Sun Spots

[KC7UP]

According to "Space Weather news" there is a tiny sunspot emerging now. Furthermore in checking what sunspots are- it says in a graph the lowest number we ever had was nearly zero in the time frame 1650-1700. The highest number occurred in 1960. Too bad I wasn't a ham then.
Curt

[AG3Y]

Spaceweather (http://www.spaceweather.com/) #reveals that there may be some more sunspots coming around from the back side of the Sun in the next day or two. #We could see a change in propagation , hopefully soon ! # #Been a LOOOONG time with a blank Sun this last go-around.

73 es gud DX # Jim


P.S. Ohhh Curt, the late 60s and early 70s were FUN !

[W4HAY]

Quote[/b] (KC7UP @ July 29 2007,02:27)]...The highest number occurred in 1960. Too bad I wasn't a ham then.
Curt
You would have loved it! It was a wild time. I had a Heath VFO driving a 6V6, and a beat-up old National receiver (think I paid $25 for it) in my dorm room. The antenna was a hank of wire tossed out of my 3rd floor dorm room window, worked against the building's steam heat system for a counterpoise. I had to pack the rig away during the week so I could get some studying done.

The college station W4ATC was always busy. Probably half the hams on campus darn near flunked out! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

The Aurora displays were quite spectacular too, even in central NC. One night the whole Northern sky was a brilliant red. People thought Sherman had come back from the dead and was marchin' through Raleigh! #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

By golly, the SFI is all the way up to 70! Heard some beacons on 10, but couldn't raise anyone.

[wz9o]

We are in the longest "bottom" recorded.

Which will lead to the shortest "peak" recorded.

[WA9SVD]

Quote[/b] (aa9ya @ July 29 2007,08:24)]We are in the longest "bottom" recorded.

Which will lead to the shortest "peak" recorded.
You don't know THAT for a fact; we'll check back in 12 years. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

Ol' Sol has definitely been in a slump. It's about time he wakes up and gets to work. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
There's finally some activity to be heard on 10 Meters; not sure all of it is Sporadic E, so maybe things WILL improve in the next few months.

[N0NB]

Sure, activity on 10m this AM and I'm not near a rig. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif 10 is one of the most fun bands when it's open.

The question remains, are these Cycle 23 or 24 spots?

[G0GQK]

Patience is a virtue, its going to be some time before things improve so you'll just have to get used to it or take up another hobby, sorry service !

As for the best conditions ever it was believed to be in 1947-8 when most operators were not even a twinkle ! The following cycle was also excellent so I have been told, when conditions were so good one could get halfway round the world on telephony with just a few watts.

We are moving towards September and I had a two minute contact on 17 metres using 20 watts of PSK on a vertical with a station in Ontario. Very surprising considering the sunspot count is zero.

G0GQK

[K4GUN]

Can't we start throwing rocks or something at the sun to get it going? LOL. Just give it a nudge to remind it what its supposed to be doing. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

Quote[/b] (aa9ya @ July 29 2007,08:24)]We are in the longest "bottom" recorded.

Which will lead to the shortest "peak" recorded.
You might check back and look at the 17th century for something called "the little ice age". Seventy years of low sunspots.

Frank http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[W5HTW]

Quote[/b] (ac0fp @ July 30 2007,19:43)]Quote[/b] (aa9ya @ July 29 2007,08:24)]We are in the longest "bottom" recorded.

Which will lead to the shortest "peak" recorded.
You might check back and look at the 17th century for something called "the little ice age". Seventy years of low sunspots.

Frank :cool:
"Global cooling." Al Gore's fault.


Ed

[VE3EN]

little CME on the farside of the sun earlier today... farside image shows perhaps an active area... as far as these spots go... just some more variation in the "in between period" Solar flux still remains low.. there was just another fairly long period of no sunspots (8).

Feel free to check my little site out.
www.solarcycle24.com (http://www.solarcycle24.com/)

Cheers, Kevin
VE3EN http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif