Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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Does anyone know where we stand on the sunspot cycle? Are at the bottom
(please say yes!) and when is it expected to start to inch up? Thanks Tom WB2QDG ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------- Daddy, why do they call it the "World Series" if its always played in the Bronx? -----Original Message----- From: Ron D'Eau Claire <[hidden email]> To: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> Date: Sunday, July 18, 2004 4:29 PM Subject: RE: [Elecraft] Another dumb one First, I rather enjoy the HF bands during the sunspot minimum. I've been operating through several of them since the 1950's and I can say from experience that the HF bands are far from "useless" during the minimums unless you demand the ability to bust a DX pileup with QRP at any hour of the day or night. As the sunspots drop in level, the lower frequency bands (40/80/160) become the more commonly-used bands for skip propagation. That's because the MUF - the frequency above which you won't get any skip propagation - often drops below 14 MHz and sometimes even drops below 7 MHz. Forty meters has something going on at almost any time, day or night, sunspot high or low. That's why it's so popular. I like 20. Sometimes it's d-e-a-d, but more often than not I'll find some odd propagation working. More than once I've tuned across a "dead" 20 meter CW band and called CQ and gotten a reply from someone half way around the earth who says that my signal was the only one he could hear! It sometimes leads to an enjoyable "rag chew" with a DX station. Messing around near the MUF produces very surprising and interesting results, although it also means the propagation conditions are anything but predictable! During the sunspot maxima six meters can experience the same sort of "skip" conditions the lower bands do when the solar activity pushes the MUF up above 50 MHz from time to time. But now that is a rare occasion and six meter propagation is by other means more like the other VHF bands. As for your questions about the K2 tuning and transverters, the K2 frequency display does not indicate the actual frequency the K2 is receiving (or transmitting). It only displays the frequency the control circuits want the K2 to use based on data stored in memory when your ran CAL PLL. If you tune too far you'll exceed the tuning range of the K2 and it won't go any farther. The dial will continue to increment, however. A transverter is a contraction for "transmitting converter". When you are receiving, it converts the VHF band signals down to an HF band for the K2 to receive. VHF bands require a different "front end" design than the HF bands. VHF frequencies have lower background QRN levels and so need a "quieter" first stage in the receiver. The transverter provides that, producing superior performance compared to simply adjusting an HF rig to tune the higher frequencies. The Elecraft units use the 10 meter band. So while you're listening to a VHF band through the transverter connected to your K2, you're actually hearing the signals coming out of the transverter on 10 meters. The logic circuits in the K2 convert the dial reading so you read the VHF frequency directly. When you transmit, the K2 puts out transmit RF on 10 meters and the transverter converts it up to the VHF frequency. Only a small amount of RF is needed from the K2. The final RF power output is produced by an RF amplifier in the transverter. The Elecraft transverters are designed to produce 20 watts output, CW or SSB. That's enough for most general purpose work, even chasing DX with the proper antenna system. Just keep in mind that the propagation of radio waves is drastically different at VHF and often requires different operating techniques than you'd use on HF. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- Hi again everyone, The reason I was asking about the 6-meter stuff was that the HF bands are in about the same shape as my dog...he dies two years ago. With the exception of 1-hour in the evening and two hours in the morning, the bands are pretty useless...and we still have YEARS to go before it improves. I overheard some people talking at the Ham Fest here in Colorado and they were saying that 6-meters is really hopping for CW-DX during the daytime hours. One guy said he's averaging over 25 contact in a two hours period...WOW! If he's right, I've gotta get me one of these... 73 de Terry KC0QZX _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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Sorry Tom,
We're only half way to the bottom. See: http://www.sel.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/ for the details. -- 73, Rod N0RC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Mc" <[hidden email]> To: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]>; <[hidden email]> Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2004 5:03 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle > Does anyone know where we stand on the sunspot cycle? Are at the bottom > (please say yes!) and when is it expected to start to inch up? > > Thanks > Tom > WB2QDG ... _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Tom Mc
So it's going to be another 3 years before we're back to where we are now.
