What will the future bring?

A video from NG9D about activities on the 10 meter band. Someone commented: "Harmonics inside your SDR, is signals from 27,025 AM citizens band." Maybe ... There were plenty of CB people who bought 10 meter equipment for CB radio. Now they use the 10 meter band because it is hardly used. I hope not.

We have evolved with radio. I was joking about going back to CB radio. The only nice thing was to fool the authorities to avoid getting caught. Even then, and probably also now, pointless conversations. Swearing and harassment were common. 

Only with CB radio? When I listen to repeaters I don't see any change. With CW and digital modes you have less problems with that. At most someone who sets a carrier wave on your frequency on purpose. 

I am looking forward to some more conditions on HF. Cycle 25 has only just begun. I am especially looking forward to the 10 meter band. Then QSOs become possible even with a wet needle. 

Now we can already cover almost the whole world with FT8. What will that be like at the peak of cycle 25? Is a DX still special? 

Maybe if we all start working QRP. For example with a maximum power of 25 milliwatts. Maybe that's where the challenge lies? I think for me. 

It would be nice if we as QRPs could get our own part of the spectrum with FT8. Now the high-powered amateurs rule on those overcrowded FT8 frequencies. There is hardly any free space to be found. 

There is plenty of space on HF. But perhaps the authorities will take a large part of the free space in the future because it is not used.

More than 1000 licenses revoked in the Netherlands

In the past few days, more than 1000 call signs have been removed from the register at the Telecom Agency. PI4RAZ writes this on its website. The probable cause is a combination of cancellation and non-payment. This means that the number of active call signs has changed in a week from 13,254 active amateurs to 12,188. An astonishing difference.

Maybe many hams don’t like FT8 85% of the hams is active with that mode. 2 meter and 70 cm are practically abandoned. Only in the weekends there is more activity on HF due to contesting. But if you don’t like contesting, maybe you give up your license. Or going back to CB radio (27 MHz)

Source: https://hamnieuws.nl/meer-dan-1000-vergunningen-ingetrokken/

VK with WSPR 20 meter

Yesterdag afternoon I was spotted 4 times by VK3DXE (16585 km) and this afternoon also spotted twice by him. -14dB is a good report. I was using 200 mW.

I think that one sunspot is doing its job right now.

We are on the threshold of cycle 25. In 2025 we will have hit the peak of this cycle. We still have to be patient.

Yaesu FT-817

I have restored my FT-817 for the real QRP work with SSB. Previously, the FT-817 stood quite high on a shelf especially for FT8, but awkward for SSB. Now it is right in front of my nose. That little workhorse has been working without problems for 14 years. 

Yesterday I had a QSO with SV2ØØME on the 20 meter band. This morning I called S58MU at 20 meters, he came in with S9. He heard me. But soon the QSB came on and its signal dropped to S1. He couldn't hear me anymore. 

At 40 meters I worked I2NEG Gianni from Lecco, North Italy. He was S9 and used 500 watts. He could hear me and I got an S3 report. The noise floor was very low at 40 meters with S1 but there was a lot of strong QSB just like at 20 meters. 

It's fun to do SSB QRP again. Just human contact is worth a lot after all. I wish you all a Happy Easter.