Propagation at Solar Minimum
Richard Donovan (N5XM)
on
June 10, 2005
View comments about this article!
I got my HF ticket a couple of years before the last Solar Max. What a great time to work the world. As we approach Solar Minimum, I would like to make a few comments about operating in general, and see what everyone has to say.
CW ragchew is my favorite, but I enjoy casual contesting, Field Day, and a little DX. I've noticed something in the last six months that puzzles me. On the days before and after a contest, such as WPX CW, there is barely any activity. I had just assumed that propagation was so poor, and the solar numbers so mediocre that no one bothered even trying to communicate. Then, the contest starts, and while propagation wasn't great, my very casual effort produced 100 Qs and 95 multipliers.
My station is modest, very modest compared to the Big Guns on the left and right coast, and I still worked every area in the world from middle America. This isn't the first time I've noticed this phenomenon.
Why won't Hams get on the air other than in contests? Is it because they assume they won't be able to work anyone because it is so close to solar minimum? Is it because the flux is below 100 and the A and K get kind of ugly? Yes, the fading and noise have been awful at time over the last few months, and 'Ol Sol has belched a few times, causing the bands to sound like the proverbial big pan of frying bacon. It isn't that way every day, however, so have many just given up trying to make contacts at this time in the Cycle? What say you?
This article has expired. No more comments may be added.
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by GM7CXM on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Hi Richard!
There's a kind of catch 22 situation involved here: openings are fewer, signals are weaker, duration is less. Smaller stations sometimes DO have problems in working other stations. So yes, I think people do switch off or don't bother calling. This means the band appears less active than it perhaps is, and so it keeps spiralling down until the band is practically dead.
Add to that the summertime heat at this time in the northern hemisphere, and I for one can tell you that I will often choose to sit on the terrace with my wife with a vino and some tapas rather than go to the roasting hot hamshack to try (and perhaps fail) to work someone.
I do however try to get on in a contest, and perhaps it's a good thing after all that contests exist? Otherwise it seems noone would be making very many contacts at all at this point in the cycle....
Seriously though, Richard, keep on alternating between calling CQ and turning the dial and I'm sure that sooner rather than later you'll be enjoying a QSO.
73 de Duncan EA5ON / GM7CXM
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N8NOE on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
VERY GOOD Thoughts.. I also have been running a Back-Pack and doing some pedestrian Mobile work. I have Called CQ, and sometimes Nothing, then All of a sudden, someone calls. 40/80 are my best bands, and would love to talk back to Texas (Ft. Worth Area, in particular).. Sitting at the local Coffee Shop, and my Backpack, worked a bit of the LA. QSO Party.. There are people there, But NOT having a Kw, and some of the Big Antennas, It's Hard at times.. I'm not a (Left/Right Coaster, Like this description by the way), But would like to hear more going on. Daytime MIDCARS (7.258), and some Michigan Groups on 3.935, these are daily.. Think we should start a RAG-CHEW on 40.. It's an Idea?.. Just as the Snow started to fly here, I returned From Texas, and started trying more QRP, So it's NOT easy, But Fun!.. My 2¢Worth!..
Jeff-N8NOE
Jeffrey M. Swiger
Amateur Radio Division
** N8NOE **
AIM Name: N8NOE
http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?call=N8NOE
http://www.qrz.com/callsign/n8noe
http://kj4qf.net/modules.php?set_albumName=album17&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php
The Flying Pigs QRP Club International: FP#-1031
"Laissez Le Bon Temps Roule "
|
| |
|
If Yogi was a Ham.....Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N4ZZK on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
"Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded."
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WA3KYY on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
There is acitivty to be found but just not as often and for as prolonged periods. This is where knowing how propagation works will increase your chances for a QSO. Both 20 and 17 were open to Europe and the Middle East last night for several hours. During greyline, there were brief openings into the Pacifc. Activity also moves down to the lower bands. Every night 30 and 40 are open and there is plenty of activity. Late at night 80 is open although with all the thunder storms these past few nights it has been really rough with the QRN. Snagging a new DX under these conditions gives a greater feeling of accomplishment and makes greater use of knowlege and skills gained.