:-( Not a happy thought for those of us who run low power from an antenna-restricted location. 73, -- Julian, G4ILO. (RSGB, ARRL, G-QRP, K2 #392) G4ILO's Shack: http://www.qsl.net/g4ilo "Rod N0RC" <[hidden email]> wrote: Sorry Tom, We're only half way to the bottom. See: http://www.sel.noaa.gov/SolarCycle/ for the details. -- 73, Rod N0RC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by Tom Mc
Try the second half of 2007...
http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/images/ssn_predict_l.gif - 72 Daniel / AA0NI K2 #3421 --- Tom Mc <[hidden email]> wrote: > Does anyone know where we stand on the sunspot cycle? Are at the bottom > (please say yes!) and when is it expected to start to inch up? _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by Tom Mc
> Does anyone know where we stand on the sunspot cycle? Are at the bottom
> (please say yes!) and when is it expected to start to inch up? It may just be my own personal perception, but this passing cycle, the fourth since I was first licensed, has been the most generally disappointing one. It just didn't seem to consistently set up the great conditions on the higher bands as did the maximums of the previous two cycles in particular. Here's hoping for a better one coming, the longevity to make use of it, and the defeat of BPL so that it can be used. 73, Mike / KK5F _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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On Mon, 19 Jul 2004, Mike Morrow wrote:
> the defeat of BPL so that it can be used. Well, without the defeat of BPL, for many of us it won't matter what the sun does...we won't be able to hear anything. 73 Thom-k3hrn http://www.baltimorehon.com/ Home of the Baltimore Lexicon http://www.tlchost.net/ Web Hosting as low as 3.49/month _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by g4ilo-2
Buck up Julian,
It won't be that bad. We had our fun during the peak. Now it's time to "pay the bill". :-) I for one am approaching this solar-min with curiosity--to see what happens and trying to understand why. Consider this question. Even without flares/CMEs...etc. I've seen significant geomagnetic activity at times. Not sure I understand why yet. And if all else fails I have other interests to pursue--QRP Motorcycling for example. (Bicycling :-) -- 73, Rod N0RC ----- Original Message ----- From: "Julian, G4ILO" <[hidden email]> To: "Elecraft List" <[hidden email]> Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 5:56 AM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle > So it's going to be another 3 years before we're back to where we are now. > :-( Not a happy thought for those of us who run low power from an > antenna-restricted location. > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by Mike Morrow-3
If the average Sun Spot cycle can be called 11 years, and if 2002 was the
peak year, (somewhat muddied because of an apparent double peak this time); then, from a peak to bottom should be 5 1/2 years. The bottom would be in 2007, and then another 5 1/2 years would bring the next peak around 2013. But remember, cycles are sparked with bumps and events that bring the sunspot effects back up to near normal on short term basis, even during down side of cycle. Anyway, you can search Google for many good sites on Sunspot Cycle, or simply go to the NIST web site, and find the actual peak, and projections of next cycle period. 73, Stuart K5KVH _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by Mike Morrow-3
The great Sunspot cycle peak in 1957 was the greatest ever recorded. For
some of us that were just coming into radio, it is hard to take cycles that do not reach those dizzy heights. For a young ham in 1957, sitting in a mobile with AM rig of about 50 watts, talking to Australia in the middle of a Sat. afternoon was a great high point! There were plenty of other thrills in 57 and 58 cycle. Unfortunately, I was inactive at the 1968 cycle, but the others have not generated the thrills of 57. -Stuart K5KVH _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
RE: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by Rod N0RC
I have been operating for 50 years this month. So seen several sun
spot cycles. I have been operating 50 years this month, so I have lived through several sun spot cycles. One has to move with the cycle. Now is the time to begin experimenting and working out how to best get on 160, 80, 60, and 40 meters. You will not work a VK or JA in the middle of the night on 20 meters for the next couple of years, but it is possible to work one early in the morning on 80 meters. 10 meters will come back, just not for micro watt DX for a few years. Good antenna, good operating skills and a good receiver will let you communicate at present anyway with a low sun spot number, now if BPL comes about then that is a different story. But today is the time to figure out how you are going to do it. I worked all states on 75 SSB the last low number and had fun doing it. No the antenna was not something super, it was just a simple dipole about 18 ft off the ground. KL7 and KH6 were tough but I got both of them confirmed. Many of today's operating problems are no one wants to be first to call CQ. Tune your antenna, find out where the gang is hiding out, there are several hot spots on 80 CW. You can work 200 to 400 miles any night on 80 and often with the minimum you can hook up with Europe or a VK. PSK31 works great on 3580 with just a watt to a warbler. Really cheap radio, fun to build, fun to operate. I never did put mine in a case, Just put some standoffs on the boards and let it sit in front of the computer, I thought it look cute. Now sun flares are bad news, not sure what to do when they are destroying our reflective layer, maybe that is when we have to work the locals on VHF. But the flares only last a day or so. AGAIN I REPEAT - NOW IS THE TIME to tune up some wire for 80 meters, sharpen your operating skills and make sure you have a good receiver, if you have a K2 you are third of the way there already. De Stan ak0b _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by Tom Mc
