Sunspots - Wednesday June 9th 2021

 Solar flux is 80 and the SSN 34. A=5 and K=2. 

Painting time - NOT amateur radio

Our windmill next door is 200 years old. It was fully restored in 2013. 

At the moment, it is being repainted by volunteers.  I guess you have to have a head for heights! 

If you look at the photo, you can see someone painting the sails.

V2000 faulty

A local friend Richard G3TFX kindly tried to mend my faulty V2000 vertical. This covers 6m, 2m and 70cm. I must have had it for almost 20 years. Recently it developed a high SWR. When Richard investigated it looked like water had got in and there was some corrosion. He came back today to see if he could loosen the collar at the bottom which he could not release due to corrosion. At the time of writing, this is stuck fast.

At the moment it is about 75cm off the ground without radials and horizontal. Despite this, I have still spotted 172 station on 6m FT8 RX with the best DX spotted A92GE (5036km) in Bahrain!!

70cm activity contest (UKAC) this evening at 1900z

A reminder that the 70cm leg of the RSGB activity contest is this evening. As my 2m big-wheel is faulty I am trying with my homemade 4el yagi in the shack.

70cm UK beacons

At the moment, I am not sure which 70cm UK beacons are operational. 

Last night GB3LEU at Leicester (432.490MHz) popped up with the indoor 4 el yagi, pointing out the window. Most of the time it is below the noise floor. 

Every time some tree surgeons were working about 50m away, I could hear a sprog on 432.432MHz!

It seems few (none?) of the UK beacons have FT8 or WSPR sequences. PI4 which several beacons use, seems to require special software. Personally, I think it would be good to have time synchronised beacons with an FT8 TX slot so there could be more monitors.

See https://www.microwavers.org/indexb.htm .

Vancouver BC - NOT amateur radio

This photo was taken in 2012 in Vancouver, Canada. I can confirm British Isles climate. 

Sunspots - Tuesday June 8th 2021

 Solar flux is 81 and the SSN 53. A=12 and K=2.

Evening light - NOT amateur radio

 

Seen on our walk this evening. The church bathed in sunlight.

Gardening - NOT amateur radio

Our son busy planting in his garden. It looks like a fushia.

4el 70cm yagi

Tomorrow evening is the June leg of the RSGB's UKAC activity "contest" on 70cm.  

I usually use my 2m big-wheel omni, 10W, and stop on for less than an hour. Sadly, my 2m big-wheel has developed a high SWR, so tomorrow I will be using an old 4el homemade yagi indoors. It could be several dBs down. At least it can be hand-rotated from the operating position and the match is good. It will be interesting to see how I get on.

The last time it was used was early 2013.