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WA9FZB on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I've been licensed through several sunspot cycles. In past cycles, with conventional antennas, I was always disappointed as the sunspot numbers decreased -- the bands went quiet, one by one, until there was nobody to talk with. This cycle, of necessity, I have a different antenna. My trusty old vertical turned to corroded junk (20+ years of Chicago weather), so last winter I installed an NVIS dipole for 40 meters. It is only about 8 feet off the ground. The low mounting height heavily favors short-hop communication, out to 1,000 miles or so. I've found much more activity on 40 than I remember from past cycles at this point. I can only surmise that the short distance coverage allows me to hear more stations within that radius, and exclude the really long distances that I would probably not hear at this point in the cycle anyway. Since I'm primarily a CW regchewer, I've been really pleased with the situation -- only been truly "dead" a couple of evenings. As long as you can get past the QRN, there are contacts out there to make.
Oh, yes, by the way -- CW FOREVER!
73
Steve WA9FZB
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by W9OY on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I work people almost any time I turn on the radio. I worked 2 new ones on 80M CW last night. The stations are there if you bide your time and listen.
One good thing about the solar minimum is it gives you a reason to work on improving your station and antenna performance. That extra 2 db S/N you eak out of your system can be the difference between hearing them and not, plus just working on the station and making it do what you want can be as rewarding as operating.
So many things to try so little time, I heard a couple of jokers on the local repeater talking about constructing some EME antennas using rope as a boom and a tall tree as the elevation support. You aim the thing by looking up the point of predicted moon rise and swinging the rope to a point incident with moon rise. I wonder if you could use a double extended zepp as the driver fed with some openwire line? You could put some half wave parisitic elements with the high current points co-incident with each half of the antenna thereby increasing the gain and reducing the loss.....
I guess it all comes down to is the glass half full or half empty
73 W9OY
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K0BG on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Richard, I don't agree with your analogy about not getting on the air except during contests. I'm just the opposite; I never work contests, and I suspect I'm in the majority.
I operate a lot like Lee does. I bide my time and sooner or later a new one comes along. The more you listen, the more your hear. This is one of the reasons I operate mobile. It gives me a few more minutes of listening time each day.
Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N0IU on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Why is there less activity during non-contest periods? I don't have the answer.
But it does remind me of something one of my Elmer's told me early on...
If you are spinning the dial and you don't hear anything, just remember, I have never heard two receivers talking to each other!
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K0RFD on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Not keeping me off the air at all. DX is relative, I guess. Things we'd be passing over at Solar Max are still lots of fun at Solar Min. Mainly what's been keeping it fun for me has been weak signal digital modes. I've been working lots of PSK and MFSK. MFSK in particular is wonderful even in crappy conditions, but there's not as much activity as PSK. Last week I worked a guy in Tahiti on MFSK who was running 10 watts to an antenna on his apartment balcony. 100 percent print.
20 meters was open to Europe long into the night the last few nights. Easy pickings on PSK and MFSK, not to mention lots of phone. Lots of Eastern Europe QSOs -- Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Belarus among others. 20 Meters Pacific Rim has been wide open the last few mornings early. Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, even heard a Korean on yesterday but he had come back to a CQ (the CQer was in Taiwan hihi) and the frequency wasn't his so I didn't work him.
Commonplace stuff in other years, I guess, but it's all new countries to me on the digital modes. Kinda fun to work halfway around the world on 35 watts and a dipole and work other guys who are running similar power and antennas. What's fun about it is that these aren't the same big guns you pick up during contests. They're real people like us just on for a QSO or two before breakfast or after dinner.
And 6 meter Sporadic E has been open for US contacts more times than you might think the last week or two. All I have is an 8 watt transverter, but it's still a hoot.
Fun is where you find it. Branch out to some different modes, different bands, and listen listen listen at opportune times. Look for the gray line. As the song goes, "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere."
