OFCOM and aircraft licences

OFCOM is proposing some changes in the wording of aircraft licences. See the OFCOM website for more details.  I guess this does not require thinking or an understanding of RF. 

It would be good if they gave me an update on my 8m NoV application submitted in October!  I chased last week many times, but after a week I have still heard absolutely nothing apart from their computer generated reply confirming receipt! Really, it is hard to be impressed. I think they have lost it and are too embarrassed to tell me.

10m QRP WSPR TX (Monday)

 As my 10m antenna is available, I am on 10m WSPR TX using the W5OLF 500mW TX beacon. As of 1127z, I have been spotted by 3 stations with the furthermost EA8BFK (2880km) in the Canary Is..

UPDATE 1530z: Plenty of spots by G4KPX (14km), but no new stations in addition to those shown above.

See http://www.wsprnet.org/drupal/wsprnet/spots .

70cm FT8 (Monday)

Although it probably won't be good before tonight, I shall be going on 70cm shortly. During the day I shall call CQ occasionally on FT8 with 2.5W and the V2000 vertical omni antenna. 

UPDATE 1125z:  A brief QRP TX session was spotted by nobody. On 70cm FT8 RX 2 stations (both Gs) have been spotted.

UPDATE 1342z:  Although this could be tropo, I think scatter is more likely. GI6ATZ (479km) and a GW have been copied on 70cm FT8 RX with just the vertical omni antenna. My brief TX transmission just now was spotted by nobody. In all, 4 stations spotted on 70cm FT8 RX.

Sunspots - Monday January 17th 2022

Solar flux is 116 and the SSN 103. A=19 and K=1. 

St Ives (Cambs) - NOT amateur radio

As mentioned before, a nice bus ride from Cambridge is along the guided busway to St Ives. 

Guided busways are a novel idea: in some parts of Cambridge buses run on ordinary roads. Then the bus runs on guided tracks with no other traffic using the path of a long closed railway. 

The route is past lakes and takes about 20 minutes. On the guided part, the bus can go pretty fast and the driver can take his or her hands off the steering wheel. St Ives is an historic place on the banks of the river Great Ouse. The town is associated with Oliver Cromwell.

See https://www.thebusway.info/ .

Tropo forecasts

Usually, I just randomly see if VHF/UHF conditions are "up". These days there are some forecasts which can give you a little warning of when conditions could be promising. One of these is the Hepburn Tropo Forecast. 

From this, it looks like conditions could be promising in the UK on Tuesday to the east. I shall certainly try 70cm FT8 again on RX (and maybe QRP TX) on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Clicking on the map steps the forecast forwards 3 hours for the next few days. Further out, it appears to step forward every 6 hours.

Big brother is watching - NOT amateur radio

They must all work on algorithms, but it always seems creepy when all the emails I get from Amazon recommending new things always relate to past purchases: for example I bought an Airfix kit for a grandson, so I get recommended another. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last year, so we get further 50th wedding anniversary stuff!

I don't mind, but I have never bought from these recommendations. My usual course is to delete these.

G3XBM history page updated

 The G3XBM history page has recently been updated.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/other-amateur-radio/g3xbm-history .

6m FT8 (Sunday)

A brief period with 2.5W TX to the V2000 vertical omni resulted in no spots. On RX, at 1006z, just 2 spots so far with the furthermost EA4LO (1334km). This could be winter Es or perhaps aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 1105z:  8 spots on 6m FT8 RX. Many of these look like winter Es.

UPDATE 1444z:  18 stations spotted.

10m WSPR TX (Sunday)

My 500mW W5OLF beacon has been on for about 20 minutes (it is now 1004z).  So far, 3 spots by EA8BFK (2880km). 

UPDATE 1130z: 24 spots of my 500mW WSPR beacon by 2 stations in the Canary Is so far on 10m WSPR.

UPDATE 1445z: 3 unique stations spotted with the furthermost FY5KE (7110km).