Ham Radio Tips for new hams - The new solar cycle, resources and what to expect.

[@nevellgreenough404]

This is one of the clearest explanations of interpreting solar data I've ever heard.... and I've been a ham for five of these cycles! Thanks again. --N2GX

[@chunghawliew2956]

Thanks. Very informative with clear explanation. De 9W8CH

[@вечная_мерзлота]

300 years old? 😄

[@timmack2415]

@@вечная_мерзлота Five cycles would be about 55 years.

[@madebyhim1197]

Been a Ham since 2011 and you explanation of the solar effects towards radio wave propagation could have saved me months of reading years ago...great video, should help all new hams greatly as they get ready for this upcoming solar cycle and begin crafting thier new antennas for future DX. Awesome video...

[@Liberty4Ever]

For someone who was claiming the KZbin creator's version of writer's block a few days ago, this was certainly an excellent video. It had the perfect mix of science/theory and pragmatic ham experience.

[@reggiebradshaw6819]

This really helped me. I was licensed in 2015 so this is my 1st one as a ham.. Thank you...

[@americaswayout4489]

Thanks, Kevin, after about 25 years the study we did to get our ticket has vanished from memory, a renewal of this science is very GOOD and very needed. I flagged this video for many reviewings because this being early morning, my many cats and infirm pup refused my being able to focus well wanting their AM feeding. Very glad the bands may well be getting better instead of the less active years recently. I view all your recordings and enjoy your input and appreciate the effort producers like you must make to get these to us.

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

This is going to be really useful, thanks. I was licensed in 1983 but career meant a 33yr hiatus; good to be returning at the beginning ng of a sunspot cycle. Feels right!

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

Thanks for the guidance Kevin. Looking forward to conditions improving. I think it's great to have all these online resources nowadays. When I started out, for most hams, it was just a case of switching on the receiver and tuning about to hear what was on the bands. Now we are spoiled with all these websites 😀.

[@kyraandamysdad]

I've been a radio hobbyist since 1976 and I'm really excited about this cycle in particular. It could turn out to be the most amazing in a long time. Thanks for the great resources and explanations.

[@Locksnut]

Thanks Kevin. During the Carrington event of 1859, I believe I read where telegraph lines were also damaged. 73

[@Liberty4Ever]

Humans had very little electrical infrastructure when the Carrington Event struck. A similar coronal mass ejection toward our planet would be devastating today. Fortunately much of the internet infrastructure has switched from cable to fiberoptics but we'd tak a huge hit to power generation, power distribution and satellites used for GPS and various communications. There has been some modeling recently using some heavy duty math that might indicate that Solar Cycle #25 might be particularly strong, and some space weather boffins believe the Earth is overdue for a major CME. The way 2020 has been, I'm half expecting a CME, an extinction event asteroid, and the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano in 2021.

[@jamescstanley5018]

As usual a bit late catching up! Interesting video, I understand a little more. a friend once told me that if you think of the "D" layer as being a sponge for some RF, and the "F" layer the scouring pad on a dish wash sponge, reflecting RF, this gives you an easily understood way to understand how the ionosphere acts.Time to learn more! Jim M7BXT

[@ryanjacob8568]

Thank you for this video! I've had my ham license for a little over a year now (got my General in April) and have sometimes struggled to really understand what the different readings mean. This is certainly the best video I've seen on this topic! I'm putting this video on my recommendation list for new hams!

[@miki_ned]

Great video, as I just got my license a few months ago, this is one of the best that I have seen.... Great work :-)

[@larrybomber83]

Once again a very thorough explanation on Ham Radio technology. Thanks for the link too! Now I know what ARRL is talking about in the magazine.

[@aurtisanminer2827]

That 10 meter fm contact was neat! I’ve been wondering how well that mode works over long distances.

[@kd9kck376]

This was really informative. I have noticed 20m stays open all night recently. Sort of assume that because of the increasing activity or that it normally does stay mostly open for DX just hams tend to go to sleep before 1am local time.

