Ham On A Bike

  Over the last few weeks all over the planet Mother Nature has been rearing her ugly head with rounds and rounds of different types of devastating effects of Terrestrial Weather.  For some of us in the Amateur Radio community Space Weather has not been a bed of Roses either. How does this play into my Amateur Radio operating?  It leads me to an ADAGE most of you may have read about in that the MOST IMPORTANT part of your Ham Radio Station is NOT your RIG. IT IS YOUR ANTENNA. I've spent the better part of this summer checking all of my antenna for wear and tear, repairing those that needed and putting each one through their paces on my Nano NVA. Due to unpredictable Terrestrial and Space Weather conditions, my HF operating and Parks on the Air operating have been somewhat diminished during the last few weeks. That has lead me to understand that in the waning period of Solar Cycle 25, I can likely expect the unexpected as we journey on the downside of this cycle.  As ...

  It's My Frequency .... BUT! I've been siting on the contents of this blog for several weeks.  As we move forward through the recovery process from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, and NOW with the approahing CAT 4 Milton about to slam Florida the week of October 7th, 2024, I felt there is no  better time than the present to post this topic about  "IT'S MY FREQUENCY!" Recently I've began spending some time returning to some of the digital modes I've been absent from for quite a while. I was dismayed to hear some vocal chatter from operators of frequencies TRADITIONALLY set aside for digital operations.  The vocal chatter consisted of operators stating they knew it was for digital operation but I'm going to use it anyway. Let me put it out there. NO ONE OWNS A FREQUENCY. TRUE. BUT..... I also understand the eagerness to get on the air and capture that rare DX, or that POTA or SOTA operator you've wanted for months or that last state for your WAS ...

  (Disclaimer) I do not claim to be knowledgeable in Space Weather (forecasting).  I consider myself a Space Weather enthusiast. The sun shines bright in my old Kentucky home as it does over most of the earth during Solar Cycle 25.  For several weeks now it seems no matter what region of the Sun is facing Earth, the Sun is having a hissy fit with solar flares, solar storms, CMEs and radio blackouts.  How has Solar Cycle 25 affected, if any your Amateur Radio operating? In anticipation of Solar Cycle25, during the Pandemic shutdown I delved  into areas of Amateur Radio that I was familiar with but wanted to expand my knowledge.  One area is Space Weather and the effects the sun has on Amateur Radio operating.    During the shutdown, I  probed the far reaches of the internet searching for any content, instructions, courses, papers, blogs, social media posts and videos for information on space weather.  I knew a little about how the su...