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Here is this week’s space weather and geophysical report, issued 2016 Jun 06 0156 UTC.

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 30 May – 05 June 2016

Solar activity ranged from very low to low levels. Low activity was observed on 30 May with a pair of C1/Sf flares observed from Region 2550 (N15, L=114, class/area Cro/020 on 31 May). Very low levels were observed on 31 May and 01-05 Jun. Of note, the first spotless day since 17 Jul 2014 was observed on 03 Jun.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at high levels on 30 May – 04 Jun with moderate levels observed on 05 Jun.

Geomagnetic field activity ranged from quiet to minor storm (G1-Minor) levels. Quiet to active levels were observed on 30-31 May due to negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS) influence. During this time frame, wind speeds peaked at about 575 km/s early on 30 May while the Bz component of the interplanetary magnetic field reached a maximum southward of extent of -6 nT late on 31 May. Quiet conditions were observed on 01 Jun through midday on 05 Jun. Active to G1 storm levels were observed through the remainder of 05 Jun due to effects from another negative polarity CH HSS. Late on 05 Jun, wind speeds approached 650 km/s, total field reached 19 nT while the Bz component briefly hit a maximum southward extent of -15 nT.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 06 June – 02 July 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels with C-class activity possible throughout the outlook period.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be reach high levels on 07-09, 12-16, 26-30 Jun and 01 Jul. Normal to moderate levels are expected throughout the remainder of the outlook period.

Geomagnetic field activity is likely to reach G1 (Minor) levels on 06 Jun and 02 Jul with unsettled to active levels expected on 12-15, 17-18, 23-24 and 26-27 Jun, all due to the influence of multiple recurrent CH HSSs. Quiet to unsettled conditions are expected throughout the remainder of the outlook period under a nominal solar wind regime.

Don’t forget to visit our live space weather and radio propagation web site, at: http://SunSpotWatch.com/

Live Aurora mapping is at http://aurora.sunspotwatch.com/

If you are on Twitter, please follow these two users: + https://Twitter.com/NW7US + https://Twitter.com/hfradiospacewx

Get the space weather and radio propagation self-study course, today. Visit http://nw7us.us/swc for the latest sale and for more information!

Check out the stunning view of our Sun in action, as seen during the last five years with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXN-MdoGM9g

We’re on Facebook: http://NW7US.us/swhfr

The Elecraft KX2 made a big splash with QRP enthusiasts at the Dayton Hamvention this year. HamRadio360 had some good coverage of the product introduction. Basically, the KX2 is a shrunken version of the KX3, covering the HF bands 80m through 10m.

There were rumors circulating that Yaesu would introduce a replacement for the FT-817ND, but that turned out to not be true. It is a good rumor because the original FT-817 was introduced way back in 2001 (according to Wikipedia). Also, Chris Wilson NØCSW was actively soliciting inputs for an 817 replacement at the Central States VHF Conference last summer.

A while back, I did a comparison of the FT-817 and the KX3 (big brother to the KX2). I evaluated the two radios from a VHF/UHF point of view. The FT-817 is the only portable single-radio solution for 50 MHz, 144 MHz and 432 MHz. The KX3 includes 50 MHz standard and 144 MHz is an option. The KX2 leaves out the VHF bands completely to achieve a smaller size.

What’s Next for the FT-817?

Its always fun to speculate on what might be coming in new gear. I expect Yaesu will maintain its position as the QRP transceiver that covers HF/VHF/UHF. It has a long history of delivering cost-effective “do everything” radios. We can look to recent product introductions from Yaesu to get a hint of what might be coming.

The FT-2DR, FT-400DR and FT-991 have all adopted larger touch-screen displays so we can probably expect that for the 817 replacement. However, this will challenge the existing form factor…you can’t just drop a larger display into the existing 817 design. The three newer radios include the System Fusion C4FM digital mode…at this point, I don’t think Yaesu would introduce a VHF/UHF radio without it.

Which raises another question: will the new radio also include a GPS receiver? This capability is a good complement to the C4FM mode in a portable radio. The FT-991 requires you to enter your location manually, which the FT-2DR and FT-400DR use a built-in GPS. But it adds circuitry and complexity so I am going to guess they will leave that out.

I am expecting (hoping?) Yaesu will improve the battery life of the transceiver. (Receive standby current is spec’d at 450 mA.)  Even if they don’t improve the current drain, newer battery technology could be used to improve operating time. Also, depending on the form factor changes, it may be wise to dedicate more space for a physically larger battery.

Yaesu will probably improve the overall receiver performance, including advanced DSP features. Many 817 users have complained about the lack of coverage of 162 MHz weather radio in the US. On the transmit side, a little more output power would be nice…maybe match the KX3’s 10 watts on HF. Yaesu could really make the VHF crowd happy (in the US) if they included the 222 MHz band.

