2m FT8 QRP (Thursday evening)

Stations spotting my 2m FT8
QRP Thursday evening

Last evening I was again on 2m FT8 with my 2.5W and big-wheel. 

9 stations in 5 countries spotted me and I had 1 QSO.  Yet again, I was copied in EI and GI.

Sunspots - Friday January 29th 2021

 Solar flux is 76 and the SSN 0. A=5 and K=2.

Lower cost HF rigs

Steve G1KQH and I have been discussing lower cost HF rigs. At the moment it would seem this market is being left to the Chinese and kits like the Indian uBITX. 

Most modern rigs from the Japanese people like ICOM, Yaesu and Kenwood are expensive and there is a dearth of lower cost "entry level" products lacking many of the fancy features. Whilst some can afford expensive toys, many cannot. 

In a way I am surprised that the uBITX design has not been bought by one of the big 3, improved, made in China and sold at an entry level price. It seems this is a market ready to be exploited. If the Japanese don't grab it, the Chinese surely will.

17m FT8 QRP (Thursday)

 As 10m was not good, I QSYed to 17m FT8 QRP at about 1353z. I am running 2.5W to the tiny indoor loop. 

At 17m, this is even smaller as a proportion of wavelength than 10m. Nonetheless, 11 spots on RX (including several from the USA) and 1 on TX.

UPDATE 1415z: 21 stations spotted so far on RX.

Yaesu FT991A

This Yaesu radio has been owned for about 18 months. Although used briefly for FT8, it is mainly used on 2m and 70cm SSB and 2m FM. It has only been used on low power. I was considering a trade-in for an IC-705, but have only been offered poor deals so far, so may stick with what I have.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/ft991a

10m FT8 QRP (Thursday)

It is now 1137z. For about 5 minutes I have been on 10m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop. So far, no spots today.

UPDATE 1345z: Still no spots

Flatford Mill - NOT amateur radio

This time in 2016, we visited Flatford Mill in Suffolk, UK. This was made famous by the painter John Constable. It is about 50 miles from here by car.

Last evening on 2m FT8 QRP

Last evening, I went on 2m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna.  In all, I was spotted by 8 stations in 3 countries with the furthermost being EI2FG (565km). On RX, I spotted 3 stations in 2 countries.

Sunspots - Thursday January 28th 2021

Solar flux is 76 and the SSN 26. A=11 and K=1. 

10m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)

 At 1507z, I QSYed to 10m FT8 using 2.5W to the tiny indoor loop. So far, no spots.

Oscar 100 activity

Every few weeks I try to give my impression of activity on the narrow-band transponder of this geosynchronous satellite.  I do this by looking at the web SDR at Goonhilly in Cornwall. This is very unscientific.

My impression is activity levels are slightly up. I looked at mid-afternoon in Europe on a weekday. There are more people at home at the moment because of various lockdowns due to Covid-19.

See https://eshail.batc.org.uk/nb/.

Primroses - NOT amateur radio

Over winter we always plant primroses for colour in an otherwise dull time of the year before the daffodils appear to brighten things up. In the spring these are replaced by summer annuals. 

We bought these from our village nursery. They were healthy plants and we will definitely use them again.

Normal times - NOT amateur radio

In normal times Cambridge has lots of bikes. Of course we are not in normal times. 

15m FT8 QRP (Wednesday)

It is now 0822z. A few moments ago my 15m FT8 QRP was turned on with 2.5W to the tiny indoor loop. So far, 11 stations spotted on RX and nobody has spotted me on TX.

UPDATE 1048z:  8 stations have so far spotted my QRP on TX and 126 stations have been spotted on RX.

UPDATE 1458z:  188 stations spotted so far on 15m FT8 RX and 9 stations spotted me so far on TX. 2 QSOs. The map shows the stations spotted here so far on the loop: I am impressed that something so small works so well.

Elecraft virtual K4

 The latest Elecraft newsletter has details of the virtual K4 to allow remote control of the K4 e. g. over the Internet. See the Elecraft website. 

