[HCARC] More Solar Minima Data

[SARA SANDSTROM]

Well Gary, 

You keep sending stuff that I can't let go.  First, we are not at solar minima.  We may be near a very weak maximum, but we are definitely not at a solar minimum. 

Sunspot counts are only one way of de tecting solar minimum and solar maximum.  Unfortunately, it isn't a particularly good one.  It is primarily useful because of the length of historical records.  Other ways are from the sun's magnetic fields, distribution of the sunspots over the surface of the sun, and flare acvtivity.  By the way, there are often sunspots from both the new and old cycle present near solar minimum.  You can tell which cycle spots belong to by the magnetic polarity of the leading spot in a group and its h eliographic latitiude.  Near solar max, the sunspot groups are somewhat symmettrical accross the solar equator, that is a group in the north and a group in the south will have the same longitude and opposi te latitudes. 

There are several factors that affec t the impact of a flare on the earth.  First, the flare has to be at the right lattitude to intercept the earth.  Second, The charged particles from a flare follow a curved path due to the solar wind and the solar magnetic field and their velocity .  The flare has to occur at the correct solar longitude so that it will hit the earth.  Third, it has to have the correct mix of EM radiation (mainly X-rays) and charged particles to affect the earth.  The EM radiation arrives first and is resonsible for absorption and SWF (Short Wave Fade).  The charged particles arrive hours to days later and are the cause of the magnetic storm.  Since they follow different paths you don't get all effects from every flare.  Some large flares have almost no effect on the earth. 

Bottom line, I think that short item you sent out is nonsense. 

Real Bottom Line, ra ther than wringing his hands over the lack of sunspots, a real ham prepares his station for the expected coming conditions.  These preparation include improving low HF and MF systems to take advantage of the low MUF as well as the low absorption that come with low sunspot numbers.  They also include being sure you understand how to recognize when there is a momentary increase in sunspots and the frequencies, times and directions you should be looking at to take advantage of these momentary improvements.  Finally, you need to recognize when a geomagnetic storm is in progress and how that effects propagation and the frequencies, times and directions you should concentrate on to take advantage of any unusual propagation conditions. 

One word of advice:  If y ou think your favorite web sites will clue you in - DON'T.  This is something you need to do yourself.  By the way, your freinds (and enemies) will be amazed if you work something unusual on what they believe is a dead band.  You can do it!  True story - Several years ago there was an excellent operator with a well set up station in San Antonio .  He was one of the early users of t rans-equatorial propaga tion on 6 meters in the (I believe) late 1940's.  He would get on evenings and works Central and South Americans to his hearts content.  Naturally this was reported to the ARRL who said send us your QSL's so we can decide wether we believe you or not.  I don't believe he ever sent the QSL's to the league and went on working DX on 6 to his hearts content by himself.  Moral:  Just because someone says its impossible, doesn't make it so.  People who know what they are doing can work the impossible.  That should be every ham's goal. 

Kerry