‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM DECEMBER 2006 QST  PAGES 70, 71 AND 92  ‰
MAGNETIC HALF CYCLE PRODUCES A PEAK IN SOLAR ACTIVITY, PRODUCING THE 11
YEAR ACTIVITY OR SUNSPOT CYCLE.  THE MAGNETIC CYCLE IS THE RESULT OF THE
RECURRING EVOLUTION OF LARGE SCALE PLASMA FLOWS INSIDE THE SUN.  THESE
FLOWS OF CHARGED PARTICLES INTERACT TO P
‰  FROM PAGE 92  ‰
1 480 ORG W0TDH 72 2 1 480 NC NJ1F 99 2 1 476 ENY KI4BIY 144 2 1 468 TN

CONSEQUENTLY, 6 METER F LAYER PROPAGATION IS CONFINED ALMOST ENTIRELY TO
THE PEAK YEARS OF THE SOLAR ACTIVITY CYCLE.  PREDICTING RADIO PROPAGATION,
SATELLITE HEALTH AND POWER GRID ISSUES HAVE ALL LED TO INTEREST IN
PREDICTING FUTURE SOLAR ACTIVITY, ON BOTH SHORT AND LONG TIME SCALES.
THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO INTIMATELY RELATED SOLAR CYCLES INVOLVED THE
ACTIVITY OR SUNSPOT CYCLE, AND THE SOLAR MAGNETIC CYCLE.  SOLAR ACTIVITY
CYCLE THE SUNSPOT CYCLE PEAKS ABOUT EVERY 11 YEARS.  SUNSPOTS ARE ALWAYS
FOUND IN PAIRS OR GROUPS.  THEY OCCUR IN TWO LATITUDE BANDS, ONE NORTH AND
THE OTHER SOUTH OF THE SOLAR EQUATOR FIGURE 1.  THEY COME AND GO WITHIN
THOSE LATITUDE BANDS WITH END TO END LIFETIMES OF A FEW DAYS TO SEVERAL
WEEKS.  AS THE SUN ROTATES ON ITS AXIS EVERY 27 DAYS OR SO, SUNSPOT PAIRS
AND GROUPS APPEAR TO MARCH ACROSS THE SUN FROM EAST TO WEST, BEING VISIBLE
FOR UP TO 14 DAYS AS THEY TRAVEL FROM LIMB TO LIMB AND THEN ROTATE OUT OF
SIGHT AROUND THE BACKSIDE.  IF THEY LIVE LONG ENOUGH, THEY RETURN TO THE
‰  FROM PAGE 92  ‰
N9DIX 315 2 1 730 TN N7EIE 72 2 5 668 WWA N4DXI 110 2 1 644 NFL AB5JR 193 2
1 636 NM W3GWM 242 2 1 634 EPA NN4RH 51 5 1 610 VA ND4X 152 2 1 604 TN
‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ

THE WORLD ABOVE 50 MHZ SOLAR CYCLES AND THE COMING OF CYCLE 24 PART 1 THE
PRESENT SUNSPOT CYCLE, CYCLE 23, IS NEARING ITS MINIMUM.  AS NOTED AT THE
END OF LAST MONTHS COLUMN, TWO SUNSPOT PAIRS WITH POLARITIES REVERSED FROM
THOSE OF CYCLE 23 AND CHARACTERISTIC OF CYCLE 24 HAVE RECENTLY BEEN
OBSERVED.  THERE WAS A SMALL TRANSIENT ONE IN LATE JULY AND A LARGER ONE,
905, IN LATE AUGUST.  IN THE FOLLOWING TWO PART PRESENTATION, READERS ARE
FORTUNATE TO HAVE JIM KENNEDY, K6MIO KH6, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS AT THE
GEMINI OBSERVATORY IN HILO, HAWAII, TO DISCUSS THE NATURE OF SUNSPOT CYCLES
AND TO OFFER SOME INSIGHT INTO THE PREDICTION OF CYCLE 24.  JIM NEEDS NO
INTRODUCTION TO MOST OF US.  HIS SEMINAL PAPER ON 50 MHZ F2 PROPAGATION
PRESENTED AT THE 2000 CENTRAL STATES VHF SOCIETY MEETING IS A CLASSIC IN
THE FIELD.  BACKGROUND F2 PROPAGATION CAN PRODUCE DRAMATIC RESULTS ON 6
METERS.  THE F LAYER IS IONIZED PRIMARILY BY EXTREME ULTRAVIOLET EUV
RADIATION FROM THE SUN.  THE INTENSITY OF SOLAR EUV IS STRONGLY DEPENDENT
ON THE PHASE OF THE SOLAR ACTIVITY CYCLE.  UNFORTUNATELY, THE AVERAGE LEVEL
OF SOLAR EUV IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO RAISE THE MUF ABOVE 50 MHZ.
‰  FROM PAGE 92  ‰
SCV W3IZ 298 2 1 888 CT K5EEE 267 2 1 884 SFL Wet Willies KD3FG 245 2 3 862
MDC VE7KET 82 5 1 850 BC W2TI 60 5 1 850 NNJ N2MTG 321 2 1 792 ENY W0VHV
158 2 1 782 MO AB0RX 137 2 1 774 MO AD9T 137 2 1 770 IN W3AG 52 5 1 770 WPA
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