160m conditions are changing?

As I have said before, I am no 160m expert. Last night was the first time this winter when not a single North American was spotted on 160m FT8 RX. Just one South American spotted: HK3W (8507km). The impression I am getting is 160m conditions are changing.

10m FT8

After a brief CQ call (2.5W) I have been on 10m FT8 RX. As yet, no spots on 10m FT8 on  RX and TX.

UK Garden Birdwatch

Every winter for the last 40 years the RSPB (our national bird society) has organised a Garden Birdwatch. You simply sit watching the birds in your garden or park for any one hour and record the maximum number of each species seen in the hour at one time. This year I saw 9 species, but missed some quite common birds usually seen. As in earlier years, larger birds seem to dominate. We have plenty of starlings as these congregate on the nearby windmill. They do not roost there, but seem to use it as a stopping off point.

XBM80-2 in Dutch

Frank PA3CNO tells me my XBM80-2 appears in the Dutch "RAZzies" magazine for February. Frank asked my permission first - thank you Frank. As I speak no Dutch I cannot understand a word!

See https://www.pi4raz.nl/razzies/razzies201902.pdfs

Sunspots - Sunday January 27th 2019

Solar flux is 75 today and the sunspot number 26. A=7 and K=1.

160m FT8

For several hours now, I have been on 160m FT8 using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

On TX I ran 2.5W. Best DX on TX was a spot by LA2XPA (1281km) in western Norway. 5 further stations in 4 countries spotted me.

On 160m FT8 RX the best DX currently is RU8W (3643km).

Film "Roma" - NOT amateur radio

We just watched a film on Netfix called "Roma". It is a 2018 film in Spanish with English subtitles. It has won several awards at film festivals around the world. It is set in Mexico City in 1970/71 and is a "fly on the wall" film about a live-in house servant. Slow, but well worth seeing.

G3TFX

One of my old work colleagues moved to our village a few months ago. Here he is on his radio. We went to his house today as his XYL was celebrating her 70th birthday.

Windmill - NOT amateur radio

Before, I have mentioned that we live next door to a windmill that is about 200 years old. It was fully restored a few years ago thanks to a Heritage Lottery grant. When we have breakfast, we look at the windmill. The photo just shows our hedge. I guess the windmill is about 10m away.

10m FT8 RX

Most of the day I have been on 10m FT8 RX. As yet, no spots here, although I expect to be monitoring until dark.

UPDATE 1645z: Still no spots here.

Overnight on 472kHz WSPR

Overnight, I stopped on 472kHz WSPR using 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. I was on TX 20% of the time with the rest on TX.

In all 6 stations spotted  me with best DX a spot by PA0O (440km).

472kHz WSPR TX spots overnight

On RX, 12 stations spotted with best DX LA2XPA (1310km).

472kHz WSPR RX spots overnight

Sunspots - Saturday January 26th 2019

Solar flux is 76 and the SSN is 27. These are higher numbers than we have seen for a long time. A=13 and K=2.

472kHz WSPR TX (10mW ERP)

For the first time in a while, I am on 472kHz TX (20%)  with 10mW ERP from the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. Usually, the crystal in the transverter has to settle and this takes about 20 minutes. During this time, there are a few Hertz of drift. Then it settles and there is no drift.

UPDATE 1805z:  A couple of UK spots of my 472kHz QRPP from G8LCO and G0MRF. Oh, it helps if you enable TX! For the first 30 minutes or so, I had forgotten to click this and wondering why no-one had spotted me!

UPDATE 2320z So far this evening,12 different stations have been spotted here and my 10mW ERP has been spotted by 5 stations with best DX PA3ABK (306km). I shall be staying on 472kHz WSPR overnight.

Older houses - NOT amateur radio

In our village are some quite old houses. I think the oldest dates back to the 1100s and is supposed to have a secret tunnel (now blocked off) going to the nearby church. We were told about this by someone who lived there, so it is probably correct.

A quite old house (17th century) is Tunbridge Farm shown in the photo. This photo was taken on a very dull day.

reCAPTCHA issue?

Certainly, every time I have tried to add a comment to the blog the "I am not a robot" thing has not been working: it just hangs and then gives up. I think there is a fault with linking to the reCAPTCHA thing. Other things seem to work OK and I can reach blogs and other sites OK.

UPDATE 1532z: At the moment it is working.

10m FT8 RX

Most of the day I have been on 10m FT8 RX. So far, just a couple of spots: 1 UK and 1 German. At the moment 10m seems dead!

UPDATE 1627z: One word will summarise 10m here today: CRAP!! In all just 3 spots and 2 of these were UK in the London area. Time to QSY to 630m WSPR.

