Virtual amateur radio

Many amateurs are plagued with man-made noise. This is getting worse. One solution is to turn to virtual amateur radio where the internet replaces the ionosphere. The advantages are there are no noise problems and with an internet connection you can work the world. I am aware of QSONet and Hamsphere. There may be others. 

Echolink is not the same as this uses "real radio" for part of the link, often to a distant repeater. 

Virtual amateur radio has never appealed to me.

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

Breaking BBC news - NOT amateur radio

 This has appeared on the BBC news site:

"Police are dealing with an "ongoing incident" on board an oil tanker situated off the Isle of Wight.

The tanker, named in reports as the Liberian-registered Nave Andromeda, was due to dock in Southampton earlier.

Hampshire Constabulary said: "We are aware and dealing with an ongoing incident on board a vessel which is situated south of the Isle of Wight."

The Maritime Coastguard Agency said it was assisting police and search and rescue helicopters were at the scene."

I hope this not a potential terrorist threat.

See  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-54684440

Morning walk - NOT amateur radio

 

The photo shows my wife and one of our grandsons off to the skatepark this morning. He could not take part as it was busy and he needed helmets etc.

UK-EU trade deal? - NOT amateur radio

At the moment, everyone's mind and the media is focused on Covid-19. It will soon be on the presidential election in the USA. 

Also going on are the post BREXIT trade deal talks between the EU and the UK. It is in both parties interest to arrive at a good deal for both sides. I am pretty sure both sides have been waiting for the other side to blink. 

What is now needed is a bit of compromise and a good outcome for all. I am puzzled why this should be so hard. The UK wants to stand as an independent nation and the EU has its own ways. As a big trading nation and trading partner for the EU, surely something can be worked out.

6m transatlantic DX yesterday?

They call 6m the "magic band" for good reason. I heard on Facebook that several QSOs were made across the Atlantic yesterday from the UK and mainland Europe. I expect these were FT8 QSOs. 

Normally, transatlantic QSOs are associated with summer E layer propagation. I have no idea what propagation modes were involved yesterday.

15m FT8 RX

Using the indoor loop, I have been on 15m FT8 RX since 0845z. The UK clocks changed last night and it often takes me several days to adjust!  So far (it is now 0857z) 11 stations have been spotted with the furthermost being UF0W (5659km) in Asiatic Russia.

UPDATE 1244z:  505 stations in 5 continents spotted so far today on 15m FT8 with the tiny indoor loop. 

UPDATE 1441z:  So far today 662 stations spotted on 15m FT8 RX. Although I have only been on about 20 minutes, already my 2.5W FT8 to the indoor loop has been spotted by 17 stations.

Stations spotted to 1458z today

UPDATE 1533z:  31 stations have now spotted me and I have spotted 672 stations on 15m FT8 with the indoor loop today. Compared with a 15m dipole outside I must be losing a few dB, but I am still doing pretty well. With my loop tuning I can almost certainly get on 20m. I need to see if I can reach 30m or even 40m later.

UPDATE 1737z:  784 stations have been spotted on RX and I have been spotted by 64 stations so far today on 15m FT8 TX (2.5W). Furthermost are the Canary Is and the Azores.

UPDATE 1747z:  QRT.

Wind - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we had quite strong winds. The trees in the garden have lost most of their leaves but a few stubborn ones remain. 

Sunspots - Sunday October 25th 2020

Solar flux is 72 and the SSN 11 still. A=17 and K=2.

SAQ transmission

Earlier today there were transmissions from the historic 17.2kHz CW VLF alternator TX in Sweden. Several people tested their VLF receive capability. 

Oscar 100 activity

Every few weeks I take a peek at the narrowband transponder of this geosynchronous satellite. Although activity was higher than the last time I looked, it is still quieter than I expected at this time. When I looked it was Saturday evening in Europe. Most activity still seems to be from Europe.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/

Touch me - NOT amateur radio

This tree at Anglesey Abbey gets touched often. It is near the end of the Winter Walk and has very inviting bark. 

I think they polish it!

472kHz WSPR RX

For about 15 minutes (it is now 1918z) I have been on 472kHz WSPR RX using the FT817ND and the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1940z: 5 different stations spotted so far this evening. Furthermost was LA8AV (1012km). Next was SM6BGP (994km).

10m FT8 RX (indoor loop)

The sharper, and more efficient, indoor loop in very hard to tune on 10m.  My eyesight is not as good and I find it harder to get it spot on tune than I did. At the moment I am using the loop with thinner wire which is less efficient, but easier to peak. In the past, I cut coax cable to tune. Maybe I should consider than again. Once the length is established in does not need to be adjusted as long as I stick with FT8.

