11 Nov 2020

Sunspots - Wednesday November 11th 2020

 Solar flux is 87 and the SSN 27.  A=2 and K=0.

10 Nov 2020

Practical Wireless QRP Contest

In this contest I worked just 3 locals when active. I was quite close to the bottom in the results. 

The last time I seriously entered this contest (30-40 years ago?) I was using 1W AM and ran a large parabeam antenna /P from a good QTH.  

This time we could not operate /P and only from home. My antenna is just the big-wheel omni antenna.

70cm activity contest

Unless I am mistaken, this evening, starting at 2000z, is the 70cm activity contest organised by the RSGB. I use 10W and the 2m big-wheel. As yet, I have not seen an email reminder. I usually stay on for less than 1 hour, although the contest lasts 2.5 hours.

UPDATE 1815z:  Guess what? The reminder email has just arrived.

2m FT8 QRP

At 1433z, I QSYed to 2m (FT-817ND) FT8 with 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna. At 1445z, 3 stations had spotted me with the furthermost being G7RAU (461km) on the Lizard in Cornwall. So far today, just 1 station spotted and that was G8VDP (182km).

UPDATE 1520z: A quick look at G0LRD's grabber showed my QRP signal a little down on normal, so I have increased the ERP just a little by adjusting the SignaLink USB. See http://82.71.9.63:8080/cap/ . Now being spotted by 7 stations in 3 countries with the furthermost being EI2FG (565km). Also spotted by GI6ATZ (479km). If I got these ranges on 2m SSB with QRP I would be totally amazed. On 2m FT8 this is daily.

UPDATE 1800z: 18 spots of me so far today.

6m FT8

OK, I must like white noise! 

For a change today I am on 6m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni. It would not surprise me at all if the whole day passes without any spots. Outside of the Es season people often leave the band. With FT8, there is some chance.

UPDATE 0945z: Well, I have already been spotted by G0PQO (50km) at -21dB S/N. This was almost immediate. So much for the whole day without spots!

UPDATE 1035z: I have been spotted by a second station! M1ABK (70km) at -18dB S/N.  I suspect this is ordinary tropo i.e. these stations, if active, would spot me most of the time.

UPDATE 1430z:  1 station has spotted me and I have only been spotted by the 2 G stations earlier. I think I shall QSY to 2m FT8 shortly.

Sunspots - Tuesday November 10th 2020

Solar flux is 90 and the SSN 27.  A=1 and K=0.

9 Nov 2020

OT2CARE

This is a special Belgian call that I spotted this evening on 2m FT8. At first I wondered if it was a pirate!

See https://www.qrz.com/db/OT2CARE

2m FT8 QRP

At about 1645z I QSYed to 2m FT8. So far (it is now 1652z) 6 stations in 3 countries have spotted my 2.5W to the big-wheel omni antenna.  On RX no-one yet spotted.

UPDATE 1757z:  9 stations in 5 countries have spotted me so far on 2m FT8 today with the furthermost being GI6ATZ (479km). On RX 3 Gs spotted so far.

UPDATE 2055z: 18 stations have spotted me and I have spotted 8 stations.

Repairing the "better" 10m loop

This afternoon, I tried in vain, to mend my "better" 10m loop antenna. I failed. 

Before, there was a distinct peak when tuned and the SWR dipped significantly on resonance. Sadly, just a few minutes of soldering work left me totally exhausted and giddy. I shall have to try again another day. After about 10 minutes of physical or mental work I am just knackered. Whether this is my stroke or just old age I do not know.

At the moment I am still on 15m FT8 on the "poorer" loop.

Covid vaccine - NOT amateur radio

There is news today of a Covid-19 vaccine. Already the stock markets have reacted positively. Hopefully this will be the first vaccine of many. 2020 has been a nightmare year. Let's hope 2021 is better.

History

I have been involved in amateur radio for over 50 years and in that time quite a few things have changed. On my main website there is a potted history of G3XBM in amateur radio.

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

15m FT8

It is now 0916z and I have been on 15m FT8 for about an hour with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna on the shack windowsill.  So far, just 1 station spotted on RX and no-one has spotted me.

UPDATE 0950z:  12 stations spotted on 15m FT8 RX and nobody has spotted me yet.

UPDATE 1040z: 1 station in Germany near the Danish border DJ3LE (666km) has spotted my QRP and I have spotted 21 stations so far today on 15m FT8.

