I'm not sure that I understand the problem here. Whenever I restart my node, it always says "no blocksource available". It has a think about it for a variable amount of time, and then it tells me that I'm a few hours out of days, and it adds those blocks to my store. I assume that this is normal. Does the OP have a different problem.

I can see that I've explained things badly, and you guys are just not getting the concept. I'll leave this thread, and I start another using a more apposite title when I am a bit further down the line.

What on earth is all that about?

Sounds as if you just need to wait. Go by the green bar, and not the catchup time. About half of the chain was created in the last year.

If you are in Somerset, England, I can give you a copy of the blockchain on a USB stick. 

I guess my mistake was in using the word homeless - maybe I should have said "people with a mobile lifestyle or holidaying in a campervan" Getting a bank account with clearing facilites is a big problem for some in the UK (and other countries). You need a passport, a birth certificate,  and to be on the electoral role, for it to be a straightforward task.

Here is a quote from the Noddle website ( noddle.co.uk )

70% of UK credit card applications are rejected - last year alone, 5 million applications were unsuccessful.

Moving fiat currency is a secondary task for Bitcoin. It requires additional services to complete the transfer.

2016 will be a great year because I've got my wallet working.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhdM4_iRHyE

This is a talk by a university professor entitled "The Economics of Bitcoin & Virtual Currency". In it she describes Bitcoin as a spreadsheet, states that Bitcoin is the first virtual asset (hasn't she heard of domain names?), and regards it simply as a means of transferring fiat currencies. It's dated June 2015, so it must reflect current thinking. If her ideas are prevalent, then we have a wonderful future in the world of Bitcoin.

Thanks for the offer, but I don't believe that giving people money is the answer, helping them to improve their lot is the only long term solution. Job creation and an economy that doesn't force them into debt slavery are other elements.

The charity I support is a heart trust. They buy defibrillators and give them to schools and install them in other public places, they also spend money on various other heart related projects. I've discussed using Bitcoin to raise funds, but at the moment, they take a very traditional approach to fund raising.

I decided to run  full node because it can give one better security, and it provides more flexibility. The minimum requirements as specified on the Bitcoin org site are

Computer with a recent OS - I'm using Windows 10 (but I hate it)
50 Gb of disk space Well I've got 2 Tb on this notebook
Broadband with at least 50KB/s upload speed - I can be down to 20KB/s
An unmetered connection - This varies with location
6 hours a day for running the node

So I plan to run the node at irregular intervals during the day, this will allow the blockchain to synchronise without too much of an overhead, but it will probably be less than 6 hours, and not all in one hit. The low connection speed will probably mean that I will be offering a very inferior service to other users. Will I be disrupting the Bitcoin network by taking this approach? Will I compromise my wallet and transfers in any way?

I clicked on trust next to your rating, and it shows that 3 people trust you.

I'm not American, I'm English. Have you read some of my other posts? I have stated that Bitcoin will never replace cash, or some other token system. It will/has change(d) other money payment systems though. This is especially true now that the EU has ruled that bank bail-ins are legal. IMHO Bitcoin is safer than cash provided that both parties have a communication facility, and a connection service is available. One of the problems encountered by homeless people is the difficulty in maintaining a bank account - Bitcoin provides an alternative that doen't require references and a stable income. So do you think that homeless people should be repressed and kept out of conventional society? I think they should be given a chance to improve their lot if they want to take it.

refugees and economic migrants are not the issue here, but Bitcoin could help them to survive given the mix of nationalities intheir camps.

Bitcoin is not a pipe dream anymore. I'm politically incorrect, and noted for my criticism of people compromising their beliefs to gain peer acceptance. Free WiFi is a commercial decision made by businesses to increase sales to mobile customers. I spend more in MacD and other places than you pay for your internet (over £400 per month)

It took about 5 days for me to sync the blockchain. That wasn't constant online time, but elapsed time. I just logged in when I felt like it, and let it run for a while. The more I read about 3rd party wallets, the more I realise that I did the right thing in loading Bitcoin core.

Well I don't use facebook, twitter or instagram. I'm also shocked that this board allows member accounts to be sold openly. Because of this, I will never use an escrow service from this board. I think it's a shame that I have had to come to this decision, as several members have been very helpful to me, and I am sure that they are honest. However, they don't offer an escrow service, and I think that says something as well.

I'd like to buy some Bitcoins, but I think I'm going to have to do this via a face to face meeting. It's a shame that there isn't an escrow facility in Bitcoin, but that goes against the finality of Bitcoin transactions.

167YShzmzSRZcfoFjAv8JBx31v6DwGwCtt

no add in prev post

Maybe I should host it to get some traffic stats

Have you got any activity on the network traffic graph?

I'm a newbie, both to Bitcoin and to the board. I'm here because I believe in Bitcoin as a savings medium, and as an international payment method. I'm surprised by the large number of posters who don't believe in Bitcoin, but use this forum to scratch a few dollars which they either gamble and lose, or convert to their local currency. I don't believe that they contribute to the board or to the expansion of Bitcoin. Would it be possible to concentrate micro-earnings discussions onto a new board?

I'm also shocked by the number of PayPal, Ebay and other accounts that are being offered for sale. It's these types of transaction that the uneducated public are using to discredit Bitcoin. We need to build its reputation as a valid payment medium for legal and reputable transactions.

It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure china would want to block Bitcoin. They might block web pages, but that shouldn't affect Bitcoin. China needs international trade, and to unload its dollars, Bitcoin will help them do this.

You guys should spend some time looking at the real world instead of posting here to scratch a few cents from sigs. There are an enormous number of people in the US who are living in cars, vans and RVs. Some from necessity, and some from choice. They all have mobile phones, and many have computers. In fact quite a few earn a living on the net. The same applies to many other countries. Youtube is full of videos posted by them.