Emp/solar Flare.

As we've noted before, there's a window there when cash on hand will be necessary.

Protracted loss of power will result in people getting panicky ... inevitably, full-blown crazy.

In urban areas, the "concrete jungles", people are going to go into panic/violent mode in very short order. Lord have mercy, the stores there are getting looted daily even now.

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/shoplifting-tiktok-bexleyheath-oxford-street/



Los Angeles:

 

https://spaceweathernews.com/ --- During last night's darkness " in U.S. " an X 4 class C.M.E. erupted from the sun . The space gurus don't know if it is on the way to fry the electrical grids on earth as mysteriously the space monitor for such things stopped working . They don't know if their space monitoring gadget has already been fried . -- Now for the good news , their guess is the , sun has rotated enough " they think " that it will miss or partially miss earth .

 

--- Another update from a different source on todays situation .

 

Ham radio site showing solar influences on ham radio bands
https://solar.w5mmw.net

 

--Here is a third source on the X 4.5 class Solar Flare ejection . This source gives it a 50% chance earth will see a " Second X class flare " Today . In peasant terms a possible double barrel shot . --- Interesting I found another site that claims to have preppers as members don't have a clue as to what is transpiring . I briefly thought about giving them a heads up warning , but then decided if they are living in blissful ignorance , I will kindly allow them a few more hours of innocence . Either people are prepared are they are not . Too late now to start preparing , if this thing is on the way to our planet .

 

Whether it is the sun, a terrorist attack, an attack by another nation during wartime, ..., whatever / fill-in-the-blank, our national grid system is going to one day get hit. This is a near 100% reality. It IS going to happen. A person is not prepping if they do not take into consideration that in future they're electric power is going to be cut off for a protracted period of time.

This nation has three MAJOR grid systems. It is well known that attacks to only a few networks within any one of these three could pull-down that entire grid system. Intentional attacks or a large solar flare occurring at the right time could bring down all three grid systems leaving this entire nation without power.

The same thing could happen in other nations. Technology is a great convenience, however it is fragile.

If you don't believe us preppers, believe the militaries of all nations. Armies, Navies, Air Forces ALL harden their electronics against EMP attacks. When I was in industry, we produced triple-redundant systems and devices that had three (3) layers of Faraday cages.

Our human ancestry had no electricity. Study what they did and replicate. If you want power after a grid collapse or EMP event, have solar or wind-power backup. Protect their electronics within Faraday boxes, bags, cages, ... whatever.

Anybody can build a water wheel if you have a creek nearby. One of my sons has a creek running through the back of his property. It's high flow and the water is COLD -- down out of the mountains water. Mountain streams are cold enough to store some foods and medications (ex: insulin only needs to be kept at 55 F degrees).

A water wheel can be used to turn a car's alternator. The alternator can be used to charge a bank of lead-acid batteries connected in parallel. A bank of 12 V car batteries can be hooked to an inverter. The inverter converts DC Voltage to the AC Voltage you need to run appliances. The smaller ones plug into a car's cigarette lighter output.

Here's a video of a good'ol'boy living out in the middle of nowhere who has rigged-up an electric power supply for his trailer.



This next fellow constructs a concrete mini-dam. You can construct your dam any d@mn way you want.



Solar power units can come with their own voltage regulators. This is also true of windmill generators -- you can buy the whole package.

If you live out on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, you will ALWAYS have wind. This is why the Wright brothers picked Kitty Hawk for their airplane testing.





Inverters are available for many different uses and the prices vary with quality and wattage.

In the examples below, note the price difference between a 2000 Watt inverter and a 400 Watt inverter; $870 vs. $30!



Example windmill products, but you can also do a build it yourself unit. We'll start with the DIY plan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDb6HEY-uR4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_EqF36zJrI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y-EQ3jXjlU

Other wind turbine ideas / plans:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=diy+wind+turbine+generator

.

