April weather can be very odd. Last week we had temperatures approaching 25 degrees C. Today we have snow flurries!
When I first came to Cambridge in the early 1970s we did a 4m contest from the back of someone's Landrover. It was bitterly cold. I think it was April 3rd. Sometimes days can be very cold and other days very hot. In the UK in April, anything can be expected.
These days I am not very religious. I accompanied my wife to church this morning, but it was a very sad occasion with social distancing, no singing and pre-booking. Normally the churches are full at Easter. Not this year.
All the time I am aware of how narrow the Christian faith, indeed all religions, are. How can so many people in so many different religions all believe they are right? My own view is all these are hints at the truth. Not one has the answer.
Human beings find it very hard to deal with our finite lives. The universe is so vast and the chances of intelligent life existing elsewhere are high.
Whatever your views on religions, I hope that the next year brings you peace and happiness. We have all had a difficult 12 months with most things we took for granted gone. Let us hope we can all return to something more normal soon.
Perhaps I could best be described as agnostic: I really do not know what I believe. Something within me hints that love is important and that care for others and our world are important.
Many years ago I owned an HW8 which was an HF QRP transceiver. I had great fun with mine.
These days there is less CW activity, with FT8 better suited to QRP modes. However, FT8 needs a PC. With CW some very simple rigs can be made.
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| King's Parade, Cambridge, UK |
After a break of a few days, I am again on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop antenna on the shack windowsill. It is now 1455z. So far, in about 10 minutes, 18 stations have been spotted on RX and my QRP has been copied by nobody yet on TX.
UPDATE 1542z: So far, 30 stations have been spotted on RX on 5 continents and nobody has spotted me on TX yet today.
UPDATE 1800z: 43 stations spotted on RX and nobody spotted my QRP on TX. QRT soon.
Since my 2013 stroke I have been giddy all my waking time, had a very poor voice and get exhausted very quickly.
All the time I am conscious of all the things I used to be able to do without effort that I can no longer do. Some of these things may still be as a result of my stroke, whereas others may just be because I am getting older.
Maybe I need to change the way I think and focus on all the things I can do rather than the things I cannot.
For example:
The photo show the original WISPY RX.
UPDATE 1506z: A start has been made. Some of the "meSQUARES" pads have been stuck down. I am thinking that "little and often" is my best approach. Years ago I would have done the lot in one go! See http://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=MeSl
First impressions are this is some radio. It can do so much!!
Despite a small slot being allocated to the amateur service at a WRC meeting many years ago, this slot is not universally available. As an example, it is not allocated in the UK. Other 5MHz allocations with higher power are available at 5MHz in the UK.
As a dedicated QRP man, and speaking personally, I would trade the bitty allocations for a smaller, contiguous band with lower power. I have only been on the band with WSPR, so am not well qualified to comment!
It feels much colder.
The ICOM AH-705 auto ATU sells for about £300. It is not small and not low cost. They do not even guarantee it is water and dust proof and they do not even quote the worst-case VSWR it can match.
In my view this is not a great auto ATU. I have no plans to buy one.
We are just rolling out 5G. Already there is talk of 5.5G and 6G! I cannot imagine what this would be.
Southgate News has a piece about an upcoming talk.
See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/march/5-5g-and-6g-for-2030.htm#.YGXV12jYrrc
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| IC-705 |
In the coming days I want to try FT8 and D-star.
The RX seems to work well even on LF with good reception of DCF77 on 77.5kHz with the earth-electrode "antenna" in the ground. It, so far, fits my operating well. I was surprised to get so many GPS satellites with the rig indoors in the usual operating position.
ICOM has done a great job.
I have ordered the Radio Today guide to the IC-705 from the RSGB.
My favourite site for solar data is usually updated very early in the month. This usually happens on the first or second day of the month.
See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .
UPDATE 1011z: I see the page has just been updated.
UPDATE 1910z: See http://www.solen.info/solar/images/comparison_recent_cycles.png . At the moment we do not look on track for a great cycle 25. It looks very similar to the last cycle.
At one time, Radioshack was very big in the USA. I was told about a comeback, although most of the products look as if they were made in China.
Maplins, that was a near equivalent here in the UK, closed some years ago. These days, many people buy direct from China!
At one time Radioshack sold a nice single band 10m SSB rig. The name escapes me.
Way back in 1961 I was bought a Heathkit electronics workshop for Christmas. Little did I know then that this was to be the start of an absorbing hobby and career. Heathkit is trying to make a comeback although the offerings I have seen have definitely not been impressive. These kits are overpriced and I am surprised they are still around. They must have some very loyal customers!
See https;//shop.heathkit.com/shop
See also https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp/Home/ew on my very old (not maintained) website. The links of the left cannot be relied upon.
It was far more expensive than I wanted to pay from a UK dealer, but I rarely buy gear and I probably haven't that many years to enjoy it. It should give me years of fun. I cannot see the prices falling any time soon. The IC-7300 hasn't dropped in years.
In the end, the review by Peter Hart in the latest RadCom persuaded me. So, I have succumbed. At the moment I am still reading the manual and will probably try it later.
More later....
As many will know, I am not a great DX chaser these days. If I work DX great, although I rarely go looking for it. To some, it is an important aspect of our hobby. Working rare DX on multiple bands can be a source of great excitement.
If I remember correctly, I achieved DXCC on 10m SSB QRP way back in the 1980s. My greatest thrill was working New Zealand with 10W SSB on 10m early one morning with a simple sloping wire dipole. The other thrill was working a VP8 in Antarctica.
If you are a keen DXer you may like Club Log. It seems an ideal resource for keen DXers.
In the last few years, FT8 has become the dominant mode on many bands.
Unlike speech modes, FT8 is definitely not a chatting mode. Basic QSO data only is exchanged. To use FT8 needs special software like WSJT-X that can be got for free on the internet.
Whilst this mode is great for simple stations and those who find talking hard (like me), it is not a mode that you just stumble across. Many years ago I "found" amateur radio by chance hearing AM stations on 160m and 15m.
In the end FT8 and similar could kill our hobby. What I am advocating is FT8 should be seen as complementing speech modes, not instead of speech modes. I hope, as HF conditions improve, more people will use SSB, FM and AM again.
After many years, our old bank is being converted to commercial units. One of these is to be a hairdressers. People who know me know that I cannot take advantage of this!
Shortly I hope to go on 17m FT8 QRP with 2.5W and the tiny indoor loop.
At present (0820z) I am on 160m FT8 RX. As we have daytime conditions, there is no DX, in fact no spots at all!
UPDATE 0836z: 17m gear turned on. 10 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost 5Z4VJ (6858km) in Kenya. Nobody yet spotting me on TX.
UPDATE 1228z: 246 stations spotted on RX with the furthermost YB7OO (11788km). On TX my QRP has been spotted by 2 stations with the furthermost R2ASY (2426km) near Moscow. 1 QSO today.
UPDATE 1420z: 326 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 4 stations spotting my QRP on TX.
UPDATE 1720z: 465 stations spotted on 17m FT8 RX and 6 stations have spotted my QRP TX.
This photo was taken at the Botanic Garden on Wednesday.
