Pay Now, Regret Later?

Having not bought much for ham radio for quite a while now, I had a quick search online this morning for anything new that may have slipped my notice.

I was very interested to find Yaesu had announced, earlier in the year, their forthcoming FTX-1F HF/VHF/UHF rig - essentially a 'new technology' version of the wildly popular but now defunct FT817 and 818 portable rigs.

 

At least the controls are better than the FT817/818 models!

Now, you can argue as to the usefulness or otherwise of waterfall screens and such like; I personally think they are nice but by no means essential and an unnecessary drain on valuable battery power in the field.

But the more human-friendly controls, coupled to the 'all band, all mode' offering is certain to capture the attention of those of us who realise 6W maximum output doesn't equate to 'just 6W' available - a watery environment will easily see that multiplied up by 10 and more times, without anything more complex than a 1/4 wave vertical antenna.

6W, of course, was the maximum offered by the FT818, which attracted considerable derision at the time of its launch for being only 1W, or a less-than-stunning 0.79dB more output than the preceding FT817. 

The price of the FTX-1F is not currently announced; it's likely to be in the £1200-£1500 range, pitched to directly fight it out with the long-established Icom IC-705. At the moment, most outlets are offering those who are too rich or too dumb, or both, the option of getting on the order list by placing a deposit of around £50. In the UK, at least, succumbing to this temptation means you instantly become liable to pay the, as-yet-unknown, full price when it's finally announced.  That's not a good basis on which to look after the household budget, if you ask me.

One advert for the FTX-1F; most other outlets offer the same deposit purchase basis. Payment of a deposit in the UK means the rest becomes legally liable in due course.

 

I suppose those who focus on HF might save around £700-£800 and opt for a Xiegu portable rig. I certainly would, now that they have been considerably improved and the Yeasu FT818 is no longer available new. Those who participate in SOTA and the like, where VHF and UHF may be more of a consideration, may well opt for the FTX-1F, though the Icom offers the same bands and the same output. At the moment, we don't even know the exact final size and weight of the Yaesu - both quite important features for a portable rig.

We're certainly going to see some kind of price war, probably rather limited between the Icom and the Yaesu, given they are so very similar in aim and specification. We can also expect Xiegu and others to step in with their own, doubtless cheaper HF/VHF/UHF units in short order.

I might be tempted by the Yaesu as a replacement for the Kenwood TS-480SAT I've had in my car for years, should it ever fail on me. Then again, the availability of more power for those occasional, marginal SSB contacts, is very useful to draw on when conditions dictate.

Meanwhile, this video nicely covers what's appeared on the marketing stands so far:

Another Major Geomagnetic Storm!

Last May, I posted about what was one of the strongest geomagnetic disturbances in recent decades. On the night of 10-11 October, 2024, it happened again.

We're of course not so far from the autumn equinox, which happened only some three weeks ago. At these times, aurorae have long been understood to display seasonality due to the alignment geometry of Earth's magnetic field with the Sun's field.

We reached a good and prolonged G4 strength, yielding extensive if less structured aurorae on the 10-11. With clear skies once again blessing the UK, pretty much everyone was able to enjoy the display.

How it became rough. Very rough!

I rushed out to the field shack as soon as it was dark enough to see the glowing sky. Large cumulus clouds were starkly silhouetted against the aurora, which extended to at least 40 degrees above the horizon in the early phase.

The little 6m, 3-ele beaming to the NE. Appearance is close to the naked-eye view.

 

 

Early phase of the aurora, with a bit of 6m field shack activity, beaming north.

Up went the telescopic aluminium pole and the 50MHz, 3 element Yagi atop. Though the strongest activity was initially to the north east, the strongest auroral signals were coming from due north. I made a single QSO but didn't persist with calls, because there was a contest on. I don't really do contests, especially when I don't know what the reporting rules are! In any case, the aurora was too fantastic to shout at some obsessive points collector somewhere.

 

I heard one call at reasonable strength from France, but not as many as during May. Northern Ireland, England and Scotland were all putting up participants via aurora.

By magnetic midnight, things took an uptick in activity. Quite vivid reds were persistent at the eastern and western limits, with possible 'STEVE' at times. At 20:59UT, I spotted a bright, regular patch of green appear to the ESE. There are no known ionospheric heater arrays in that direction, but it did seem so rectangular and uniform that it may have been artificially-induced. It also vanished in a couple of minutes. I've never seen anything like it in 50+ years of looking up.

The highly-unusual patch of uniform, apparently rectangular aurora that appeared at 20:59UT, 2024 October 10. It lasted for only a couple of minutes. Looking 108 degrees true from central Anglesey.

The activity continued at a strong level through the whole night and into the next morning. The end of the contest on 6m, coupled to most of them being G4 and therefore getting on in age, led to 6m becoming quiet after about 21UT. 

So bright and extensive was this display that, like May, it was possible to read large print text under its light.

The aurora was extensive and bright enough to light up the surroundings markedly.

Later phase of the display, apparently showing wave structure.