At 1845z, I QSYed to 2m FT8. Already spotted by 6 G stations, but nothing yet spotted on RX.
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| Stations spotting my 2.5W to the big-wheel tonight |
11 Oct 2020
2m FT8 (2.5W to the big-wheel omni)
6m FT8 (2.5W and V2000 vertical omni)
It is now 0857z and I have been on for about 15 minutes. No stations copied on RX, but G3XDV (45km) has already spotted me. No 6m FT8 QSOs yet.
UPDATE 1845z: 7 stations spotted on RX and 6 stations today - all G.
Operating on 6m
Some call 6m "The Magic Band". This is for good reasons as at times almost every sort of propagation is possible.
Sometimes it behaves as a good HF band, but most of the time it behaves as a VHF band. With sporadic-E (Es) one can work all of Europe from the UK with simple antennas and low power on SSB.
FT8 has transformed operation on 6m. Most DX is worked on FT8 these days. Often all you hear is white noise. Serious 6m operators run full power and big beams on big towers. There is no doubt these will help, but surprising fun can be had with simple gear.
Even in years of very low sunspots some remarkable DX has been worked. Some of this may be due to multi-hop Es, but I think some other form of E layer propagation is involved for some of these contacts.
Fungi - NOT amateur radio
OK, the jokes were on Facebook!
10 Oct 2020
Covid-19 humour - NOT amateur radio
Certainly mask wearing with glasses can be a problem. Luckily, I am at an age where my short-sightedness has improved that glasses are less necessary.
VHF scatter?
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| Stations spotting my 2.5W 2m FT8 to the big-wheel omni today |
FT8 works with signals that are weaker than SSB and CW and I wonder if we are able to make use of some other scatter mode? Either that or there are so many planes in the air that the time of day doesn't matter. Somehow the latter doesn't seem likely as at the beginning of lockdown I could still get as many distant spots and QSOs on QRP 2m FT8.
It would be interesting to hear the views of others.
Yet again on 2m FT8 (2.5W to the big-wheel omni)
At about 1015z, my 2m FT8 kit was turned on. So far, 2 stations are spotting me, with best DX a spot by F5APQ (180km). On RX just G3PFM (237km) so far and no QSOs.
David G0LRD, on the far side of Cambridge, has a screen grab showing what he copies on 2m FT8. This is quite useful to me as I can check all is OK. Dave kindly erected my 2m antenna some years ago.
See http://82.71.9.63:8080/cap/
UPDATE 1215z: Already spotted by 7 stations with best DX spot being by GI6ATZ (479km). On RX 11 stations spotted so far. Just 1 QSO.
Yesterday's walk - NOT amateur radio
Family history - NOT amateur radio
We were probably in the South Hams thousands of years ago. At some point I shall try to get further back in time.
Sunspots - Saturday October 10th 2020
Solar flux is 73 and the SSN 24 (sunspots at last!). A=2 and K=1.
9 Oct 2020
Anglesey Abbey, Wednesday - NOT amateur radio
Butterfly - NOT amateur radio
2m FT8 (2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna)
Since 0816z I have again been on 2m FT8. Already spotted by 3 stations in 2 countries (at 0824z) with best DX F5APQ (180km) near Calais, France. Nothing yet on RX and no QSOs.
UPDATE 1240z: 7 stations have spotted me and on RX 13 stations in 4 countries spotted with the best being DF6IW (612km).
"Your money or your life" - NOT amateur radio
It shows me last week in Norwich cathedral wearing a Covid-19 mask.
I shall be glad when all this is over and we return to something more normal.
Revive Our World - NOT amateur radio
Usually, I am not a great fan of organised petitions, but I have just signed one and you may want to follow.
Some things are certain:
- Most countries across the planet are going to go into recession as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- This is a great opportunity to hit the "reset" button and build a fairer, more sustainable, cleaner, world.
- The people of the world need to be fed.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) in the UK has a petition running to make clear to the government just how we feel. In the past we have largely thought about how we can exploit the resources of our planet. In the future we will almost certainly be better off if we work with nature and not against it. Like many, I am not a green activist, but can see the path we are on cannot be sustained.
Think about signing it.
See also https://e-activist.com/page/67273/data/1?ea.tracking.id=Email_Share
8 Oct 2020
Fairy toadstools - NOT amateur radio
These were seen on our walk yesterday, no doubt encouraged by the wet weather we have had over the last few days.
Draconid meteor shower
I have never heard of this and have no idea how it affects VHF radio propagation. The more common meteor showers lead to enhanced pings and some real DX being worked on the VHF bands, especially with weak signal modes.
It peaked last night, but should still be good tonight. Often MS signals are strong, but short lived. Certain modes are optimised for this sort of signal. Even with very simple antennas I have copied some excellent DX via meteor trails on 2m.
See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-54450553 .
RSGB Convention
This is online only this year - October 9th-11th. See the RSGB website for more details.
