[Elecraft] Solar Cycle

[Wes Stewart]

I was licensed as a Novice in 1958 and upgraded to Conditional shortly after.  
My Elmer, W7UVR, who signed both applications told me he didn't want the RI 
coming around and retesting me and having me fail, hence getting him in 
trouble.  So he said I better stay on CW for the duration.  I had my BC342 and a 
Millen transmitter and a couple of 40-meter crystals.  I dutifully stayed on 40 
(except when my 2nd harmonic worked an FCC monitoring station and I received a 
"pink" QSL.  My high school English teacher helped me write a very convincing 
letter to them)

Always a DXer at heart, I would stay up all night during the summer eking out 
QSOs on 40.  My Elmer finally took pity on me and loaned me an Elmac AF67 that 
worked 10-meter AM.  What a revelation; on 40 I would spend nights trying to 
work VK, on 10 I was working them by the dozen on phone in the daytime.  Magical.

Wes

ps. I can also remember seeing aurora here in Tucson, 32deg N.

On 7/22/2016 11:17 AM, Guy Olinger K2AV wrote:
> I remember 1956 - 1958. Conditions have never been that way since. We are
> in the trough of a very long term solar super-cycle that had a peak in
> 1956.
>