Yesterday on 10m FT8 (4W and the indoor loop)

Yesterday, I went on 10m FT8 with the tiny indoor loop antenna. It was a successful day with my 4W spotted by no less than 67 stations across Europe. On RX I spotted 62 stations.

What is not clear is how far down the loop is on an external antenna like a dipole. At a guess I reckon this must be less than 6dB based on results.

This difference could be important with weak signals, but is probably less important with Es. As mentioned before, I'd like to get an external 10m antenna up soon.

No spots from South America.

Predicting the size of the next solar maximum

We know that predicting the size of solar cycle 25 maximum can be extremely difficult: a bit like weather forecasting in that the best predictions are made after the event!  Many try and we are getting better.

A summary of recent predictions is available at the site below made by K9LA. I expect there will be revisions as cycle 25 really starts to motor.

See http://k9la.us/Aug20_Cycle_25_Predictions.pdf

Open Thursdays - NOT amateur radio

After several months of remaining closed, our local museum is open again on Thursdays.

As all sections cannot guarantee social distancing, they have decided to open parts only and ask for donations.

It really is a splendid place and most visitors are surprised how good, and how big, it is.

Sunspots - Sunday August 16th 2020

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 0. A=3 and K=1.

Walk - NOT amateur radio

Fruit seen on the ground
on our walk today

Today, the weather is much duller than last week. We decided to do our "Muntjac walk" which is 3.5-4 miles long and when we often see Muntjac deer.

It was drizzling slightly on our way back.

Although still August, there are signs of autumn with these sloes and plums on the ground (see photo).

10m FT8 (4W to indoor loop)

Having returned from our walk, I decided to go on 10m FT8. So far, lots of Europeans spotted via Es and already 16 stations have spotted me in about 15 minutes!

UPDATE 1128z:  Already spotted by 33 stations and I have spotted 33 on RX.

UPDATE 1240z:  35 stations have spotted me so far on 10m. On 10m RX the best DX spotted is 5T5PA (3791km) in Mauritania.

UPDATE 1414z:  So far today, 48 stations have spotted my 4W 10m FT8 to the indoor loop.

UPDATE 1802z:  So far today, 65 stations have spotted me and I have spotted 62.

Early start on 2m FT8

As I was awake early, the 2m FT8 gear was turned on.  Already (at 0600z) the 10W to the big-wheel has been spotted by 18 stations in 4 countries. On 2m FT8 RX nothing spotted yet.

Going up? - NOT amateur radio

This has been said here before, but have you noticed how younger people go up at the end of sentences? If you listen to people below the age of 30 this is quite common. At one time this used to really annoy me. Then I realised that languages evolve over time, so just shut up!

It seems amazing to me that Latin evolved into modern Italian in not much more than 1500 years. The same is true for most languages. That's about 80 generations only!

DMR

One part of our hobby that I have never explored is DMR.

There are some dual band portables on the amateur market that cover 2m and 70cm with FM and DMR. I do not even know if there are any DMR repeaters in the area! It is possible that DMR repeaters can be accessed via a PC. Apparently not - you need a radio and hot-spot.

Funny, but this is one area of our hobby that really does not "turn me on". As I have said before, it is a good job we are all different. For some people DMR is a whole area to explore.

There was another excellent Zoom talk last night, arranged by the Cambridge radio club, about DMR. See the photo for a screenshot.

See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/digital-modes-anytone/anytone/anytone-at-d868uv-vhf-uhf-dmr-handheld-gps-pd-8616.php for an example of a dual band, dual mode FM/DMR handheld.

Clunch - NOT amateur radio

Clunch is a local building stone used in many buildings in our village. It is a kind of chalk.

It is also the name of our free village magazine that drops through our postbox every 2 months. It is A5 size and has been going since 1975, about the time we came to the village.

It is a mix of local news and adverts for local firms.

Sunspots - Saturday August 15th 2020

Solar flux is 71 and the SSN 0. A=4 and K=0.

Arecibo dish disaster

Earlier, I read that one of the supports holding the large Arecibo dish in the Caribbean had broken. The main use of this 50 year dish radio telescope was for research by the University of Florida. Until this dish is repaired (no mean task) no work can carry on.

Back in the 1960s, this dish was used for amateur 70cm EME tests. Because of its huge size, it allowed access to EME QSOs not possible at the time with more modest stations. It appeared on the cover of the RSGB Bulletin. I think this was 1965.