Stuart, K5KVH wrote:
"The great Sunspot cycle peak in 1957 was the greatest ever recorded." ========== That was my first sunspot cycle peak -- the peak was actually in 1958 when the smoothed sunspot number exceeded 200. Among other things then, I vividly remember, as W8DGP, running three watts output from my homebrew 10-meter mobile on AM phone with a bumper-mounted 8-foot whip when I worked a ZL from my driveway in Detroit on 29610 kHz (then the "calling" frequency for 10-meter mobiles). 1958 was named "The International Geophysical Year" (IGY) by scientists studying the sunpot cycle. A local ham friend, W8RLT, ran a KW on 6-meter AM then and proudly displayed a framed letter on his shack wall from the BBC he received back then which asked him to either turn his beam another way or to reduce power because he was causing TVI to all of the sets in England on the BBC channel which was on 48 to 54 MHz. Although sunspot cycles are described as 11 years long, since the 1958 peak the average length has been about 10-1/2 years. The rise from minimum to maximum is about 4 to 4-1/2 years and the decline from maximum to minimum is about 6 to 6-1/2 years. 73, de Earl, K6SE _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Tom Mc
In 1957, I was ten years old, and I built my first kit (with the help of my father). It was a Space Spanner. I received transmissions of all sorts, and several modes, from all over the world using a wire out my bedroom window that ran to an insulator I had nailed into the eave of an outbuilding. It was magic, and it started me on a journey that I am still travelling today. My father became so enthused that he became licensed in 1958, and helped me to get licensed in 1959.
Then, as now, I lived in Greer, South Carolina. Nobody alive in the south at that time had ever seen an aurora. I can remember in the fall of 1957, and the winter of 1957-1958, the sky would glow a pinkish-orange almost every night. It looked as though we were living inside of a neon tube! Some nights it was bright enough to read by. People were running crazy in the streets saying that the world was coming to an end. Even in 1959, the cycle was so potent that I would come home from school and work the U.S. on 80 meters with a one watt tube transmitter that I had ordered from the back of a magazine. If there is such a thing as sun spot cycle nostalgia, 1957 would get my vote! Dan Allen KB4ZVM K2 S/N 1757 > > From: "Stuart Rohre" <[hidden email]> > Date: 2004/07/19 Mon PM 04:58:22 EDT > To: "Mike Morrow" <[hidden email]>, <[hidden email]> > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle > > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by g4ilo-2
On Mon, 19 Jul 2004, Julian, G4ILO wrote: > So it's going to be another 3 years before we're back to where we are now. > :-( Not a happy thought for those of us who run low power from an > antenna-restricted location. I know the feeling. Every time I visit my friend Ki7el with his G5RV up 50', I'm reminded that the bands aren't dead, my compromised antenna in the middle of Seattle is :). Fortunately, a number of solutions exist: * Take your operating to the field. I only do casual rag-chewing from home. When I want to do more serious operating, I grab some friends, drive somewhere decent, and set up a portable station. Not only does this feed my radio habit, it also fosters community and team work. * Don't forget VHF! VHF contesting is a lot of fun and efficient antennas can be very small and unobtrusive. Rover and portable operations add new dimensions which can be adventures in themselves. I still kick myself for the five years I spent as a Tech with my radios packed away in the closet, when all the while I was in the perfect position to work some great DX on the upper bands ... if only I had known! The game is a little different, so find a local club or organization (or talk to me!) if you'd like some help getting started :). * Optimize your antennas for your operating style. All too many of us give up quality for quantity. If you choose 1-2 bands and modes that you know will get out, and tune your station for the specific sub-bands that match your interests, you can probably come up with efficient antennas for almost any space. Get a good rig with good filters, plan your operating around the times when your band segments are most active, and don't forget contests -- they aren't all cut-throat, and many of them come complete with their own communities of folks who are also great casual operators. * Sharpen your operating skills. Know when your bands are open, monitor them in the background, call CQ (and for long enough that someone tuning around will find you), don't be afraid to call stations at the end their QSOs, don't be afraid to use your key, and don't be afraid to cross-mode. _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
RE: Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by dlajr
I agree, Dan. I was in the National Guard back then and one day I was in the