UPDATE 1235z:  3 stations have spotted me so far today.

UPDATE 1340z:   So far today, 81 stations spotted on RX and 4 stations have spotted me with the furthermost being UA3D (2519km). With QRP and the tiny tiny loop indoors I am amazed that anyone spots me!

UPDATE 1512z:  4 stations have spotted me and I have spotted 107 stations today on 15m FT8  RX.

Connectedness - NOT amateur radio

Ever wondered if you are related to royalty? Well, certainly in Europe, you probably are. 

I can trace my father's line back to the 1500s. Everybody has 2 parents, 4 grandparents, 8 great-grandparents and so on. Going back to the 1500s that means I needed over 8000 people to marry and have children. Going back just 10 more generations, way after Magna Carta, and I have over 16M ancestors, which is far greater than the whole UK population at that time! 

Now I am sure some of my ancestors married distant relatives, so the number will be a bit less, but you get my point: if you go back far enough we are connected. If we go back to the time the Romans came to England certainly one of those is in my family tree.

This is humbling. Just think, we are only here now because those people had children. If just one had not, we would not be here now.

Sunspots - Monday November 9th 2020

Solar flux is 90 and the SSN 40. A=5 and K=0.  

Humming again! Not sure what the latest forecasts for cycle 25 are, but we are off to a promising start.

8 Nov 2020

Remembrance Sunday - NOT amateur radio

Like many, we went out on our doorstep this year at 11am on Remembrance Sunday. We stood in silence for 2 minutes.

All those that fought in those dreadful WW1 trenches are now dust. How futile this slaughter was. 

One of my wife's relatives (see photo) fought and survived WW1, although the experiences haunted him all his life.

2m FT8

Since 1900z I have been on 2m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. So far just 2 stations have spotted me with furthermost PA2M (311km). On RX nothing yet spotted.

UPDATE 2034z:  Just 1 station spotted on RX this evening F4HRD (182km), whereas 10 stations have spotted me with the furthermost being G7RAU (461km) in Cornwall many times.

Time and memories - illusions? - NOT amateur radio

In the last century, our views of physics were radically changed by Einstein and then quantum physics. Things we had believed in for centuries required new ways of thinking. One wonders what our world view will be like in the next century. You can almost hear them saying,"did they really believe that?".

I wonder about time and memory. In our minds we wake up each day with our understanding of the passage of time and the assumption that our (fading) memories are as old as us. It is entirely possible that this is an illusion and each day is unique and the memories we think we have are illusions too. I have already discussed the mystery of human consciousness.

No, in 100 years' time our whole world view could be totally different.

15m FT8

At about 1515z, I switched to 15m FT8 using 2.5W and the poorer indoor loop. Several USA stations already spotted, although they did not appear on PSKreporter for some reason.

UPDATE 1548z: 1 station has spotted me and I have spotted 4 so far with the furthermost being KB8BIP (6266km) in West Virginia.

WSJT-X bug?

Several times I have noticed a bug with WSJT-X with FT8. 

When I use my Windows 10 machine, it seems not to recognise my SignaLink USB interface until a few minutes after I have switched on. After a while it recognises it and starts to decode OK. Before then, signals on the waterfall look smeared and there are no decodes.  

At first I thought it was RF feedback, but it seems to be any band and any antenna. I have still to try the new release candidate version 2.3  to see if this has been corrected.

East Cambs net

Not all locals are interested or can make it. 8pm Mondays 144.575 vertical FM - East Cambs net.

Old logbooks

When I was working, I managed to scan some of my early logbooks. These are available as files on my main website.

One of my winter projects is to join Logbook of the World (LOTW). Another is to update my eQSL entries.

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

10m FT8 QRP

Since 0922z I have been on 10m FT8 with 2.5W and the poorer indoor loop.  I must mend the better loop!  No spots yet.

UPDATE 1023z:  Just a single spot on RX of G0PQO (50km).

UPDATE 1508z:  Several stations in southern Spain spotted. Nobody has yet spotted me today.

Getting ready for winter? - NOT amateur radio

We saw this boat on our walk yesterday. Looks like they are getting ready for winter. 

Most blackberries have gone or have shrivelled up. I ate one last one.

