Cycle 24 Screenshot Project | 24 March 2012

The density of signal traffic across three bands beginning with 10m (top), 15m (middle), and 20m (bottom) is not mind bending instead it is one of maximizing short lived openings into major metropolitan areas while scoring as many local points as possible.

The west coast is waiting on the sun and a path into Europe when my screenshots were taken, currently, 15m signal traffic has significant density between Europe and the east coast this morning. It's an achievement when a signal from the west coast punches through two walls of signals and establishes bandwidth in Europe for at least two hours worth of decent rate.

Definition
Multipath according to the Glossary Solar Terrestrial Terms is, "...A degraded condition of radio propagation in which the radio wave splits and arrives at the receiver via different paths. Because each path will generally have different lengths, arrival times, and phases, the signal received will suffer fading."

Contest on!

Cycle 24 Screenshot Project | 18 March 2012

We are patiently waiting in the Five Cities for the legendary months of Cycle 24 to return after our wireless world reeled from the aftershocks of two flares.

The 9 Nov 2011 sunspot count of 208 still remains with a peak flux measured at 190 on 24 Sept 2012. 

Definition
Flare, according to Glossary Solar Terrestrial terms is, "A sudden eruption of energy in the solar atmosphere lasting minutes to hours, from which radiation and particles are emitted."

73 from the shackadelic on the beach.

Cycle 24 Screenshot Project | 17 March 2012

The weekend of the Russian DX Contest after a pair of flares that drove the A-index into double digits.

Definition
"ak index" according to the Glossary Solar Terrestrial Terms is, "A 3-hourly "equivalent amplitude" index of geomagnetic activity for a specific station or network of stations (represented generically here by k) expressing the range of disturbance in the horizontal magnetic field. "ak" is scaled from the 3-hourly k index..."

73s from the shackadelic near the beach.

DR1A | Team YL DL1QQ, DL2YL, DL3ABL, and DL8DYL

Tonight, thousands of wireless operators are plying our planet's ionosphere with their radio frequency sails, it is called RadioSport and CQ WPX SSB sponsored by CQ Magazine is solid state in the Five Cities.

However, as global wireless competition presses into the 48 hour weekend, a team of young ladies (YL) broke new ground last weekend. It was Sandy, DL1QQ, Meli, DL2YL, Andrea, DL3ABL, and Irina, DL8DYL who set the standard and brought the game to a new level. Their accomplishment is one to be proud of and reflects credit on DR1A for their vision of next level RadioSport.

The team of YLs logged 1,709 Morse code contacts including 1,427 phone contacts for a total of 14.2 million points. If it holds true as a first ever YL RadioSport multi single entry then the team has established a world record in this category of competition for others to follow.

The night is early for many who are listening inside the cans while logging other wireless operators from around the world. Their sails pointed in the direction of sunlight and for others their sails will follow the direction of radio frequency wind. In either case, everyone will have ham radio fun and for one group of operators, the adventure of a life time is about to begin.

Congratulations Sandy, DL1QQ, Meli, DL2YL, Andrea, DL3ABL, and Irina, DL8DYL on your stellar accomplishment. I wonder what the next event will be for the team until then...

Contest on!