I see from the WebProp display on my website that the sunspot number is 15 today. It hasn't been that high for a while. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but as I came into the shack to close the receiver and computer down, I notice that I had logged reception of VK2GWH on 20m PSK31 at 21:22utc. In case it was a false spot, I checked the PSK Propagation Reporter site and noted that the same station had been logged at the same time by EC7ABH in southern Spain and four stations in the USA as well. No trace of him now on the waterfall, though!
I'm finding this PSK propagation monitoring quite fascinating as without it, fleeting moments of DX reception would probably pass unnoticed. I guess it was long path, though VOAProp would not have predicted it. It just goes to show that propagation still exists, if you are patient and search for it, and that computer prediction programs don't understand the half of it. I'm wondering if all the grumbling about conditions has more to do with the fact that we're all too used to having instant gratification, of pushing a button and have something happen, instead of having to wait for and work for those DX contacts.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Google's in morse this morning
The front page of Google is displaying the name "Google" in morse this morning.
Does anyone know why? And is it coming up like this for everyone, or only for those that visit a lot of ham radio related websites? I imagine seeing the above might be rather baffling for ordinary users who have never even heard of morse code.
Does anyone know why? And is it coming up like this for everyone, or only for those that visit a lot of ham radio related websites? I imagine seeing the above might be rather baffling for ordinary users who have never even heard of morse code.
Clean bill of health
I'm glad to say that Dr. Web gave my shack PC a clean bill of health after the scare over the JUMA web server virus attack. Hopefully everyone else who visited the site also avoided infection.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
JUMA server virus alert
I just received an email from the webmaster of the JUMA website, informing me that their web server had been hacked some time on Monday 20th April and some files had been infected by a virus.
To say that I was displeased was an understatement. Most of the computers in our house run Linux, precisely for the avoidance of such troubles. But the shack PC runs Windows - after a determined attempt to use Linux - because Windows has so much better options for ham radio and related software. What's more, I don't run any anti-virus software on it, because it's not a very powerful computer and anti-virus software slows it down far too much. I never visit any of the usual disreputable sites, go in for file sharing or download illegal software, so I consider I'm pretty unlikely to get any malware.
I was also displeased because I have mentioned JUMA quite a bit in my blog during the last few days, with the result that many people will have visited the website, and possibly got infected, just because of me. Thanks, guys.
In order to see whether my computer had been infected, I thought I would try to install and run an on-demand virus scanner - one that would just sweep the hard drive and check everything once only, rather than one that sits eating up memory and CPU cycles all day long every day. But on-demand virus scanners are like hen's teeth these days.
First, I tried BitDefender Free. I was a bit unhappy that it required my email address in order to get a download link. It took ages to install, ran like a slug, and required me to create an account giving loads of details before it would update itself with the latest virus definitions. So I deleted it without even getting as far as scanning my hard drive.
Now I have downloaded, and am currently running, Dr. Web CureIt!, a free utility from the well-known (but not quite as well-known as Kaspersky) Russian anti-virus company. It's running at the moment, using very little memory and making no significant difference to the computer's performance at all. If it finds anything, I'll let you know.
To say that I was displeased was an understatement. Most of the computers in our house run Linux, precisely for the avoidance of such troubles. But the shack PC runs Windows - after a determined attempt to use Linux - because Windows has so much better options for ham radio and related software. What's more, I don't run any anti-virus software on it, because it's not a very powerful computer and anti-virus software slows it down far too much. I never visit any of the usual disreputable sites, go in for file sharing or download illegal software, so I consider I'm pretty unlikely to get any malware.
I was also displeased because I have mentioned JUMA quite a bit in my blog during the last few days, with the result that many people will have visited the website, and possibly got infected, just because of me. Thanks, guys.
In order to see whether my computer had been infected, I thought I would try to install and run an on-demand virus scanner - one that would just sweep the hard drive and check everything once only, rather than one that sits eating up memory and CPU cycles all day long every day. But on-demand virus scanners are like hen's teeth these days.
First, I tried BitDefender Free. I was a bit unhappy that it required my email address in order to get a download link. It took ages to install, ran like a slug, and required me to create an account giving loads of details before it would update itself with the latest virus definitions. So I deleted it without even getting as far as scanning my hard drive.
Now I have downloaded, and am currently running, Dr. Web CureIt!, a free utility from the well-known (but not quite as well-known as Kaspersky) Russian anti-virus company. It's running at the moment, using very little memory and making no significant difference to the computer's performance at all. If it finds anything, I'll let you know.
G to K6 on 25W
A lot of people are spending a lot of time online complaining about poor HF propagation at the moment. Sure, the bands have certainly been better. But rumours of the death of the ionosphere have been greatly exaggerated.
Yesterday, after putting out a few calls and making a few PSK31 contacts on 20m, I was surprised to find on PSK Propagation Reporter that my signal had been spotted in California. I was even more surprised to find that it had been spotted by the station of Leigh, WA5ZNU. Leigh is a fellow Elecraft K2 owner and also a member of the Fldigi development team, with whom I have exchanged emails in the past. It was so unexpected that my signal made it all the way to the US left coast I wondered if my spot was actually down to some testing Leigh was doing on Fldigi rather than real propagation. VOAProp certainly didn't think propagation to California was possible with my modest set-up.
However, around the same time this afternoon I was calling CQ on PSK31 again and was answered by Dave, KJ6P, also in California. His print was a bit corrupted although his trace on the waterfall was clear - I sent him 599 because my reactions weren't quick enough to change the report in the box after he called me, but a 479 might have been more appropriate. Nevertheless it seems that my signals really are making it over to W6 land.
Bear in mind, I'm using a dipole in the attic of my house, and the K3 was loafing along at a mere 25 watts output. No HF propagation? I don't think so.
Yesterday, after putting out a few calls and making a few PSK31 contacts on 20m, I was surprised to find on PSK Propagation Reporter that my signal had been spotted in California. I was even more surprised to find that it had been spotted by the station of Leigh, WA5ZNU. Leigh is a fellow Elecraft K2 owner and also a member of the Fldigi development team, with whom I have exchanged emails in the past. It was so unexpected that my signal made it all the way to the US left coast I wondered if my spot was actually down to some testing Leigh was doing on Fldigi rather than real propagation. VOAProp certainly didn't think propagation to California was possible with my modest set-up.
However, around the same time this afternoon I was calling CQ on PSK31 again and was answered by Dave, KJ6P, also in California. His print was a bit corrupted although his trace on the waterfall was clear - I sent him 599 because my reactions weren't quick enough to change the report in the box after he called me, but a 479 might have been more appropriate. Nevertheless it seems that my signals really are making it over to W6 land.
Bear in mind, I'm using a dipole in the attic of my house, and the K3 was loafing along at a mere 25 watts output. No HF propagation? I don't think so.
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