615z: GM4FVM (428km) spotted strongly this afternoon.

UPDATE 1702z: No further 6m MSK144 spots since the GM.

Sunspots - Wednesday February 7th 2018

Solar flux is 75 today. Sunspot number is 17. A=5 and K=1.

Low cost advertising - NOT amateur radio

My wife reminds me that it is possible to advertise in the programme for the upcoming Cambridgeshire Choral Society (CCS) concert in early April. This programme is widely seen and rates are very reasonable indeed. £50 for a full page. £25 for half page. The booklet is A5.

Should you wish to advertise please contact me in the first instance. More details are on the CCS website. This is your chance to reach many for very little.

See www.cambschoral.org.uk .

Optical Communications

One of my favourite things before my 2013 stroke was experimenting with optical communications. I had some success with "over the horizon" weak signals.  No sign of the red light was visible, yet it could be detected miles away non line of sight (NLOS) with a laptop. These days I am just too wobbly to do this.

As I have said before, test gear is easier than microwaves and all the kit can be made in a shed for very little money. This is an area rich for experiments and right at the frontiers.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/optical .

6 Feb 2018

Watch Falcon Heavy lift-off live - NOT amateur radio

I gather this has been delayed a bit. Not sure why this was. At some date this could take people to Mars. Chances of a successful launch are not brilliant, although I hope it works.

You can watch the launch live at  https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/06/spacex-falcon-heavy-launch-livestream/

UPDATE 2128z: Well, it looks like a successful launch.

2m UKAC tonight

Being the first Tuesday of the month, tonight is the 2m leg of the UKAC activity contest organised by the RSGB.

"This contest takes place on Tue 6-Feb-2018 20:00 UTC
The rules for the contest can be found here
You canlist/edit your contest alerts here

Regards, 
RSGB CC"


UPDATE 2120z: 5 QSOs before I stopped with 5W and my big wheel. If I had stayed longer, I would have worked far more.

OFCOM - Communications Monthly Jan 2018

More not to be missed stuff from OFCOM.

See http://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/ViewEmail/i/3D9001E53370CA822540EF23F30FEDED/59D1BD3EA2F08127C67FD2F38AC4859C

Frasier - NOT amateur radio

Very few USA TV shows appeal to me. Exceptions were "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men" which both my wife and I got addicted to, goodness knows why as they are a million miles from our life styles.

Another show we much enjoyed was "Frasier" and I see today that the British born actor who played dad has died. This was US TV at its very best. RIP John - you made many of us laugh.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-42953979 .

136kHz last night

There is no doubt that I have to improve my RX system on LF and MF.

Last night I spotted the same few stations on 136kHz WSPR and OPERA, giving reports way down on others spotting the same stations.

Next season I shall definitely have to try a mini-whip E-field probe which, although tiny, work really well on 136kHz and 472kHz RX as long as they are positioned to minimise noise pick-up. Usually this means as far away as possible from houses and in the clear. I know I can do better.

Up to now, I have just been using my earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. It works, but is directional and probably 10-20dB down on an optimised E-field probe.

Cambridge punts - NOT amateur radio

Around the centre of Cambridge you will find hawkers trying to get you to sign up to go on punts. Little do they realise I have lived hereabouts for almost 50 years!  At this time of year, especially if it is cold and wet, this must be a thankless job. We have few visitors at this time of year, whereas it gets very busy in the summer.

This is a view of Scudamore's punts, mostly empty. Then it is early February.

Just over the bridge on the right is Magdalene College and the Pepys Library, which houses his entire library.

Sunspots - Tuesday February 6th 2018

Solar flux is 74 today and the sunspot number is 13. A=8 and K=1.

10m FT8

Today I am monitoring 10m FT8. As yet, no spots.

UPDATE 1655z:  Still no spots here. This has been a bad day! Time to QSY to LF.

5 Feb 2018

Now on 136kHz RX

For about 45 minutes now I have been on 136kHz WSPR RX and 136kHz OPERA RX. G4FTC (123km) has just started to be spotted on WSPR. I have to check OPERA on a different machine.

UPDATE 2222z: I am about to switch everything off. Best DX on 136kHz WSPR was G8HUH (250km). No new stations spotted this evening.

UPDATE 2247z: Now QRT.

Chrome Browser?

According to my statistics, 92% of my visitors to this blog use the Chrome browser. I find this hard to believe. I wonder what you use? Maybe this is what today's hackers are using.   Blog visits are already 5 times normal!

Bouvet Island DXpedition off

3Y0Z was to have been a DXpedition to the sub-Antarctic island of Bouvet. Because of technical problems the DXpedition has had to be abandoned. The team hope to return at some point. Weather has been appalling.

