Sunspot minimum

Probably I am one of the few people looking forward to the next solar minimum! We are currently close to the sunspot maximum and HF (even 6m) conditions can be very good.

This is the first time (just about) when we will have had widespread use of weak signal modes like FT8.  If people stick with the higher HF bands as conditions decline we might well find the higher bands are good far more often than we think. 

Especially on N-S paths it would not surprise me at all if there are widespread openings even in years with low sunspot numbers.

In many ways the next 11 years will give us plenty of chances to really experiment.

HF propagation

Conditions on HF do not seen exceptional today. I am not expecting to get any spots on my 0.5mW 10m WSPR beacon, but you never know!

See https://prop.kc2g.com/ .

HF propagation

In the last few days (until today) I had given up on 8m. Today, I am back on the band and have been spotted by 4 stations including 2 in the Caribbean. F2 conditions appear to be quite good still. It is worth keeping an eye on propagation including the MUF.

See https://prop.kc2g.com/.

Good HF conditions

My main HF band is 10m. I mostly go on 10m WSPR TX with 500mW. At the moment conditions on 10m seem to be good. I suspect all the higher HF bands are good too. We have (maybe) just passed the solar maximum. Conditions may not be this good again for a while, although I hope to be around for the peak of solar cycle 26!

HF conditions

We can all agree that HF conditions are good on the whole. The higher HF bands are suitable for worldwide contacts and conditions are likely to get better still as we run up to the next solar maximum. At the moment this is forecast to be over a year away still. Bands like 15m, 12m and 10m are good again.

You may get some ideas from my Pipit 15m rig that dates from about 30 years ago.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/homebrew/15m-qrp-cw-pipit .

HF conditions

It is rare for me to go lower than 28 MHz on HF. Certainly conditions on 10m seem good with loads of spots of my QRP 10m FT8 from the USA. I had to QSY, but when I left the band it was still good.  

I was hoping this was my first chance of F2 to/from the USA on 8m, but not this time. Whenever 10m F2 looks promising E-W, I shall try 8m FT8. Hopefully there will be other chances. 

Having worked the USA with QRP SSB handheld from the bedroom, I am in with a chance on 8m FT8.

Improving HF conditions

We know conditions can vary day-to-day (some days can be bad), but on the whole things are getting better. We are now well on the upslopes towards the peak of sunspot cycle 25 and we can expect generally improving conditions for some years. Certainly 10m seems better. 

HF conditions

We are now over a year since the end of solar cycle 24 and the start of cycle 25. 

So far, we have got off to a slow start. HF conditions are a little better, but it will be some while before we really notice a difference.  

I suspect this autumn we will see widespread openings from Europe to the USA on 10m again. 

With modes like FT8 we are finding openings more often. FT8 is not a mode for chatting. SSB and even 10m FM and AM are better for this. As much as I like FT8 because of my poor voice, I do hope people still stick with speech modes.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx . 

Lower cost HF rigs

Steve G1KQH and I have been discussing lower cost HF rigs. At the moment it would seem this market is being left to the Chinese and kits like the Indian uBITX. 

Most modern rigs from the Japanese people like ICOM, Yaesu and Kenwood are expensive and there is a dearth of lower cost "entry level" products lacking many of the fancy features. Whilst some can afford expensive toys, many cannot. 

In a way I am surprised that the uBITX design has not been bought by one of the big 3, improved, made in China and sold at an entry level price. It seems this is a market ready to be exploited. If the Japanese don't grab it, the Chinese surely will.

HF conditions

Although there is debate about exactly when solar minimum is, we can be sure of one thing: HF conditions on the higher bands are not great.

It never fails to amaze me how some bands spring into life when there is a contest. Quite often it is people thinking conditions are poor, when the problem is often a lack of activity. How often has the CB band been busy when 10m appears dead?

It looks like the next solar peak, about 2024 or 2025 will be similar to the last one. This is far lower than the peaks in the late 1950s.  Nonetheless, 10m will once again emerge as a great DX band in daylight.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx

What is the best HF band at the moment?

Some people ask what is the best HF band currently? I guess this depends on what you are after. In terms of the best daylight band I guess 20m or 17m. Later in the day, lower frequencies are better. 17m has the advantage of being less busy than 20m and the antennas are smaller. However, it will close to DX sooner than 20m.

If you have time and patience, 15m, 12m and 10m can open for DX far more often than people think, especially on N-S paths. Es can liven up 10m and 6m at any part of the solar cycle in May, June, July and August. Es openings can occur at any time but tend to be best in these months.

HF conditions

At the moment the higher HF bands are not in good shape. There is DX there sometimes, but it is not as easy to find as at the sunspot maximum. At the moment we are at solar minimum and it will be a few years before bands like 10m really spring back into life.

The video shows how good 10m can be in case you have forgotten! This was recorded in 2012.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx

HF conditions

For the next two years we can expect HF conditions to deteriorate still further. The most probable time for the next solar minimum is sometime in 2020, although we have to be some way past to be sure. Luckily, modes like FT8 have come to the rescue allowing us to find openings that in the past might have been missed. At the moment the "experts" are expecting the next peak to be similar to the last one, although no-one can be sure.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx .

Realtime HF predictions

Southgate News reports on a website that gives near realtime HF predictions.

See http://www.bandconditions.com/

HF Conditions

As mentioned yesterday, the next solar peak is likely to be similar to the last one, although these are just educated guesses at this stage. In a few years time, we may have a better idea.

Es is often a good second best and some really long paths are worked on 6m every year by Es. 6m JT65 was very good last year and this year 6m FT8 should be worth a try.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx

Real time HF predictions

A reminder that almost real time HF predictions are available at http://www.convectiveweather.co.uk/ionosphere/graphs.php?type=live . Earlier today the MUF for 3000km contacts was just above 22MHz.

Realtime HF predictions

A reminder that almost realtime HF predictions are available at the convective weather website.

HF vertical antenna

Somewhere, I have a Sandpiper vertical made some years ago. I think it is an X80. It is hardly used. It has been up briefly years ago. As I recall, it acted like a Rybacov antenna and was a vertical fed via a un-un so it provided a reasonable match on several HF bands. HF vertical antennas can pick up noise from nearby things more easily than horizontal antennas, but it might allow me access to several bands, so I might be able to WSPR on several bands sequentially. It probably won't be erected until the spring.

New webpage about HF conditions

Yesterday, I added a new page to my main website. This is about HF conditions.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/hfcondx .

All the pages on my main website may be accessed at http://www.g3xbm.co.uk.  Here, if you drill down, you will find a wealth of data and projects.

HF conditions - use the higher bands

For about a day, I went on 20m JT65. It was too easy, with spots all across Europe and the USA even with 2W and a poor antenna on 20m.

HF conditions are not as good as at the sunspot peak, but they are often better than people realise: of late the sunspot number has been in the 40s or higher and the solar flux has been above 80. Even 10m is capable of supporting DX, although few realise as they leave the higher bands and go for easy pickings on 20m or lower.

My strong recommendation is try digital modes on 10m. OK, it is not as easy as a few years ago, but DX still pops up. 10m remains "open" far more often than is realised, even in the quiet solar years What is needed is activity!

Amateur radio is about self training and exploring the boundaries. If you just want to speak across the planet you can video conference for free with Skype on the internet. 10m with digital modes and QRP is much more fun.