Friedrichshafen, Germany

This big European rally is fast approaching. Outside of the USA, I think this is the biggest amateur radio showcase in the world. Dates are June 1st-3rd 2018. Like Dayton, this is a chance for the big players to showcase new radios.

Sunspots - Saturday May 26th 2018

Solar flux is 75 today and the sunspot number is 32. A=3 and K=1.

FT8 versus JT65

In the last few months the usage of FT8 is phenomenal. It uses about a third the bandwidth (about 50Hz) of JT65 and a much shorter TX period. In many ways it is an ideal QRP mode, especially in Es conditions.

I think FT8 is not as good as JT65 in terms of very weak signals, but I am no expert. So far, I have not spotted what I would call real DX on 6m, whereas last season I copied lots on 6m JT65. Now, this may be just conditions, so I need a few more months to decide.

It would be interesting to know how serious DXers find FT8. I only use a V2000 vertical, so others probably do better than me. As you know I'm a fair weather DXer. I do not chase DX, but I observe 6m FT8 most days.

FT8 is not a mode for chats. Without auto-sequencing enabled there is very little reaction time. It is a good mode for quick, formulaic exchanges.

See http://www.dx.nl/?p=860
This seems to show FT8 is some 6dB worse than JT65 on weak signals. Maybe this accounts for why I am spotting less real DX? Now, since then FT8 has been improved. Certainly, I shall stick with 6m FT8 this season to see what is spotted.

Our local museum - NOT amateur radio

This was our granddaughter at our local museum recently.

YouTube posts - NOT all amateur radio!

A reminder that not all videos on my YouTube channel are amateur radio related.

Hamnet growing

According to a report on Southgate News, the Hamnet amateur network, mostly in Germany, is growing.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/may/hamnet-amateur-radio-network-is-growing.htm#.WwggIvZFzIU

Old Cars - NOT amateur radio

Just over a week ago we attended a funeral in Nottingham and stayed in nearby Southwell.

The owners of these old cars were also staying in our hotel.

Lightning in Europe

At the moment, the lightning is in mainland Europe with nothing shown here in the UK on the lightning maps. I guess the storms over northern France could be an issue in southern counties of the UK later.  Definitely worth a look in a few hours time.

Another rally

27 MAY 2018 : DURHAM DISTRICT ARS RADIO RALLY

Bowburn Community Centre, Durham road, Bowburn , Co. Durham DH6 5AT. Doors open from 10.10am to 2.30pm with disabled visitors gaining access at 10am. Admittance is £2. There will be a Bring & Buy Sale, trade stands, special interest groups and an RSGB bookstall. Catering and licensed bar on site. Michael Wright , G7TWX, 07826 924 192, dadars@gmx.com.

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

10m WSPR TX

Although I have been on since before breakfast (500mW, randomised frequencies, 100% TX) no spots yet today on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1155z: CT2IWW (1383km) is the best DX spot of my little beacon so far today.

UPDATE 1246z:  Best DX spot now was from EA8BFK (2880km) in the Canary Is.

6m FT8 - very quiet so far

Although I have been on 6m FT8 since before breakfast, all is very quiet so far with just a couple of Gs spotted and no Es here yet. I did go on TX very early (just one spot with 2.5W to my V2000 vertical stick).

UPDATE 1327z: Plenty of spots now. Best DX on 6m FT8 RX today is D41CV (4518km) in the Cape Verde Is.

UPDATE 1640z: So far today, 30 different stations in 5 countries and 2 continents spotted on 6m FT8.

UPDATE 1950z: 43 different stations in 6 countries and 2 continents today on 6m FT8 RX.

Remarkable sunspots - Friday May 25th 2018

Solar flux is 73 and the sunspot number a remarkable 39 so late in the solar cycle, A=4 and K=2.

Rally (well actually a flea market)

26 MAY 2018 : RADARS FLEA MARKET INDOOR SALE

St Vincent de Paul's, Caldershaw Road, off Edenfield Road (A680), Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7QR. Doors open to the public at 10:30am with disabled visitors gaining access 15 minutes earlier. Admission is £2.50 with those under 12 years free. £5 per pitch (for traders with own tables) or £10 for a pitch with table provided. Bring & Buy as well as commercial traders and amateur radio sellers. Refreshments available including bacon and sausage butties. Robert, M0NVQ rally@radars.me.uk or m0nvq@outlook.com, 0777 811 3333.

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

Back on 6m FT8 RX

As the threat from storms is not a concern this evening, I have returned to 6m FT8 RX. There are lots of stations from Spain and Portugal. Best DX on 6m FT8 RX is EA8EE (3014km).

UPDATE 1856z: So far, 27 unique stations in 7 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 2014z: Not that many new stations and the storms could hit us overnight, so time to go QRT I think. Maybe on tomorrow, but this will depend how close the storms get.

Thunderstorm risk

As I was out for much of the day (see previous post) I turned off the rigs and disconnected things. After tea, I checked the lightning map and decided the storms were too far away to be a worry.

