15 May 2019
Sunspots - Wednesday May 15th 2019
Solar flux is 74 today and the SSN 24. A=36 and K=1.
Labels:
sunspots
14 May 2019
70cm activity contest this evening
Starting at 1900z (8pm UK clock time) is the May leg of the RSGB's 70cm UKAC activity contest. SSB activity is better than usual and even 5W to a 2m halo usually gets me QSOs up to over 100km.
Lisbon trams - NOT amateur radio
Lisbon, built on 7 hills like Rome, is famous for its old trams.
It suffered a major earthquake in 1755.
It suffered a major earthquake in 1755.
Solar Cycle 25 predictions
This is getting more like BREXIT everyday with major disagreements amongst the "experts".
They all seem to agree that the size of the next solar peak will be similar to the last one, but there are major disagreements about the depth and length of the preceding minimum.
See https://www.weather.gov/news/190504-sun-activity-in-solar-cycle
They all seem to agree that the size of the next solar peak will be similar to the last one, but there are major disagreements about the depth and length of the preceding minimum.
See https://www.weather.gov/news/190504-sun-activity-in-solar-cycle
Labels:
sun
Sunspots - Tuesday May 14th 2019
Solar flux is 76 today and the SSN 24. A=4 and K=2.
Labels:
sunspots
13 May 2019
Mobile phones and driving - NOT amateur radio
Some of you may remember that one of my sons lost a brother-in-law in 2017 when he was ploughed down by a driver who went through a red light in Australia. It took him 5 weeks to die. He was in his late 20s.
Never, ever use your mobile phone whilst driving. Even hands-free can be distracting. If you can, put the phone in a glove compartment! I was appalled to see this video. I hope he was banned from driving for years and was sacked by the owners of the lorry. Stay safe.
Never, ever use your mobile phone whilst driving. Even hands-free can be distracting. If you can, put the phone in a glove compartment! I was appalled to see this video. I hope he was banned from driving for years and was sacked by the owners of the lorry. Stay safe.
Labels:
mobile phone
Oscar 100 - still very quiet
When I took a quick look at the Goonhilly SDR relaying the narrowband transponder just now there was only one QSO going on.
See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/
See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/
Labels:
oscar 100
Viseu, Portugal - NOT amateur radio
Viseu Street |
Labels:
viseu
Web SDRs
Southgate News has a piece about the Farnham Web SDR. These days there are web SDRs all over the world, so you can take a peek at what things are like from other places. It seems odd to listen to a UK 10GHz beacon in Lisbon!
See http://www.websdr.org/
See http://www.websdr.org/
Labels:
sdr
Sunspots - Monday May 13th 2019
Solar flux is 77 and the sunspot number 24. A=4 and K=1. Still looks (to me) like we have passed the solar minimum.
Labels:
sunspots
12 May 2019
Oranges - NOT amateur radio
Today was hot in Portugal! Earlier in the week we had had rain and clouds, but today could hardly be more different. Even at midnight it is expected to be 24 deg C. On the way towards Lisbon we stopped at Obidos where these oranges were on display.
Labels:
oranges
Lightning maps
Periodically I take a look at the lightning maps to see how near storms are. At the moment they are well away.
See https://www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/europe/index.php?lang=en
See https://www.lightningmaps.org/blitzortung/europe/index.php?lang=en
Labels:
storms
Sunspots - Sunday May 12th 2019
Solar flux is 76 today and the SSN 25. A=8 and K=3.
Labels:
sunspots
11 May 2019
The Moon this afternoon - NOT amateur radio
This was the Moon at about 1430z this afternoon near Viseu, Portugal. And to think men walked on here in 1969.
Labels:
moon
Who do you believe?
When it comes to solar forecasts it is hard to know who to believe. For some years I have been following this forecast and at the moment it seems to be accurate.
Labels:
solar
Sunspots - Saturday May 11th 2019
Solar flux is 76 today and the SSN 25. A=8 and K=3. Certainly these figures suggest we are starting the climb.
