My PDF book - latest edition (issue 4)

Hopefully, the latest edition of my free G3XBM Project Scrapbook is now available. It is now at issue 4. Do not worry about missing versions. Several minor changes were made so I have published issue 4.

Modifying links will take me a little while. Please not that the tiny URL always goes to the first edition.

UPDATE 1507z: I think the link on my website, blog sidebar and email footer now point to issue 4. If you still cannot access it, please check with me. It certainly worked from my wife's iPad. The file is a PDF. As I make future issues, I shall try to point to the latest version.

UPDATE 2300z: For some reason my email footer always insists in adding the darn PDF book as well. Looking at the Gmail settings I can see no reason why. For now, I have removed the link to the latest version of the book from my email footer. This requires investigation!! 

Village walk - NOT amateur radio

We had a nice walk around the village earlier. We can tell we are heavy as the walk tired us! We are both on diets.  

We call this our "Muntjac Walk" as we often see these deer on our way.

8m QRP FT8 (Tuesday)

For about 3 hours I have been on 8m QRP FT8  on 40.680 MHz. Nobody has spotted me although EI9IP (607km) has been strongly spotted. I am sure this must be aircraft reflection.

UPDATE 1655z:  G0HVQ  (181km) has spotted me.

10m QRP WSPR (Tuesday)

My 500mW W5OLF 10m WSPR beacon was turned on just after 0900z. No spots yet today.

UPDATE 0930z:  2 unique stations spotting me so far today.

UPDATE 1414z:  12 unique spots of me today. USA spotting me well now.

Sunspots - Tuesday January 31st 2023

 Solar flux is 136 and the SSN 67. A=5 and K=3.

High office - NOT amateur radio

There has been a lot in the UK media about people in high office "falling from grace". 

Now, we all have faults and are all far from perfect. After all, we are just humans. 

However, those in high office are bound to come under close scrutiny. It is important that those in high office (e.g. in government) are of the highest standards. It is not wrong for folk to be good business people. If they get rich because of their own business acumen I have no issues as long as nobody was "trodden on" on their journey. 

What I deeply have a problem with is people who are not honourable and not honest. People who govern us must be of the highest moral standards and above reproach. If they are not, they will be judged. 

Recently we have had several in the UK government that have not been above reproach. They have only themselves to blame.

I am not after perfection, just honesty.

'Our windmill' - NOT amateur radio

This was the windmill next door at 4.50pm today. This is the view from the lounge window. 

Robin - NOT amateur radio

This afternoon we went for lovely winter walk at nearby Anglesey Abbey. As well as seeing an old work colleague who volunteers there, we saw this robin. They are such photogenic birds.

QDX diodes

As mentioned before, I have an assembled QDX transceiver on order from QRP Labs. 

Running from my standard 13.8V PSU, there is a risk of over dissipation in the PA devices, so I intend to drop the supply to the QDX with a number of silicon diodes. I can add up to 10, but will probably add 6. The diodes have arrived. This solution is noise free and the diodes are well rated.

Early start on 8m QRP FT8

 At 0902z, my QRP 8m FT8 was turned on. No spots yet today. 

It has been surprising just how many spots I have had on 8m, considering the few monitors and the time of the year.  Many of the nearer reports look like aircraft reflection, but my 2.5W and dipole have made it across the Atlantic at least twice. 

I do hope my 8m permit is granted for this year as there is so much still to research.  

If it is not granted, there will definitely be times when I shall be on the ISM bands with 10mW ERP WSPR without a licence. The latter is, I believe, a course that anyone in the UK could take. Not being a legal expert you will have to judge your own legal position, although I very much doubt OFCOM would come knocking! In nearly 50 years I have never been inspected. When the man last came, he was more interested in a cup of tea!

My personal view is that OFCOM should have allocated a tiny, digital only, amateur band at 8m by NoV on a strict no interference basis. This would have meant full traceability whether on-air or off. 

Both OFCOM and the RSGB seem dead against even a tiny 8m amateur band even by NoV. Personally I find this stance hard to understand. More public statements on this might help us to understand their reasoning. In the absence of data, we can only assume the military is against this. Personally, I think not making their reasons public is short-sighted and unhelpful. We should have full confidence in both the RSGB (that depends heavily on committed volunteers) and OFCOM.  There must be good reasons for their position, so please share these!!

UPDATE 1042z: Spotted by WESSEXSDR probably via aircraft reflection. This mode seems more common than I thought at 8m and could well account for the frequent spots of my 2.5W by EI9KP (649km). It could be random MS, but I somehow doubt this.