UPDATE 2125z: It looks like those thunderstorms are moving this way. At this rate, they will be hereabouts in the early hours. Rigs, PSU, PC and antennas are disconnected "just in case".

Best ever - NOT amateur radio

Today we visited a garden in north Norfolk. It was, without doubt, the best collection of azaleas and rhododendrons I have ever seen.

10m WSPR TX

After the very encouraging results yesterday, I am again on 10m WSPR (100% TX, randomised frequency, 500mW). I have been on since before breakfast, but no spots received as yet.

6m FT8

After a brief CQ call (2.5W) before breakfast (3 G spots) I have been RX ever since.  So far, 4 Gs spotted plus one Lithuanian which was my best DX - LY8O (1686km).

Sunspots (lots!) - Thursday May 24th 2018

Solar flux is 72 today and the sunspot number 30, which is the highest in a long while. A=9 and K=2.

Interesting blog

If you are like me, you are always keen to find interesting reading material on the net. Today, came across a blog I had not seen before. It is about interesting things, many of which I am sure readers will enjoy.

See http://tikalon.com/blog/blog.php .

6m FT8 RX

After a very brief CQ call before breakfast at 2.5W (yes, you guessed - a couple of Gs spotted me!) I have been of 6m FT8 RX since.

At the moment we seem to have Es to Iberia and North Africa. Best DX spot is 7X2TT (1766km).

UPDATE 1120z:  57 uniques in 7 countries so far on 6m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1312z: Best 6m FT8 RX DX today is currently S01WS (3043km).

UPDATE 1920z: I doubt much more will be spotted on 6m FT8 today. The map shows the spots so far today.

Early success on 10m WSPR TX today

Just before breakfast I turned on the 500mW 10m WSPR beacon and this has already been spotted by 5 different stations today. Best TX DX is EA1FAQ (1249km).

UPDATE 1123z: So far today, 6 unique spots in 4 countries of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon.

UPDATE 1317z: 147 spots today, so far, of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon. I guess most of these were Es. One report from Germany by DF4UE (758km) was +6dB S/N - i.e. remarkably strong.

UPDATE 1352z: Best spot of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon is by EA8BFK (2880km).

Unique spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon so far today.

UPDATE 1719z: 282 spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon today, with 15 unique stations.

UPDATE 1924z: 283 spots today of my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon. Still 15 uniques. Soon be time to go QRT.

Lupins - NOT amateur radio

We planted some lupins a few years ago. Last year they got nibbled by muntjac deer. They have just come out. I hope we have better luck this year!

Sunspots - Wednesday May 23rd 2018

Solar flux is 71 today and the sunspot number 12. A=6 and K=2.

"This will take a while"

They are not kidding!

After updating the shack PC this morning (90 minutes) I got a message this evening saying the main PC (Windows 10) had an important update. Nearly 2 hours later the update was complete.

Windows 10 worked fine before and, as far as I can tell, these darn updates are all to do with features I am not interested in.

Call me a cynic but just why are such changes necessary? Perhaps it is just another opportunity for Microsoft to keep an eye our every move? Maybe I am being unduly harsh, but if Windows 10 is so great just why do I have to watch paint dry for almost 2 hours as yet another update is done. This is a pretty new machine, so updates could take much longer on a older PC.

It is clear to me why some call Windows "Windoze".

Begonias - NOT amateur radio

In the warm May sunshine, we planted begonias this afternoon. These last all summer and need very little attention. They give lots of colour.

There are a few more to do tomorrow.

Last year my wife bought busy lizzies by mistake. They also looked good.

Unicorn-2A PocketQube satellite

Southgate News has a piece of a future small satellite from Scotland. It is due for launch Q3 this year.

See https://amsat-uk.org/2018/05/01/unicorn-2a-pocketqube-satellite/

10m WSPR TX

As yesterday, I am on 10m WSPR TX only (500mW, 100%, frequency randomised). Already I have been spotted in Italy by IU7DZZ (973km) several times, whereas yesterday I got no spots at all! On 10m I am using my stand-alone W5OLF WSPR beacon. Apart from syncing the time, this does not need a PC at all. Even this could be done with a radio.

UPDATE 1025z: Now spotted by EA1FAQ (1249km).

UPDATE 1521z: So far today, 13 unique spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon on 10m.

UPDATE 1616z:  Now 20 different stations spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon today.

6m FT8 RX

What a difference! Already lots of 6m Es with many southern Europeans (13 countries already spotted by 0830z) on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 0922z: 60 different stations in 15 countries spotted on 6m FT8 RX so far today.

UPDATE 1100z: Now 19 countries spotted today on 6m FT8 with best DX S01WS (3043km) in Western Sahara.

UPDATE 1230z: Well over 100 unique stations spotted today on 6m FT8 RX. So many that I have lost count! 22 countries and 2 continents so far today.

UPDATE 1630z:  Apart from N.W.Africa and Israel no great DX spotted on 6m FT8 yet this season.

