Fwd: SDR Transforms Amateur Radio

[Aubrey-15]

>
>http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/ArticleID/19439/19439.html


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[ab2tc]

Link highly recommended. Don't miss the link to the interview with ARRL president Sumner containing this gem:

"Sumner also indicated that there may be a lull in operation these days, since the spectrum used by hams is now under the influence of the dreaded 11-year sunspot cycle. Sunspots produce radiation that blankets major portions of the high-frequeny spectrum with noise, making communications more difficult. It will diminish shortly, though, creating a much more welcoming ham band."

>
>http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/ArticleID/19439/19439.html


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[David Woolley (E.L)]

ab2tc wrote:

>
> Link highly recommended. Don't miss the link to the interview with ARRL
> president Sumner containing this gem:
>
> "Sumner also indicated that there may be a lull in operation these days,
> since the spectrum used by hams is now under the influence of the dreaded
> 11-year sunspot cycle. Sunspots produce radiation that blankets major
> portions of the high-frequeny spectrum with noise, making communications
> more difficult. It will diminish shortly, though, creating a much more
> welcoming ham band."
>
>> http://electronicdesign.com/Articles/ArticleID/19439/19439.html
>
>

This seems to have been seriously mangled by a journalist.  As written
it is suggesting that we are at a sunspot maximum and that the effects
of sunspots are detrimental to HF amateur radio.  We are actually at a
sunspot minimum and, whilst sunspots may increase unpredictability they
also enable long range HF propagation and are generally considered
desirable in the amateur radio community.



--
David Woolley
"The Elecraft list is a forum for the discussion of topics related to
Elecraft products and more general topics related ham radio"
List Guidelines <http://www.elecraft.com/elecraft_list_guidelines.htm>
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[W8JI]

> This seems to have been seriously mangled by a journalist.
> As written it is suggesting that we are at a sunspot
> maximum and that the effects of sunspots are detrimental
> to HF amateur radio.  We are actually at a sunspot minimum
> and, whilst sunspots may increase unpredictability they
> also enable long range HF propagation and are generally
> considered desirable in the amateur radio community.


Some people think sunspots make everything better, but
sunspots really just move the MUF up higher. More sunspots
"enable" higher bands. Propagation over the world is just as
good if your ERP, local noise, and antennas are about the
same on low bands as higher bands.

I never miss the sunspots because I mostly work 40 meters
and lower frequencies. Matter of fact.... I like solar
activity to be low because polar paths on the low bands are
much better at the sunspot minimum. Long live the low
sunspots, unless of course they get high enough for 6
meters!

73 Tom

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[David Woolley (E.L)]

Tom W8JI wrote:

> just move the MUF up higher. More sunspots "enable" higher bands.
> Propagation over the world is just as good if your ERP, local noise, and
> antennas are about the same on low bands as higher bands.

Sky noise (galactic synchrotron) is inversely proportional to somewhat
over the square of frequency and ERP for a given amount of real estate
and input power increases with frequency.  There may also be ionospheric
and surface reflection effects.


--
David Woolley
"The Elecraft list is a forum for the discussion of topics related to
Elecraft products and more general topics related ham radio"
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