160m FT8 RX

Not a bad night, although I have seen better. In all, 2 North Americans, 2 Caribbean and 1 South Americans spotted. Best 160m FT8 DX spotted was PY4AZ (9012km) in Brazil.

Stations spotted here overnight on 160m FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Friday January 25th 2019

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 19. A=19 and K=3.

Getting better? Maybe.

472kHz WSPR RX last evening

In the end, I decided to stop on 472kHz WSPR RX only until bedtime. Then I QSYed to 160m FT8 RX overnight. On 472kHz, 13 unique stations spotted including 3 in Norway using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. All the usual suspects!

Stations spotted on 472kHz WSPR last evening.

Yaesu FT818

Like many, I found the FT818 a real disappointment.

It looks like Yaesu "copped out" and simply upgraded the FT817ND to overcome parts obsolescence. No attempt whatsoever has been made to actually upgrade the radio such as adding a Lithium Polymer battery, speech processor or auto ATU. Basically it is still an FT817ND. What did the FT818 development cost? $10?

However, it is about half the price of the IC7300 which is 100W and a much better radio, so I am told. Maybe Yaesu will introduce an SDR QRP radio soon? That is, if they don't go bust first! Now, I love Yaesu products and have owned many over the years. But, it seems Yaesu has lost its way in recent years.

Had Yaesu wanted to, they could have developed a world beating radio with thousands selling their FT817s and upgrading to FT818s. It seems to me very unlikely anyone will sell their FT817s to buy an FT818. To me, this is a disaster and shows the market intelligence of a 5 year old. My views and others are free to disagree.

The best I can hope for is Yaesu is beavering away on a QRP SDR radio with everything we want. If they don't, I give them 5 years or less and they will be dead - gone forever.

Stones hidden - NOT amateur radio

Over a year on, the craze in our village for hiding painted stones or pebbles, which are found, then photographed and posted on social media, then rehidden, is still going on. Only today we found one which we photographed. We left it where it was so someone else can find it.

472kHz WSPR RX

About 5 minutes ago I QSYed to 472kHz WSPR RX. Already 3 stations spotted with best DX  LA8AV (1035km). It is still quite light here.

UPDATE 1608z: Now 4 different stations spotted on this band this afternoon.

UPDATE 2053z: 11 different stations spotted this evening on 472kHz WSPR RX.

10m FT8

As is usual, I am on 10m FT8 mainly RX. So far, no spots.

UPDATE 1535z: No spots yet. Soon be time to QSY, probably 472kHz WSPR RX at least until bedtime.

Rally

Sunday 27 JANUARY : HORNCASTLE AMATEUR RADIO & ELECTRONICS RALLY

Horncastle Youth Centre, Cagthorpe Buildings, Willow Row, Horncastle LN9 6DZ. 

Doors open 10am and entry is £2. Traders tables are £5 per 6ft table. There is free parking at the venue. The usual traders will be there. Catering is available onsite. Details from Tony, G3PZU, 01507 527 835, tony.nightingale@yahoo.co.uk.

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

160m FT8 RX overnight

Quite a decent night on 160m FT8 RX with 8 North Americans, 3 Caribbean and 3 South American stations spotted with best DX PY4AZ (9012km) in Brazil. All received using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. This does work remarkably well at 160m and exceeds my expectations. At the moment 160m FT8 is brilliant, helped by the S0 noise floor with this "antenna".

FT8 is very impressive! In most 15 second periods there are about 10 stations in a 2kHz chunk of the 160m band.

Stations spotted here overnight on 160m FT8

Sunspots - Thursday January 24th 2019

Solar flux is 72 and the sunspot number 18. A=3 and K=3.

160m FT8 RX

A few moments ago (1608z) I QSYed to 160m FT8 RX. So far just 9A4T (1343km) spotted.

UPDATE 1830z: Now loads and loads of Europeans spotted on 160m FT8 this evening. North Americans later? Yes, I expect so.

UPDATE 2300z: 300 stations so far spotted this evening on 160m (yes 160m!) FT8 RX. Nothing yet from "across the pond".

Joining the dots - NOT amateur radio

Maybe this is another after-effect of my stroke 5 years ago. Perhaps it is another artefact of getting older!

Yesterday we had tree surgeons in and I could have sworn blind that one said tea with one sugar and the other tea with 2 sugars, My wife said they both wanted one sugar. The simple fact is I cannot rely on my memory. It is almost as if my brain fills in the dots and sometimes this is wrong.

Flowers - NOT amateur radio

Sometimes our friends joke that our house looks like a florist shop! Indeed my wife likes flowers around the house. As well as lots of orchids we have others such as these carnations and gypsophila.