[@randyhamme6477]

Nice work. You connected a lot of dots for me in this video. Thanks for taking the time to help us new hams learn and grow. -KJ7MPZ

[@johnrostorfer4037]

great explanation of the solar cycle thank you Kevin

[@TheNoCodeTech]

Hey, I'm a new-ish ham. Looking forward to the new solar cycle. This video is very very helpful. Thank you. Nice beard,

[@theroguetomato5362]

Thanks! I didn't know about the NOAA space weather page - that's REALLY helpful.

[@sydei3ieb204]

Thanks Kevin. A lot of really useful information in your video. I will save it and review a few more times until it sinks in. Great stuff for us new HAMs to know. Cheers Syd EI 3 IEB

[@Dr-T]

Excellent explanation Kevin. Comprehensive and not daunting. Great! Thanks Bruce G4ABX

[@mjmalley]

Really helpful, most understandable explanation I have seen. Thanks.

[@vicmiller7191]

This was fantastic and loaded with some good stuff. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and longevity as a ham. I am looking foward to some of this great DX that many of my older colleagues have mentioned. Although I have been working on radio gear for many years I am a relatively new HAM of only a few years. So I am excited to really dive in...again thanks for sharing...Vic KE8JWE

[@RESlusher]

Thanks for sharing this info, Kevin! Very handy stuff for all of us! 73 and stay safe!

[@renejrgensen9865]

Thank you. Just the information I needed. Short but vital.

[@harriflen8652]

Thank you Kevin! I promised my self to learn more about solar aktivity, very googd film to start with!

[@johnbeatty7319]

Thanks Kevin! Great info for beginners and for everyone interested in HF propagation and cycle 25. 73, John - NO0I

[@richardtwyning]

Glad the 705 is working out for you. Hoping it will be January/February when I'm able to get one, then I'll need to think about an antenna! 73s M7GTX

[@johnparker7132]

Thanks Kevin! An excellant presentation. John NW8G 73

[@FUNKY65TOWN]

Thanks so much! just what i needed to understand the numbers and graphs.

[@stridermt2k]

I'm new and I thank you for this! Newer to HF.

[@BushPigADV]

Just got my tech license in July, testing for my general at the end of December. I'm looking forward to the next few years!!

[@shawnp6653]

This is great! Thank you for your time and effort to ahre this information with us!

[@JosephVE3GKT]

Thanks very much Kevin! I was hoping to find a video about this recently. I'm a new ham, licensed in February, so I can't wait to work 10m! I wonder what place FT8 will have in the hobby during better conditions. 73 de VE3GKT!

[@tonypoloney8721]

Very educational and interesting. Many thanks. From Newbie.

[@pathdoc]

We had visible aurora in Wyoming on Dec. 10th.

[@MrScotchpie]

Why do the exams not cover this? This is the information we need to learn. This is useful and can be applied daily to improve our effectiveness. In the UK this is not taught even at the full licence level. But you do learn a lot of electronics and how a VFO works lol. Thank you for this video, its exactly what I am interested in as a ham operator.

[@chesty1369]

that long distance 10m FM contact you made. I am guessing it was on a horizontal antenna?

[@loughkb]

I was using my doublet up as an inverted V. Once you skip though, polarization no longer matters. The bounced signal comes back differently.

[@deBug67]

Great Video and information Kevin!

[@slosolo2]

Thanks for this. I've had my general for a long time but never worked HF until very recently and I'm trying to learn. I'd like to see a video on successful 10m operation, everything from antenna info, what frequencies are typically used for what etc and maybe some deeper dive into predicting 10m propagation. I can't get a 10m vertical at my qth due to antenna restrictions so I've got a wire dipole in the attic at about 25' agl. I know that's limiting me so I need to improve my operations to overcome the hardware limits.

[@user-mt2qn4yp8w]

Thank you so much Kevin. This is very good information. 73 de KG7LOI.

[@lifestylehealthwealthhappiness]

Brilliant, so well done, thanks!

