‰ NOW 40 WPM ‰ IS 5/8 OF A WAVELENGTH LONG, BUT IT WILL RADIATE WELL ON ALL BANDS FROM 80 THROUGH 17 METERS AND PUT OUT A REASONABLE SIGNAL ON 15, 12, AND 10 METERS. PUT A FEW RADIAL WIRES IN THE SOIL AS MANY AS YOUR TIME AND PATIENCE WILL TOLERATE, CONNECT A LENGTH OF LOW LOSS COAXIAL CABLE, AND THEN FEED IT THROUGH AN ANTENNA TUNER. THE ANTENNA TUNER CAN BE INSIDE YOUR STATION IF ITS A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY OR AT THE BASE OF THE ANTENNA TO ELIMINATE THE LOSS IN THE MISMATCHED COAX. IF YOUR TU GET READY FOR THE SOLAR MINIMUM YES, WERE HEADING FOR THE BOTTOM OF THE SOLAR CYCLE. NO, IT WONT BE THE END OF THE WORLD. STEVE FORD, WB8IMY QST EDITOR ACCORDING TO THOSE WHO STUDY SUCH THINGS, WERE PRESENTLY SLIDING DOWN WARD FROM THE PEAK OF SOLAR CYCLE 24. IF THEIR PREDICTIONS ARE ACCURATE, WE WILL REACH BOTTOM IN THE YEAR 2020. HOW LONG WELL DWELL AT THE BOTTOM IS ANYONES GUESS. IT COULD BE A COUPLE OF YEARS, OR IT COULD BE MUCH LONGER. SEE THE SIDEBAR, THE DREADED MAUNDER MINIMUM. AMONG HAMS WHO ADOPT AN APOCALYPTIC POINT OF VIEW, THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS WILL BE SOMETHING AKIN TO THE END OF DAYS. IVE EVEN HEARD FROM AMATEURS WHO SAY THEY ARE PLANNING TO SELL THEIR EQUIPMENT AND EFFECTIVELY GO INTO HIBERNATION UNTIL THE YEAR 2023, OR BEYOND. SERIOUSLY? YOU MAY NEED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO YOUR STATION AND YOUR OPERATING HABITS, BUT IT DOESNT REMOTELY JUSTIFY THE THOUGHT OF LEAVING OUR FASCINATING AVOCATION. REST ASSURED THAT AMATEUR RADIO IS VERY MUCH ALIVE AND WILL REMAIN SO, REGARDLESS OF HOW LONG THE COMING SOLAR MINIMUM THE TIME OF LOWEST SUNSPOT ACTIVITY SHOULD LAST. FRANKLY, IF YOU HANG OUT AT VHF AND ABOVE, THE SOLAR MINIMUM WILL BE A NON EVENT FOR YOU. OTHER THAN THE LOSS OF THOSE OCCASIONAL F LAYER GLOBAL DX OPPORTUNITIES ON 6 METERS, LITTLE ELSE WILL CHANGE. THE SOLAR MINIMUM WILL HAVE ITS GREATEST IMPACT ON THE HIGH AND MEDIUM FREQUENCY BANDS, AND WERE ALREADY SEEING HINTS OF WHAT IS TO COME. EVEN SO, THERE WILL STILL BE PLENTY TO DO BELOW 50 MHZ. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SOME HF AND MF BANDS WILL ACTUALLY IMPROVE. SURPRISED? READ ON. HOW THE HF BANDS WILL CHANGE I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I LOVE THE QUIRKY BEHAVIOR OF 10 AND 12 METERS. UNFORTUNATELY, DURING THE SOLAR MINIMUM, THESE BANDS WILL LOSE MUCH OF THEIR ABILITY TO SUPPORT LONG HAUL DX. BUT THATS NOT TO SAY THEY WILL BE UTTERLY DEAD, CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU MAY HAVE HEARD. TEN AND 12 METERS WILL STILL OPEN OCCASIONALLY OVER PATHS OF SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES OR MORE. IN ADDITION, THE MYSTERIOUS PROPAGATION MECHANISM KNOWN AS SPORADIC E WILL STILL PROVIDE EXCITEMENT ON THESE BANDS, EVEN AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CYCLE. AS 6 METER ENTHUSIASTS WILL TELL YOU, SPORADIC E CAN SET OFF SPECTACULAR PROPAGATION FIREWORKS. DURING ONE OPENING ON 6 METERS LAST YEAR, I WORKED MISSOURI FROM CONNECTICUT USING SSB. THAT DOESNT SEEM OUT OF THE ORDINARY, UNTIL I ADD THAT I WAS RUNNING 25 W TO A DIPOLE ANTENNA IN MY ATTIC. FIFTEEN AND 17 METERS WILL BEHAVE MUCH LIKE 10 AND 12 METERS, ALTHOUGH SHORT TO MEDIUM HAUL OPENINGS ON THOSE BANDS MAY BE SOMEWHAT MORE ‰ END OF 40 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