Army testing an AN/PRC-6 "walkie talkie" that shared the Amateur six meter band. It ran about 50 mw output, A.M. phone I think. As I was listening I heard a Ham calling CQ from over 1,000 miles away. I answered using my Ham call and we went on to have a nice QSO. Note this was with about 50 mw A.M. (equal to maybe 5 or 10 mW SSB) into a short whip on a "walkie talkie". Still, there is a world to discover during the sunspot "down" cycle. Lots of ops will sigh and resign themselves to VHF or local contacts, never scanning the "dead" bands near the MUF or expecting the unexpected on any band. It's their loss. We're simply moving into a different time on the HF bands. Not less interesting if you're interested in "radio" in general. But different. And there is still a lot we do NOT know about propagation. All the detailed computer models make people feel like we know it all. All we know is what we can predict. There is still a world of unpredictability. When I was servicing electronics on large ocean going ships, one radio officer showed me his logs about the night in the middle of the Pacific Ocean they searched for a lifeboat after a sinking. He had been knocked out of his bunk by the "auto-alarm" that monitors the 500 kHz distress frequency. That happened all the time because of lightning and other QRN fooling the simple detection system. This time, when he sleepily tuned in 500 kHz he heard the signal that made his skin tingle and both eyes snap full open. SOS SOS SOS followed by a ship's call sign. It was a ship sinking and the crew had already taken to the lifeboats. He was hearing a hand-cranked lifeboat radio bleating out it's automatic call. He summoned his Captain and soon they were following the signal on their radio direction finder. Suddenly the direction changed rapidly, meaning they had just gone past the lifeboat and they started a search pattern. They cris-crossed that area of the sea for hours trying to find that lifeboat before the signal finally faded out. A few hours later the radio officer had his answer. There had been a sinking that night of the ship whose call sign they copied at exactly that time. The crew had been rescued from the lifeboat. Only it was in the Mediterranean Sea halfway around the world. There is no way at all that it is possible for a signal at 500 kHz to overcome the absorption in daylight and travel to the "dark" side of the planet to put in a strong enough signal to set off the auto alarm and to allow the RDF to operate, but it clearly did. The call signs matched those they had chased through the darkness. There is a *lot* we don't know about radio propagation yet, and after 50+ years of pounding brass and reading everything I can find on the subject, I know there is far, far more that I personally haven't learned yet. The downside of the sunspot cycle is simply another opportunity to learn about the minimum period. I work with computer modeling in many areas every day, from valuating Real Estate to tinkering with electronic circuits. They are wonderful tools. But every day I meet people who think we "understand" what is going on because it's been modeled. Punch in the numbers and you "know" the answer. I remind them that we have modeled only that which we *do* understand, and it might all be wrong. But we'll only know when we're wrong if there are curious ops who will go looking for the anomalies instead of using the predictions as "fact" and simply ignoring all the times they're not right. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email] Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 5:56 PM To: Stuart Rohre; Mike Morrow; [hidden email] Subject: Re: Re: [Elecraft] Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle In 1957, I was ten years old, and I built my first kit (with the help of my father). It was a Space Spanner. I received transmissions of all sorts, and several modes, from all over the world using a wire out my bedroom window that ran to an insulator I had nailed into the eave of an outbuilding. It was magic, and it started me on a journey that I am still travelling today. My father became so enthused that he became licensed in 1958, and helped me to get licensed in 1959. Then, as now, I lived in Greer, South Carolina. Nobody alive in the south at that time had ever seen an aurora. I can remember in the fall of 1957, and the winter of 1957-1958, the sky would glow a pinkish-orange almost every night. It looked as though we were living inside of a neon tube! Some nights it was bright enough to read by. People were running crazy in the streets saying that the world was coming to an end. Even in 1959, the cycle was so potent that I would come home from school and work the U.S. on 80 meters with a one watt tube transmitter that I had ordered from the back of a magazine. If there is such a thing as sun spot cycle nostalgia, 1957 would get my vote! Dan Allen KB4ZVM K2 S/N 1757 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by dlajr
This must be what I'm a Ham today !!! Reading these accounts makes me
wish I was a Ham back in 1957. I guess it was enough to be born in 1957. I wonder how many other Hams were born in the IGY ? ----- Original Message ----- From: <[hidden email]> > > Then, as now, I lived in Greer, South Carolina. Nobody alive in the south at that time had ever seen an aurora. I can remember in the fall of 1957, and the winter of 1957-1958, the sky would glow a pinkish-orange almost every night. It looked as though we were living inside of a neon tube! Some nights it was bright enough to read by. People were running crazy in the streets saying that the world was coming to an end. > _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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In reply to this post by Ron D'Eau Claire-2
