AmateurRadio.com

As Brick also mentioned in in his last post about Anytone Tech: the reactions on the new models vary wildly. I think Brick said all there is to say, but I’ll add this thought:

– If a radio is cheap but crap, we complain, but buy it anyway.
– If a radio is good but costs more, we complain, but suddenly the price is all that matters.

Let’s see how these radios perform and at what price point before judging them. I know John of Miklor.com gets (or already has) review samples, and I’m on the list too. To give you some more insight in what these radios can and cannot do, here are some preliminary user manuals (PDF).

ANILE-8R User Manual (Preliminary)

NSTIG-8R User Manual (Preliminary)

OBLTR-8R + TERMN-8R User Manual (Preliminary)

One of the great things about amateur radio is the number of different ways in which the hobby can be enjoyed.

For over a year now my health has been poor because a brain bleed in September 2013. Before then, I enjoyed QRP QSOs (mainly SSB), construction and field experiments from VLF to optical. Since my stroke I have been clumsy and (until recently) not allowed to drive. Very very slowly, normality is returning but I think it will be way into 2015 before I can call myself well.

In the meantime, I still manage WSPR and other digital modes from home. I can even, albeit briefly, manage our local 2m FM net and the occasional VHF/UHF contest. Some people enjoy satellites, MS or moonbounce. Others just like to ragchew on 80m.

We must rejoice that there are so many different, yet equally valid, ways of enjoying ourselves. We have a great hobby.

Look at this huge sunspot, the largest yet of Sunspot Cycle 24! It is about the same diameter as Jupiter! Notice how tiny Earth is, in comparison. Sunspots are regions on the Sun’s photosphere, formed by the “convection” of solar plasma deep inside the Sun, causing the twisting and shifting of magnetic fields. They look like spots on the photosphere because they are cooler than their surrounding solar material, giving them their dark, blemish-like appearance.

Close-up view of NOAA Active sunspot Region AR 12192 (short: 2192)

The sunspot is the largest since November 1990, and is larger than a monster sunspot that spawned a series of major solar flares over Halloween in 2003. AR 2192 was one of the biggest observed sunspots of all time, ranking 33rd largest of 32,908 active regions since 1874, according to NASA scientists C. Alex Young and Dean Pesnell.

Interestingly, this sunspot never released any major coronal mass ejection (CME), because the magnetic fields were too strong to let any significant plasma escape! However, this sunspot group unleashed a fair number of moderate to strong x-ray flares (see one of them in this video at < http://g.nw7us.us/1s7L0vF >). All told, AR 2192 popped off 26 M-class flares, and six X-class flares! Of course, during the last sunspot cycle, Cycle 23, there were many active sunspot regions unleashing flare after flare within hours of each other. That’s typical during the active phase of most sunspot cycles. This cycle, however, is one of the weakest on record, so this large sunspot with its many flares is exciting.

A Close-up of AR 2192

Each sunspot region gets a consecutive number assigned to it by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This sunspot region is NOAA AR (active region) Nr. 12192 (we often drop the first digit when speaking of a sunspot, so in this case, this region was often referred to as AR 2192).

One of the many x-ray flares originating from Active sunspot Region AR 2192 – this one seen in Extreme Ultraviolet at 131 Angstroms.

This sunspot region increased the ionization of the ionosphere, creating excellent conditions on all of the high frequency spectrum (shortwave, or HF). Even ten meters was alive with world-wide propagation. And, the best news is that this provided an exciting playing field for the CQ WW SSB contest in late October, 2014.

This sunspot region has now rotated away, but may return on about 24 days.

Credit: NASA/SDO/HMI

Check out: http://SunSpotWatch.com

Get the space weather and radio propagation self-study course: http://NW7US.us/swc

I’m late in getting this update published.  I was on vacation (staycation at home) as June ended and July began.  This past week was my first week back and I was swamped at work.  But all is on track and I’ve completed at least one QSO each and every day in 2014 and the challenge is well over 50% complete. 

In addition, to keeping my QSO per day streak alive…I’ve also managed to add at least one new DX entity each month in 2014.  June was no exception with the addition of Saint Lucia.   This makes 10 new DX entities added to my log this year. 

As I started with my May update, my progress in the 2014 ARRL Centennial QSO Party continues to progress.   The numbers below are as of mid July.