Take One Tablet

The radio will surely have a computer I/O port with USB being the most flexible choice. There is an opportunity to innovate a bit here by coupling the radio with Android and iOS tablets. I could see a really nice app that handles logging, CW, PSK31, RTTY, bandscope, and other advanced features. This could take the pressure off having a larger display and loading tons of features into the radio. The most convenient I/O would be wireless, most likely Bluetooth or maybe WiFi.  Many of the SOTA and QRP operators already take along a smartphone or tablet for logging and other tasks, so it would be a good fit to that market. The key to this idea is careful human factors design and tight integration with the radio. Do I expect this from Yaesu? Not really. So surprise me and knock my socks off.

Those are my thoughts. Your turn.

73, Bob KØNR

The post How About an Updated FT-817? appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

Here is this week’s space weather and geophysical report, issued 2016 May 30 0216 UTC.

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 23 – 29 May 2016

Solar activity was very low on 23, 25, and 27-29 May with only background flare activity observed. Low levels of solar activity were observed on 24 May due to an isolated C1 flare from Region 2546 (S07, L=223, class/area=Cho/550 on 21 May) and on 26 May due to isolated C1 flares from Regions 2546 and 2548 (N13, L=171, class/area=Dsi/130 on 27 May). No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections were observed during the period.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at normal to moderate levels throughout the week.

Geomagnetic field activity was at quiet levels on 23 and 25-26 May and quiet to unsettled levels throughout the remainder of the period with an isolated period of active conditions observed on 28 May due to coronal hole high speed stream influence.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 30 May – 25 June 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at very low levels with C-class flares possible throughout the outlook period.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels on 05-07 and 12-16 Jun with normal to moderate levels expected throughout the remainder of the outlook period.

Geomagnetic field activity is likely to reach G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels on 30 May and 05 Jun and active conditions are expected on 31 May and 06, 11-13, 17 and 24 Jun, all due to the influence of multiple recurrent coronal hole high speed streams. Quiet and quiet to unsettled conditions are expected throughout the remainder of the outlook period under a nominal solar wind regime.

Don’t forget to visit our live space weather and radio propagation web site, at: http://SunSpotWatch.com/

Live Aurora mapping is at http://aurora.sunspotwatch.com/

If you are on Twitter, please follow these two users: + https://Twitter.com/NW7US + https://Twitter.com/hfradiospacewx

Get the space weather and radio propagation self-study course, today. Visit http://nw7us.us/swc for the latest sale and for more information!

Check out the stunning view of our Sun in action, as seen during the last five years with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXN-MdoGM9g

We’re on Facebook: http://NW7US.us/swhfr

Here is this week’s space weather and geophysical report, issued 2016 May 23 0405 UTC.

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 16 – 22 May 2016

Solar activity was low with only B-class and C-class flare activity observed. Regions 2544 (N20, L=295, class/area=Dai/160 on 16 May) and 2546 (S07, L=223, class/area=Cho/550 on 21 May) produced three low-level C-class flares between them, with the largest being a C1.8 at 16/1525 UTC from Region 2544. No Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CME) were observed during the reporting period.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. However, there was a slight enhancement on 16 May from a long duration C3 flare that occured previous to the reporting period. The greater than 10 MeV proton flux reached a maximum of 1 pfu at 16/0030 UTC.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit reached high levels on 16, 17, and 19 May and moderate levels on 18, 20-22 May.

Geomagnetic field activity was mostly at quiet to unsettled levels from 16-20 May with an isolated period of active conditions on 17 May in response to a positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels were observed during the 0600-0900 UTC synoptic period on 21 May due to influences from another positive polarity CH HSS.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 23 May – 18 June 2016

Solar activity is expected to be very low (B-class flares) to low (C-class flares) levels throughout the outlook period.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to reach high levels on 28-29 May, 01 Jun, 03-09 Jun, 12-13 Jun, and 18 Jun. Moderate flux levels are expected for the remainder of the outlook period.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to reach G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm levels on 04 Jun and G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels on 05 Jun due to the influence of a negative polarity CH HSS. Active geomagnetic levels are expected on 26 May, 30-31 May, 02-03 Jun, 06 Jun, 11-13 Jun, and 17-18 Jun due to various recurrent CH HSSs.

Don’t forget to visit our live space weather and radio propagation web site, at: http://SunSpotWatch.com/

Live Aurora mapping is at http://aurora.sunspotwatch.com/

If you are on Twitter, please follow these two users: + https://Twitter.com/NW7US + https://Twitter.com/hfradiospacewx

Get the space weather and radio propagation self-study course, today. Visit http://nw7us.us/swc for the latest sale and for more information!

Check out the stunning view of our Sun in action, as seen during the last five years with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXN-MdoGM9g

We’re on Facebook: http://NW7US.us/swhfr

Here is this week’s space weather and geophysical report, issued 2016 May 16 0334 UTC.

