This week the Sun comes out of hibernation with a fast growing active region and a large coronal hole rotating into Earth view. Although the region (2733) never launched any Earth-directed solar storms, it nevertheless fired off a few C-class flares that no doubt made the HF radio bands a bit noisy.
The flares may have also made GPS a bit glitchy around the dawn-dusk terminators. However, this bright active region has also boosted the solar flux back into the marginal range for radio propagation. As we say goodbye to region 2733 as it rotates to the Sun’s backside, we say hello to the large coronal hole that is starting to rotate into the Earth-strike zone. Aurora photographers, especially at high latitudes should get a great show over the next few days, possibly in through the weekend.
Photographers at mid-latitudes, may not be quite as lucky, but there might be a chance for some sporadic aurora starting late Thursday and into Friday. Learn the details of the activity this week, catch up on aurora photos from recent solar storming, and see what else our Sun has in store.
VHF
TYT MD-9600 Dual Band DMR Digital Mobile Radio (UHF/VHF)
Now you can go digital on the road with the TYT MD-9600 DMR Digital Mobile Two Way Radio! The MD-9600 gives you the crystal clear, noise-free audio of... Read more
BaoFeng BF-F9 +TP Two-Way Radio, Dual Band UHF/VHF Ham 136-174/400-520MHz Tri-Power 1/4/8W
Description： The Baofeng BF-F9+TP is the upgraded version of BF-F9+ with the trip power 1w/4w/8W/. With its 128 channel capacity and up to 12 hours of... Read more
IC V86 Review with George Thomas and Ray Novak
The IC-V86 gives you more audio, more RF power, more coverage and more battery capacity in a compact, MIL-STD portable. With 1.5W of receive audio pow... Read more
Icom IC-9700 First Impression, Comparision with IC-7400
Icom IC-9700 Specifications General Frequency coverage 144.000–148.000, 430.000–450.000, 1240.000–1300.000 MHz Mode SSB, CW, RTTY, AM, FM, DV, DD Numb... Read more
Antenna
80 Meter Shortened Inverted-L Bazooka Antenna
Bazooka Antenna A DOUBLE BAZOOKA antenna is an extremely broad-banded Half Wave Antenna that can operate efficiently across an entire Ham band with li... Read more
The AMSAT SA 2 m / 70 cm dual-band Yagi antenna is now available
The antenna has a 50-ohm designed driver. The Yagi has a unique element called a ‘Open Sleeve’ which is a director very close to the driven element... Read more
The Mighty Rhombic, the King of Antennas
“There was a time, back in the 1930s and 1940s, when the rhombic antenna was the king. A remarkable antenna that had phenomenal directivity and... Read more
CHA EMCOMM III Base – 3.5-30 MHz
The EMCOMM III Base antenna, is an effective multi-band High Frequency (HF) antenna specially designed for short to long range base station HF communi... Read more
Review
When is Ham Radio Not Ham Radio?
“Gerry Moore, VE7BDM, says some hams he knows claim certain ham radio activities aren’t ham radio! We look at the spirit of ham radio embo... Read more
How do I Ground My Transceiver in a Recreational Vehicle
Devin, KM4ENW, asks how to ground his 2m/70cm radio in his RV. I show how to use the frame of the RV as a good counterpoise. Read more
FTdx10 & FT-991A SSB Receiver Comparison
“My good friend Joel, KC4WZB, loaned me his brand new Yaesu FTdx10. When I say loaned, I mean he picked it up at Ham Radio Outlet and brought it... Read more
RTL-SDR BLOG L-BAND Patch Antenna Version 2 – Inmarsat – Iridium – GPS
Here we take a look at the brand new L-Band Patch antenna from RTL-SDR Blog. This antenna is designed to work with Inmarsat, Iridium and GPS signals. Read more
News
Home but never alone: Celebrating World Amateur Radio Day
Image credit: Otava Tuomi. Early last year, when the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) first pushed much of the world into lockdown, one traditional... Read more
National Science Foundation Funds Creation of Research Lab at Alaska’s HAARP
A 5-year, $9.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will allow the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Geophysical Institute to establish... Read more
St. Vincent Radio Amateurs on Alert During Volcano Emergency
Donald de Riggs, J88CD, on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent, says that on April 13, the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 eruption of the La Soufriere v... Read more
Can You Cook A Hotdog With Ham Radio?
“I’ve always been facinated by the physical affects of RF. Today, a light experiment testing if can cook hotdogs with RF. The test incorpo... Read more
