nexus
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This latest news was posted on QRZ.com, and also covered in this week's Amateur Radio Newsline (arnewsline.org) This is very promising now. The scientists at NOAA and NASA have finally confirmed the start of Solar Cycle 24. For those of you who are not sure what that means, basically the number of sunspots dictate how the upper HF bands are going to propogate. The more sunspots, the better the propogation on the higher bands (21mhz and above) The solar cycle is for 11 years. 11 years of good propogation, followed by 11 years of poor propogation. We've been on the bottom end of Cycle 23 for the past couple of years, with it getting worse. This is why you never can hear anything on 27mhz or 28mhz any more.
But now, as of Jan 2008, we're fixing to begin the upswing. 11 years of improved propogation. They are suspecting by March 2008 things should begin. In another year or two we'll reach the PEAK where you'll be able to hear stations all over the world day and night on 10 meters using nothing more than a wet noodle! Talk to them too, if you're licensed to do so
So those of you why are TECHNICIAN class only, get ready. Get yourself an HF, or a 10 meter only radio and be prepared to talk all over this globe on just a few watts of power and a piece of copper wire 17 feet long.
Here is the story from QRZ:
The Solar Influences Data analysis Center (SIDC) at the Royal Observatory of Belgium has said that Solar Cycle 24 has arrived.
In the SIDC Bulletin for 4th January they say:
http://sidc.oma.be/products/meu/index.php
No flaring activity is expected in the coming days.
Activegeomagnetic conditions (up to K=4) are expected over the weekend due to the influence of a recurrent coronal hole.
Catania solar observatory reports the presence of a high latitude sunspot group. MDI images show a bipolar structure.
This bipole is however the first of the new solar cycle which actually develops into a visible sunspot group.
Solar cycle 24 has arrived!
SIDC Products
http://www.sidc.be/products/
According to TV Technology magazine, the group most interested in the solar cycle is the scientists at NASA studying solar physics. They became excited when a knot of magnetism popped over the sun’s eastern limb back on December 11th.
Marshall Space Flight Center Solar Physicist David Hathaway calls this a good sign. He says that the knot may not look like much, but that patch of magnetism could be a sign that the next solar cycle has begun.
Hathaway explained that each new solar cycles always begins with a high-latitude, reversed polarity sunspot. Reversed polarity means a sunspot with an opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous solar cycle. High-latitude refers to the sun’s grid of latitude and longitude.
A NASA Science News release describes old cycle spots as those that tend to congregate near the sun’s equator. New cycle spots appear about 25 or 30 degrees higher in latitude.
The release says that many forecasters believe Solar Cycle 24 will peak in 2011 or 2012 and will be intense. These same Solar Cycle forecasters also say that more time is needed to see if this sunspot really is the start of Solar Cycle 24.
Hoping for some good D-X in the near future. I'm David Black, KB4KCH, at the South-East Bureau, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Amateur radio operators have been closely watching for the next Solar Cycle to start. Hams know that the increasing solar activity will lead to higher maximum usable frequencies and better High Frequency propagation. (NASA, TV Technology)
But now, as of Jan 2008, we're fixing to begin the upswing. 11 years of improved propogation. They are suspecting by March 2008 things should begin. In another year or two we'll reach the PEAK where you'll be able to hear stations all over the world day and night on 10 meters using nothing more than a wet noodle! Talk to them too, if you're licensed to do so
So those of you why are TECHNICIAN class only, get ready. Get yourself an HF, or a 10 meter only radio and be prepared to talk all over this globe on just a few watts of power and a piece of copper wire 17 feet long.Here is the story from QRZ:
The Solar Influences Data analysis Center (SIDC) at the Royal Observatory of Belgium has said that Solar Cycle 24 has arrived.
In the SIDC Bulletin for 4th January they say:
http://sidc.oma.be/products/meu/index.php
No flaring activity is expected in the coming days.
Activegeomagnetic conditions (up to K=4) are expected over the weekend due to the influence of a recurrent coronal hole.
Catania solar observatory reports the presence of a high latitude sunspot group. MDI images show a bipolar structure.
This bipole is however the first of the new solar cycle which actually develops into a visible sunspot group.
Solar cycle 24 has arrived!
SIDC Products
http://www.sidc.be/products/
According to TV Technology magazine, the group most interested in the solar cycle is the scientists at NASA studying solar physics. They became excited when a knot of magnetism popped over the sun’s eastern limb back on December 11th.
Marshall Space Flight Center Solar Physicist David Hathaway calls this a good sign. He says that the knot may not look like much, but that patch of magnetism could be a sign that the next solar cycle has begun.
Hathaway explained that each new solar cycles always begins with a high-latitude, reversed polarity sunspot. Reversed polarity means a sunspot with an opposite magnetic polarity compared to sunspots from the previous solar cycle. High-latitude refers to the sun’s grid of latitude and longitude.
A NASA Science News release describes old cycle spots as those that tend to congregate near the sun’s equator. New cycle spots appear about 25 or 30 degrees higher in latitude.
The release says that many forecasters believe Solar Cycle 24 will peak in 2011 or 2012 and will be intense. These same Solar Cycle forecasters also say that more time is needed to see if this sunspot really is the start of Solar Cycle 24.
Hoping for some good D-X in the near future. I'm David Black, KB4KCH, at the South-East Bureau, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Amateur radio operators have been closely watching for the next Solar Cycle to start. Hams know that the increasing solar activity will lead to higher maximum usable frequencies and better High Frequency propagation. (NASA, TV Technology)
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