Solar Weather
- Thread starter zkorner
- Start date
There are many sources:
www.swpc.noaa.gov
w5nor.org
Homepage | NOAA / NWS Space Weather Prediction Center
Solar Weather Report - W5NOR - SCARS
The sun affects the atmosphere we use to bounce radio waves around the world. Resources on this page show the current solar weather status.
w5nor.org
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2002
- Messages
- 2,135
The best place is definitely
I am surprised it was not mentioned first.
I am surprised it was not mentioned first.
nd5y
Member
HF Propagation - The RadioReference Wiki
I Googled "solar weather". The NASA link was first, the Space Weather link was second.
RadioDXfun
Omni low angle radiator
I like this site : Space Weather by SolarHam
It gives a fairly close to real time graph of when flares appear over on the right, SFI and a good solar disk image.
I used to check the very approximate MUF on this site (which would be only for 1 specific path of course)
: Real‑Time HF Propagation Prediction
They changed something and it now no longer works. It may come back when they sort it out.
The thing with this information is it only a very general indication at best. It is fun to look at but I have learnt
that high SFI is not always a good indicator. We have to recall that the sun is spewing out all sorts of
electromagnetic and particle energy every second which makes its way to us within about 8 mins (speed of light), Lots of spots is great
but along with those come frequent flares. Which can knock the band out if strong enough and cause high D layer absorption blocking
our waves to the F2 layer. Then a bit later on - a few days...CME (Coronal mass ejection) often comes as well.
Then of course we have fluctuations in the geomagnetic field with which solar energy interacts. In some ways this is slightly annoying that we cannot know how conditions will be with any accuracy. It also makes things quite fun in some ways, it is always quite literally chance openings in any given direction (of course with the daily approx normal F2 layer pattern of signals generally moving east (AM) to west (PM) following the sun. Not to mention the fact if there any one listenng or transmiting where the paths open.
In the UK is very soon after midday that S.America/Carribean or USA/Canada start to come in. Connected with the sun and waking times.
You get what you get in the moments that you are on the radio. It is amazing yet I have a love-hate relationship with it... frustrating that you cannot predict it or easily gauge performance between 1 station and the next (locally it would be nice to know) or from 1 day to the next.
And yet you get great surprises as well.
This is why I always put the best antenna I can up, as high as I can, every time I go out. Then I know I could have done no more and made no better contacts than I did. I control what I can and the rest you have to make peace with.
It gives a fairly close to real time graph of when flares appear over on the right, SFI and a good solar disk image.
I used to check the very approximate MUF on this site (which would be only for 1 specific path of course)
: Real‑Time HF Propagation Prediction
They changed something and it now no longer works. It may come back when they sort it out.
The thing with this information is it only a very general indication at best. It is fun to look at but I have learnt
that high SFI is not always a good indicator. We have to recall that the sun is spewing out all sorts of
electromagnetic and particle energy every second which makes its way to us within about 8 mins (speed of light), Lots of spots is great
but along with those come frequent flares. Which can knock the band out if strong enough and cause high D layer absorption blocking
our waves to the F2 layer. Then a bit later on - a few days...CME (Coronal mass ejection) often comes as well.
Then of course we have fluctuations in the geomagnetic field with which solar energy interacts. In some ways this is slightly annoying that we cannot know how conditions will be with any accuracy. It also makes things quite fun in some ways, it is always quite literally chance openings in any given direction (of course with the daily approx normal F2 layer pattern of signals generally moving east (AM) to west (PM) following the sun. Not to mention the fact if there any one listenng or transmiting where the paths open.
In the UK is very soon after midday that S.America/Carribean or USA/Canada start to come in. Connected with the sun and waking times.
You get what you get in the moments that you are on the radio. It is amazing yet I have a love-hate relationship with it... frustrating that you cannot predict it or easily gauge performance between 1 station and the next (locally it would be nice to know) or from 1 day to the next.
And yet you get great surprises as well.
This is why I always put the best antenna I can up, as high as I can, every time I go out. Then I know I could have done no more and made no better contacts than I did. I control what I can and the rest you have to make peace with.
SWL here, but I 'monitor' solar weather by switching the radio on, tuning down the bands. Never know what you'll hear. Sometimes even when conditions are overall mediocre something odd pops up. Just throwing that out there. Like RadioDXFun said above, the online predictors and indicators are general in scope.
w2xq
Mentor
FWIW, i have some additional links on W2XQ.com : Propagation, Solar & Space Weather that may be of interest. HTH.