 

Have my coax cables unplugged from the outside antennas on my base station when not in use. This is a technique I have used/maintained since my CB radio days. Hope it is enough.

Have spare HF radios wrapped in foil and placed inside military metal ammo cans....same thing with spare shortwave sets.

At work as well....my spare shortwave is in foil and in a metal locker. Hope again it is enough....to withstand a significant flare up.

73 to all ....

Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite

 

Oh...I forgot to put in one other facet of my coaxial cable when it is disconnected....

I screw my unplugged coaxial cable into a connection which goes to a copper earth ground down at the bottom of the house..


It is the same with my friend out in Tennessee...this is his original set up and he clued me into it so many years ago.

Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite.

 

https://spaceweathernews.com/ --- Another X class solar flare has erupted . This one will " definitely hit earth " . If this thing destroys electrical grids , it will throw the planet into interesting times as the spoiled and pampered suddenly lose their fuel for transportation and farming equipment .

 

--- Note the space gurus now has issued the warning ,C.M.E. impact is " imminent " . It should be wrecking its wrath May 11th . Now for the worser news , The space Gurus have a strong inclination that this is not just an C.M.E. class of the higher degree but closely following it is a second C.M.E. also X Class . This means double impact . --- I won't speak for anyone else , but I am prepped and ready . Remember the Government assessment that if we lose the power grid for one year , 90% of the population will die .

 

https://spaceweather.com/glossary/flareclasses.html

"Scientists classify solar flares according to their x-ray brightness in the wavelength range 1 to 8 Angstroms. There are 3 categories: X-class flares are big; they are major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. M-class flares are medium-sized; they can cause brief radio blackouts that affect Earth's polar regions. Minor radiation storms sometimes follow an M-class flare. Compared to X- and M-class events, C-class flares are small with few noticeable consequences here on Earth.

"Each category for x-ray flares has nine subdivisions ranging from, e.g., C1 to C9, M1 to M9, and X1 to X9. It's a logartithmic scale. M1 is 10 times stronger than C1. X1 is 10 times stronger than M1, and so on."



========================

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation

 

Let us not get too spooked by this. There have been a number of EMPs over recent years and none of them affected Earth.

 

Yep.

One day we ARE going to catch a solar flare in the teeth. This Will happen. Unprotected electronics will be destroyed.

 

https://spaceweathernews.com/
--- Guys if you thought yesterdays warning was just fear mongering , you may want to look at this update . Now 4 very strong C.M.E. attacks are imminent . Yes " four " back to back attacks on the power grid or any other vulnerable things with electrical coils or computer chips . Even the space guru that is normally very calm , is running out to gather last minute supplies for what may be about to transpire . He is stating " this may be the kill shot " .

 

--- The situation has now worsened even further . Now " 5 " Coronal Mass injections are about to hit earth . The space guru on this link as well as other such space geeks are saying the force about to hit may be on par to the Carrington Event . On their danger " G scale " it is ranked from 0 to 10 . This C.M. E. the space guru says very well could blow the top out of their scale at the 10 . I have watched various space monitoring sites but this is a " MUST WATCH " video .

 

NOAA affirms. Effects:

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/geophysical-alert-wwv-text

Begin quote

Product: Geophysical Alert Message wwv.txt
:Issued: 2024 May 10 0310 UTC
# Prepared by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center
#
# Geophysical Alert Message
#
Solar-terrestrial indices for 09 May follow.
Solar flux 233 and estimated planetary A-index 6.
The estimated planetary K-index at 0300 UTC on 10 May was 3.00.

Space weather for the past 24 hours has been strong.
Radio blackouts reaching the R3 level occurred.

Space weather for the next 24 hours is predicted to be strong.
Geomagnetic storms reaching the G1 level are likely.
Radio blackouts reaching the R3 level are likely.

