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Keithinatlanta
| | Posted on Friday, September 05, 2003 - 4:47 pm: | 
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After posting the question on sunspots, I then went back to other page and saw down at the bottom where I could highlight and get info on sunspots. Hoewever, I would still like to hear from forum, everyones thoughts about this. Another question is does it change or have different effects dependant on where you live in USA?
Keith in Atlanta |
de
| | Posted on Friday, September 05, 2003 - 7:57 pm: |
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Sunspots
A primer on sunspots...
Sunspots are those dark patches you see on pictures of the surface of the sun. A bit of trivia about the sun. The aura of gas around the sun is HOTTER than the surface of the sun.
Anyway these dark spots are solar storms that throw out massive amounts of energy and energy particles. These particles colied with the earth and charge up, so to speak, the earths upper atmosphere making it capable of bending radio waves back to earth.
The number of sunspots changes day to day and week to week. BUT over all they go thru an 11 year/give or take a year or two/ cycle climing up to a max count and falling back down to almost zero. ONlY to start going back up again.
Sunspots and Radio Propagation. The Spot cycle determines which frequencies will be suited overall for long range use. When the spots are on the low side of the cycle the atmosphere has minimum charge. This condition favors the very low frequencies such as 160, 80, and 40 meters on the ham band. When the spots are peaking the atmosphere is charged up good and full. This enables the higher frequencies to be bent back on a consistant basis. This is when CB and the upper hame HF frequencies come into play
Right now we are in the just post peaked stage going down. Skip while still present will become less and less common.
But don't worry, the cycle will repeat itself and you will once again be able to talk to the other side of the world but NOT across the street.
DE |
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