Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Sun: Sleepy Now, Party Later

Now: Quiet sun.

20 (da-da-daa-DUMMM!) 12: Angry sun.

Stock up now.

--Do you know what the propagation's gonna be like on 20 meters in 2012 if the Sun hots up in the manner of our prophets-of-doom? On 10m? On Six?

Oh, yeah, massive power outages, all that. We'll be catchin' rainwater to supplement our stored supplies and cookin' canned goods in the chimenea but hey, there will be all manner of DX to help pass the time!

11 comments:

Turk Turon said...

I have batteries and solar panels to power my little 100-watt Tx when propagation improves. And if the environment has to tank as a consequence, well, at least I can get Century Club!

homebru said...

In the past, I proved that, given sufficient DX, all else I need is the three basic food groups: caffeine, nicotine, and twinkie. I expect that I could do without the nicotine now, substituting Diet Pepsi.

Joe Huffman said...

The Obama administration and other national governments are not aggressively focused on contingency preparations for the 2012 solar flare impacts, or on introducing available anti-gravitic, new energy sources that would transform centralized high-power electrical grid systems into de-centralized, anti-gravitic and quantum process energy sources.Uhhh... sure. Whatever you say...

TJP said...

Astronomers aren't "baffled" by solar cycle 24. It's just interesting, and our record of solar activity is fairly short and lacks the detail afforded by recent technological advances.

Sheesh! Is Millenarianism 101 a required course for journalism students?

Also: I'm all for decentralized power. I'd love to have a Toshiba mini-reactor in my town, instead of depending on a dilapidated boiler, two pressure reactors, and two coal-fired plants.

Joanna said...

I knew there was a reason for me to learn Morse code ...

sam said...

No one else noticed the date on the "Angry Sun" article? April 1.

TJP said...

Scratch that comment about the doomsday oracles of journalism. I read the titles of the other articles on the Examiner's page.

-... ...

Roberta X said...

Joe, umm, when tinfoil-hattedness meets 1 April, the going gets...psycho. Delic. -Ish, ;) I thought it was amusing. Plus I'm vexed at the present sunspot minimum. No big lunchtime DX! >sigh<

og said...

Been trying to think of a good reason to buy a little multi-band, or a dedicated qrp unit.

Ritchie said...

And that puzzle about the even-year polarity? 11 years is the half cycle. A complete solar cycle is (average) 22 years. Just like that AC lurking in teh wallz.

Anonymous said...

Might's well hold out for a Hallicrafters (and spare tubes) then, and avoid the EMP rush too.