See https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/arecibo-radio-telescope-goes-dark-after-snapped-cable-shreds-dish

Last evening on 2m FT8

Although a very brief time was on TX, most of the time was spent on RX.

There was a lift on probably as stations as far apart as Eire, Ulster, Isle of Man and Sweden were copied. QRT was at about 2215z.

10m FT8 (4W and indoor loop)

As 6m was so dire, I decided to try 10m FT8 with 4W and the indoor loop. Already an EA3 spotted on RX. On TX spotted by F4FOM (1024km) in the south of France as well as a couple of others by Es. It is now 1030z.  At the moment, 10m FT8 seems the best bet as there is still Es around.

UPDATE 1048z:  Currently spotted by 7 stations with the furthermost being R1CAA (2040km).  As far as I recall, I have not been spotted outside Europe on the indoor 10m loop, although I hspotsave been spotted in South America on the (inferior) loop on lower bands.

UPDATE 1232z:  31 stations have spotted my 4W 10m FT8 signal to the indoor loop.

UPDATE 1435z:  39 stations have spotted my 4W on 10m FT8 so far today. Still plenty of Es in evidence on 10m.

UPDATE 1543z:  No recent spots of my TX. All my spots (RX and TX) today are Europeans. Nothing (yet) from South America.

Spots of me today

UPDATE 1845z: 49 spots of my 4W to the indoor loop today. One of these supposedly copied me in the Far East an hour ago. I am pretty sure this is a European pirate.

IC-705 PSU

MyDel is producing a small PSU to go with the IC-705 QRP rig. MLS is selling it.

It is not clear if this is a linear or switched mode design. It does not have a fan.

See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/accessories-power-supplies/mydel/mydel-mp-705-pd-5271.php

6m FT8

Just after 0900z I QSYed to 6m FT8 with 10W and the V2000 vertical omni. It is now 0905z. No spot given or received yet.

UPDATE 0957z:  Just 1 G spot of me by G3NSM (123km). I have moved the audio LF a bit and checked the SWR in case something was amiss. The SWR looked normal. Basically, as exciting as watching paint dry!

UPDATE 1020z:  Just Jim G3YLA (64km) spotted on 6m FT8 RX and no further spots on TX.

Logbooks

Some, not all, of my early logbooks are available as PDF files online. Most of these PDF files were created when I was still at work, which is over 12 years ago!

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

Alstromerias - NOT amateur radio

One of the plants in our rear garden is called an alstromeria. We have several in pots. They seem to do well.

See https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/popular/alstroemeria/growing-guide

2m FT8

Using my 10W to the big-wheel, I have been on 2m FT8 since breakfast. I have already been spotted in Cornwall and Germany.  On 2m FT8 RX, 14 stations in 4 countries spotted so far. No QSOs yet.

2m MSK144 RX (MS Perseids)

Overnight, I tried watching 144.360MHz MSK144, in the hope of catching some MS activity on 2m. In the end just 1 G copied calling a UR4.

As usual, the antenna was the big-wheel omni. Either I was too late, few were on 144.360MHz MSK144, or my system was not up to it. I doubt the latter as I have copied MS signals before with this antenna. Also, in MS showers signals are usually strong, but short-lived.

Maybe, it would have been better a day sooner?

Sunspots - Friday August 14th 2020

Solar flux is 72 and the SSN 11. A=4 and K=1.

2009 shack

The photo shows the shack in 2009. Things (including the QTH) have changed quite a bit.

Network radios and Oscar 100

I suspect many who get network radios or use Oscar 100 are/were concerned about poor conditions and are/were looking for a reliable means of chatting with people a long way away.

Certainly my own network radio has hardly been used. I bought it 2 years ago when we were on the way towards sunspot minimum. At least with Echolink I could access repeaters on the other side of the planet. Likewise Oscar 100 should open up DX to a good proportion of the planet at any time without fading. In many ways you might consider Oscar 100 perfect. Once the gear is set up and the dish(es) aligned there is nothing else to do. No neighbours to annoy, no big towers or beams to worry about....and yet.

Yet, for me at least, neither satisfies. I prefer "real" radio where every contact is a challenge. After about 60 years in the hobby I have found that the changing nature of propagation is what gives me a buzz.