It's still fun.
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by W4XKE on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
My favorite nets are some distance away and the net control usually will say something like, “I can hear another station in there... can someone see if they can pick him up? Jim, can you hear that station trying to check in.?”
“Yeah, that’s Johnny down in Tennessee. I think I can hear him enough to relay him in for you... do you want me to relay? Go ahead and make one there, Johnny.”
That’s kind of a downer when only one station can hear you trying to check in and all the other stations get bored listening to noise while you make your transmission. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
I strung up a parasitic element alongside my dipole to try to lean some of my 100 watts to the north and it did help. The trade off is that the resonance of the antenna then tunes like a knife-edge... very narrow.
One thing that is nice about ham radio is that it isn’t limited to just a few modes. I pick up my 2-meter handi-talkie and call IRLP through my neighbor’s link and with 500 milliwatts, can talk to Australia, India, Indianapolis and just about anywhere else I want to, anytime. Everybody is 10 over 9 and perfect copy, no noise.
My wife, KG4RJS likes to ragchew with Jane in White River, South Africa on node #8467. Jane’s husband, Pete is also a ham and recently won a sales contest, to attend the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s “Indy 500.” One of the Indy hams picked up Pete at his motel and showed him the town the day before the race. A lot of us were linking to the Indianapolis repeaters to stay abreast of all the activity and to listen in on Pete’s conversations with Jane back in White River.
During the low sunspot activity, a lot of hams are moving to using 2 meters and 440 repeater links, via IRLP and it is really a hoot! Your HT may be your ticket outa here when the numbers are down. 73, Johnny, W4XKE
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by KG2V on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I don't know - I worked two all time new ones yesterday, but that's just me..
There IS a bit of a fallicy in judging the bands the day before and day after a major contest - a LOT of folks are either
1)Preparing for or resting from the contest
or
2)Don't like contests, so shut down, and go do other things
I know the day before the contests I work, I'm getting family chores out of the way to clear the decks for the contest, and the day after, I'm resting and/or doing some of the honey do's that came up during the contest
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WB2WIK on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Contests create activity, of course, but also bring out the biggest and best stations in the world -- guys who can hear and work anything, under the worst of conditions.
Having operated from several "big gun" contest stations over many years...if you haven't done this, you can't even imagine the difference those big antennas make. 10 dB? 20 dB? Nah. Waaaaay more than that. It's not that anybody's 40 meter antenna has 30 dB gain -- it doesn't -- but many people's 40 meters antennas are easily "30 dB below" the big gun stations simply because the standard is well below "0 dBd" gain due to installation constraints.
Another issue that gets worse with each sunspot cycle is manmade noise. We can't control the sun, but we have controlled our own noise environment in a very bad way over the years. During the lull between cycle 19 and cycle 20, when I was licensed, I was working tons of DX on 15m CW as a new Novice with no experience and ratty equipment. There are differences between "then" and "now," such as, "then" there was a Novice license, and it was extremely popular -- but another difference is that "then," other than our TV sets and perhaps a bad utility connection on a pole outside someplace, we had almost no locally generated noise sources. Today, we have millions. And I hear a lot of them!
WB2WIK/6
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N2ETJ on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Yes signals are decreased during the downside of the cycle but they still are there. Every morning the VK, ZL, Asia and long-path to the Indian Ocean stations are there but not their usual 10 to 20 over signals. Sometimes only S-2 to S-7. Yesterday in the early afternoon the JA,s were coming into the east coast 57 so forget those dipoles and G5RV,s and get a real antenna up. Those few db,s of gain sure make a difference. That is why the big guns are talking to the stations you don't hear. There is no substitute for a good yagi........ during the hay day , a wet noodle will work but good luck now...
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by W7DJM on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I don't like contests, and avoid them like the plague.
Interesting you should mention the "solar minimum."
After all these years, and I can't climb anymore, I built myself a "almost" homebrew hazer, and got an old Wilson System One up that I've had for awhile, at 50 ft.
