[bars] What I learned this weekend...

[Bill Mader]

Actually, current conditions make it easier to make HF contacts, not more
difficult.  One must pay attention to accurate solar data and ignore the
large, if not majority, number of hams who tell you conditions are poor.

Yes, propagation will improve this fall as it usually does during the
solstice to equinox transition.

Currently, HF propagation is the best it has been in 20 years excluding
occasional solar/geomagnetic disturbances.  Cycle 25 is turning out better
than the original consensus suggested, but nowhere near as great as Scott
McIntyre predicted.  He has a presentation explaining how he and his
colleagues missed the mark when they suggested 25 would exceed all other
recorded cycles.

6m will begin to improve sporadically in September and decline again in
January.

The ARRL propagation bulletin is helpful, but not complete.  It should
focus more on the SFI, rather than the sunspot numbers.  Karl, K9YA, and
Frank, W3LPL, publish great information on propagation and are my mentors
on the subject.  Hamqsl.com consistently rates the low bands as "poor" when
they are good or excellent, especially 40m, during the day.  Solarham.com
is your best source for solar/propagation data with great links to more
information.  You can completely ignore Spaceweather.com except for their
pretty pictures.  Their address should be in the dictionary next to the
word histrionics.

Good DX and good luck in the contest!

73, Bill Mader, K8TE
ARRL New Mexico Section Manager
*ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio**™*
W6H NM Coordinator, Route 66 On-the-Air 6-15 Sep 2024
Duke City Hamfest BoD www.dukecityhamfest.org 20-22 Sep 2024
New Mexico QSO Party 12 Apr 2025
Secretary/Treasurer and Past President, Albuquerque DX Association


On Mon, Aug 19, 2024 at 12:27 PM Richard T <radiohamateur at gmail.com> wrote:

> Mine is Romeo Juliette Tango... Guess you can say my call dances... Will
> propagation get any better as we transition to Autumn ? This sunspot/CME
> craze is really testing our skills.
> RichieT
> W1RJT
>
> On Mon, Aug 19, 2024, 11:33 AM Alan Ruben <alanruben62 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I worked the party as well and made 5 contacts in about an hour until I
>> was summed to my "todo" list. The funny part was when I read my name off
>> phonetically as "Alpha, Lima, Alpha, Mike". After my third contact I
>> thought, "What the heck? I don't know how to spell my own name? It's fun
>> getting older.
>>
>> Alan Ruben
>> Billerica, MA 01821
>> KC1TRY
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 19, 2024 at 10:11 AM Tim K1DC <k1dc.radio at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I participated in the North America QSO Party this weekend.  Great fun,
>>> BTW, even though I was only on for a few hours.  Part of the contest
>>> exchange is your name, and best practice is to give it phonetically.  In my
>>> case that is 'Tango India Mike'.  It's that last bit that can confuse some
>>> folks with MIKE being a given name so when the QSB/QRM/QRN struck some OPs
>>> assumed my name was MIKE.  I learned to use an alternative, MEXICO, when
>>> giving my name phonetically.
>>>
>>> Yes, I realize that using non-standard phonetics is generally a bad idea
>>> however in this case it worked well.
>>>
>>> 73,
>>>
>>> Tim - K1DC
>>> --
>>>
>>> Courageously sent from a non-Apple device that *includes* a headphone
>>> jack.
>>> ------------------------------
>>> <https://k1dc.com/img/k1dc-qsl-card-front.png> Tim Carter - K1DC (was
>>> KC1RET)
>>> +1.978.710.0133 <1.978.710.0133>
>>> k1dc.radio at gmail.com
>>> https://k1dc.com
>>>
>>> "Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid; humans are
>>> incredibly slow, inaccurate and brilliant; together they are powerful
>>> beyond imagination." -- *Albert Einstein*
>>>
>>> Warning: Spelling errors in this message are the product of a poor
>>> school system. Pay teachures more than athletes.
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