Posted: 6/2/2009 7:14:02 AM EDT
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Are more of them better or worse for HF transmitting distance? I always get confused on this. Thanks ahead of time.
eta Did some reading and this is what I get from it. Sun spots are good for HF, but sun flairs are bad for HF. Does that sound right? |
It depends where in the HF spectrum you are talking about. Freqs below say 10mhz are ABSORBED by the ionosphere when the solar flux number is up. Conversly, freqs above 10mhz will be refracted (bent) when traveling through the ionosphere when the flux is high. The past few years has been good for the lower bands, but when the Sun gets cookin' with spots the lower bands will turn to crap and bands like 20,17,15,10,6 and even 2m will be good for DX. Check out this page for sunspot info. The solar flux number is 73 right now (which is pretty low) but is enough to make 10 meters open up. I can't wait 'till the flux gets into the 100's.
When I was first licensed in 1991, the Sun was blazing with spots and working DX stations on 10m got to be routine. I was living back east and I could point the beam to the east in the morning and work Europe, Turn the beam south in mid-day and work South America, and in the evening turn the beam west and work Asia. It got to be so routine that I started working QRP. I found that I could work Japan with 5 watts into my 5 element beam. All pray to the sunspot Gods!!!! |
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Quoted:
Last night, 40 meters, Ireland, clear as a bell, 59 both ways. I was using just 100 w SSB. 
It was nearly midnight here, early morning before sunup for him. Could barely hear most the guys on this side of the pond he was talking to. And last night I answered a "CQ DX to anywhere in North America". A nice QSO to Scotland, again on 40 meters. 59 both ways. Come on, Sunspots! |