Sunspots - Wednesday January 27th 2021

Solar flux is 76 and the SSN 23.  A=12 and K=3.

2m FT8 QRP (Tuesday)

A few moments ago, I QSYed to 2m FT8 QRP using 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna.

UPDATE 1900z: Just a single spot of my QRP so far, from DF0MU (475km).  Nothing yet on RX.

15m FT8 QRP (Tuesday)

This morning I am on 15m FT8 with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop on the shack windowsill. Already spotted by SV8JNL (2485km) on TX and 19 stations already spotted on 15m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1425z:  230 stations spotted so far on 15m FT8 RX with the tiny indoor loop and 4 people have so far spotted my QRP TX. The furthermost on RX is LU1FJP (11306km) in Argentina. On TX QRP the furthermost is RK4FF (2964km).

Stations spotted
on 15m FT8 today

UPDATE 1655z:  370 stations spotted so far on 15m FT8 RX today.

UPDATE 1845z:  405 stations spotted on 15m FT8 RX today. Soon to QSY to 2m FT8.

Mill Leat - NOT amateur radio

This photo was on a few days ago as part of a collage. It was taken at nearby Anglesey Abbey. 

Yaesu FT7 transceiver

My first commercial HF rig was a 10W Yaesu FT7. It was used mainly on 10m SSB and enabled me to work all over the world with simple, low, wire dipoles. 

It was later sold to a friend, who still has it. 

It only covered part of 10m, used no synthesisers and had a modular design. It was very quiet on RX and was one of the best rigs I have ever owned.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/ft7 .

The video shows the FT7B which is the 50W version.

Shack photo

 

This photo of me in the shack was taken in September 2013.   

Since then, there have been a few changes.

Memory prices

A few moments ago I ordered a 16GB micro SD card for my XYL's camera. I was amazed how low cost this was. This is from a reputable manufacturer.  Just a few years ago the cost would have been very high. 

Now you can buy micro SD cards with over 1TB!!  At some point I shall buy a 256GB (or even larger) memory card for all my photos. 

A few years from now I expect 1TB micro SD cards will be dirt cheap and seem so small.

WSJT-X rc4

The latest release candidate of WSJT-X has been released. It is rc4. When I tried to install it on my Windows 10 machine it kept blocking it. After going through the hoops several times I eventually installed it. This version runs until Feb 2nd when I expect to go through all this hassle again. I know why this is done: to keep the PC safe. rc3 no longer works after Jan 26th.

WSJT-X is used for FT8 and WSPR here

See https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx.html

Crystal set DXing

It is some years since I last tried this, but it was fun. 

Although it is possible to envelope detect amateur stations if strong enough, identifying amateur SSB stations can be quite hard. The first amateur stations copied were on 160m AM way back in the 1960s.  Since then I have copied amateur SSB stations on 80m at some distance. Signals need to be S9++. 

In a crystal set all the power is from the TX end, with nothing at the RX end. No batteries, nothing.

I have seen broadcast signals from all over the world and these were genuine in original country broadcasts, not via relays.  These days there are fewer English language broadcasters as more and more people move to the Internet. 

The circuit shown here is capable of hearing this DX even though it is ultra-simple. For the detector I used a germanium diode, but a hot carrier diode might be suitable. The secret is choosing a diode with a very low turn-on voltage. Silicon diodes are not suitable.

I am sure there will be better circuits around.

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

See also http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/culter.pdf

Sunspots - Tuesday January 26th 2021

Solar flux is 77 and the SSN 26. A=17 and K=2. 

"Our" windmill - NOT amateur radio

We live right next door to a fully restored 200 year old windmill. Every day, we notice somebody coming to take a photo.  You cannot blame them. 

We can see the windmill when we have breakfast and from the lounge where this photo was taken.

During the Covid-19 pandemic they removed some slats from the sails. I expect they will be repainted and replaced soon. The whole windmill is due for a repaint.

OFCOM updates

On the OFCOM website are more details of their upcoming auction of spectrum at 700MHz and 3.6GHz. 

Yorkshire pudding - NOT amateur radio

Yesterday we had stew with homemade Yorkshire pudding. 

