However, other solar cycle experts reached a dramatically different conclusion: Cycle 25 could be one of the strongest since record-keeping began in 1755. Instead of counting sunspots, Robert Leamon of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and his collaborators based their prediction on something they call the terminator, or the point when all magnetic activity from a previous solar cycle vanishes. Sunspots generally track that transition, but the true terminator tends to lag behind the sunspot minimum by somewhere between 12 and 18 months.
Friday, May 21, 2021
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Great. First the WuFlu, then Biden, now cycle 25. Boy, are we screwed.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Friends!
I have been a Ham Radio operator since 1972. I have not been on the high frequencies for a long time, due to the lousy band conditions, caused by bad sunspot cycles. I found an estate sale that had a bunch of Ham Radios for sale, and went this morning. I ended up picking up one of the better rigs from the 1980's to the 1990's, made by Icom, for just 100$.
ReplyDeleteThey had an old Heathkit radio, my first transceiver that I put together from a kit, that I paid 50$ for new, for sale for 100$, and that was half of what they are selling for on Ebay.
That radio is not even close to half the radio that the Icom is. I have a power supply, now just need to either buy or build an antenna system.
It can also be used mobile as a car radio. And is very capable of contacting people the entire world over.
I had been wanting to pick up just such a rig for some time, but they are all selling for well over 200$ online, that I have seen, and often more at hamfests. This is certainly a good time for someone to get into Ham Radio, with the coming of the new sunspot cycle. And it is not very difficult to obtain a license, with the study materials available today.
Too few or too many sunspots. How's this gonna affect the quality of the current rhubarb crop?
ReplyDeleteGoogle Maunder Minimum.
DeleteGo Suspicious Observers on YouTube. We are really to a brain in the butt cycle. Screw the license, just get the Ham equipment , hide, protect it, shield it. Any license is a calling card for the fed to knock on your door.
ReplyDeleteThe cheap stuff, like a Baofeng 2 meter, handheld from Amazon, for about 30-50 bucks, is a good investment for that sort of thing. I know all the Hams who argue against them. They are the sort who say, " Don't buy a cheap gun, save up until you can buy a thousand Kimber, or even a several thousand dollar Wilson Combat." The Baofeng radios do fine for what they are. They can hit the repeaters just fine, and are cheap enough that you can stock a few of them.
DeleteI have a couple of them, one of which I have not even opened but just have it as a back up for the other 2 radios that I have, for 2 meters.
I bought a couple of the Baofeng UV5Rs, and they've been an exercise in frustration. They are definitely not radios for beginners. The instruction manual is garbage, and once you start getting into the set-up online on both websites and youtube, you begin to realize you may be in over your head.
DeleteI downloaded CHIRP and bought the cables to program the radios only to find that CHIRP doesn't work on my computer - it doesn't display 'Port' in one of the first steps.
It will work on Lisa's computer though. At least I think it will.
I bought the five pack, downloaded chirp but have yet to attempt to install on the radio. And yea, it seems a bit overwhelming. Those little radios sure have a bunch o little buttons on em for sure. I don't think It'll be as easy as programming a tv remote. Mostly bought it for comms between comrads n such anyways. If I figgur it out, I'll zap ya a cheat sheet. OG
DeleteI've got about 200 hours of youtube videos under my belt about those damned radios. What's funny is the more challenges I get from them, the more determined I am to get them programmed. Shit, they've even got me thinking about a Ham license.
DeleteShoot me an email and I'll send you a youtube link about how to program them using CHIRP.
I, for one, welcome sweet relief.
ReplyDeleteI'm a ham and an I.T. guy, Ken. Hit me up, I can chirp the shit out of 'em.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm going to try and program them on Lisa's computer in the next week. If I run into problems, I'll let you know in a post.
DeleteTo be honest science really doesn't have enough data to know with any degree of certainty what the sun can or cannot do.....how it changes over time and how those change affect Earth. We think we know but we really don't. It's entirely possible that the current 11 year sun cycle is temporary. It could change to a 10 or 12 year cycle....or a hundred year cycle. The sun could do a lot of things that humans haven't seen before.
ReplyDeleteFor those interested in sunspot numbers there's http://www.sidc.be/silso/home which is the global data center for sunspot counts, trends etc. and https://spaceweather.com/ the USA based (I think this site is run by NOAA) space weather data and news on sun activity including sunspots, CME's and more and https://www.solarham.net/regions.htm who has news on sunspots and how they may affect radio wave propagation.
ReplyDeleteNo, I'm not a ham. I just find this type of stuff interesting.
Nemo
Sun activity is just half of the equation.
ReplyDeleteThe earth's electromagnetic "shield" has been weakening, which makes the impact of any solar activity much stronger on those of us down on the planet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90EeTN2eXks
Good point.
DeleteI read someplace the magnetic poles may be going to shift , that could make for interesting times , could a solar flare trigger that ? Maybe we will get to find out .
DeleteI use the Rt Systems software for the Baofeng radios. Easy least, so much easier than CHIRP
ReplyDelete