Last night (on 20) I was able to work all over Europe, and in just the last few days, I've worked several Russians, the Ukraine, Poland, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and others.
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WA6BFH on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Interesting! I read all of the comments and the different points of view, and the optimist/pessimist ratio intrigues me!
I take both a similar and different point of view than does Steve about contests. I do operate the VHF/UHF contests -- because I know that the bands will be active -- and that provides for good opportunities to check out the propagation. I agree also that the same sort of mentality that is driven toward contesting, will often put big bucks, and generally better engineering into the station. This is not always the case, they may through a lot of money at the station but, the engineering can be quite bad. It does not help my interests if the guy is running a KiloWatt but, turning half of it into heat!
As far as the HF contests go, if they are on, I am off. I favor operating portable while camping. This is quite a good situation for VHF/UHF operating from a 7000 or 8000 foot elevation mountain as well. It’s not bad for HF either but, if an HF contest is going, I stick to VHF. I think that a goodly number of Ham’s may view this similarly, and I would like to chat with them. There is a certain amount of fatigue or depression that I experience when HF contests are running. It is fun to have a nice casual QSO or round-table with Ham’s who have yet other interests. Camping and astronomy are amongst my favorites, and good QSO’s can be found on HF, even at the bottom of the sunspot cycle -- if no contests are running!
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WB2WIK on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
>RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum Reply
by W7DJM on June 10, 2005 Mail this to a friend!
I don't like contests, and avoid them like the plague.<
::You'll be happy to know there aren't any contests on 12m, 17m or 30m, and that during the summer months any contests there are won't have any impact on 160m, either.
>Last night (on 20) I was able to work all over Europe, and in just the last few days, I've worked several Russians, the Ukraine, Poland, France, Italy, the Czech Republic, and others.<
::Yep, 20 was in great shape the past couple of nights. Don't count on it always being like that. I turned on my rig at ~0100 UTC last evening here in L.A., rig pretuned to 14.200, and meter up against the pin from an IZ9 on that frequency. Geesh, condx were really very good for this time in the cycle. Hope it keeps up (it won't)...
WB2WIK/6
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WB2WIK on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
>E: Propagation at Solar Minimum Reply
by WA6BFH on June 10, 2005 Mail this to a friend!
>As far as the HF contests go, if they are on, I am off... Camping and astronomy are amongst my favorites, and good QSO’s can be found on HF, even at the bottom of the sunspot cycle -- if no contests are running!<
::John, I'm sure you know there aren't any contests on 12m, 17m and 30m. When there's a contest, 17 gets crowded from all the guys trying to avoid it, but what the heck -- it makes activity 'round the clock on 17.
WB2WIK/6
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K2CBM on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Poor propagation shouldn't deter you from operating. The low bands have been bonanzas for DX. Using 100 watts and a vertical, ground mounted, I have worked 170 DXCC countries since last June. Most of these have been on 30 and 40 meters.
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WD0M on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Having been licensed since 1961, I've seen several cycles come and go. Learning about propagation is the key. Bemoaning the fact that the cycle at its low ebb diminishes your chances does nothing to add new ones to your log. I moved from Alaska to Colorado in late 2003 and didn't get on the air until early 2004. I'm not on every day. My log shows I've not been on for over a month during that timeframe.
I've managed to work 251 entities as of today, adding two new ones in the past two days. I'm sure there are others out there who have exceeded my total in that timeframe. My log shows contacts on every continent this past week. Timing and understanding propagation surely helps make that happen. Yesterday I worked Uzbekistan at 19:00 UTC (3:00 PM local). It seemed I was the only one who heard him on 20M SSB - no other US station answered his CQ. I then worked Ghana on 17M SSB - only a few US stations answered his call. I put Chad in the log on CW at the same time on 17 CW. If you want to work DX, its there.
In the same timeframe, I've managed to work all states on 160 meters, and thus far have 40 states on 6 meters. I've also worked half a dozen states on high speed meteor scatter where propagation isn't a factor - just the need for meteors.