UPDATE 1722z:  Best 6m FT8 RX DX now 4Z1RZ (3567km). Now 29 countries in 3 continents spotted today on 6m FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Tuesday May 22nd 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 12. A=3 and K=1.

Windoze - zzz - 10

Let me start by saying I have used Windows 10 for a long time with no issues.

Today, my shack PC said it needed more disk space to do an essential update, so I added an external drive when doing this. My shack PC has a 32GB SSD. It is really only used for syncing to internet time and to run OPERA and WSJT-X software.

Now, if Windows 10 is so brilliant why does it take 90 minutes to install updates?!

Thankfully, as far as I can tell, everything I use still works.

"London" grandchildren - NOT amateur radio

At the weekend, we had our "London" grandchildren staying here for one night. Here they are with me.

Es (sporadic E)

Es tends to be very specific. Sometimes Es is there strongly in one place, but absent just a few miles away. Today may be such a day.

As yet, no spots of my 10m TX 500mW WSPR beacon and only G stations spotted on 6m FT8 RX. Elsewhere it might be very different. Maybe things will be better later or tomorrow? I shall be on both bands for several hours yet .

10m WSPR TX

I'd forgotten that whilst on 6m FT8 I can use a different antenna on 10m WSPR. On 10m WSPR I am 100% TX, but with randomised frequencies. I am using 500mW from my little WSPR beacon made by W5OLF.

UPDATE 1836z: No 10m WSPR spots of my beacon as yet. I have the feeling today is going to end with no spots of my little 10m WSPR beacon.

UPDATE 2030z: Well, I am about to go QRT with not a single report on 10m WSPR today!

HF Loops

This has been on before, but it is worth repeating.

HF loops are ideal in some applications. They can work surprisingly well, but are narrow band if efficient. They are ideal with QRP as quite high voltages can otherwise be created. I have used these on several bands. They can easily be made too.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/magloop .

6m FT8 today

This is becoming a habit! Just before breakfast I call CQ on 6m FT8 (2.5W, omnidirectional vertical antenna). Almost without fail, I get spotted by a couple of Gs, often quite distant, even though on TX for at most 3 minutes. The rest of the time I am RX only on 6m FT8. So far today  (0912z) just 3 G spots, no Es.

UPDATE 1548z:  Just 13 Gs spotted so far today on 6m FT8 RX. No Es evident here.

UPDATE 1612z: It pays to check. An EA1 was spotted but not shown on PSKreporter maps. More recently ON8DM (239km) has been spotted. Currently (only on PSKreporter maps) 15 different stations in 2 countries. With the EA1, that is 16 different stations in 3 countries so far today on 6m FT8.

UPDATE 1816z: Now 27 unique stations in 3 countries so far. Best DX is IT9RZR (2063km). Apart from the IT9 and the EA1 earlier, very little Es on 6m here today. QRT shortly.

May 2m UKAC activity contest results published

Although my voice prevents me being on too long, my score has risen in the AL section results. Using 5W and an omnidirectional antenna and never take contesting too seriously, I am quite pleased. although I shall probably miss June's session.

See https://www.rsgbcc.org/cgi-bin/vhfresults.pl?Contest=144MHz%20UKAC&Date=&year=2018

Stroke? - NOT amateur radio

This has probably been mentioned here before, so I apologise if I am repeating myself.

One thing I am aware of is how fast things seem to be going on the roads. When I am going 50mph it feels at least 60mph. Indeed I feel like I am going 70mph. Then I see a huge queue behind me!  I am only too aware that I drive more slowly than I did. It feels embarrassing, but cannot safely drive faster.

OK I am growing older and becoming a grumpy old man. Maybe it is an age thing, but it as if my brain operates at a slower pace. I also find watching subtitles on TV hard work. Usually I give up!

It feels like the recovery from my stroke has stalled.

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

Sunspots - Monday May 21st 2018

Solar flux is 68 today and the sunspot number 0.  A=3 and K=0.

More on 40MHz in EI

This came in from John EI7GL:

"Hi Roger

You might be interested in the new proposed 8m and 5m bandplans in EI. This was on the IRTS news today...

Spectrum News

Following a spectrum award by ComReg the entire 4m band (69.9 - 70.5 MHz) is now available to Irish licensees.

At the last IRTS Committee Meeting a sub-committee was convened to develop band plans and propagation beacons for additional spectrum included in the spectrum award.

IRTS is now consulting amateur licensees on two band plans covering 40 - 44 MHz and 54 - 69.9 MHz. More details including draft band plans can be downloaded from the IRTS website, www.irts.ie/downloads

Please send any comments as soon as possible to “newspectrum /at/ irts /dot/ ie” to arrive not later than 30th June 2018.

John, EI7GL"

It would be good to get a small secondary amateur band at 40MHz in the UK and more widely. As commercial gear does not cover this, it would be an ideal band for real Es propagation research. How about OFCOM allocating 50-100kHz at 40MHz to radio amateurs at, say, 10W on a strictly non-interference basis? Silly me, this requires thinking. Silly boy.