Different people enjoy our hobby in different ways and the world would be a sad place if we were all the same.

Maybe my network radio will get used.

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

IC-705 video from Lamco

It would appear most UK dealers are getting their hands on samples of the ICOM IC-705 and are busy making videos. The latest I have seen is by Lamco.

Walk before the rain - NOT amateur radio

We went for a walk around the village earlier before the rain. When we went it was warm and dry.  Since getting back, it has been raining. This was our 70th "lockdown" walk. We have noticed the seasons more this year than for a long time.

Rain - NOT amateur radio

A few moments ago we had rain. It has been thundering. The last week has unbearably hot and humid by day and night.

10m FT8

It is now 0900z. A few moment ago, my 10m FT8 gear was turned on for a little while (4W, indoor loop). Already 3 spots of me by Es. On 10m FT8 RX nothing spotted here yet.

Sunspots - Thursday August 13th 2020

Solar flux is 73 and the SSN 24. A=3 and K=1.

70cm activity contest last night

As you may recall, I entered the RSGB organised activity contest on 70cm last night. As I have no suitable antenna, I use my 2m big-wheel omni and stay on for less than an hour because of my  poor voice. In all, 6 stations were worked , all SSB, as the map shows.

Eat out to help out - NOT amateur radio

During August you can get up to £10 per person off meals and soft drinks at some participating pubs and restaurants on certain days.

We ate out this lunchtime and had fine meals (hallumi starter and swordfish main) including wine and sparkling water for £22!!

Oscar 100 (geosynchronous)

As usual, I took my periodic peek at the narrowband transponder. When I did this it was 1053z. This is midweek and about mid day in Europe. Only 2-3 QSOs were active, confirming to me that it is not busy. The most I have ever seen is about 8 QSOs.  If it was busy, it could hold many more.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/

10m FT8

Using 4W to the indoor loop, I am currently on 10m FT8. It is now 0830z. So far today, 10 stations have already spotted me.

UPDATE 0920z:   23 stations have spotted me so far this morning and 19 stations in 3 continents spotted on 10m FT8. An outside antenna I think should be better? I guess 6dB (maybe more) could make quite a difference on weaker signals that might not be in audible on the indoor loop. For Es, the loop is probably is good enough most of the time but on marginal F2 or TEP I guess this loss could matter.

UPDATE 1500z:  Since returning from our meal out 39 stations have spotted me already. 11 stations spotted here so far this afternoon.

WSJT-X V2.2.2

Well over a month late, I have upgraded to V2.2.2.   I did try upgrading some weeks ago , but it said I was missing a dll, so I stuck with the older version. Today it installed fine. Not sure if this was Windows  is or WSJT-X. Anyway it is now installed and working fine.

10m antenna?

As many know, the outside antenna that I used on 10m packed up so I have been using my indoor loop successfully for the last few months.

In the next few months I hope to re-elect an antenna for 10m. In the past this would have been trivial, but sadly not anymore. A couple of people have kindly offered me help, but with Covid-19 I am reluctant to ask them. My thoughts are what could be erected with the least effort. I guess this either a wire dipole or inverted vee. My own Homebase-10 would be good, but the trouble would be making it now.

Thunderstorms? - NOT amateur radio

The last few days have been very hot and humid. It has been almost unbearable. Later, we may have thunderstorms.

See https://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en#m=oss;t=3;s=0;o=0;b=;ts=0;y=44.621;x=8.4747;z=4;d=2;dl=2;dc=0;

UPDATE 1548z:  Although the nearest thunderstorms are about 100km away, i think there are distant rumbles.

Sunspots - Wednesday August 12th 2020

Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 12. A=3 and K=0.

70cm activity contest

Tonight is the RSGB organised 70cm activity contest (UKAC). This starts at 1900z.

UPDATE 2205z: In the end I managed 45 minutes with the 10W and 2m big-wheel omni antenna. 6 contacts. My best DX has still not been worked out although it is probably G4CLA (105km).

PSKreporter and 8m + 5m

Today I learned that PSKreporter now supports 8m and 5m. 8m is just beginning to become active in some countries.

Old bank - NOT amateur radio

The only bank in our village closed 2.5 years ago. Today it looks like it is being gutted. I have no idea what is going on.

Autumn already? - NOT amateur radio

At the weekend we went to Cavenham Heath. Quite a few of the ferns were looking autumnal already.