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 09 – 15 May 2016

Solar activity was low and only C-class flare activity was observed. Region 2543 (S05, L=002, class/area=Dao/90 on 10 May) produced a C7 flare at 14/1134 UTC which was the largest event of the period. Region 2544 (N21,L=296, class/area=Dao/150 on 15 May) produced five low-level C-class flares on 15 May, the largest being a C1 at 15/0502 UTC. Region 2542 (N12, L=357, class/area=Dai/150 on 09 May) produced a long-duration C3 flare at 15/1603 UTC with an associated filament eruption and partial-halo coronal mass ejection (CME) that departed off of the west limb. Forecaster analysis and WSA/Enlil modelling determined that the CME did not have an Earth-directed component. There were no Earth-directed CMEs during the period.

No proton events were observed at geosynchronous orbit. However, a slight enhancement was observed on 15 May associated with a long-duration C3 flare and filament eruption near Region 2542. A peak flux of 2 pfu was observed on 15 May at 2315 UTC.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit was at very high levels from 09-13 May due to the influences of a negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). High levels were observed on 14 May and moderate levels rounded out the week on 15 May.

Geomagnetic field activity was at unsettled to G3 (Strong) geomagnetic storm levels on 09 May due to the residual effects of a co-rotating interaction region and subsequent negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS). Mainly quiet to unsettled conditions were observed for 10-14 May with a nominal solar wind. A positive polarity CH HSS became connected with Earths magnetic field on 15 May causing quiet to active conditions.

Forecast of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity 16 May – 11 June 2016

Solar activity is expected to be at very low (B-class flares) to low (C-class flares) levels throughout the outlook period.

No proton events are expected at geosynchronous orbit.

The greater than 2 MeV electron flux at geosynchronous orbit is expected to be at high levels on 16-23 May, 30 May-02 Jun, and 06-10 Jun. Moderate flux levels are expected for the remainder of the period.

Geomagnetic field activity is expected to reach G1 (Minor) geomagnetic storm levels on 16, 19-20 May due to the influence of recurrent positive polarity coronal hole high speed streams (CH HSS). G1 (Minor) storm levels are also expected on 29 May and 04-05 June due to the influnce of negative polarity CH HSSs.

Don’t forget to visit our live space weather and radio propagation web site, at: http://SunSpotWatch.com/

Live Aurora mapping is at http://aurora.sunspotwatch.com/

If you are on Twitter, please follow these two users: + https://Twitter.com/NW7US + https://Twitter.com/hfradiospacewx

Get the space weather and radio propagation self-study course, today. Visit http://nw7us.us/swc for the latest sale and for more information!

Check out the stunning view of our Sun in action, as seen during the last five years with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXN-MdoGM9g

We’re on Facebook: http://NW7US.us/swhfr

Summits On The Air – Colorado Style is the title of my presentation at Hamcon Colorado, 2 pm Friday May 13th. I will be discussing the Summits On The Air program and the Colorado 14er Event.

The slides are available here:
Summits On The Air -Colorado Style

The conference will be excellent. I hope to see you there!

73, Bob KØNR

The post Summits On The Air – Colorado Style appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.

Amateur Radio operators from around Colorado will be climbing many of Colorado’s 14,000-foot mountains and Summits On The Air (SOTA) peaks to set up amateur radio stations in an effort to communicate with other radio amateurs across the state and around the world. Join in on the fun during the 25^th annual event and see how many of the mountaintop stations you can contact. This year the event is expanded to include the entire weekend. However, many mountaintop activators will hit the trail early with the goal of being off the summits by noon due to lightning safety concerns.

See the very cool 25 Year Anniversary t-shirts available at http://www.cafepress.com/wg0at

The 14er event includes Summits On the Air (SOTA) peaks, which add over 1700 potential summits! If you aren’t up to climbing a 14er, there are many other summits to choose from (with a wide range of difficulty). See the W0C SOTA web page at w0c-sota.org

Radio operators who plan to activate a summit should post their intent on the ham14er Yahoo Group. To subscribe to the “ham14er” email list, visit the Yahoo groups site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ham14er/ . Also, be sure to check out the event information at http://www.ham14er.org  It is also a great idea to post an ALERT on the SOTAwatch.org website.

Frequencies used during the event
Activity can occur on any amateur band including HF and VHF. The 2m fm band plan uses a “primary frequency and move up” approach. The 2m fm primary frequency is 147.42 MHz.  At the beginning of the event, operators should try calling on 147.42 MHz. As activity increases on that frequency, move on up the band using the 30 kHz steps. Don’t just hang out on 147.42 MHz…move up! The next standard simplex frequency up from 147.42 MHz is 147.45 MHz, followed by 147.48 and 147.51 MHz.

Warning: Climbing mountains is inherently a dangerous activity.
Do not attempt this without proper training, equipment and preparation.

Sponsored by The Colorado 14er Event Task Force

Here’s the event flyer in pdf format: Colorado 14er Event Flyer 2016

The post Announcing: 25th Annual Colorado 14er Event appeared first on The KØNR Radio Site.