Just one station in the Canary Is spotted so far today on the poorer loop on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1610z: The plug was intermittent on the sharper link. Now fixed.  Just a single spot of my 2.5W TX from G0VQH (13km).  On 10m FT8 RX 77 spots with best DX spotted PU5BOY (9961km).

Things getting worse? - NOT amateur radio

Recently I replaced my electric lawnmower. The battery does not last as long. Our kettle switch is temperamental after 7 years. My wife was going to replace her National Trust bag, but the new one has fewer pockets. My underpants are now thinner. My wife's coat has fewer pockets and is thinner.

Get the picture? We seem to make goods poorer so we are encouraged to throw the old ones away and buy new instead. This is a model of existence that cannot continue.

Sunspots - Saturday October 24th 2020

 Solar flux is 72 and the SSN 11. A=12 and K=4.

Old friends - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon we met up with some old university friends at nearby Anglesey Abbey. We have known them for over 50 years. 

Mending that 472kHz transverter

At the moment, I think the IRF510 PA in my transverter has been damaged. Before I change this, which is no easy task for me these days, I shall connect everything up and check it  is not something else! It would be daft to change the PA only to find the problem is still there! 

Assuming it is the PA, that is a job for later today. I have taken a photo so that I know what was there and don't forget to connect something. Years ago this would have been trivial for me.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/mflf/472khz_tvtr

UPDATE 1021z:   PA changed and still no antenna current! Oscillator running OK, so something else must be wrong. Further investigation needed when I am less exhausted. I guess the first thing to try is running the transverter into a dummy load to check there is output on 472kHz. Another thing I can try is using the FT817ND with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground on 160m. This measured some antenna current on the antenna current meter. If this is zero, it gives me some clues. It was so much easier when my brain was not foggy and I had a clear head. The best way I can describe it is like trying to fault-find after drinking 8 pints of beer.

UPDATE 1130z:  No antenna current on 160m suggesting something else is amiss.

Wisdom? - NOT amateur radio

This may be an artifact of getting older, or a strange after-effect of my 2013 stroke, but I seem wiser.  Often I seem to be able to "read" situations better. Now, this could just be how I see things! Quite often I say to myself phrases like, "you shouldn't have said that" or "you should not have done that". Quite often my hunches turn out to be right.

10m FT8

At about 0805z, I turned on the 10m FT8 QRP gear. At the moment (0845z) I am RX only. I understand that VK6 was worked from the UK on 10m FT8 yesterday. I am still just using 2.5W to the poorer indoor loop.

UPDATE 0901z: Nothing spotted so far today.

UPDATE 1133z:  Swapped to the better 10m indoor loop. 27 stations so far spotted today on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1811z:  287 stations spotted on 10m FT8 with the tiny indoor loop antenna today. Sunspot minimum year!

UPDATE 2147z: 318 stations spotted on 10m FT8 RX today on the tiny indoor loop antenna. Now QRT. 

Sunspots - October 23rd 2020

 Solar flux is 75 and the SSN 11. A=6 and K=1.

With some of the grandchildren - NOT amateur radio

One of our sons came for a night with his children. This autumn scene was this morning in our back garden.  Another week or so and all these leaves will be gone.

Online BATV Convention (amateur TV)

The BATC convention this Saturday October 24th will be online and on Zoom. What follows is as I received it and may be hard to read on some screens.

Saturday 24 OCTOBER : NOW ONE DAY AND ONLINE ONLY

BATC CONVENTION FOR AMATEUR TV 2020 (CAT 20). BATC CAT 20 will go ahead as an online and on-air event. The interactive parts of the meeting will use Zoom, and all lectures will be streamed on the BATC Streamer with the opportunity for questions. More details at https://forum.batc.org.uk/viewforum.php?f=128.

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

10m FT8 QRP again

Once again I am on 10m FT8 with the FT817ND and the poorer indoor loop. It is currently 0910z and I am RX only. No spots yet.

UPDATE 1012z:   Just spots of 9A6R (1542km) and G0PQO (50km).

UPDATE 1050z:   Now on TX at 2.5W. No spots of me yet. 4 stations spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1425z: 1 person spotted me on 10m QRP FT8 TX and I have spotted 11 so far, all in Europe. Now gone back to RX only.

UPDATE 2050z:  10 S.American stations spotted. QRT. 

Cactus Day - NOT amateur radio

For the last few years we have celebrated Cactus Day invented by one of our grandchildren. The photo shows one of our grandchildren working on the Cactus Day cake. 

Sunspots - Thursday October 22nd 2020

Solar flux is 74 and the SSN 11. A=10 and K=3.