Luck is one thing, but listening and knowing propagation is what puts it in the log, especially during the low end of the sunspot cycle.
73,
Joe
WDØM
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K0IZ on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I like DX'ing, and if conditions are good I want to be on the air a lot, almost all 20 M SSB. But since the band openings are much fewer, and I still want to operate, I am now doing quite a bit of rag-chewing. Have met many, many interesting hams over the last year. If I had been DX'ing, that wouldn't have happened. So ... poor flux does have an upside.
But someone has to call CQ. When I do call CQ, I frequently get 2 or 3 responses. So someone is listening, and apparently wanting to talk. Might I suggest more CQ's?
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N4ZOU on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Low Solar cycle numbers do impact conditions on all bands. 20-meters to some extent and higher bands see less favorable conditions for long hops. 30-meters and lower see an improvement due to lower noise levels improving the chances that stations can be heard above it. Best thing to do is optimize your low band antennas and learn to operate on them.
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WA6BFH on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
ZOU, I think that at least 11 of our wavelength bands show no demonstrable difference or effect from high to low solar cycle maxima to minima!
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by NE0P on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
It's cause its the summer Eskip season. When 6 is hopping I will go days without listening to HF. I have been on HF a little more recently because 6 has been dead this week. YOu know the Eskip season won't last forever, so you take advantage of it when you can, and 6 meters is a blast.
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by KE4ZHN on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I dont contest, and probably never will. It just doesnt appeal to me. Since I stay on the lower bands, I guess solar numbers arent as important to me either. Unless theres a big flare, 80 and 40 stay open most of the time and are excellent night time bands to enjoy. Some say that the lower bands are better during solar minimum and although I dont have any scientific fact to back this statement up it seems to be true. So far, the low bands have been awesome this spring. 40 mtrs. is very long in the wee hours of the morning and excellent for dxing. I often hear VK-ZL`s like locals here on the east coast and they are easily workable with a simple wire dipole or a doublet on this band. Just because the higher bands die off during solar min. doesnt mean you cant have alot of good dxing fun down low. The only disadvantage here is, most amateurs cant use a yagi on 40 and for sure not many can on 75-80! Just adds to the challenge.
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by W6TH on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
.
To get results you must call CQ, maybe 20, 40, 50 or even many more. If no contacts, try a different band, again 20 to 50 CQ's and if no answer try another band. Do this until you find a ragchewer.
I bet a doller to a doughnut this contact, a ragchewer, will be a Old OLD Timer, one that can read and write the English language. Eh eh.
73 From the old sox.
.:
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by AB7JK on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Try digital - plenty of DX to work with about 10 watts and a dipole. Also CW QRP with a dipole - last solar minimum I worked about 50 countries running 5 watts. Just listen for tuner uppers in the late afternoon on 20 meters - best to listen alot and not call CQ. AB7JK
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N3AIU on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Although I miss 10/12/15 meter propagation, I've worked some decent DX on the lower bands. I'm now spending almost full time finishing DXCC on 17, 30, and 80 meters.
73, Nick N3AIU
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by NE0P on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
To KE4ZHN:
The main reason we view the low bands as better during the solar minimum is that there are generally fewer solar flares during the low point in the sunspot cycle, so there is less band noise as a result. Also, there is probably more activity because people can't get on the higher bands, but that really isn't due to better propagation on the low bands. At the sunspot minimum, there are times the MUF won't even make it to 7mhz, which really kills 40 meters also. Glad we now have 60 meters to work with.
73s John NE0P
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N6AJR on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
we had a great 6 meter opening last week and the last5 2 nights in the evening pacific time have been great guns to europe and australia, and japan on 20 meters and 40 has opened up too.
if you listen and holler you will make contaacts
the a was at 3 and the k at 0 so go work some DX
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N0AH on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
I don't care much for the solar maximum. Low bands stink and the high bands make it too easy.
