amateur radio blackout due to solar activity

[Coyote33]

PARTIALLY ECLIPSED X-FLARE: Yesterday, May 16th, Earth-orbiting satellites detected an M9.6-class solar flare from a sunspot hiding behind the sun's southeastern limb. It was only percentage points away from being an X-flare. In fact, it probably was an X-flare partially eclipsed by the edge of the sun.

​

Although the underlying sunspot was hidden from view, it nevertheless managed to touch Earth. Radiation ionized the top of our planet's atmosphere, causing a deep shortwave radio blackout over North America: map.

"I knew something significant was happening on the sun today when all the normal radio stations I monitor suddenly faded," reports amateur radio astronomer Thomas Ashcraft of New Mexico. His shortwave radio telescope recorded the broadband event:

 

[breslau]

Yesterday was the best HF DX activity I've seen in a few days with contacts as far as Indonesia. This morning I've already logged 2 New Zealand, 5 Australian and a North Pole, Alaska contact on 20m. Best way to check band conditions is to turn on your radio and see what you get.

 

[Coyote33]

Yesterday was the best HF DX activity I've seen in a few days with contacts as far as Indonesia. This morning I've already logged 2 New Zealand, 5 Australian and a North Pole, Alaska contact on 20m. Best way to check band conditions is to turn on your radio and see what you get.

True enough. Don't kill the messenger. Just an FYI from the "weather people".

Here's the map:

 

[breslau]

"Weather people" are near the top of the list of things I don't trust!

 

[timbo]

As much as I can, my radio is set to monitor 50.125 usb, especially this time of year. You never know when it will open up. Today, twenty was shut down tight, at least from here in the mid country.

 

[n1oty]

If HF gets shuts down by any CME event, always check 6 and 2 meters for potential E-skip propagation.

 

[ToddDubya]

If HF gets shuts down by any CME event, always check 6 and 2 meters for potential E-skip propagation.

Good to know

 

[timbo]

Looks like 6 is open in Europe...no spots on the cluster stateside though

 

[Coyote33]

Again, just the messenger here.

SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids

STRONG SOLAR FLARE ACTIVITY: New sunspot AR3311 is crackling with strong M-class solar flares. There have been three eruptions so far today and one almost reached category X. Each flare has caused a shortwave radio blackout with significant loss of signal below 20 MHz.

also see:

HF Propagation and Solar-Terrestrial Data Website

Free solar-terrestrial data displayed on your web page or site, updated every 3-hours. Also contains solar and radio propagation information applicable to ham radio including solar conditions, space conditions, online propagation tool, online SN to SFI/SFI to SN conversion tool, online...

www.hamqsl.com

 

[ToddDubya]

HF is trash today. I took @n1oty 's advice and jumped on 6. I called/listened/called over the course of the morning and all I got was one guy about 8 miles away. We had a nice chat until my oatmeal timer went off.

The interesting thing is he's close as the crow flies, but we're both around 1000' and there's a 2000' mountain between us. He's NW of me, my 6m hex beam was pointed SW, and his yagi was aimed NW but also kind of dangling and pointed at the ground. Still solid copy on both ends.

I've been watching the site below for openings, but so far it doesn't seem too reliable. I think most of the data they use to generate these maps come from FT-8. So there may be good propagation, but if everyone is on FT-8 they aren't going to hear you. Click on your location and I think it shows who would be hearing you. That link brings you to FN32 where I am.

HF Propagation Map

hf.dxview.org

There's another site I was using that allowed you to filter on mode. When I turned off digital modes, the screen went blank.

 

[breslau]

HF is trash today.

Yup. Late yesterday and into the evening I picked up a bunch of dx contacts on 17 and 20. After making only 2 contacts over a few hours this morning I called it quits and went to the gun store.

 

[Coyote33]

went to the gun store.

Which would that be near you? R&R?

 

[breslau]

Nicks in Palmer. One of the owners and an employee are hams and we're members of the same radio club.

 

[ToddDubya]

No suitable frequency