My mobile amateur radio set up has been doing a fine job as usual. For the second week in a row solar activity on the 20m band has continued to provide some fantastic openings into VK and I have heard many stations coming in really well early in the morning.
A great drive in to work this morning as I heard lots of VK stations from down under booming through on 20m.
If you haven't heard already you will be pleased to hear that over the weekend on Saturday China launched their new Chang Zheng 6 (CZ-6) Rocket and successfully deployed 9, XW-2/CAS-3 Amateur Radio Satellites into orbit.
Beaming to the North with my 5 element 145MHz Yagi and 15 Element X Beam 432 - 437 MHz.
This weekend I shall try catch a few "birds" with my FT-847 Satellite setup. Hopefully I might even get some weather images from NOAA 18 and 19 to post as well as a QSO via one of the amateur satellites. In the meantime as we say in Yorkshire, "have a good un".
73 and let's hope that the HF bands will start to pick up again!
This week my oldest daughter Elsie started school full time and as you can see she is making a good impression already. We are so proud of her obtaining an award certificate for being nice to her brand new classmates and teacher. Well done Elsie!
As for radio.... I have been active from my mobile on the usual 20m band but conditions have been flat due to a geomagnetic storm which is still going on. Back in my shack where it is coming close to bedtime I have just worked LZ215KF on 40m. I was operating with my FT1000mp MKV and Carolina Windom antenna, My power was around 100 watts and I received a 5/9+20 signal report. However right now at 23.30 local time the bands are almost completely closed down from 80m upwards with just the odd station coming in here and there. Hopefully the space weather will get back to normal as we approach Autumn and at least the LF and lower HF bands should stay open into the late night allowing me to have a few qso's here and there when the family have all settled down. 73 Happy Ham-ing!
This week whilst enjoying a lunchtime snack outside in the fresh air I saw a guy walking by whom I recognised immediately as local BBC weather presenter Paul Hudson.
Paul was just about to be filmed making a new season of Inside Out which will be aired on BBC 1 this coming monday.
I had a sudden burst of excitement when I saw what was going on and of course I told Paul Hudson that I was a follower of the weather not only from the BBC but via NOAA satellites received in real time using my amateur radio equipment.
Here is a screen capture of Paul in action whilst broadcasting from the BBC television centre.
This one features Paul Hudson - BBC Weather Presenter in Keighley West Yorkshire and yours truly Simon Davison M0YKS Amateur Radio Satellite Weather chaser!
Below are a couple of of previously received satellite images from NOAA 19 using my 5 element yagi, satellite controller and FT-847 YAESU transceiver.