End quote
=====================================================

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/g4-watch-effect-may-11



==================================================

https://www.earth.com/news/noaa-issues-severe-geomagnetic-storm-watch-first-time-since-2005/

Begin quote

Update — May 9, 2024 at 8:24 PM EDT
Very high solar activity, multiple CMEs to impact Earth

Solar activity has reached very high levels, with background flux at or near M1.0. Region 3664 has continued to exhibit growth and has produced two R3 (Strong) and multiple R1 (Minor) events.

This activity prompted the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center to issue a Severe (G4) Geomagnetic Storm Watch earlier today, marking the first such event since 2005.

Potential issues from the CME impacts

The area of impact is primarily poleward of 50 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude. Potential effects include:

Induced Currents: Power system voltage irregularities and false alarms on some protection devices.
Spacecraft: Surface charging and increased drag on low Earth-orbit satellites, potentially causing orientation problems.
Navigation: Intermittent satellite navigation (GPS) problems, including loss-of-lock and increased range error.
Radio: Intermittent HF (high frequency) radio communication.
Aurora: Northern lights may be seen as low as the southern states, down to Iowa in the Midwest, and down to Oregon in the Northwest.

Solar activity forecast

Solar activity is expected to persist at high to very high levels over May 10-12, with M-class flares (R1-R2/Minor-Moderate) expected and X-class flares (R3/Strong) likely, due to the flare potential of Region 3664.

End quote
===============================

May 11th, 2024 events could go up as high as a G4:

https://www.earth.com/news/noaa-issues-severe-geomagnetic-storm-watch-first-time-since-2005/



-------------------------

Were this a G5 (Big Bad Boy) then:

 

Remember - this may be the last day to access money in your bank account .Others realizing this may cause a bank run today . Don't be surprised if only a limited amount will be allowed to be withdrawn . - Remember this may be the last day to buy fuel for transportation , farming equipment or generators . Remember all ready to eat food stores may be closed indefinitely along with grocery stores . - Remember to enjoy the aurora .

 

https://spaceweathernews.com/ Update released at 7 AM Central time - The situation has further deteriorated . Another X Class Coronal Mass Ejection has now been fired at earth . This makes " 6 " X class flares about to hit . This was sent out during the darkness of last night as most of us slept in the United States . The latest X Class ejection is even larger than the five C.M.E. ejections proceeding it . They all " will " hit earth . -- Consider these back to back attacks can be compared to a battering ram hitting the fortification wall . Each hit will weaken the defenses for the following hit .

 

.
We are going to get hit with the "wind" off a solar storm. Its magnitude is rated by NOAA as a G4. The Carrington Event was a solid / heavy-duty G5. Were we today to get hit with a significant G5, high tech would be in some seriously deep sh##.

================================
"Here's How a Large-Enough Solar Storm Could Completely Change The World"

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-larg...ck-out-our-power-grid-an-engineer-explain-how

by David Wallace "... As an electrical engineer who specializes in the power grid, I study how geomagnetic storms also threaten to cause power and internet outages and how to protect against that.

"A geomagnetic storm three times smaller than the Carrington Event occurred in Quebec, Canada, in March 1989. The storm caused the Hydro-Quebec electrical grid to collapse.

"During the storm, the high magnetically induced currents damaged a transformer in New Jersey and tripped the grid's circuit breakers. In this case, the outage led to five million people being without power for nine hours."
====================

"CME impact imminent, Two more earth-directed CMEs"

Friday, 10 May

https://www.spaceweatherlive.com/en...ct-imminent-two-more-earth-directed-cmes.html

"Sunspot region 3664 continues its old trick today of being a major flare producer. Since our news article yesterday it produced two more eruptive X-class events. One being the X1.1 event mentioned at the end of yesterday's news article and today's largest event thus far was an eruptive X3.9 solar flare which peaked at 06:53 UTC. Both of these events were eruptive and launched asymmetrical halo coronal mass ejections into space which also have an earth-directed component. Due to the location of sunspot region 3664, the bulk of these CMEs are directed towards the south-west but we do expect these to arrive at Earth as well. That means there are now six, yes six, coronal mass ejections that have a good chance to pass our planet in the days ahead. It will likely be impossible to tell them apart but space weather at Earth is going to be messy during the next 5 days or so with geomagnetic storm conditions up to the severe G4 (Kp8) geomagnetic storm level expected.y 2024 15:46 UTC"
===========================================
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/impacts/electric-power-transmission

