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General Category => General Radio Discussion => Topic started by: ChrisSmolinski on July 02, 2018, 2016 UTC

Title: Comparison of current solar cycle to cycle 5 and the Dalton Minimum
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on July 02, 2018, 2016 UTC

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DhHiLkZXcAE3vBQ.jpg)

Title: Re: Comparison of current solar cycle to cycle 5 and the Dalton Minimum
Post by: BoomboxDX on July 04, 2018, 0735 UTC

When was Cycle 5?

And I wonder if this means there will be better MW conditions.

Over the past couple years they haven't been very good here, considering the low sunspot numbers.

Title: Re: Comparison of current solar cycle to cycle 5 and the Dalton Minimum
Post by: Pigmeat on July 04, 2018, 1009 UTC

They've been solid here, but the amount of RF noise induced by modern electronics makes the issue moot. You can't tell until you get out in the country, but you better hope there isn't a cattleman using an electric fence nearby.

Title: Re: Comparison of current solar cycle to cycle 5 and the Dalton Minimum
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on July 04, 2018, 1216 UTC

Cycle 5 was 1798-1810.

I've had good MW conditions the last few years,but as Pigmeat noted the RFI levels are considerably higher than they were a few decades ago, when we mostly complained about light dimmers and TVs. No one had a switching power supply, now the typical house has a few dozen.  That's one reason I've been making an effort to RFI proof the shack as much as possible:

Replaced all ethernet cables with shielded, and got a new switch
Buried the coax feeds to all the HF antennas
Coax feeds are tied to ground at the shack and antenna ends
Regularly checking for new offending RFI sources with the SDR, taking a portable SDR and laptop around the house to locate them when noticed, then fixing them with a sledge hammer

Title: Re: Comparison of current solar cycle to cycle 5 and the Dalton Minimum
Post by: MDK2 on July 04, 2018, 2126 UTC

What model of SDR is portable?

Title: Re: Comparison of current solar cycle to cycle 5 and the Dalton Minimum
Post by: BoomboxDX on July 05, 2018, 0806 UTC

I haven't noticed an uptick in RFI at my location since 2011 or so (when I started MW DXing again after a few years' break) but the conditions just aren't as good as they were back then.

It must be a regional thing.

Title: Re: Comparison of current solar cycle to cycle 5 and the Dalton Minimum
Post by: ChrisSmolinski on July 05, 2018, 1153 UTC

Quote from: MDK2 on July 04, 2018, 2126 UTC

What model of SDR is portable?

The AFE822x and AirSpy both work nicely with a laptop. I take it around the house, with a small whip antenna, and locate the offending QRM source.