They're back - NOT amateur radio

Most of my blogs have seen visits way up today. I am sure these are not people with a sudden all absorbing interest in the things I write about. Whatever, I hope they enjoy their visits and then head off to somewhere else. Most probably bots doing a regular trawl for vulnerable sites.

So far, I have had no problems, but if this or my other blogs disappear or suddenly behave oddly you will know why.

10m FT8 RX

Today, this should be quite good for this part of the solar cycle, but a lot will depend on 10m activity. So far, I have been active for about 30 minutes and spotted nothing at all.

UPDATE 1425z: Just a couple of Gs spotted so far today. Very disappointing.

UPDATE 1634z: Now 5 G stations and nothing else today.

Stock market jitters? - NOT amateur radio

Stock markets around the world seem to want to tumble.

This may be a correction (and relatively short lived) or the start of a prolonged downturn with interest rates rising after a very long period of historic lows.

Some of our children have no idea of the sorts of interest rates we paid on our mortgages. At one time (1992?) UK interest rates reached 15%. Today, it is borrow, borrow, borrow as money is cheap. These days may be ending.

Overnight on 472kHz WSPR RX

Last night, 20 unique stations spotted. This is quite a good number.  Again, all were EU stations with none from the USA.

Sunspots - Sunday February 11th 2018

Solar flux is 78 today and the sunspot number a respectable 35. A=6 and K=0.

472kHz WSPR RX

After a really disappointing day on 10m FT8 RX, I have returned to 630m WSPR RX. Already 8 unique stations spotted with best DX EA5DOM (1525km). I am still using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

UPDATE 2010z: Now 12 unique stations so far spotted this evening.

UPDATE 2306z: Now 18 uniques this evening.

The "real" FT818 FCC type approval

It appears the FT817nd replacement (the FT818) has been granted FCC approval. Details are sketchy and all my information so far is second-hand. It would be good to see information on the Yaesu site. Expect heavy discounting of the FT817nd to clear shelves in readiness for the FT818.

See http://radioaficion.com/news/yaesu-ft-818/

No mention of it on the Yaesu (Japan) site http://www.yaesu.com/jp/en/products/index.html#

10m FT8 RX

Have been on 10m FT8 RX for about an hour. DO1MBV (721km) is the only station spotted so far.

UPDATE 1750z: No further 10m FT8 spots here today. Soon be time to QSY to 630m WSPR RX. I'll wait until after tea time.

Freesias - NOT amateur radio

Freesias, with their fantastic scent, brighten up dull winter days. Even with the remnants of my cold, I can still smell these.

472kHz WSPR RX overnight

With 20 unique stations spotted overnight (all EU) on the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground, this was a pretty decent evening and overnight session. I shall probably try again tonight.

Despite the wide spread of EU stations, I have yet to spot any USA stations on the earth-electrode "antenna" on this band. This surprises me as the earth-electrode "antenna" seems to out-perform my compromise Marconi.

Next season, I shall definitely be trying an E-field probe on MF and LF receive.

Micro sized UHF transceiver

If you are after a truly miniature transceiver maybe this will fit the bill? It is also sold via Amazon, but when I looked it said "currently unavailable".

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2017-New-Mini-Transceiver-ANYSECU-KBL-A8-Two-way-radio-Walkie-talkie-Red-Color-UHF-400/1759260_32837238033.html

See also
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/2Pcs-LEIXEN-VV-109-UHF-400-480MHz-USB-MINI-Radio-Transceiver-Small-Sized-Useful/282834195560?_trkparms=ao%3D1%26asc%3D20170803111724%26meid%3Dba290b48893244f89e6d4044f1ab657b%26pid%3D100508%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D282834195560&_trksid=p2045573.c100508.m3226

Sunspots - Saturday February 10th 2018

Solar flux is 77. Sunspot number is 23. A=5 and K=2. This is the highest flux and sunspot numbers for some time and bucks the trend towards the next minimum.

Return to 472kHz WSPR RX

After a break, I returned to 472kHz WSPR RX at about 1950z. Quite a few spots already including some stations I have not seen before this season. As before, I am still using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. There would seem to be far more stations on MF WSPR than on LF WSPR.

UPDATE 2020z: So far, 11 unique stations spotted.

UPDATE 2310z:  For a while I have the shack PC on charge, so I can go on 472kHz WSPR RX overnight with a low noise floor. I'll put the shack PC back on battery power for the overnight period.

Fewer rallies?

On Southgate News I read about there being just one Kempton rally this year rather than two.

The organisers mention several reasons, but our hobby is going to change as people die and fewer young people enter the hobby. At one time, it was a chance to see, maybe buy, a glossy new radio. These days many do this online, checking reviews and downloading brochures.

I have cautioned before, but I think we'll see fewer new radios, fewer magazines and less activity in the next 10-20 years. As I have said before, I hope I am proved very wrong.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/february/kempton-rally.htm#.Wn3I70x2vIU

A REAL FT818???

It seems there may be a real FT818 coming to replace the FT817.

I have no facts, so this could all be wrong. From what this hints at, I am underwhelmed. The replacement should have been launched in 2013 (latest) and not on the way down to the biggest lull in solar activity in a very long time. Any replacement will have to have some real killer features.

Unless this is a real success, I could see Yaesu go out of business. As a Yaesu fan since the 1970s I hope I'm wrong. In recent years though they have been timid followers rather than leaders in my view. Others may see things differently, but look at the FT991A, hastily launched to try to win business back from the ICOM IC7300.

See http://qrpblog.com/2018/02/yaesu-ft-818-details-leaked-ft-817nd-replacement/

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.

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 .

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 .

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.

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 .