Italian Meal - NOT amateur radio

This lunchtime we went to a local Italian restaurant in a nearby village. It is very popular and at night you have to book weeks in advance.  The lunchtime fixed price menu is very good value (food and price). It was busy today. Service is excellent. They have obviously got a good reputation. There were 3 of us (wife, son and yours truly).

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

My 10m WSPR TX beacon has been on for about 10 minutes so far (1049z). No spots yet.

UPDATE 2012z: Still no spots today on 10m WSPR TX. I have the feeling there are going to be no spots at all today when I go QRT shortly.

6m FT8

So I was wondering why I was getting no spots at all on 6m FT8. Then I checked. It helps if you turn the rig on! I had the PC on, but the PSU was off!!

Now everything is on, so if there is activity I should catch it.  Several USA stations were spotted late last evening on 6m FT8.  Also spotted last night was C31MS in Andorra. For some reason this did not upload to PSKreporter, yet this station was widely copied in Europe and the USA. I seem to recall working Andorra years ago on 6m QRP SSB. Somewhere I must have the QSL card.

 Everything was resynced about 1015z.

UPDATE 1050z: A CQ call by EA3LL (1264km) was spotted. Then Dale G3XBY (146km).

UPDATE 1434z: Now 13 stations in 8 countries spotted so far on 6m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1826z: Now 18 stations in 9 countries so far today.

UPDATE 1848z: Best DX today is UX1UA (2065km) in Ukraine.

UPDATE 1904z: Now 21 stations in 9 countries spotted today on 6m FT8 RX. Es seems to be getting less frequent?

Sunspots - Thursday August 9th 2018

Solar flux is 69 today. The SSN is zero. A=5 and K=1.

Apple picking - NOT amateur radio

Some friends of ours have apple trees that are very heavily laden. We were given a bag to take home. We have been advised to cut them open first as they are sweet and the maggots like them too. Extra protein?

Political correctness - NOT amateur radio

These days it is hard to say anything without it being labelled "politically incorrect". A recent case was the UK's ex foreign secretary Boris Johnson saying Muslim women in burkas look like letter boxes allegedly.  Now, as a politician he should have chosen his words better, but these days people are too afraid to say anything in case it offends someone. Personally, I think it was deliberate on his part to get noticed.

I am no fan of this man, but I think we are all getting very stupid. Speak what you think. If we get offended occasionally, so be it. In the past I have been offended by remarks made against me, but I prefer to take them "on the chin" than live in a nanny state in which we are told how to breath.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45114368 .

UK Rally

I have to admit I don't have a clue where this is! Since writing this I have found out it is East Lothian, Scotland.

10 AUGUST 2018 : 25th COCKENZIE & PORT SETON MINI RALLY NIGHT

Community Centre, Main Hall, Port Seton. Bring along your own junk and sell it yourself. Tables on a first come first served basis. Entry £2. Doors open from 6pm to 9pm.

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

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

SETI - NOT amateur radio

SETI = Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence

We have probably been searching of extra-terrestrial life now for about 50 years. Years ago, the famous Drake equation predicted the chances of finding intelligent life as quite high. All these years later we have still not found any signs! No sign of any extra-terrestrial life, let alone intelligent life.

Perhaps we are truly alone in the universe? Perhaps we are looking in the wrong way?

Should we succeed, it could be transformative. However, I am beginning to have my doubts.

Years ago I recall reading "We are not alone" by Carl Sagan. Perhaps we are alone?

Personally, I think we should keep looking, but I am quite surprised that we have found nothing at all.

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

10m WSPR TX (500mW)

Although on since before breakfast, no spots.  DK6UG spotted me yesterday. Earlier I though this was today. Ho hum...

UPDATE 1014z: Still no spots today.

UPDATE 1248z: Several spots from OY1OF (1164km) in the Faroe Is. So far, this is the only person spotting me.

UPDATE 1810z: Early evening brought spots from DK6UG (633km) and IZ3LCH (1149km).

6m FT8

A fairly quiet start today.

So far (0900z), just 6 different stations in 3 countries spotted. Some of these could be Es or possibly aircraft reflections.

An earlier TX period (2.5W) was spotted by 2 stations (in Brittany and the UK). No QSOs.

Certainly not promising currently.

UPDATE 0950z: Best DX spotted on 6m FT8 RX is LA7DFA (1311km). Currently 8 different stations in 4 countries spotted so far today on 6m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1304z: Now 32 different stations spotted in 16 countries.