"Assessing the impact of geomagnetic storms on the electrical power grid involves a number of considerations. The path for current flow that responds to the varying external currents in the upper atmosphere follows artificial current paths on the ground (the power lines) as well as various natural current paths (e.g. conducting structures below the ground and nearby bodies of water). Once the natural current paths are accounted for, the net geoelectric field that is imposed on the artificial current paths results in a quasi D.C. (periods of 10 seconds to 10’s (tens) of minutes) current in the power lines. These geomagnetically induced currents cause the ‘exciting current’ in power transformers to operate out of their designed range, resulting in saturation of the magnetic core material inside the transformer. Once the core saturates, the transformer no longer provides any back ‘electromotive force’ (a kind of electrical inertia) and the currents and voltages in the windings become abnormally large. Depending on the transformer design, this can lead to heating of the surrounding structures due to induced ‘Eddy Currents’ which has the potential to damage parts of the transformer. An additional impact of transformer saturation is that the voltages and currents no longer have a simple sinusoidal (60 cycle) form and this can cause protective equipment elsewhere in the grid to trip when it shouldn’t. These equipment ‘trips’ can take needed equipment off line and cause voltage stability problems. An additional issue for the system is that all of the transformers that are saturating show up as a significant inductive load on the grid as a whole. This means that a system that is near peak levels of demand prior to the geomagnetic storm event may not be able to meet the total power demand when the geomagnetic storm occurs, leading to partial or system wide blackouts."
============================================================
https://www.abc27.com/national/stro...ght-will-it-disrupt-power-and-communications/

Begin quote

The SWPC rates the strength of solar storms on a G scale, from G1 to G5. There have been a few weak G4s already this year (which have created stunning aurora borealis displays), but the last time a “significant” G4 happened was in January 2005.

At the strong G4 level, impacts on our infrastructure are possible. When the CMEs (which are basically explosions of plasma and magnetic material from the sun) reach Earth, they carry with them their own magnetic field, explained Robert Steenburgh, a space scientist at SWPC.

“When you superimpose that over long conductors, things like pipelines, and railroad tracks and power lines, it can induce current — and that’s electrical current that’s not supposed to be there,” he said.

The interference could cause issues with the power grid, radio communications and the accuracy of GPS.

There shouldn’t be major issues with ATMs, cell phones or other technology people depend upon — unless power outages occur, which would obviously affect your ability to use plugged-in devices and home internet.

The good news, explained SWPC’s experts, is that the grid is better than it was in 2005, and utilities operators have made upgrades to prepare for space weather events. The early notification they have this time around also allows them to prepare and respond quickly.

Space weather forecasters can’t pinpoint an exact time when the CMEs will hit Earth, but they expect it to start Friday evening. Dahl gave a rough prediction of 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, but emphasized that could be off by several hours.

They’ll have a better idea when the CMEs arrive 1 million miles from Earth. That will give a 20- to 45-minute lead time before disruptions start.

The show won’t be over Friday night, the SWPC experts said. CMEs could continue, as could their impacts, through the weekend and into early next week.

The further North you are, the better shot you have at seeing northern lights. But Southerners shouldn’t give up hope.

“With some of the recent events, we’ve seen them as far as south Texas and even down to Central America,” said Michael Bettwy, SWPC’s operations chief.

If you’re having trouble seeing the aurora with the naked eye, Bettwy advised pointing your phone camera up at the sky. Their lenses are more sensitive to light than our eyes.