10m FT8 RX

Again I am now back on 10m FT8, mostly RX. The more active region of the Sun seems to be facing our way, but will this bring in any DX? As of 1035z, no spots.

UPDATE 1610z: Still no spots here on 10m FT8. today. Now QSYing to 160m FT8.

Back on 472kHz (630m) WSPR RX

As WSPRnet seemed to be working, I took a chance and went back on 472kHz (630m) WSPR RX overnight. In all, 12 stations spotted with best DX LA2XPA (1310km). No new stations were spotted overnight that were not spotted in the evening.  Unless I strike lucky and spot some USA stations, there is little benefit stopping on overnight.

Which dealers will survive?

Sorry if I sound like the grim reaper!

There is little doubt that many (most?) radio amateurs are getting old. Yes, there are younger people entering the hobby, but the vast majority are old men. This means several things.

1. We need to attract and keep younger people.
2. There will be fewer radio magazines. Even now, you have to look hard to find any in newsagents, whereas computer and gaming mags are breeding.
3. Those mags that survive are likely to be thinner with fewer adverts.
4. There will be fewer dealers.
5. Most new products will be made in China (even if designed in the USA or Japan).
6. There will be fewer manufacturers making amateur radio products.
7. There will be fewer new products.

This is my forecast (I very much hope I am wrong):

1. At least one major manufacturer will leave the amateur radio market or go bust.
2. There will be half the number of radio amateurs on the planet in 20 years.

In the same way that high street shops need to re-invent themselves or go under, so our hobby has to change. The next 20 years are crisis times for a great many institutions such as shops, churches and, of course, amateur radio.

It would not surprise me if many authorities just allowed all users to use any VLF, LF, MF, HF and VHF frequencies without a licence on a strictly "non-interference" basis, perhaps with a low power limit. If you were OFCOM or the FCC this would make life easy. It is called deregulation. In other words, copping out.  Radio amateurs that remain can sort themselves out!

160m FT8 RX (not)

Yet again, I was going to be monitoring 160m FT8 RX overnight. As WSPRnet was working, I QSYed back down to 472kHz (630m) WSPR RX

Once again, all 160m and 630m reception was on the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. With this antenna my noise floor is S0 on 160m and 630m. At 160m and 630m, I think this acts as a loop, with best reception E-W. It works well on 160m TX too with the best DX over 1000km with 2.5W from the FT817ND. On 160m the match is excellent.

Sunspots - Wednesday January 23rd 2019

Solar flux is 71 today and the SSN 18. A=3 and K=3.

Topband FT8 RX

As WSPRnet was not working (again), I QSYed to 160m FT8 RX (again). Lots of Europeans (again) with best DX so far RO9O (5145km).

Spots on 160m FT8 RX so far this evening (to about 1930z) 
using the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground.

UPDATE 2030z: It surprises me how similar 160m FT8 RX is night after night. Most evenings, loads of Europeans are spotted with North Americans coming through later and overnight. I am no 160m expert, but it seems North Americans are being spotted later than a month or so ago. One Canadian station was being copied here well after daylight today.

Trump and his transgender military ban - NOT amateur radio

If nothing else, President Trump likes controversy. The latest, allegedly, is the Supreme Court has allowed him to stop transgender people serving in the US military. Now, I do not possess all the facts, but this sounds a backward step to me. If I am wrong, I an sure I shall be put right.

See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46963426

472kHz WSPR RX

WSPRnet seems to be working, so I have gone on 472kHz WSPR RX with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. G1GKN (99km) spotted.

UPDATE 1618z: Already 3 stations spotted on 472kHz WSPR with best DX LA2XPA (1310km) in JP33 square.

UPDATE 1635z: As WSPRnet seems flaky again, I think I'll try 160m FT8 RX again.

Tree surgery - 10m antenna still in place

We had our silver birch tree lopped today. This supports the end of my Par 10/20/40m end-fed wire antenna. This wire antenna is not very high and I was expecting to lose this when the tree was done. As it happens all the tree work was above this, so it is still in place.

2m FT8

For about an hour, I have been on 2m FT8 using the big-wheel omni antenna. My 2.5W CQ was copied by 5 stations in 2 countries (best spot was by GI6ATZ (479km)) and on 2m FT8 RX 6 stations in 3 countries have been spotted so far.

UPDATE 1230z: Now 10 stations in 4 countries spotted on 2m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1544z: Now 26 stations in 7 countries spotted today on 2m FT8 RX.

Stations spotted so far today on 2m FT8 

with the big-wheel omni antenna

The post - NOT amateur radio

We get post delivered once a day. It has been arriving earlier recently, probably as we have a different person on our round who uses this van.