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K6AER on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
As Steve had mentioned the bottom of your solar cycle is when you need a very good antenna such as a beam. He’s right. It’s all in the numbers. The average beam up at 100 feet has better than 20 dB of gain over a ground mounted vertical or a dipole/GR5V. In addition it is rejecting noise from most quadrants and as a result the noise floor presented to the receiver is lower. Add an amplifier and now you have 10-15 dB more signal. That could be as much as 35 dB more signal EIRP than a 100 watt transceiver into a dipole.
Ah you say if you can’t hear them you can’t work them but not necessarily so. If the other ham half way around the world is doing the same thing you both have a S9 signals and a good contact. These signals are buried in the noise of the average station. Your working DX when everyone else thinks the band is dead.
Many of times I will call CQ on a dead band only to have some DX station return the call. We both have our beams pointed to each other and we are QRO but that is what the equipment is for.
I kills me to hear ham spending $15,000 for amps and radios only to connect it all to a dipole. There is nothing wrong with a dipole but you station money would be better spent on the antenna system than the latest mega transceiver.
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by KY6R on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I'm finding that its actually easier to work rare DX during the sunspot minimum - if you have a ton of patience. I've worked ST, YA, T5, A9, TT and others when the "numbers" looked horrible. The openings were very short (< 1/2 hour), but hardly anyone was calling.
About half of these had NO cluster spots - just good old tuning, and checking bands when they were supposedly "closed" (at least as reported by others on the cluster).
During sunspot maximum or just plain better conditions, I would have had to jump in massive pileups. These areas are good "catches" for the West Coast, so patience, perserverence and honing your ability to work "ESP" DX pays off big time.
I also notice the low bands are better during the sunspot minimum - especially around the Autumnal and Vernal equinox(es).
Best DX!
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N0AH on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Speaking of cluster spotting, I have not used one in two years. They serve no purpose but to cheapen what once was a noble hobby when it came to DX chasing and awards. They have made cheating legal. Those guys in Finland.....................geeks!
Solar minimum is a good thing. It minimizes freeband idiots from 10 meters, 15 meter coffee morning nets, and most of all, all those three-peat QSL cards from the buro. (Another good reason to quit the ARRL)
At the solar minimum, or at anytime, I think beams are great antennas. But at sunrise/sunset etc....you might hear DX where verticals won't due to the angle of radiation being picked up. No doubt that the beam will always hear better than a vertical the great majority of the time, but there are instances where I have check my feedline to a beam when my vertical is hearing better. (Duh) Just expanding upon a prior posting.
One thing about this forum, thus far, it really has a lot of interesting opinions. I just don't think anything in this hobby is black and white. We do have gray areas to always wonder about.
But some just ramble on that they are always right and God knows they really believe it- Most have 2x3 calls or neat gizmo Eham alias names like rocketdogme or towerleglicker.
I think this thread is going to go on for awhile as a lot of responses seem to have the potential to open a can of worms.- Have FUN and lets all tell each other how dumb we are-
I think you are all smart for record. Pick on someone else. They made me post this. Go Danika! Vrrmmm!
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by YI9VCQ on June 10, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
My approach to generating QSO's is to just start on the highest band and call about 15 CQ's. I then work my way down until something starts. 10-meters has produced several pileups that way even when the band was dead silent. Ops will jump on you even faster on 12-meters.
As other commenters have said, get on and call CQ. With my low power station and dipole, it is hard to bust through a pileup to work a rare one. For example, I chased a certain BY operator for 6 months trying for a QSO through murderous pileups and never made it. During one of my recent pileup runs he called me. I nearly fell out of my chair! Several other new Asian and South African countries entered my log that night, too.
My point is just get on, tune, and call. Sometimes you'll be there when a rare one calls his first CQ. Sometimes he'll be there when you call your first CQ.
Good luck and happy DX.
73,
Korey
YI9VCQ/KA5VCQ
Log Base Seitz, Baghdad, Iraq
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WA6BFH on June 11, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Korey, I think that’s a pretty unique way to scope out the MUF but, if its work’n for ya, why not!
