Rain, a lot of rain. Non stop all night in fact. It is still raining this morning.
But at least it is warmer. A whopping 3 degrees this morning with a forecast high of 6 degrees. Break out the sunscreen!
I like to confirm as many of my amateur radio contacts as possible by traditional paper QSL cards. It’s always good to receive them back direct from another amateur radio operator but the card that arrived today (seen below) from Andy, KB1KYN on Nantucket Island, was a particularly nice surprise.
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KB1KYN QSL card |
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reverse of KB1KYN QSL card |
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This QSL card confirms a contact mentioned earlier in this blog back in September 2009 when operating portable from Barr Beacon. The location is seen in this picture taken on the day of the contact in question. Running about 80w SSB on 17m into a vertical dipole antenna from a battery powered Yaesu FT-857. This is the view to the south overlooking Oldbury and West Bromwich. These picnic tables make for ideal operating positions and there is lots of space for erecting antennas. While I tend to operate HF from this location other operators enjoy working VHF, UHF and microwave bands from this lofty position. On a nice sunny summers day this is a very enjoyable way of getting on the bands with a modest radio and a simple wire antenna and seeing what DX can be worked while you enjoy the view. I’d like to thank Andy for the card and for the contact back in September last year. |
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G0RIF/p setup |
A review of outstanding QSL requests early in 2010 shows that I still need cards to confirm the following DXCC entities :-
Antarctica, Bhutan, British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Colombia, Honduras, Indonesia, Iraq, Monaco, Montserrat, Namibia, Nigeria, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka and UAE.
Some of these have been outstanding for some years now (Monaco since 1992!) so hopes of cards being received for all of these contacts are fading over time. However, I remain optimistic (dare I suggest confident) that I will receive cards from most of them, in particular Antarctica, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Honduras, Indonesia, Montserrat, Namibia, Nigeria, Philippines and UAE. Time will tell.
NASA satellite image |
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That’s right, there is no let up to the snow & cold icy conditions in the UK. The extent of the recent snowfall can be seen in this NASA image taken by the TERRA satellite on January 7th 2010. This shows the entire British mainland and the Isle of Man under a blanket of snow and ice. Apparently this prolonged cold snap is in part attributed to climate changes in so far as the warmer air from the northern Atlantic ocean (which would normally afford us slightly warmer temperatures at this time of year) is being deflected to the south of the UK by a plunge of cold arctic air from north eastern Europe. A larger version of this image is available on the BBC website for as long as they continue to host it - you can click here to view that image. |
A very Happy New Year one and all. Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2010.