Showing posts with label solan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label solan. Show all posts

3 Mar 2024

Over the peak?

My best site for solar data has been updated as it always is at the start of a month. It shows us just over the solar cycle peak. Unless we see a second peak (possible) we could be on a long decline to solar minimum. We can expect good conditions on the higher HF bands for some years yet. 

I remember working South America on 10m QRP SSB (10W pep and a dipole) right at the solar minimum and zero sunspots. With FT8 this should be even easier. 

Stick with the higher HF bands!

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

1 Jan 2024

Solar data update

Early every month, my favourite site for solar data is updated. It is worth checking to see how things are progressing.

1 Dec 2023

Solar data

It looks like the peak of solar cycle 25 may have been reached. November 2023 was the month shown as the predicted peak of this cycle. This has not changed for months on my favourite site for solar data.

We can expect conditions to be for several more years.

1 Oct 2023

The next solar maximum?

 According to my favourite site for solar data, the peak of solar cycle 25 is still November 2023, which is just next month. The data was only updated today. 

Solar conditions could still be good for several years yet.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

1 Sept 2023

Solar cycle peak still this year?

My favourite site for solar data was updated today. It still shows the peak of solar cycle 25 as November 2023. This is early and conditions of late were on the slide. Unless we get a higher peak we could already be on the downward slopes. As mentioned before, solar conditions could be good for several years still.

21 Aug 2023

The next solar peak

In the past, there has been a lot of doubt and uncertainty over the timing of this. The site I mostly use has been predicting the next maximum in November or December 2023 for some time. 

Quite often we get a second peak after the first. What is clear from other cycles is that conditions could be good for several years after the peak. 

In the past I have worked stations in Argentina on QRP 10m SSB when the sunspot count right at the minimum has been zero. Quite often 10m propagation is there but there is a lack of activity. With FT8, we can now monitor the higher bands and see. Stand alone 5W FT8 transceivers for 10m can be obtained quite inexpensively freeing up "the big rig".

See https://www.solen.info/solar/images/comparison_similar_cycles.png .

1 Jun 2023

The next solar peak

According to the latest update to my favourite site for solar data, the next sunspot maximum is still shown as December 2023 with a smoothed number of 142.5. This makes it a very short time since the minimum. The information was updated today.

See  https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

1 Apr 2023

Solar maximum?

The site I always look at for the latest data is still showing the peak of this solar cycle in November 2023, i.e. this year. The information was only updated today.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

24 Mar 2023

CME

It looks like the coming days (especially today) could see quite disturbed solar conditions due to a coronal mass ejection (CME) on the sun. I am not clever enough to know how this will effect HF and low VHF.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

28 Feb 2023

Solar conditions

The sunspot count remains respectably high with counts of over 100 most days. My favourite site for solar data is still showing the next solar peak as Nov 2023, which seems quite early. Figures are usually revised in the early days of the new month.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

13 Jan 2023

Solar cycle peak this year?

The 11 year solar cycle is an average with some cycles shorter than this and some longer. 

I am most definitely not an expert on this area, but note my favourite site for solar data is still forecasting the peak in November this year. Whatever, solar conditions are good at the moment. 10m (my favourite HF band) is in great shape and could be for several years. Even in the depths of the last solar minimum some spectacular DX was spotted on FT8.

2 Aug 2022

Updated solar data

As we are early in the month, my favourite site for solar data gets updated with the latest figures.

At the moment, the peak of solar cycle 25 is expected in November 2023 with a peak of 141. I cannot recall what way of averaging was used. If this peak date is the case, HF conditions could be good for several years to  come. 

I recall spotting South Americans at the very minimum on 10m FT8. This is why FT8 could be so useful. I like FT8 as it allows easy monitoring of even short openings.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy good conditions! When conditions are good, SSB, FM and AM QSOs can be had with low power on 10m.


1 Jun 2022

Solar data updated

 My favourite site for solar data has been updated. It is worth checking it out.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

4 Apr 2022

Solar data update

My favourite site for solar data has been updated. It still looks like future forecasts have been upgraded, suggesting this could be a better solar cycle than was once expected. 

2 Apr 2022

Solar data update

Early in the month, my favourite site for solar data usually updates the information. It is now April 2nd 2022 and the data has not yet been updated. So far, the signs are quite encouraging that this cycle will be at least as good as the last. Mind you, the last one was quite weak! I have not seen recent forecasts.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

1 Mar 2022

Solar data update

Usually in the early days of the month my favourite site for solar information updates it's data.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/.

31 Jan 2022

Solar data update soon

Usually on the first or second day of the month the solar data on my favourite solar data site is updated. Expect an update Tuesday or Wednesday.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

1 Dec 2021

Solar predictions

 My favourite website for solar data usually updates early in the month. The last I heard was the forecast for the next solar peak was slightly better than the last peak. We seem to be slightly ahead of predictions. Solar activity forecasting is becoming better as time goes by, but predictions vary wildly.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .

1 Jul 2021

Solar data

As far as I know, we do not yet have accurate forecasts for the size of the next solar peak. Forecasts are getting better as we understand more of the mechanisms of the sun.  Many were expecting it to be much the same as the last peak.  Actually, the forecasts vary from almost no peak at all (wrong) to a big peak! 

My money (based on a wet finger!) is much the same as the last peak.

One of the sites I regularly look at is https://www.solen.info/solar/. The last time I looked the data had not yet been updated, although it usually is early in the month. It is probably worth checking over the next few days.

2 Jun 2021

Solar update

My favourite website for solar data has been updated. It would appear cycle 25 looks very similar to the last one. I predict we'll see regular F2 openings to the  USA this autumn.

See https://www.solen.info/solar/ .