End quote
=================================================

 

A metal trashcan does NOT make for a particularly good Faraday cage. If you seal the lid with a metallic tape, then the trashcan gets a whole lot better at electronic device protection. Here are some videos.

The first video is really good in the do-it-yourself planning department.



The second video is more geeky in that the testing is much more scientific / metrics are gathered ...



========================================================

Parts -- I just went to Amazon and pulled-up some of their products to show that there are companies out there who sell these products. I encourage you to shop around. Amazon's prices may not be so good. I don't know.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=emp+gasket+for+garbage+can&crid=2C8BYO7J2VQNO&sprefix=emp+gasket,aps,67&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_2_10



https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faraday+tape&crid=2XZ8NQKV44OUZ&sprefix=faraday+tape,aps,76&ref=nb_sb_noss_1




Faraday bags

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faraday+bags&crid=2S060GMLSQFZ8&sprefix=faraday+bags,aps,87&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

https://spaceweathernews.com/ --- The seventh Coronal Mass Ejection is now inbound . This link provided this update at 7 AM Central time

 

Today our members may want to take note on how their bodies feel , as we are now physically receiving magnetic waves into our bodies . This is also predicted to effect mental processing . This is a bad time to have some gadget keeping a heart beating .

 

Wow, we just got zapped, not Carrington, but still, this is totally not good -- beyond what NOAA had predicted.

Anybody out there having problems with their shortwave receptions?

We're at the end of the 11-year cycle, so hopefully the sun will be less flatulent next year.

 

We entered G5 land last night and noon today (Eastern Standard Time). NOAA said that there have been reported power grid irregularities and comm issues. I'll go see if I can find what they're talking about.

 

People are taking pictures of the aurora in South Mississippi and Florida . I will be out again to look for it tonight . I went to a hill top to watch for it last night but I personally saw nothing . My daughter and son went to a different hill top and had a nice northern light show . I will try their hill tonight . -- I am not sure as to when the seventh solar flare will hit , "the 5.8 " but if the Skys are clear it should put on quite a show . I might even get to see a sparkling transformer or two .

 

update

 

update


============================

Some EMP products:

Faraday tape
$14.99 $0.30 per Foot ($0.30 / Foot)
https://www.amazon.com/woiron-Condu...8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

Faraday Fabric Kit Faraday Cage (44in W x 9ft L) Seal RF Enclosures Military Grade Conductive Material Shields RF Signals (WiFi, Cell, Bluetooth) 3 Yards Faraday Blanket
$35.99
https://www.amazon.com/looper-Enclo...efix=faraday+cover+very+large,aps,155&sr=8-15

Remember, you can't just throw a Faraday blanket over some electronic device, you gotta seal the blanket or whatever with conductive material, else the puppy will leak. Think fluid. Would a fluid leak into your Faraday device set-up? If so, then electromagnetic energy will get in. If covering a generator, you gotta cover the bottom, then the top, and next use Faraday tape to seal the two together. NO GAPS!

Faraday bags. I listed this before. This is just a repeat.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=faraday+...&sprefix=faraday+bags,aps,76&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

 

.
The flares are continuing! This sunspot is NOT giving up, it's in very active mode. This crap could continue even into next week.

 

There were often Northern Lights in the year I spent up at the NATO base in Keflavik, Iceland..

A very interesting and interesting year....an educational year.

One learns a lot about ones self and capabilities in a semi Isolated place like that base on the end of a peninsula so to speak.

I hated the first six months until I learned the art of coping ....with aloneness...and away from the people and places I loved...doing with the minimum. Wish back then I knew enough to get my ham radio license....but alas...the foolishness of youth.
But you know...the olde timers there ...told me to shut up.....and be glad I was not at Thule, Greenland.....
I came to realize they were right. There were far worse places out there than Keflavik, Iceland.....far...far worse.


The first time I saw the Northern Lights it was a shock...to me...totally unprepared.

