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Roger G3XBM's (Mainly) Amateur Radio Blog

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Guess who forgot?

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 10:17 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/guess-who-forgot.html


Last Sunday was the annual PW QRP contest that I totally forgot!! The 2m
and 70cm UKAC contests I set alarms for, but this one was overlooked. Doh!!

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8m experiment (Tuesday)

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 10:12 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/8m-experiment-tuesday_14.html


Yesterday my QRP TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 was spotted by 4 stations. I
am unlikely to be active for the next few days.

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10m WSPR (Tuesday)

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 10:11 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/10m-wspr-tuesday.html


Yesterday was fairly quiet here on 10m WSPR TX with just 14 stations
spotting my 500mW QRP. Most of these were via Es.

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Sunspots - Tuesday June 14th 2022

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 10:10 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/sunspots-tuesday-june-14th-2022.html


Solar flux is 132 and the SSN 96. A=13 and K=2.

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Propagation mode?

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 06:41 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/propagation-mode.html


Both yesterday and the day before, I had over 70 reports of my 500mW 10m
WSPR beacon. Today I have had just a few reports and these could be by F2.
Es can be very localised with strong signals somewhere and nothing a few kilometres away.
On 8m I am frequently spotted by EI9KP (649km). This happens so often that
I suspect some other form of propagation other than F2 or Es is involved
such as random meteors or aircraft scatter.
The period of FT8 makes me think random meteors or aircraft unlikely. It is
far too far to EI9KP for tropo.
Am I missing something?

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OFCOM

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 05:51 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/ofcom.html


OFCOM has updated the data it holds and has proposed a new licencing regime
for commercial drones. See the OFCOM website for details.

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8m FT8 TX (Monday)

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 01:16 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/8m-ft8-tx-monday.html


Yesterday I got my first report from a station in Scotland bringing my
country count to 10.
This proves that even a very simple station can give useful results,
although those with much higher ERP are achieving some remarkable results. Later today I expect to be on 8m TX again.
UPDATE 0816z: On 40.680 MHz USB dial (first) FT8 now.

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10m WSPR QRP TX (Monday)

Posted: 13 Jun 2022 04:18 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/10m-wspr-qrp-tx-monday.html


Yesterday 76 stations spotted my 500mW QRP 10m WSPR. I think these were
Es. Later today, I expect to be on again.
UPDATE 0822z: On 10m QRP WSPR TX now. Already 2 spots of my QRP from
EA8BFK (2880km) in the Canary Is. This could be F2 propagation.
UPDATE 0828z: I am wondering if the very first spots from EA8BFK were with
the PA off, so at sub 1mW level? When the PA is first turned on there is usually about 20 minutes of drift. I have just turned the PA off to see if
I get spots!
UPDATE 1116z: Having got no spots from the Canary Is since the PA was
turned off, I think it unlikely EA8BFK was spotting me on extremely low
power. Since turning the PA on again, I am again getting lots of spots.

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Sunspots - Monday June 13th 2022

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 10:39 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/sunspots-monday-june-13th-2022.html


Solar flux is 121 and the SSN 63. A=9 and K=3.

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10m WSPR QRP TX (Sunday)

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 12:42 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/10m-wspr-qrp-tx-sunday.html


Yesterday was one of my best days ever on 10m WSPR TX with over 70 stations spotting my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon.
At the moment, I am on 10m WSPR TX using 500mW to the tiny W5OLF beacon.
No spots yet today.
UPDATE 1943z: 74 stations spotting my 500mW WSPR today with the
furthermost FR1GZ (9724km). Most were by Es. This is even more than
yesterday.

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8m experiment (Sunday)

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 10:12 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/8m-experiment-sunday_12.html


It is now 1032z I have been on 8m FT8 TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial for about
30 minutes.
UPDATE 1712z: 4 stations have spotted my QRP today with the furthermost
EA8BFK (2881km) in the Canary Is. Also, G4APB (88km) spotted on RX, I think
for the first time on 8m FT8; at -22dB S/N he was marginal here. I have
lost count of all the stations now spotted on 8m FT8, but they are in 5 countries. We could do with a few more countries active on TX.

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Sunspots - Sunday June 12th 2022

Posted: 12 Jun 2022 12:25 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/sunspots-sunday-june-12th-2022.html


Solar flux is 112 and the SSN 41. A=8 and K=2.

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2m halfwave antennas

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 09:35 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/2m-halfwave-antennas.html



Most people opt for 5/8th wave antennas when they want better ranges on
their 2m handhelds. Some years ago now I made a half-wave antenna for 2m.
It was widely used on my many 2m rigs. It was first used in the 1970s, so
must be about 50 years old!
The idea was simple: the end is a high impedance so I just added a tuned circuit tapped at the 50 ohm point to match to the rig. It got me across
the English Channel with a 10mW AM handheld (160km), so it must work! The antenna was actually on the Fredbox.

Clearly this would work on 70cm if scaled.

One photo shows the matching arrangement and the other the full whip.



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10m QRP WSPR TX (Saturday)

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 04:27 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/10m-qrp-wspr-tx.html


At the moment (1040z) I am on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW from the W5OLF beacon.
14 stations have spotted me by Es already! Another good Es day.

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8m experiment (Saturday)

Posted: 11 Jun 2022 01:14 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/8m-experiment-saturday.html


Later today I expect to be on 8m TX on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 again. Yesterday, 5 stations spotted me as the map shows.
UPDATE 1036z: 8m FT8 TX turned on about 1030z. 2 stations in southern
Europe have already spotted me by Es.
UPDATE 1316z: 7 stations have spotted my 8m FT8 today.

UPDATE 2010z: Best day yet with 12 stations spotting me today.

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Sunspots - Saturday June 11th 2022

Posted: 10 Jun 2022 10:23 PM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/sunspots-saturday-june-11th-2022.html


Solar flux is 111 and the SSN 33. A=5 and K=2.

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8m experiment (Friday)

Posted: 10 Jun 2022 11:07 AM PDT http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/2022/06/8m-experiment-friday_10.html


On and off this afternoon, I have been on 40.680 MHz USB dial FT8 QRP TX.
It is now 1605z, and I have been spotted by 2 stations and I have had
1 "QSO" with a station in Croatia although I cannot tell you this!
Actually it was an FT8 exchange of location and signal reports.
Maybe to keep OFCOM happy I should have told him about runner beans and
sweet peas - oh silly me, I don't have a commercial rig and antenna for 80m. Isn't OFCOM's position and that of the RSGB on 8m absolutely crazy?!!
UPDATE 1807z: 5 stations have spotted me on 8m FT8 TX today. 2 stations
have been spotted here.

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