I think probably a lot of it has to do with where you are calling from but, once again..... I have only been kinda sorta rare DX if I have been in DM26 or points further east. I will look for you on 10 Meters though! Got a favorite frequency?
73! de John WA6BFH
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation Over the Hump
|
|
|
by WA6BFH on June 11, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
<Eham alias names like rocketdogme or towerleglicker>
Hmmmm, “towerleg-licker”? I think I prefer Asian girls!
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by YI9VCQ on June 11, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Hi, John.
I do use propagation software to check conditions but, as you know, 10-meters has a mind of its own sometimes. You can usually find me on 28.025.
Hope to hear you there.
73,
Korey
YI9VCQ/KA5VCQ
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WA6BFH on June 11, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
iCW?
Oh no!
I guess I will just have to dust off the old key HiHi!
The good side is, I can run about 800 Watts Class C.
73! de John
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K7VO on June 12, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
This will be my third time through the bottom of the sunspot cycle. During each I've found plenty of opportunities to work DX and I catch openings on 10, 12, 15, and 17 meters. 6 meters has been particularly hot lately and there is a theory that the best Es seasons are at solar minima. That can mean excellent if erratic propogation on all bands between 15 and 1.25 meters (222MHz) with 6 meters having the most Es openings.
I really think as a QRPer I work more rare DX on 12, 15 and 17 during the bottom of the cycle. Those who need instant gratification aren't on those bands now and my pipsqueak station gets through more easily with less competition.
Of course, when all else fails, 40m CW is almost always there and active.
In other words, my ham activity is not directly related to the number of sunspots. How much time I have and how much I feel like getting on the air are the limiting factors :)
73,
Caity
K7VO/8
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N0TONE on June 12, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
K0BG, wrote, rather hilariously:
>>Richard, I don't agree with your analogy about not getting on the air except during contests. I'm just the opposite; I never work contests, and I suspect I'm in the majority.<<
Well, THAT certainly explains it! As you say, since "the majority" never work contest, then we now know why the bands are so empty during contest conditions, and so empty when the contests are going on.
Are you related to Yogi Berra?
<ROFL>
AM
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WA6BFH on June 12, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Surprised that you could tear yourself away from the marmot!
|
| |
|
RE: Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K5UJ on June 12, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
<<<It kills me to hear ham spending $15,000 for amps and radios only to connect it all to a dipole. There is nothing wrong with a dipole but you station money would be better spent on the antenna system than the latest mega transceiver. >>>
could not agree more.
two weeks ago i worked a guy on 20 who had a 3 or 4 el. beam up temporarily with 100 w. the beam was up around 30 feet. he was s9 sometimes s9+10 db.
I was using my vertical and running a kw. he could copy me but not easily. after abt. 15 minutes he had to quit because I was fading into noise. He was still S9.
there are always plenty of people to talk to on the low bands with a cloud burner which is why I have one, but on 20 and up, if you don't have a beam or quad on a tower I'll wager you are missing 80% of what's gg on.
on those high bands it's all skip at low angles.
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by X-WB1AUW on June 13, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
"so have many just given up trying to make contacts at this time in the Cycle? What say you?"
Duno.
Seem to go thru the same thing every solar trough.
73
Bob
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K8FLY on June 14, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Well summer is here & spend most of my free time enjoying the great outdoors & am most active in the cooler months & the solar minimum really doesnt effect my activities in the least , i just spend more time on the lower bands , but most times condx on the upper bands are not really all that bad , to many just watch the charts & assume dismal thoughts of our upper bands.
true a lot of the dx condx are waneing , but condx for north america are still there most days .
QUIT LOOKING AT THOSE CHARTS & START CALLING CQ
you just might be surprised at what you catch .