Great grandmother - NOT amateur radio

This is a photo of my great grandmother. It must date from the early 1900s. 

Baojie mobile photos inside

A few days ago I was told about a low cost dual band mobile by Steve G1KQH. This Russian site has some internal photos.

See https://www.qrz.ru/catalog/reviews/bj-218_971

SAQ (17.2kHz CW) reminder

On October 24th there will be a transmission from the historic SAQ in Sweden. Quite a few test their VLF systems with this. I have a QSL card from them from a transmission several years ago. It is on my shack wall.

See https://alexander.n.se/category/news/?lang=en

10m FT8 RX

At the moment I am on the poorer indoor loop, which is the one used on 20m, 17m and 15m. It sits on the shack windowsill. I reckon it is about 6dB inferior to the dedicated 10m loop made with copper thin bore pipe. Although I think my chances are low, I have left the kit running on 10m FT8 RX "just in case". It would be good to spot something!

UPDATE 0840z:  Not surprisingly, nothing spotted.

UPDATE 0855z:  Amazingly, EI9JF (488km) spotted.

UPDATE 0821z:  Now G0PQO (50km) and G0FWX (160km) also spotted. No real DX yet, but I am pleasantly surprised to spot these stations already on 10m FT8.

UPDATE 1358z: 18 stations have spotted me today on 10m FT8 RX. 

UPDATE 2035z: 5 people spotted my 2.5W 10m FT8 to the poorer indoor loop antenna and I have spotted stations in the USA and South America as well as all over Europe. 

. 

Earth-electrode "antennas" in the ground

Quite often I hear people tell me they have no space for LF or MF antennas. Rubbish!  

For many years I have used my earth electrode "antenna" on VLF, LF and MF. It won't be as good as a big antenna, but it works remarkably well.  Even my wife does not know it is there!  Neither do the neighbours. 

On 472kHz WSPR I get copied in Norway most nights with less than 10mW ERP with mine.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/earth-electrode-antennas

Sunspots - Wednesday October 21st 2020

 Solar flux is 75 and the SSN 11. A=4 and K=2.

Overnight on 630m WSPR RX

Overnight, I left my 630m WSPR kit running. Many more spots from the stations copied in the evening although no-one new. My conclusion is the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground appears fine. Next job is mending that PA in the transverter. Stations logged in Norway, Poland, Italy and Spain plus many other European nations.

Shoe boxes - NOT amateur radio

Every year my wife fills a shoe box with gifts for disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe. The photo shows a friend knitting hats and scarves to go in the boxes.

630m WSPR RX

There may be 2 issues with my 472kHz (630m) QRPP setup. 

As mentioned in the last post, I suspect the IRF510 PA device is damaged.  My transverter gives 12W into a 50 ohm load, but the measured ERP is less than 10mW. Despite this, I was able to get to Norway most nights last winter.

There may also be a break in my earth-electrode "antenna". 

As a first step, I am on 472kHz WSPR RX overnight. If this works, it probably means the earth-electrode "antenna" is intact. If this is the case, I may be able get on TX again just by mending the PA device. If this fails, I shall replace both the IRF510 and the wire in the garden.

UPDATE 1830z:  With F and DL already spotted, initial results are encouraging.

UPDATE 2130z:   I think the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground is fine, judging by results this evening. I shall leave the RX on overnight, although I have spotted far more than I expected.

Mending 472kHz transverter

Late last winter I think I managed to destroy the PA MOSFET in my 472kHz transverter. I must have had a very poor match for a very long time! Mending this is a job for the weeks ahead. In the past this has been mainly used for WSPR. 

Son and children - NOT amateur radio

The recent photo shows one of our sons with his children. 

Sunspots -Tuesday October 20th 2020

 Solar flux is 75 and the SSN 12.  A=6 and K=2.

Tuesday on 2m FT8 (2.5W and big-wheel omni antenna)

It is now 0750z.  About 10 minutes ago, the 2m FT8 gear was turned on. Already 4 stations have spotted me today.

Primroses - NOT amateur radio

About now we plant primroses to give us winter colour in the garden. These were bought from a nursery in the village. They look healthy. 

2m FT8 QRP - Monday

At 0822z, my 2m FT8 was turned on. Once again I am using 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna. 1 station in Germany spotted on RX and at 0950z, my signal had been spotted by 10 stations in 3 countries with the furthermost being G7RAU (461km) in Cornwall. No QSOs yet.

UPDATE 1250z:   12 stations have spotted me today.

Stations spotting
me to 1550z

UPDATE 1550z:   18 stations have spotted me today so far.

UPDATE 2145z: QRT. In all 25 stations spotted my 2m FT8 QRP. Furtermost was GI6ATZ.