In days gone by Yorkshire pudding was served as a savoury first course to fill you up before the main course, so less meat was needed. This was particularly important in poor families.

2m FT8 QRP (Monday)

Since about 1030z I have been on 2m FT8 using 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. Already I have been spotted in EI and GI. 

UPDATE 1535z: 29 spots of my QRP 2m FT8 so far today with furthermost being DJ8RZ (881km). See map for spots of me to lunchtime.

UPDATE 2130z:  26 stations in 7 countries have spotted my 2m FT8 QRP in the last 12 hours. 31 stations spotted here on RX in same period.

Anglesey abbey - NOT amateur radio

 

The collage shows nearby Anglesey Abbey a few days ago.  It is owned by the National Trust.

We walk there most weeks. It is about 1.2 miles around the winter walk and not very muddy. 

The other walk we do there is a bit further, but very muddy at the moment!

G1KQH's blog

 A reminder that you may want to visit the blog of Steve G1KQH.

See http://g1kqh.blogspot.com

VLF news 2021

Experiments continue at very low frequencies by radio amateurs. This is an area where all can take part on RX as the antennas can be very small indeed, yet highly effective. This is one of the frontiers in our hobby.

It is honest that to radiate a sub-10kHz signal does need a big antenna and dedication. Nonetheless, we need far more monitoring stations on RX only.

In the past I have tried to keep abreast of happenings at extreme VLF with my website on sub-9kHz operation. If I fail to update quickly, there are links to very up-to-date information. In 2021, I shall do my best.

See https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/news21 .

See also https://sites.google.com/site/sub9khz/home .

See also https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/vlf .

Sunspots - Monday January 25th 2021

Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 23.  A=5 and K=1.

Yesterday's snow - NOT amateur radio

These days we do not get that much snow. We have had more this year than for several years. More was forecast for this afternoon, but we are still waiting.

The photo shows the snow falling yesterday.

More grandson's art - NOT amateur radio

There is little doubt that our 11 year old grandson has a talent for art. The photo shows one of his latest creations.

His older creations are here. Some date back several years. I think some are 5 years old.

AM activity

This is very late! There are still a few hours left if you want to give HF AM a try.

See https://amqsoparty.wixsite.com/mysite

Cape Verde (D4) on 4m?

EI7GL reports  on his blog that the team in Cape Verde intend to try 4m operation in the coming Es season. There is some doubt that they will reach much of Europe as this may depend on multiple hop Es. At this lowish VHF frequency marine tropo ducts may be harder.

See https://ei7gl.blogspot.com/2021/01/d4vhf-on-cape-verde-plans-to-be-on-70.html

2m FT8 QRP (Sunday)

At about 0950z, my 2m FT8 gear was turned on. Running , as usual, 2.5W and the big-wheel omni antenna. It is now 0956z and I have been spotted by 6 stations already.

UPDATE 1000z: Already a spot of my QRP 2m FT8 by EI2FG (565km).

UPDATE 1445z: 17 stations have, so far, spotted my 2.5W 2m FT8 QRP on TX. These include spots in Eire, N.Ireland and Germany. Considering no beams here, quite credible, although this seems possible with 2m FT8 QRP at almost any time. As the times seem so frequent and random, I am not convinced this is aircraft reflection. I am still wondering if FT8 allows some other sort of scattering to be possible with QRP?

UPDATE 1844z: 23 stations have spotted my 2m FT8 QRP today (see map). On SSB these sort of distances would only be possible with lots of power and a big yagi high up. And remember, I see this every day with just 2.5W and a big-wheel omni.

No Comment - NOT amateur radio

This photo arrived earlier. No comment.  I have no idea where it came from.

In the USA many voted for him. Outside the USA I have yet to speak with anyone (not one) who has a good word for him. In 4 whole years I have spoken with, or met, many people. The number must be in the hundreds now. 

Odd, he must have done something right domestically, yet abroad he is the butt of jokes.

Sunspots - Sunday January 24th 2021

 Solar flux is 78 and the SSN 34. A=4 and K=2.