Sunspots - Friday November 29th 2019

Solar flux is 70 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=1.

2m FT8 this evening

About 20 minutes ago, I QSYed to 2m FT8. A couple of stations have spotted my 2.5W to the bigwheel with best DX spot being by G1BHM (365km) in IO70. On 2m FT8 RX just 2 spots so far (F and PA).

Clover-leaf 2m antenna

This has been on before, but I am very pleased with my big-wheel 2m antenna.

Some people call them "clover leaf" antennas as that is what they look like. These are horizontally polarised omni-directional antennas for 2m (in my case). Although I am not sure of the radiation pattern, it is quite a good match on 70cm too.

Mine has been up for several years now and I am very pleased with it. Only today my 2.5W FT8 TX signal was copied (again) in Eire and Germany. It has a few dB of gain in all directions. For my sort of operating it is ideal and it gets used for UKAC sessions on 2m and 70cm SSB as well as for FT8. Some may want the extra gain and directionality afforded by a beam, but beams need rotators.

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

Burwell node improvement

This has just come in from Mark G7LEU. This is about MB7IBW an all-star node in Burwell, Cambs..

"I’ve just changed it over to a JPole, with the base about 2.5m AGL. That should be a little better than when it was using a (bungalow altitude) loft aerial.

Currently running with a UV-5R on low power, as high power was too much for it when linked to busy nodes. I have a real radio to put on there now, and how to build an interface for that over the weekend."

10m FT8

I must be a sucker for punishment!

About 40 minutes ago I switched to 10m FT8, calling CQ initially (2.5W). So far, no 10m spots.

UPDATES 1525z:  Still no spots. At the moment, 10m FT8 again looks bad.

UPDATE 1628z: Well, 10m FT8 seems a bit like the weather here: dull and wet. There were no 10m FT8 spots here all day! I shall soon go QRT.

Endings and change - NOT amateur radio

OK, I admit it: I am not good with endings.

Endings and change are a facts of life: things go along with a pattern that seems never ending and then something happens and it ends. Suddenly all that was familiar is no longer the same. Things change and the life that we seemed to have forever is forever changed. The pattern is changed.

Over time, we adapt and move on. For some change is accepted. For others, change comes as a shock. One thing life teaches us all is that there are always changes and endings. Much as we may not like these, they happen. I guess we all have to accept that nothing is forever and we must make the most of the here and now.

2m FT8

Overnight I remained on 2m FT8 RX although it was breakfast time before stations appeared. There is really no benefit in monitoring through the night. Maybe if there was a significant MS shower I might catch a few early risers).

As of 0938z, 46 stations spotted overnight and last evening. In the last 3 hours, 8 stations spotted on 2m. It appears that DX ranges are possible irrespective of conditions on 2m FT8. Best DX this morning on 2m FT8 RX is  DF6PW (562km).

Stations spotted on 2m FT8 RX in the last day

UPDATE  1238z: About 45 minutes ago I called 2m CQ (2.5W FT8 to the big-wheel omni) and was spotted by EI3KD (583km) and DF6PW (562km).

Sunspots - Thursday November 28th 2019

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 0.  A=11 and K=1.

2m FT8

For some hours now, I have been on 2m FT8, which is much more productive than 10m FT8!

UPDATE 1947z: At the moment 38 stations in 8 countries spotted. My own 2m FT8 CQ a few hours ago (2.5W to the big-wheel omni) was spotted by 8 stations in 2 countries.

UPDATE 2228z:  Now 39 stations spotted on 2m FT8 this evening. I shall leave the RX running overnight although it is normally quiet until breakfast time. One QSO with local M0BXF.

New 2m node in Burwell, Cambs

MB7IBW is now live, though currently with a compromise antenna. It’s an AllStar node on 145.2375MHz 94.8Hz.