I had gone into the movies under daylight conditions and when I came out it was dark......except.................looking up....there was across the sky ...these Northern Lights....spectacular...to see... and totally stunning and I was unprepared.....but.......


The magnitude of it across the night sky...you think......where is the scary music.....????? But no....total silence!!!!

It is eerie in that it moves across the sky like a snake...but with millions of straight vertical lines snaking across the sky and often changing colors. Magnificent once you get past the initial shock!!!!

I have never seen them again since leaving Keflavik , Iceland ...but also have never forgotten.

The Magnificence of God...on full display...............even in my memories.!!!!!


My non Ishmaelite .02,
Watcherchris.

 

We will be in danger of C.M.E. havoc until roughly around Monday evening to Tuesday morning . As the hole spitting out all these Coronal mass ejections begins to rotate out of target range of earth , It is growing even more violent and stronger . We will have a few days of reprieve from this boiling inferno for a few days , but it will rotate around again to face earth . What we will see when it comes back into view as it reemerges will be interesting .

 

May 10, 2024

Giant Sunspot Cluster Could Pelt Earth with a Cannibal Coronal Mass Ejection

Begin quote:

...

The sunspot group is similar in size to the one that threw off such an eruption of plasma and magnetic fields, called a coronal mass ejection (CME), in 1859 and caused the Carrington Event, the most intense geomagnetic storm ever recorded. That event disrupted the only mass communication at the time, the telegraph network, and caused worldwide auroras.

The current sunspot won’t necessarily cause a similar-level storm, however. There have been 141 sunspot clusters as large as or larger than the current one, known as active region 3664 (AR3664), since 1996, Steenburgh says.

“The CMEs that are heading for Earth are probably much less massive and less potent than the big CMEs that caused the Carrington Event,” says Tony Phillips, an astronomer who runs Spaceweather.com, a site that tracks space weather events.

At least a few of the CMEs that the sunspot group has burped out over the past several days will likely merge, creating what is known as a “cannibal CME.” The impacts will depend on the speed of the CME and the direction of its merged magnetic fields, Palmerio says. These charged bubbles can speed away from the sun at anywhere from under 55,000 miles per hour to more than 6.7 million mph.

The sunspot cluster rotated into view of Earth a few days ago. At that time, the area looked fairly normal. But then “it just blew up into this behemoth,” Phillips says. That lucky timing allowed researchers to watch the giant sunspot cluster develop, Palmerio says. Over the next few days, the sun’s rotation will mean the sunspot group will turn away from Earth, Steenburgh says, so any further CMEs it sends out will head harmlessly into space. The spot could reappear, though. Clusters of sunspots of this size often persist for months, and a new rotation of the sun could bring the behemoth into Earth’s view in another two weeks.

The sun’s activity varies on an 11-year cycle. This cycle’s activity is expected to peak sometime in 2025. “This could be the first big event of a number that we will probably experience over the next two to three years,” Phillips says.

End quote

 

W.Chris, it's being said that shortwave radio operators attempting long distance transmission got sucker-punched by this latest CME (worst since 2003).

Did you have any transmission failures? Just asking in case you'd made some attempts to xmit / rec.

 

Olde Geezer...

I still have not been on my ham radio ..base station. Was briefly on the ham radio in the car on a trip this weekend to Amelia County, Virginia....but that is about it.

No problem with the radio in my car...at all...a Baofeng Walkie talkie with spare batteries...hooked up to a magnetic roof mounted antenna.

Seemed like a long drive but I reckon I don't take to driving long distances as did I in the days of my youth.



Trying to plan another trip to the Sherando Lake/Lindhurst area this summer....and rent a cabin up there...

I verily like it around Waynsboro.....Ironic that I live on the sea coast and better like the hills and mountains.

Folks pay good monies to come down here on the sea coast and see what is here...

Yet I tend to want to go the other way to the mountains. Go figure!!!!



