Two Solar Cycles at Once & A Big Meteor Nearly Hits | Space Weather News 10.10.2019

Some of the worst “splatter” I’ve ever heard came from PSK31 ops running low power but who were ignorant about how to properly adjust the input levels on their sound cards.

 

I got my license in Oct 2015, on the down hill slide of cycle 24. As a newcomer, I was impressed with even the modest propagation in 2016. But in the fall of 2016 things just went off a cliff when it came to working 20m at night. Things became harder on 40m too.

So since that time, I've spent lots of time trying different antennas and bands. I've had to improvise and try things within my budget.

What I've found is I work the lower bands. I've concentrated my efforts on 40m at night and 20m during the day. I'm now using a magnetic loop for receive only and it really helps in picking up weak signals. I still transmit on my dipoles, but the loop really cuts down on receive noise.

My next effort will be a receive loop for 160 and 80 to improve that.

Moral of the story, keep experimenting and trying. It won't be easy, but it can be rewarding and fun.

I figure by the time things improve I should be having a crap ton of fun with my setup after 5 years of work.

 

Yes the CW Ops CWT on Wednesdays at 1300Z 1900z and 0300Z Watch the bit of the band from .028 up come alive for a hour.
the speed is a little on the fast side at 25-40 WPM but by heck its fun.

been licensed 35 years but started as a SWL in 1961 just after the peak of cycle 19 seen cycles come and go over that time.

operate from M0LBL from Royal Albert Dock in Liverpool on Fridays from our River Tug and despite the botttom of the cycle still get some dx in the log.

Bring on cycle 25 and I will continue to enjoy CW on HF 73 de Bill G0ELZ CW Ops 239 GQRP 5372 FISTS 4818 MF Runde 969

 

My bro KK4TVR keeps asking me if we are heading into another "Maunder Minimum".

 

Bad conditions allow for testing / proving your gear .
Instead of the new ham common , I made a contact 9A9A - to my station always booming because of huge antennas & power .
Jokingly I've told myself that I need a strong station filter - to make it easier to pickout the weak stations
Too bad I am a full timer RVer and have little , I mean very little space for antennas , generally elevated verticals only , Cushcraft R5 & R7 , Butternut HV6 & HV9 .
So bad conditions are an opportunity to find out how to maximize your station , and most [ what 85-95% ] of that is your antenna system .
Had a fire and lost most of my antennas & future antenna farm seeds ;(
Just got off a local repeater Sunday swap a ruff HV9 to recondition , and that will have to wait till spring now , no space for bench / repair , have to work off the tail-gate of the pickup , dang one of these days I hope to get back on the road , migrate south in the winter

 

I call it “Sporadic-C” propagation, when conditions magically improve during Contest weekends.

 

Ya I have joked for yrs. now , that a contest puts lots of energy into the atmosphere creating propagation
Of course theres the old " stations only answer during a contest " ;(