Crystal sets
Some years ago I tried my hand at crystal set DXing on HF. Results surprised me. I was even able to envelope detect some SSB amateur signals on 80m.
Broadcast stations from their originating countries (many use relays) were copied including Australia and India. The only power is that from the TX with no batteries or other source of energy at the RX.
See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/crystalset
See also http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/culter.pdf
The cycle of life - NOT amateur radio
Yesterday, we did a nice walk in the autumn sunshine at Anglesey Abbey. We mainly went there to see one particular tree that is changing colour. At the moment it is a lovely red.
On the way we saw a family (actually 2 families) with young children under school age. We were asked if we wanted 4 noisy kids! We said, "done that, got the tee shirt". We also said enjoy them as they grow up quickly.
Each generation has its own issues, but life goes in a cycle.
2m FT8
Since about 0737z I have been on 2m FT8 with 2.5W to the big-wheel omni. My signal has been copied by 4 stations with best DX a spot by G7RAU (461km). On RX 4 stations with best DX spotted DL6YBF (461km).
2m activity contest - nearly forgot!
Luckily I was able to go on for the last 28 minutes working the stations shown on the map with 10W and the big-wheel omni antenna.
7 Oct 2020
Covid-19 vaccines - NOT amateur radio
There is a worldwide race on to find vaccines that overcome Covid-19. In most countries of the world this disease is causing widespread issues and an effective and safe vaccine is urgently needed. Most expect a vaccine to be widely available my mid 2021. It is possible there may be limited vaccine availability late this year.
USA presidents - NOT amateur radio
Although I have no intention of getting involved with the USA presidential election in a few weeks time, I feel obliged to point out a couple of things. In the last few years I have spoken with many people about US politics. The following observations have been made:
- How come the best you can find is old men to lead you? Trump is 74 and Biden 77 I believe. Is there no-one younger who can do the job?
- Everyone, and I mean everyone, I have spoken with thinks Trump is thick and cannot understand how he was chosen as the US president. In the rest of the world he is the butt of many jokes.
Ducks - NOT amateur radio
2m FT8 (2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna)
Since 0825z I have been on 2m FT8. Nothing yet spotted on RX , but 3 G spots of me so far. No QSOs yet.
UPDATE 0920z: 4 G spots of me so far and nothing spotted on RX.
UPDATE 1022z: Still just 4 spots of me this morning. The grabber at G0LRD (26km) is useful as it gives me an indication of my signal cleanliness and 2m FT8 activity. See http://82.71.9.63:8080/cap/ .
Stations spotted
on RX
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| Stations spotting me on TX |
UK Airwave switch-off
Southgate News has a piece about the closure of the Airwave system, used by police and ambulance services with TETRA radios in the UK. It is reported that this will stay operational until at least 2024 because of delays to the system due to replace it.
When I worked for Sepura (I retired in 2008) the UK police TETRA radios were an important part of our business. I am not sure what system they plan to use going forwards. I have completely lost touch in the last 5 years.
See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/october/airwave-closure.htm#.X314akjYq00
Oscar 100 (geosynchronous)
Every few weeks I take a peek at the Goonhilly web SDR to check activity on the narrowband transponder. When I last checked (0810z today) it was still very quiet (just 2 European QSOs) with plenty of space.
Light wave communication
Optical communications is accessible to all and is ideal for homebrewing. All my gear was homemade and all software was free. Also, only very simple test gear is needed. As I recall a multimeter and a bearly lit LED in a dark room is about all you need. This is much simpler than microwaves.
There is so much to be learned about optical communications. My "thing" was detecting weak signals over the horizon using PC software. What amazed me was there was no sign of the light in the sky, yet the signals were perfectly detectable on the PC as long as the RX was aimed in the right direction. I am sure much further would have been possible.
6 Oct 2020
Salcombe, Devon - NOT amateur radio
This aerial photo of where I come from in South Devon must be very old. Not sure when it was taken.
8m band in the USA?
The FCC has received a "Petition for Rulemaking" making the case for an 8m amateur allocation. This is just a first step in what could be a long process.
Midway between 10m and 6m this could be a really interesting allocation for serious experimenters especially with Es and MS. This was first made in June last year. I have no idea what happened. Even a few kHz and a limited power or ERP limit would be useful. If the FCC is as dynamic as OFCOM I expect the children will not understand how useful to radio science this could be.
Personally I would say 10kHz wide, narrow modes only (CW, digital) , secondary allocation, non-interference, 1W ERP to start with. Wouldn't this be a great FT8 or WSPR (or its replacement) allocation?
See the ARRL website for further details.
OFCOM Communications Monthly update
Every month OFCOM updates its Communications Monthly with the latest data it holds. See the OFCOM website for more details.
Walk collage - NOT amateur radio
Walk - NOT amateur radio
481THz experiments
Both my RX and optics could have been improved, so I was expecting much greater ranges. Then I had my stroke and I was unable to continue. To this day the Flatlights remain in the drawer unused.
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