Plan to take my truck and a roll up wire base station antenna and long coaxial cable...and operate out of my truck as a base station....as I have done on previous vacations. I just toss the antenna up using a fishing pole and reel it up into the air...a wire dipole antenna..and hook it up to the radio in the truck. I have caught my friend out in Tennessee numerous times using this method.

Hope also to get in a little trout fishing. I love catching and cooking fish....a nice fish dinner.


Watcherchris
Not an Ishmaelite

 

Mayhap I should clarify my previous post ....in that the Baofeng walkie talkie is a VHF/UHF Rig...meaning it is short range...but the range is extended using a repeater or duplex type systems.

The farthest I have talked using duplexing on VHF/UHF is about 130 to150 miles or so and of recent..... from here to the Richmond Repeater....146.880 MHZ...on a tall downtown bank....to out west to Cumberland Virginia.

Usually it is much shorter....distances for instance...here in Hampton...to Smithfield...or the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area.

But with the correct repeater/duplexing system...one can go great distances....using duplexing/VHF/UFH radio.



But this is not the same as the Olde Fashioned Long range HF rigs...of which I usually prefer.

I believe I have previously posted my making it some 400 miles west to Tennessee....to my friend on some 20 watts on this base station...no problem.

Oh...and while I am thinking about it...I have made the trip to Tennessee out of my truck using the truck antenna itself...instead of a dipole strung up in the trees..long range HF radio

The secret is to put a large body of water in between you and to whom you are speaking....as water acts like a reflector...with few signal strength losses...
I take my truck up to the waters edge and begin transmitting to my friend....in this case the James River...between me and Tennessee. And the James River is a big body of water.
Works great and few people ever tell you about this technique of putting a body of water between you and to where you want to talk.

There is a ham in Ireland who lives on the side of a cliff...high up in the air...and he puts a tremendous signal here in the States....he has elevation and a large body of water both working to his advantage.

Same thing with many stations down in the Caribbean Islands.....elevation and water both.
They too put strong signals here to the States.


But again...no.......of recent I have not been using my base station much...nor the HF Radio in my truck.
With the weather breaking here ...lots to do around the home and yard.

For trips ...my car is much more comfortable for me and my lady ...and it only has VHF/UHF short range radio in it.


Oh...and again...another footnote for the members and particularly Olde Geezer...

My spare HF radios I have stored away in metal ammo cans...I have also taken the liberty of sealing it up with that Metalic tape you mentioned earlier on this thread.....to further seal up these ammo cans. Hope this helps as well.

I have several AC to DC power supplies....of significant amperage..for radio base station use.

I need to protect these spare power supplies as well. Thinking about a metal trash can....a smaller one if it can be found..and again sealing it up with that metalic tape....

My non Ishmaelite .02,
Watcherchris

 

Been out with my son hiking for two days, too a Xiegu G90.LiPo/10m dipole and I worked a handful of stations, the bands are as flat as a witches tit. No real DX (long range) stuff. Conditions have improved tonight, 40m band has perked right up but still mainly euro stations and some UK.

It 01:00 here so I'm going on the rig for a couple of hours and see who's about unless we get thunder then everything in the shack is unplugged.

I made an exceptional chicken curry tonight, British food at its finest

 

NOAA space weather prediction is that radiation levels will head back up tomorrow, 14 May 2024.



The following post is from NOAA. It describes in more detail that you'd ever want to know about their satellites.

https://www.noaasis.noaa.gov/GOES/goes_overview.html

"GOES Overview

"Geostationary satellites circle the Earth in geosynchronous orbit, which means they orbit the Earth’s equatorial plane at a speed matching the Earth’s rotation. This allows them to stay in a fixed position in the sky, remaining stationary with respect to a point on the ground. GOES satellites continually view the Western Hemisphere from approximately 22,300 miles above Earth."

.... on and on ... this is long article
..

 

Chris, 20m band is wide open just now, 9K2KO Kuwait is on air just now, worked him