“Although the Sun has quieted down this week , we have another chance for a solar storm coming. A pocket of fast solar wind will hit Earth over the next couple of days from a small well-formed coronal hole region crossing the Earth-strike zone.
The fast wind wont last long, but it will likely bump us up to storm levels at high latitudes, bringing aurora that could possibly reach down to mid-latitudes momentarily before the storm wanes. In addition, a bright region on the Earth-facing Sun has kept the solar flux up into the marginal range for radio propagation for amateur radio operators and emergency responders, but it is not a source for any big flares or radio blackouts.
This means GPS users should enjoy excellent GPS reception on Earth’s day side. Learn the details of the coming solar storm and see what else our Sun has in store this week!’
Review
Survey of Less-Expensive Vertical Antennas
Oggie Mike, KB7HFS, asks for a recommendation for a new vertical antenna. He already has a radial field and a mount; his prior antenna was destroyed i... Read more
Learning Morse Code, Straight Key or Paddles?
“The eternal question and a sure way to start trouble at your next Ham radio club! Is the straight key a better learning tool or will the modern... Read more
Icom IC-705 with the mAT-705 Portable Tuner
“Today I operate the Icom IC-705 at my hunting lease as a portable radio with an End Fed Random Wire antenna from Nelson Antennas, and the mAT-7... Read more
How Your Radio’s Final Amp Class Affects Efficiency
An Oggie asks why his radio draws so much more power than the 100 watts it puts out. The answer lies in using linear final power amps in the Class A,... Read more
VHF
The First Thing To Upgrade On Your Handheld Ham Radio
It’s true that the best thing to upgrade on your ham radio handheld is its antenna. However, there is something you should do before making that anten... Read more
AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2/Fox 1E Set to Launch
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne is a go for launch on Wednesday, January 13, at 1500 UTC, carrying the AMSAT/Vanderbilt RadFXSat-2/Fox-1E CubeSat into spac... Read more
144 MHz signal from the Faroe Islands heard 3000kms away in Bulgaria during Geminid Meteor Shower – Dec 2020
Every year, the Geminid meteor shower peaks around the 14th of December and many VHF radio amateurs make contacts by bouncing signals off the meteor t... Read more
QYT KT-780 Plus 100 Watts 2 meter Mobile Radio Review and Demo
The QYT KT-780 Plus is a 100 watt mobile radio on the 2 meter Amateur Radio Band, and works on FM mode. Today we will walk through the menu of the rad... Read more
Ham Radio’s SuitSat Returns in Short Horror Film
SuitSat lo... Read more
Survey of Less-Expensive Vertical Antennas
Oggie Mike... Read more