Labels:
sunspots
10 May 2019
Amateur radio antennas
When abroad on holidays I do a very sad thing. I count the number of HF and VHF beams I spot. In the USA and South Africa I spotted quite a few. So far in Portugal I have seen none. Well, I did say "sad"!
Labels:
antennas
Angry sky - NOT amateur radio
We are on holiday in Portugal. So far, we have had lots of rain, although it is already much sunnier and drier. Tomorrow is expected to be warm (24deg C) and sunny.
Plenty of swifts, swallows, house martins and sand martins about.
Plenty of swifts, swallows, house martins and sand martins about.
Labels:
sky
Yaesu's flagship
Although far more than I am willing to pay for amateur radio gear, Yaesu is trying hard with their new flagship, SDR based radio called the FTdx101D being demonstrated at Nevada according to Southgate News.
I hope they introduce a real FT817 replacement later this year, SDR based. We should know next week.
If they "miss the boat" again, I give them 5 years or less before they quit this market. Of late, they have been followers rather than leaders. It is almost as if they have lost their way and are in "catch-up" mode. Over the years I have been a keen Yaesu man and it pains me to say this. If I was to say who might survive, my money is on ICOM.
See http://southgatearc.org/news/2019/may/demonstration-and-talk-on-the-new-yaesu-ftdx-101d-transceiver.htm#.XNUQDfZFy00.
See also https://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/amateur-radio/
See also https://www.hamradio.co.uk/amateur-radio-base-station-radio-yaesu-base-station-radio/yaesu/yaesu-ftdx101d-pd-8964.php
I hope they introduce a real FT817 replacement later this year, SDR based. We should know next week.
If they "miss the boat" again, I give them 5 years or less before they quit this market. Of late, they have been followers rather than leaders. It is almost as if they have lost their way and are in "catch-up" mode. Over the years I have been a keen Yaesu man and it pains me to say this. If I was to say who might survive, my money is on ICOM.
See http://southgatearc.org/news/2019/may/demonstration-and-talk-on-the-new-yaesu-ftdx-101d-transceiver.htm#.XNUQDfZFy00.
See also https://www.nevadaradio.co.uk/amateur-radio/
See also https://www.hamradio.co.uk/amateur-radio-base-station-radio-yaesu-base-station-radio/yaesu/yaesu-ftdx101d-pd-8964.php
Sunspots - Friday May 10th 2019
Solar flux is 75 today and the SSN 25. A=7 and K=2.
Labels:
sunspots
9 May 2019
Porto - NOT amateur radio
It rained today in Porto, northern Portugal. In fact as I write it is probably typically English weather - a mix of mist and rain!
One of the joys today was a visit to the cellars of Cockburn's who make port and have done for centuries.
Anywhere looks drab in bad weather. Certainly Porto is not a place I would rush to return to.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto
One of the joys today was a visit to the cellars of Cockburn's who make port and have done for centuries.
Anywhere looks drab in bad weather. Certainly Porto is not a place I would rush to return to.
See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porto
Labels:
porto
Dayton Hamvention
This ham gathering is perhaps one of the biggest in the world and a place, traditionally, where the big manufacturers launch new products, often long before they are actually available. You can just imagine the engineers rushing to meet Dayton deadlines: you must meet these dates!
I am expecting several SDR based offerings. It would be nice to see a real FT817 replacement. The FT818 was a great disappointment. It was clearly aimed at keeping Yaesu factories going and not offering the features many expected.
Dayton dates are May 17-19th 2019.
See https://hamvention.org/
I am expecting several SDR based offerings. It would be nice to see a real FT817 replacement. The FT818 was a great disappointment. It was clearly aimed at keeping Yaesu factories going and not offering the features many expected.
Dayton dates are May 17-19th 2019.
See https://hamvention.org/
Labels:
dayton
Crystal replacements
It is a very long time since I was fit enough to do serious project building work, but I know that buying crystals, unless you are buying very common frequencies, is expensive. Many now use synthesised sources instead as this can be much less expensive. Sadly, health issues have precluded me doing my own experiments. At one time, synthesised sources could be noisy, although I expect things have improved in the last 10 years. If you have used synthesised "crystal replacements" I'd be interested to hear what good solutions there are now.
