2 Apr 2023

Sunspots - Sunday April 2nd 2023

 Solar flux is 125 and the SSN 23. A=13 and K=3. 

1 Apr 2023

4m EI4RF beacon - 70.013 MHz

Currently I am on 70.013 MHz FT8 RX, hoping to see the EI4RF beacon, that I believe has some FT8 sequences.  I am not hopeful. They say tune to 70.012 for FT8.

See https://www.qrz.com/db/EI4RF

UPDATE 2050z:  Nothing seen. I shall try for another 20 minutes or so and then call it a night.

UPDATE 2116z:   Still nothing. QRT.

6m MSK144

At the moment I am trying MSK144 on 50.280 MHz in a test with OZ9FZ.

UPDATE 2122z:   Nothing so QSYed to 4m FT8 RX.

Bicone antennas

Sometimes people want a wideband antenna covering several bands. One to consider is the bicone. these can be quite large, but can cover several bands.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biconical_antenna .

Solar maximum?

The site I always look at for the latest data is still showing the peak of this solar cycle in November 2023, i.e. this year. The information was only updated today.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

Sign of the times - NOT amateur radio


We have had more cold weather this winter than for a long time. We have also had lots of potholes in the roads! I suspect that councils are trying to save money, perhaps by using inferior materials. As they are finding out, this is quite short sighted as potholes are reappearing in the same places!

4m FT8

Perhaps I am a sucker for punishment! Once again, I am on 4m FT8 on 70.154 MHz. No spots. Last weekend I was spotted by a few stations and had a contact on 4m FT8 with a station in Wales.

UPDATE 1627z: Still no 4m FT8 spots! I find it hard to believe that days have passed and nobody, absolutely nobody, spotted. Looking on PSKreporter, there look to be very few monitors as well.

UPDATE 1757z:  Just G3SHK (200km) spotted, but he could not copy me sadly.

Rain - NOT amateur radio

 Usually this is a dry part of the UK with very little rain. February was exceptionally dry, but March was exceptionally wet. I think we had more rain in March than the whole winter! We needed the rain, but March was very dull.

Sunspots - Saturday April 1st 2023

Solar flux is 129 and the SSN 61. A=21 and K=2.

31 Mar 2023

630m WSPR RX (Friday)

 At 1920z, my 630m WSPR RX was turned on.