Me as a child - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday my wife found this photo of me as a child.  I am holding my pet hen. I am about 8 or 9. This hen ate off the the same plate as our Cairn terrier.

As a very young child we kept hens for eggs.

Sunspots - Sunday November 8th 2020

Solar flux is 90 and the SSN 37. A=5 and K=1 We are definitely climbing out of the solar minimum.

7 Nov 2020

Earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground

At VLF, LF and MF I have used this at 2 QTHs with great success. My own theory is this acts as a loop in the ground which gets bigger with rising skin depth i.e. as frequency is reduced. I am sure a full sized antenna would be better, but this works way beyond expectations.

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

Thank you! - NOT amateur radio

One blog reader very kindly sent me a great gift in the post. This was a total surprise and very much appreciated. To avoid embarrassing him, I won't name him, but the parcel arrived safely - thank you so much. 

There are some very kind people in this world, certainly far more good people than bad.

US president - NOT amateur radio

It is now 1525z on Saturday days after the US election and still they have not finished counting!! You would think one of the biggest economies in the world could organise this better. Perhaps this goes with the territory and the country that can only find old men to govern them can only find a pathetic system to count votes.

2m FT8 QRP

Most of the day I have been on 2m FT8 using 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. Although I have been on TX, I am mostly on RX. So far today I have been spotted by 26 stations in 3 countries and I have spotted 60 stations in 8 countries.

UPDATE 2246z:  QRT. 

Another Tenner transceiver photo

Some years ago I designed and made the Tenner transceiver for 10m CW. It produced about 500mW but gave me loads of contacts with just a low wire dipole. As 10m starts to get better as we climb cycle 25, this could be increasingly useful.  

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/10m_tenner .

Sunspots - Saturday November 7th 2020

Solar flux is 94 and the SSN 35.  A=8 and K=1.

Things are improving fast. 

6 Nov 2020

Today's village walk - NOT amateur radio

Today has been cold and very sunny, so we went for a walk around the village. In Priory Wood, planted to celebrate the millenium in 2000, they were felling some trees. It was very muddy. We saw a jay and green woodpecker quite close.

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

For about 20 minutes I have been on 2m FT8 QRP.  So far 22 stations in 6 countries have spotted me with the furthermost being EI2FG (565km).

UPDATE 1615z:  Currently spotted by 30 stations.

UPDATE 1825z:  36 stations have spotted me today. G0LRD has a 2m grabber that I find useful (see photo). 

UPDATE 2220z:   1 QSO today.  Now QRT.

Village walk - NOT amateur radio

On Wednesday we did a nice walk around the village, bumping in to several old friends. Like today, the weather was cold and sunny.  

We will be going for another, different, village walk shortly. Today's walk includes some bits that are likely to be muddy!

5G with drones?

Southgate News has piece about using drones that stay up for 9 days to act as 5G base stations. I guess this could be less expensive than 5G microwave base stations every few hundred metres. It could also offer 5G in rural areas, which otherwise could lose out.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/november/using-drones-to-beam-signals-from-the-stratosphere.htm#.X6UPuLuTK00

Sunspots - Friday November 6th 2020

 Solar flux is 91 and the SSN 28.  A=4 and K=2.

5 Nov 2020

Yaesu FTDX101D

The new Yaesu flagship radio is far too expensive for me to even consider, although for some it is within their budget. It is also not a QRP radio. 

This is probably the first of a range of SDR based Yaesu radios. What strikes me is that Yaesu has become a follower rather than a leader. 

I have been a Yaesu fan since the 1970s, but at the moment ICOM seems to be the leader. It is almost as if Yaesu is rudderless and drifting. In my mind, they seem half-hearted about the amateur radio market. Come on Yaesu - prove me wrong!



A blast from the past

Like many, I started my hobby as a short wave listener (SWL) on medium and short waves. Hearing the sounds of the interval signals of distant broadcast stations was very thrilling. Gradually this changed to listening for amateur signals.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/interval

Windose ...zzzzzz - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon I scanned some old photos for an album my wife is making for a 90th birthday present. I tried scanning at high resolution as I wanted some scratches editing out. The Windows 10 was so slow! Compared with my Chromebook that I've had for about a year it is so slow. I am totally impressed with the Chromebook.

OFCOM announcement

 OFCOM has agreed a spectrum swap between users at 2.6GHz. See their website for details.