Long term absence on 48 metres?

When I started the Blog I didn't know how long I would do it for or whether anyone else would be interested in what I had to say and report. I was pleasantly surprised back then by the number of readers of the Blog and the comments that had started to flow. In June 2014 there were a number of stations broadcasting on a daily basis. Whether it is the long spell of poor conditions or the fact that many operators have simply given up the hobby, there seem to be fewer operators on the bands now. 

There are a number of stations that never seemed to have stopped like Ronalisa, Lowland, Panda, Batavia, Scotland, Mustang to name just a few (Apologies if I have left your station out). Best wishes and thanks to all of them for their passion. There are also some semi commercial stations like Laser, Harmony, Coast and so on that crop up from time to time. There are also operators that have chosen to follow the legal route or those that have been taken off the air by the authorities, and those that have sadly passed on. However, now that the SW conditions for 48 metres are on the up, there does not seem to be the renewed level of interest that I might have expected.

Anyway, my SW antenna, the inverted dipole for 48 was taken down prior to some recent storms. I thought it sensible to remove the whole installation (apart from the support pole). That, coupled with the continued malfunction of the Wellbrook Loop do not give me many listening options and I will not use SDRs for my listening pleasure (not a crticism of those that do). Hence the lack of logs in recent weeks. Also I have been spending my evenings attending the the needs of our new puppy, a Hungarian Vizsla that needs to be fed, played with and given affection. 

My long term plans include the purchase of a transceiver, buying a new (or refurbished) Wellbrook Loop and putting up a new antenna, probably a G5RV type to experiment with and the construction a new inverted V and balun for 48 metres. 

To all those that read the Blog, I have not gone away. I still monitor the Pirate Chat and WhatApp groups. I am still a moderator on the SW WhatsApp and the Pirate Chat. My interest is still there.. just don't seem to have as much time now!

I will put a log on here in the not too distant future. In the meantime, keep reading all the other excellent Blogs out there and let us hope for a speedy end to the invasion of Ukraine.

Terry