----- Original Message ----- From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]> >>>> The downside of the sunspot cycle is simply another opportunity to learn about the minimum period.<<<< No one has mentioned it yet but I and many others like me are licking our lips in anticipation of the upcoming minimum. We thrive on the challenges presented by TOPBAND, 160 Meters. We practice our skills, trying new antennas both on receive and transmit, and spend primarily the winter nights and early mornings looking for contacts around the world. Yes, there are still many unknowns regarding the propagation of signals on the lower bands, especially 160 Meters. So, rather than bemoaning the coming "minimum", look forward to improved conditions and an opportunity to explore one of the last frontiers of Amateur Radio. I guarantee you will be surprised at the activity, the comaraderie of TopBand enthusiasts, and the knowledge you will gain of antenna systems and propagation. See you all on this season. de Milt, N5IA _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Tom Mc
> The downside of the sunspot cycle is simply another opportunity to
> learn about the minimum period Talk about turning a problem into an opportunity... It's good to see there are some optimists out there, but I feel that some replies missed my original point. If you live in a property occupying about 8m x 8m ground area, with a similar sized back yard, and are forced to use attic antennas because you aren't allowed outside antennas anyway, it's hard enough to radiate a signal on 40m, leave alone 80 or 160, and QRP (essential to avoid RFI problems with attic antennas) doesn't help matters. I've never been able to operate successfully on the lower frequencies. The laws of physics are against me. Thanks for the ideas, anyway. 73, -- Julian, G4ILO. (RSGB, ARRL, G-QRP, K2 #392) G4ILO's Shack: http://www.qsl.net/g4ilo _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
RE: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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I've been through the attic antenna limitation through a Solar minimum,
Julian. In your situation I limited myself to 15 watts on 20/40 meters simply because lower frequencies were so hard to put out a signal on that didn't make the lights blink and the phones ring. Having an antenna so close to other devices that there's a lot of inductive coupling is a real pain. Still, I had a lot of fun on both bands, even at the bottom of the cycle. 20 is more of real "daytime DX" band at the bottom of the cycle, often acting at certain daytime hours like it has for the past couple of years late at night. Running 15 watts into an attic dipole I've worked long-path DX at the bottom of the cycle just as I did at the "top". It simply takes a little more patience and learning about how the band openings work when ol' Sol is quieter. 40 offers interesting QRP and QRPp short-skip conditions much like 80 has done for the past few years, but with much smaller antennas. I'm looking forward to working more QRPpers running a few mW on 40 as short-skip conditions become more common after the sun goes down. Adding 30 meters to our band lineup really helped, too, as the MUF shifts from below 7 to up around 14 during the lowest part of the activity cycle. Now that I have an outdoor antenna, I complain that my lot doesn't allow more than about 80 feet of wire up at 30 feet or so. Still I'm grateful for every millimeter of height and length I can get. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- > The downside of the sunspot cycle is simply another opportunity to > learn about the minimum period Talk about turning a problem into an opportunity... It's good to see there are some optimists out there, but I feel that some replies missed my original point. If you live in a property occupying about 8m x 8m ground area, with a similar sized back yard, and are forced to use attic antennas because you aren't allowed outside antennas anyway, it's hard enough to radiate a signal on 40m, leave alone 80 or 160, and QRP (essential to avoid RFI problems with attic antennas) doesn't help matters. I've never been able to operate successfully on the lower frequencies. The laws of physics are against me. Thanks for the ideas, anyway. 73, -- Julian, G4ILO. (RSGB, ARRL, G-QRP, K2 #392) G4ILO's Shack: http://www.qsl.net/g4ilo _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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In reply to this post by Stuart Rohre
Stuart, how true that is.
I got my Novice in 1952 at the bottom of that cycle, and didn't even know about cycles at that time. Just got on the air and had fun. By 1957, I was in the Army in Alaska. Between the peak cycle conditions and my KL7 call, it didn't seem like there was anything I couldn't work. My best ever QSO was a roundtable on ssb with me in Alaska, a station in Thule, Greenland, one at the WWVH site in Hawaii, and one at the South Pole. Don't reckon I'll ever have another of those :-) 73, Bob N6WG _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Re: Another dumb one- Sunspot cycle
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Bob,
You might have another world round table. I did one in about 1991, New Zealand, Australia, Alaska, Chile, and Texas. SSB, 100 watts, wire K5KVH varient of the G5RV. (Flat top was tee made up of 40 feet phase line plus the wire doublet). 73, Stuart K5KVH _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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