Before I had my stroke I used to enjoy going out to see how far I could get on VLF earthmode. With 5W 6km was spanned, but much further is possible.

This morning, my 2.5W FT8 to the vertical omni antenna is on 6m.  I am wondering, if as on 2m, I am tapping into some sort of troposcatter mode?

As well as the usual G spots I have been spotted in Sicily and Eire. FT8 works with signals even weaker than CW. I guess it could also be aircraft reflection?

There is no doubt, whatever your views on origin, that moving away from fossil fuels will help in the longer term. We need more, lower cost ways of storing renewables. We need electric cars with better ranges that do not depend on mining rare materials, we need to be able to charge far less frequently, we need electric cars to compete with fossil fuelled cars on price.

My view is that when the time is right, we will all be driving some sort of vehicle that does not depend on fossil fuel. I just hope the turning point arrives sooner than later. Imagine if we all still had film cameras and cathode ray tubes and valves! Things change.

10m seems pretty good on FT8, so I shall learn little. Maybe I shall give 6m QRP FT8 a go?  As the 10m antenna won't be used I could put my 500mW 10m WSPR beacon on.

UPDATE 0806z:  10m QRP WSPR beacon and 6m QRP FT8 turned on at about 0800z. 3 Gs have spotted me on 6m FT8, but no spots of my 500mW 10m WSPR.

With 10W SSB and a 2m big-wheel omni I usually struggle in the 70cm UKAC (activity contest), but I usually manage a few contacts. Last night was different. 

Firstly, the impression I had was there were fewer people on.  This could partly be due to the holiday season and people being away.

Also those that were on I could not work. After about 20 minutes I just gave up having worked nobody! Perhaps the combination of higher local noise and fewer people make all the difference to QRP stations like mine.

I should be on the 70cm UKAC next month. We'll see.

 This photo was seen recently and shows a collection of old broadcast receivers.

 Solar flux is 260 and SSN 199.  A=17 and K=4.

 As a keen QRP FT8 operator on 10m, 8m and 6m this thought occurred to me.

If you are copied with a plus value S/N (say at 1W, or even 5W) there is a very good chance you would still be copied at 10mW. Of course, this will depend on the noise floor at the RX and finding a clear frequency.

Many have been surprised that licence free 8m 10mW ERP FT8 has been copied right across Europe. It does not surprise me at all. 

What does surprise me is how few have tried this especially in the Es season. Just think, no licence, make up a callsign that WSJT-X and PSKreporter can work with and have fun. 

Remember operating under ISM rules is not amateur radio.

UPDATE 1056z: Spotted by 19 stations so far today.

UPDATE 1302z:   So far spotted by 53 stations. 237 stations spotted here on 10m FT8 RX.

UPDATE 1830z:  673 stations have been spotted here and I have been spotted by 151 stations including Reunion Is and South America.

Just a reminder that many of my projects are on my video channel. Together with my main website http://www.g3xbm.co.uk you should find all the data you need on any of my projects.

As I remind people, experiment! Many (most?) of my projects are capable of improvement.

See https://www.youtube.com/@G3XBM

Before the FT817 became ubiquitous there were the 2m FT290 and 70cm FT790. Even today there are FT290s driving transverters.

I never understood why stupid Yaesu never offered a replacement, but it is now far too late as they have "missed the boat". These days there are plenty of rigs. In 2010 the world was their oyster.

 Solar flux is 272 and the SSN 245  A=122 and K=1.

G8SEI (131km) is the only station so far spotted on 6m this evening on MSK144. Although I am no expert in these matters, I thought I would try monitoring 50.280 MHz (Europe) during the night to see if I manage any copy during the Perseid meteor shower. I suspect G8SEI is being copied by normal tropo and not via MS!

This site is really, really good. He is so modest and talks through his journey into amateur radio. In this video he is trying to make a simple regen RX better.