Foundations of Amateur Radio - Episode 88 The pimples on the Sun that erupt and make a mess are called Sun-spots and they make it possible for you to use your Amateur Radio on HF for long distance communication via the ionosphere. How does this actually work and what is a Sun-spot actually and why are Sun-spot numbers not the same as the numbers of dots on the Sun. This week I investigate how getting Sun burned is like heating the ionosphere. Foundations of Amateur Radio is a weekly podcast about anything ham radio and can be downloaded from http://podcasts.itmaze.com.au/ and fond on iTunes by searching for VK6FLAB. Thank you for your kind and sometimes provocative emails, unexpected, fun and enlightening, keep 'm coming - vk6flab@gmail.com. Onno VK6FLAB
Propagation only starts when the arrl hits the switch in CT for contest weekends. Sunspots Dots or not. haha
Interesting sun spot article - thank you. Perhaps a follow-up piece providing some basic pointers in interpreting solar/geo indices as propagation indicators would be useful to HF operators - particularly newer ones, and especially as we head into a solar minimum. Best Regards, Brian - K6BRN