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Author Topic: Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression  (Read 6094 times)

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression
« Reply #15 on: March 30, 2023, 0434 UTC »
Just wondering if / when the Solar Cycle peaks, will it be stronger than the last one. According to NASA, the last cycle's peak had the same amount of solar irradiance as the Solar minimums had in the 1970s. And does Solar irradiance affect propagation, or just the number of sunspots?
An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression
« Reply #16 on: June 22, 2023, 2127 UTC »
Just wondering if / when the Solar Cycle peaks, will it be stronger than the last one. According to NASA, the last cycle's peak had the same amount of solar irradiance as the Solar minimums had in the 1970s. And does Solar irradiance affect propagation, or just the number of sunspots?

.... And I can answer my own question: Solar Irradiance is ultimately what makes the Ionosphere work, and if Solar Irradiance drops, so does the ability of the Ionosphere to reflect/refract radio signals.

An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).

Offline East Troy Don

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Re: Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression
« Reply #17 on: June 27, 2023, 0132 UTC »
"SOLAR IRRADIANCE" - Now that's a great name for a band!
Primary: Yaesu FRG-7700  Secondary: ICOM R75 Tertiary: Grundig  750. Tecsun PL-990X, Tecsun PL-880 . Malahit DSP SDR V3,  Alpha Delta  SWL Sloper antenna. : Also, 1940 Mantola am/sw tube. CountyComm GP-5/SSB hand held, Tecsun PL-380 ,et al.  QTH: EAST TROY WI  USA.  Sea Level: + 320 meters .  75 miles (but not far enough) NNW of Chicago

Offline BoomboxDX

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Re: Solar Cycle Sunspot Number Progression
« Reply #18 on: September 07, 2023, 0037 UTC »
Looks like the high HF ham bands, I.e., the 15, 12, 11 and 10 meters bands are finally seeing activity of note. A bit of CW on 15 and 12, 17 has a bit of CW and SSB activity, and 10 is waking up. 

The activity level is almost reaching what it was during the Solar minimums in the 1990s. We must be nearing the peak.

Of course, if you're in the higher latitudes, as I am, you notice less overall activity than one does further south.
An AM radio Boombox DXer.
+ GE SRIII, PR-D5 & TRF on MW.
The usual Realistic culprits on SW (and a Panasonic).