Many years ago, I had ideas for a low cost 10m DSB rig. With the sunspot count likely to soon be on the up, perhaps it is time to dust this off.
Many years ago, I had ideas for a low cost 10m DSB rig. With the sunspot count likely to soon be on the up, perhaps it is time to dust this off.
Labels:
crystals,
synthesiser
8 May 2019
DX VHF FM QSO
The IARU VHF/UHF Region 1 Newsletter has details of the FM 2m QSO between ZS3 and ZD7,
See https://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/vhfuhsshf
See https://www.iaru-r1.org/index.php/vhfuhsshf
Southgate News
Southgate News is a good source of information about amateur radio, Today includes news of a big solar flare amongst other snippets.
Labels:
southgate news
Swifts - NOT amateur radio
Today, I saw my first swifts (birds) this year. They migrate up from Africa, returning in August. The only problem was these were in northern Portugal! What is amazing is these could be the very same ones we see in our village stopping for a "pits stop" to re-feed before flying on northwards. When I see swifts I think summer.
Labels:
swifts
Sunspots - Wednesday May 8th 2019
Solar flux is 78 today and the sunspot number 27 (quite decent for this part of the cycle). A=5 and K=0. It looks to me as of we have passed through the minimum, although this could be just a blip. At the last minimum we went months without spots.
Labels:
sunspots
7 May 2019
2m activity contest this evening
As this is the first Tuesday in the month, it is the RSGB's UKAC activity contest starting at 1900z for 2.5 hours. Activity levels are usually high on SSB. This is a fun contest.
Sunspots - Tuesday May 6th 2019
The solar flux is 75 today and the SSN 14. A=4 and K=1.
Labels:
sunspots
OFCOM - Communications Monthly Update - April 2019
OFCOM has produced its monthly update of this. See their website.
Labels:
ofcom
6 May 2019
First cuckoo heard - NOT amateur radio
At about 10am today UK time, I heard my first cuckoo this year up here. They have been around for a few weeks, but this was my first heard. This one was not too close. They quite like reed warbler nests.
Labels:
cuckoo
6m FT8
Plenty of Es about early today. Already 20 stations spotted by 0830z with best DX spotted SP5AOZ (1398km).
5 May 2019
G3WMS SK
Yesterday I mentioned my happy days at Liverpool University and how one mad keen radio society member had done great things and gained an MBE. That amateur was Ian Vance, G3WMS (wild man of Somerset). Sadly today I found his obituary: he died over a year ago. At one time he was the boss of STL. RIP Ian.
10m WSPR TX (500mW)
At about 1130z, I QSYed to 10m WSPR TX. It usually takes about 20 minutes to settle. I am running 500mW, 100% TX, randomised frequencies.
UPDATE 1630z: No 10m WSPR spots so far today.
UPDATE 2025z: Just a single 10m WSPR spot all day! This was by DK6UG (633km) at 1802z.
UPDATE 1630z: No 10m WSPR spots so far today.
UPDATE 2025z: Just a single 10m WSPR spot all day! This was by DK6UG (633km) at 1802z.
6m FT8 RX
At about 1130z I QSYed to 6m FT8 RX. So far, just G spots.
UPDATE 1552z: Some Es about with a couple of Italians spotted at lunchtime. 21 stations spotted so far today with the best DX on 6m FT8 RX IZ2CPO (1004km).
UPDATE 2027z: Quite some Es today on 6m FT8 RX with a total of 32 EU stations spotted.
UPDATE 1552z: Some Es about with a couple of Italians spotted at lunchtime. 21 stations spotted so far today with the best DX on 6m FT8 RX IZ2CPO (1004km).
UPDATE 2027z: Quite some Es today on 6m FT8 RX with a total of 32 EU stations spotted.
Stations spotted here today on 6m FT8 RX |
Choir
Last evening, my wife's choir was singing in the chapel of Trinity College, Cambridge, UK.
See www.cambschoral.org.uk
See www.cambschoral.org.uk
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