Centennial Points Score:  9,049

Total QSO’s:  1,539

Rank (All): 1,230

Rank (Colorado): 14th

The QSO breakdown for June is as follows:

Mode  Number QSO’s

JT65 20

JT9 32

SSB 538

PSK31 0

MFSK16 0

RTTY 0

2m FM 0

Additional notes of interest:

DX Stations Worked in June – 44

New DX Entities in June – 1

New DX Entities for 2014 – 10

Total QSO’s for June – 590

Total QSO’s for 2014 – 2,234

Total consecutive QSO days – 181

Days left in 2014 – 184

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK

Just before the 4th of July, several sunspot regions rotated into view. Today, they are significant players in elevating the solar output of Extreme Ultraviolet energy — the energy helpful in ionizing the F-region of our Earth’s ionosphere. That, in turn, means better propagation conditions, even on higher shortwave frequencies.

As seen by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, the Sun is sporting quite a few sunspots, today. These are helping elevate the 10.7-cm flux, which is a proxy for solar output that strengthens the ionospheric propagation of higher frequencies in the shortwave spectrum. Expect good conditions on HF, this weekend.

73 and best DX!

Why would an amateur radio operator be interested in space weather?  Is it worth the time and resources to forecast propagation, in the daily operation of a typical ham radio station?

Gary, host of the popular ‘Ham Radio Now’ video podcast, talks with Tomas Hood (NW7US), propagation and space weather columnist for CQ Amateur Radio Magazine (and in the late ‘Popular Communications Magazine’ as well as ‘CQ VHF Quarterly Magazine’) and The Spectrum Monitor Magazine. Gary discusses with Tomas how scientists forecast space weather, and how the average ham radio operator can also make predictions, and what propagation forecasting can bring to the daily operations of an amateur radio enthusiast.

Watch on YouTube: ‘Ham Radio Now’ Episode 156: Propagation…

Tomas, NW7US, talks about radio propagation on shortwave (HF) as well as space weather.

You may remember from the April update regarding my QSO a day goal, that I had broke my monthly QSO record (which was 393 in November 2013) with a whopping 599 QSO’s in April.  Well that record didn’t stand long.  My total QSO numbers for May topped out with 826 QSO’s.  However, I also made 504 QSO’s while operating as W1AW/Ø on two different shifts the week Colorado hosted the portable operation.  While the 504 Q’s will be kept separate and not included in my main log, I’m honestly pleased to have made a total of 1,330 QSO’s in the month of May 2014.   Again, this monthly report will only address the 826 QSO’s from my own callsign (KD0BIK).

In addition to a QSO each and every day in April, I also managed to add a few new DX entities to my growing list and quest for DXCC status.  I worked stations for the first time in Antigua & Barbuda, Lithuania and Lebanon.  May marks the 5th consecutive month of adding at least one new DX entity to my list. 

Starting with this months update, I will also list my ongoing progress in the ARRL Centennial QSO Party.  I’m not a big contester, but I am really having fun getting on the air as much as possible and making contacts.  As a VE I’m worth 5 points and sure….it’s also fun to accumulate the points.  I’ve been successful at working a few “big point stations”, but I’ve found most of my contacts are with ARRL Members (1 pts.), ARRL Life Members (2 pts.) and Fellow ARRL VE’s (5 pts).  As of the end of May, my results are as follows:

Centennial Points Score:  6,664

Total QSO’s:  1,201

Rank (All): 1,495

Rank (Colorado): 18th

Finally, since really getting a lot more “radio active” in the past few months I’ve heard from many who listen to my podcast (Practical Amateur Radio Podcast) and readers of my blogs.  I’ve also worked many of you on the air in the past 2-3 months.  Most all tell me the same thing and that is I’ve inspired them to do their own QSO a day challenge and you are all on track to making it happen.   Keep it up!  But make sure you are having fun while doing it. 

The QSO breakdown for May is as follows:

Mode  Number QSO’s

JT65 62

JT9 0

SSB 463

PSK31 0

MFSK16 1

RTTY 0

2m FM 0

Additional notes of interest:

DX Stations Worked in May – 75

New DX Entities in May – 3

Total QSO’s for May – 826

Total QSO’s for 2014 – 1,644

Total consecutive QSO days – 151

Days left in 2014 – 214

Until next time…

73 de KDØBIK