See http://www.arrl.org/news/3y0z-bouvet-island-dxpedition-aborted-over-safety-concerns .

Hacker will not be sent to the USA - NOT amateur radio

A computer hacker who could have received a 99 year prison sentence in the USA will not be extradited says a UK appeal court. He had Asperger's Syndrome and suffers a depressive condition allegedly. He may still face a UK prison sentence, but personally I think this is a fair and just decision.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-42946540 .

Posh houses - NOT amateur radio

As I have mentioned before, every spare piece of land in our village is used for "executive" houses. Basically this means the developers trying to fit in as many posh houses as they can so they can maximise profits from hi-tech workers in nearby Cambridge.  One example is the Crown pub and its grounds. By the summer this will be the site of posh houses. 

6m MSK144 RX

As yesterday, I decided to go on 6m MSK144 on 50.280MHz. As yet, no spots.

UPDATE 1500z: No spots today yet. Bad day.

UPDATE 1545z: Just G1PPA (144km) spotted.

UPDATE 1627z: No further spots so I shall probably QSY to 136kHz shortly.

136kHz RX yesterday evening

Yesterday evening I was on 136kHz RX again. On WSPR RX  2E0ILY, G4FTC and G8HUH (250km) were spotted. On OPERA RX the only station spotted was G3XDV (61km).

Sunspots - Monday February 5th 2018

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot 11. A=3 and K=2.

4 Feb 2018

Return to 136kHz RX

About an hour ago, I QSYed to 136kHz RX. Both WSPR and OPERA are being monitored. As yet, no spots on WSPR. I need to look on a different PC to check OPERA.

UPDATE 1936z: So far G4FTC (123km) spotted on WSPR and G3XDV (61km) spotted on OPERA.

Painted Pebbles - NOT amateur radio

This seems to be all the rage right now. People hide painted rocks around the village which people (mainly youngsters) hunt and photograph. They then re-hide the stones somewhere else. So far I have seen one which my wife and I re-hid. Photos are posted on Facebook. Innocent fun.

How time flies - Philips Velo

Back in the late 1990s I had a Philips Velo handheld that connected (via a wire) to the internet. I think it was at 14.4k.
These days, many people have speeds of hundreds of MB over their tiny phones. I cannot remember what happened to this Philips device. At the time, it was "state of the art". How far we have come in under 20 years. What will the next 20 years bring?  Remember Windows CE?

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

Leather seats - NOT amateur radio

A trick I found several years ago was to use shoe polish to restore worn patches in leather furniture. Unbeknown to me, my wife was taking a photo of me through the window!

6m MSK144 RX

In times of poor solar conditions this rarely fails. At this time of year propagation is usually random MS or aircraft reflection.

Yesterday I spotted 5 unique stations in 3 countries. I decided to go on 6m MSK144 RX again today monitoring 50.280MHz.

My 6m antenna is just my triband vertical omni fed with poor coax.

No spots yet, although I've only been on for about 15 minutes so far.

UPDATE 1046z:  S59SV (1278km) in Slovenia spotted strongly - random MS?

UPDATE 1228z: Now IK4ISR (1170km) spotted as well as G0GGG (211km).
UPDATE 1607z: G1PPA (145km) spotted on 6m MSK144.

UPDATE 1732z: No further spots. After about 30 minutes I shall QSY to 136kHz WSPR RX and 136kHz OPERA RX.

Cambridge Concert - NOT amateur radio

Don't forget the CCS concert in April in Cambridge. Details on the website at www.cambschoral.org.uk .

136kHz RX last evening

As is my norm, I QSYed from 6m (sometimes 10m) to LF (sometimes MF). The shack PC was on battery power to keep the SMPSU noise to a minimum. I did not stay on overnight instead I was monitoring OPERA and WSPR RX during the evening hours. Best DX spotted on WSPR was 2E0ILY (209km) and G3XDV (61km) on OPERA.

Soccer - NOT amateur radio

Although not a great fan (it is years since I last went to a game), it is heartening to see my old local team (Plymouth Argyle) climb and climb. Not long ago they were firmly on the bottom of their table, but with a good win yesterday over the team 2nd in the league, they are now 11th. At this rate, they could even make the play-offs.

Sunspots - Sunday February 4th 2018

Solar flux is 70 and the sunspot number zero. A=3 and K=1.

3 Feb 2018

QSYed to LF RX

Rather early, I have QSYed to 136kHz WSPR RX and 136kHz OPERA RX. I hope I catch some stations this evening.

UPDATE 2055z:  G3XIZ, 2E0ILY and G4FTC spotted on 136kHz WSPR and G3XDV spotted on 136kHz OPERA. All these are using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground as the RX antenna.