[South Florida DX Association] [PVRC] Something is Troubling About the Current Solar Minimum

[Peter Rimmel - Marine Chemist]

I thought this was worth forwarding to the SFDXA Guys:  

Thank you John, W4JAM, for sending it to me...

  Aug 31, 2009 10:15:28 PM, hs0zar at gmail.com wrote:

    As with most things in life, there is nevertheless a silver lining in
    this cloud, propagation-wise.

    During the last two annual summer Sporadic E seasons, East Coast
    stations were able to work Japan on six meters via direct short path
    for the first time in Sporadic E history. Previously this direct
    short path on 6 meters had only been available during F2 openings in
    high-sunspot years.

    The only explanation for this that I have heard so far is that low
    solar activity has reduced absorption inside the Polar Oval to such an
    extent that for the first time in observed history Sporadic E signals
    from such a distance are able to penetrate the Oval and provide
    meaningful signal levels at the other end of the circuit.

    A corollary of this theory could be that the coming years will find
    that summertime propagation may turn out to be more interesting than
    wintertime propagation, at least on the higher bands, so that the CW
    WPX contest and the IARU contest will provide a wider variety of
    openings than any other contests on the yearly schedule.

    With Sporadic E propagation taking on greater importance in the
    overall propagation scheme, it is also likely that science will decide
    to study this propagation mode more extensively, perhaps allowing more
    accurate predictions of when such openings are likely to occur.

    As to wintertime conditions, people are still raving about the
    conditions on 160 meters just prior to and during the CQWW 160 meter
    CW contest in January 2009. It was felt at the time that this was one
    of those events that happens only every 25 years or so. If indeed we
    are heading to another Dalton Minimum as our colleague Roger Miner,
    K1DQV believes is entirely possible, we may be able to look forward to
    several more such openings in the near future.

    Finally I would be remiss if I failed to mention another phenomenon
    which may or may not be related to this. Our colleague Owen Wormser,
    K3CB has discussed with some of us on several occasions the fact that
    it appears that Earth's North and South Poles are nearing a reverse in
    polarity. Owen believes that this could cause interesting and
    unpredictable anomalies in propagation, and Owen feels that Amateur
    Radio operators are in a privileged position to accomplish and record
    useful observations about these events which will greatly benefit the
    scientific study of these phenomena.

    So rather than lament the loss of familiar modes of propagation, I
    personally would rather enjoy observing what comes next with the awe
    and wonder that has always motivated my study of propagation. In what
    other field of endeavor can an individual with just a bachelors'
    degree in a completely unrelated field be empowered to make
    observations which can
    conceivably be at the leading edge of a branch of physical science?
    Astronomy, perhaps. That's the only other one I can think of.

    So let's resolve to enjoy the window our chosen hobby provides us into
    observations of possibly unprecedented events in the years to come!

    73, Fred, K3ZO
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