[@JReed305]

I am hoping for a repeat of the 90's sporadic E on 2m was a not difficult thing.

[@JamesOrcutt]

Thank you for the great information.

[@sylcorsica7197]

Many thanks for this video Kevin, I really enjoyed it. TK4TH (new ham)

[@VoeViking]

Good info, thank you.

[@frankwc0o]

Wow, FM on 10 meters? I shouldn't be surprised, for CB radio is only 11 meters. But, I never seen that in an HF band!

[@ky4tgtodd203]

Fantastic video! Very helpful!! Thanks for sharing! 73

[@stevensaylor9430]

Nice job. Thanks

[@jack12win]

Good ham sunspot vid

[@tglenn3121]

Thank you for this video. It was really fascinating and very helpful.

[@suttonmatthew]

Awesome tutorial!

[@WarrenAkerman]

Thank you for the explanations Kevin . 73 DE ZS6AKW (PS I see a qso card from ZS1OPB in Cape Town, nice when did this happen would be interesting to know). Thanks again

[@loughkb]

It was back in the spring I think. I used that QSO as the opening on my video about further thoughts on the doublet, I think.

[@WarrenAkerman]

@@loughkb Thanks for the reply Kevin, I've posted a screenshot of this video with the card in the background on one of our local ham groups here in South Africa, very very cool indeed. 73 and thanks for the GREAT videos. Have a wonderful festive season and good DX

[@thomasstandley6309]

Great video.

[@theradiodragon2awo]

Hi Kevin, thanks for useful video, but i have one question. Isnt it actually D layer existing over day and so bouncing off AM BCB and lower freqs for shorter distance but during night it "disolves" and lets lower freqs bounce of higher layers?

[@loughkb]

As I recall from reading about it years ago, the D layer moves up and down in altitude from night to day.

[@mattpujol4787]

The D layer is active during the day and essentially disappears at night. It absorbs radio signals at frequencies generally below 10MHz during the day. That's why during the day, you hear your local town's AM stations,but at night you hear out of state stations. That's primarily due to D layer absorption, but also due to solar noise during the day. If you are in the path of a solar eclipse, and you listen on 40m or 80m, you can hear semi long haul stations during the time that totality passes over. It's a pretty unique experience. Once the eclipse has passed, the band goes right back to normal propagation. One other aspect, I think the D layer will reflect some signals on 80 and 40 if they are high angle of radiation. So on 40, for instance, you can run a statewide net here in Colorado during the day and Pueblo can hear Ft Collins (about 190 miles), but not much further. At night, without the help of the D layer, they skip zone isn't possible. Btw, FT8 mode is a really fascinating way to watch the band conditions change.

[@Jimwill01]

What effect will increased sun spot activity have on NVIS propagation? Improve it or worsen it?

[@loughkb]

I'd say it should track with regular old propagation.. If the mirror is there, what angle the light hits it doesn't matter too much, it gets reflected. :-)

[@timmack2415]

Cycle 25 is supposed to one of the best in last 100 years, some predict. Others predict it'll be one of the worst. 🤷

[@paulhastings3109]

Thanks 73

[@forthy62]

Very informative, even for older Hams! Q: How long are you a Ham? A: For nearly 4 solor cicles :-) :-) 73, Stephan, DF6PA

[@davidevans6432]

Every time I read the channel I flip-flop between the sense of it/ Is it - The Old, tech guy; or The old-tech Guy? lol.

[@loughkb]

A bit of both.

[@madjack8893]

Helpful ☘️ 73

[@TheJh8473]

What solar cycle?

[@loughkb]

We're at the very beginning of the current one. It will develop over the coming years.

[@TheJh8473]

@@loughkb I can't wait, Nov 2020 was a teaser

[@craigpalmer9196]

saceweather.com is another

[@videossimon4288]

Keep the beard

[@eddy2561]

Great video, terrible fitting hat!

[@loughkb]

Oddly shaped head, actually. ;-)