Category Archives: Propagation

NEVER seen this much 6m activity

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Bob Beatty

Six meters is open to the mid-west.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stations decoding.  I noticed that 10 meters was also quite hot today. Boy Cycle 25 is getting hot, even here close to the bottom! The … Continue reading →

Posted in 6-Meters, Propagation | 2 Comments

Solar Cycle 25 OFFICIALLY Underway

Posted on September 15, 2020 by robert

NASA and NOAA made the announcement earlier today: Solar Cycle 25 is underway, with Cycle 24 ending in December of 2019.  Their best estimate is that it will be similar to Cycle 24, so nothing to write home about, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Propagation, Solar Cycles | Leave a comment

Use Propagation Tools but check outside times too!

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Bob Beatty

Just worked VP8PJ on 10.105 MHz at 21:45 UTC.  Propagation chart says very small chance of working them now.  That said, their signal is 3 to 4 S-units above the noise floor.  I worked them with 100 watts on CW. … Continue reading →

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Who says HF is dead during the solar minimum?

Posted on October 30, 2019 by Bob Beatty

A friend of mine, Bob W1YRC, has often said that some of his best DX happens during sunspot minimums.  He certainly is right.  While it is true that we lack effective sunspots, so our Solar Flux readings are very low, … Continue reading →

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Why it is going to be so hard to work Alaska on 160-meters

Posted on February 19, 2019 by robert

160-meter communication between New England states and Alaska can be very challenging due to its high latitude and proximity to the magnetic pole. To begin with, the path distance is approximately 3,400 miles, which is going to require at least … Continue reading →

Posted in 160-Meters, Propagation | 2 Comments

Year-end DX/WAS Summary

Posted on December 31, 2017 by robert

2017 was a slow year for DX & WAS.  I suspect due to a combination of working most of the easy ones and a rapidly declining Solar Cycle 24.  It is hard to imagine how poor things will be for … Continue reading →

Posted in 160-Meters, DX, Propagation, Satellite, Solar Cycles, WAS | Leave a comment

X9.3 Solar Flare Hits today ~ 12:02 UTC

Posted on September 6, 2017 by robert

A massive solar flare struck the earth today, a X-class 9.3.  This is the largest flare of Solar Cycle 24 by far.  It does have an Earth-directed CME that will be following on the heels of an earlier M-class flare/CME. … Continue reading →

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Nice 6-meter Opening Today

Posted on July 6, 2017 by robert

The JT65 segment of 6-meters was white hot today.  Even heard Joe Taylor (K1JT).  Map below shows stations that heard my signals around 21:00 UTC today.

Posted in From the OM, Propagation | Leave a comment

First Radials on the Ground for Inverted L

Posted on June 3, 2017 by robert

I’ve been using a low loop, about 450 feet of wire, around 20 to 30 feet off the ground for years.  It worked well for me, enabling me to get 9-band DXCC and 8-band WAS.  But the sunspots have diminished, … Continue reading →

Posted in Antennas, DX, Propagation, Testing | 1 Comment

QRP Still Rules the World; even on 80 Meters

Posted on February 13, 2017 by robert

Yesterday I decided to set my radio up on a QRP (5 watt) beacon mode on 80 meters (I used a propagation mode called WSPR, transmitting once every 10 minutes).  I let the rig run from about 4:45 PM local time … Continue reading →

Posted in DX, Propagation, QRP | Leave a comment