73s Bill k8fly
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K6GKU on June 16, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Heheheheh....I got my license during the BIG solar max of the middle 1950's. I used a plate modulated Heath AT-1, 20 watts and worked anything I could hear. Talk about being spoiled.....that spoiled me for 50 years. Being I made my living in HF communications and signal warfare, HF propagation was my forte. I knew when Hams got the 17 meter band we got a winner solar Max or solar Min. Was I right. When 10 meter AM goes to sleep for 11 years, I drop to 17 and it is open.....Been that way the last 2 cycles. And you know what....the folks on 17 meters still know and practice the ancient art of conversation. Although I have been a ham for 51 years I still can learn. Down here on the flat Texas pasturelands, I discovered a quarterwave vertical on 65-125 radials works better than any antenna I have ever had....Wow! Check out 17 and optimized your antenna.......HF still Lives....Bob K6GKU - Texas
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by WB8ROL on June 16, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
Especially if you read the propagation forcasts in QST and other places ... it appears 15, 12, and 10 meters last opened really good some time in the Mesozoic Era (millions of years ago).
Tuning over the 15mtr band (or 10 and 12) for a few seconds at 9 p.m. right now might not be a good way to get a qualitative judgement for the band (hint).
If folks would just learn a bit about propagation, stop listening to bad influences that say the band is bad or dead, put up a better antenna, and practice sending CQ's ... good things will eventually happen.
In 1976 (another minimum) I put up a tower and a home made cheapo 5 el yagi (cost under 50 bucks and looked awful) for 15mtrs. Finished tuning the home made gamma match, put out a CQ with it pointed to Europe (100 watts SSB), and had a pileup on me. Worked 38 european stations before I lost my voice and had to QRT for the day (about noon E.S.D.S.T.).
The problem is not the bands or the propagation.
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by N5XM on June 21, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
|
Just for the record, I'm observing, not complaining. I'm a ragchewer at heart, but enjoy casual contesting as a means to improve my CW. I've been sending CQ on both low and high bands, and I guess what I'm saying is that I wish more of the contesters enjoyed ragchewing and didn't need a contest to get on. I make my share of contacts and I understand the ropes. I am very patient and have decent antennas. Just because there are very few on whatever band doesn't always mean the band won't support propagation. Oh well...
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by K9ZF on June 22, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I suspect that many ops are like myself; I have a very busy schedule with my family and professional life that leaves precious little time for radio. I plan for months to operate in my favorite contests, and then give it my full attention. However, I rarely get time to operate between contests.
Also, rag chewing on the low bands can be pretty intimidating for some ops. Nearly every frequency is occupied by a particular group or net. And many aren't interested in having new-comers join "their" frequency. Except for contests, how often do you hear someone call CQ on 40 or 75?
Some folks don't like contesting, and that's OK. Diversity is the greatest thing about ham radio. But I really enjoy it. I see it as my sport. Some people like to compete at golf, or basketball. I like radio contesting!
73
Dan
--
K9ZF /R no budget Rover ***QRP-l #1269
Check out the Rover Resource Page at: http://www.qsl.net/n9rla
List Administrator for: InHam+grid-loc+ham-books
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by KD5FJE on June 28, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I agree with you. I've been sitting here for 2 hours with 40 Meters wide open to the West coast and not one beep, either on the General or Novice band and no answer to my CQ on multiple frequencies [day afetr Field day I might add!!!!]..and it is NOT bad propagation.
Fewer people are getting on the radio. That will kill us. HOw can you keep new hams if there is nobody there to answer them!!
|
| |
|
Propagation at Solar Minimum
|
|
|
by VK2JNA on July 6, 2005
|
Mail this to a friend!
|
I reckon people put in a bit of "quality family time" so they can justify a full weekend contesting. I know that I do when I want a leave pass to head to the radio room or or in the field. Gotta build up the brownie points...
Thats why it so quiet before a contest.
|
| |
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to discussions on this article.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
Related News & Articles
Where Am I?
Mobile Antenna Notes
Sorry OM but UR Not Making the Machine
High Power Mobile Notes
Operating CW on AM Broadcast Band
Other Operating Articles
Safety First
My First Date with Olivia
D-STAR/Analog Interference Experience
Using Twitter During Mobile Operation
First HF Contact and Other Stuff
|
