Where Have All the Signals Gone?

One of the main reasons you haven't heard KL2R much lately is the totally abysmal propagation plaguing us at the high latitudes for months and months.  That coupled with a short summer filled with rain, which hindered any attempt to do major station work outdoors.  There's still that other tri-bander to get up, a 160 vertical to repair, and 80m vertical system...Oh, and WARC antennas to build. And to boot, we're engaged with the North Pole Contest Group to keep KL7RA on the air, plus upgrades.  We've made a few appearances in CW and RTTY contests this winter, but all in all, activity has been very limited.

So let's have a look at a few factors influencing our ability to reach out from the high latitudes. According to my observations in nearly 20 years in Fairbanks. geomagnetic instability results in horribly fickle radio conditions.  The planetary K index (Kp) is used to characterize the magnitude of geomagnetic storms. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 9.  K-indices of 5 or higher indicate "storm-level" geomagnetic activity. Values of 7 or higher indicate a severe geomagnetic storm.  However, when Kp > 3, we at 65 degrees north have one heck of a time getting out.  We hear stations, but they often do not hear us.  This is particularly true on 20-10 meters.  The turbulence in the ionosphere will open the window for a couple of minutes and then shut for many more.  On 80 and 160, a Kp of 1 or 0 is acceptable, although such conditions are very rare.  The ups and downs are frustrating to say the least.  Nevertheless, it teaches patience.  The effects are less severe at lower latitudes, even in Anchorage or Kenai, which are near 61 degrees north.

When the aurora kicks up, which is associated with a high Kp, absorption is obviously the problem. We can often work stations within the auroral oval; e..g, UA0 or Scandinavia, but getting to W7 is problematic.

A lot of hams religiously watch the planetary A index, or Ap.  The Ap is a measure of the general level of geomagnetic activity over the globe for a given day. A mean, 3-hourly “equivalent amplitude” of magnetic activity based on K index data is computed from 11 Northern and 2 Southern Hemisphere magnetic observatories between the geomagnetic latitudes of 46 and 63 degrees.  For that reason -- the limit of 63 degrees -- the Ap is less applicable to Fairbanks at 65.5 north geomagnetic.  Even better, data from the College, Alaska, observatory are good real-time indicators of conditions.  See plots at the feed for the College Observatory (CMO).  If you are wondering where Alaska is in the contest, you might have a look at this and NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center, which has an excellent dashboard for radio users.  Visit https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/radio-communications

Sweeps SSB 2014

We did a lot of work over the past two months to prepare for the 2014-15 contest season.  For one, we added a two-element, phased vertical array for 40m.  It is a well-engineered system (mostly) from DX Engineering components and proved to be a great listener.  The 20-30 dB front-to-back is impressive, and it has compared very favorably to a Force12 EF-140 dipole at 120 feet for receiving.  Casual contacts have shown it to be very effective in busting DX pileups as well as ragchewing between here and the Lower 48.

A second addition is the FTdx5000MP, which was previously owned by long-time member Gary NL7Y.  The operators had some learning curve, and we learned quite a bit more about its functions.  The receiver does not leave you fatigued.  To reduce the likelihood of operator fatigue in general, we rotated ops every hour.  "On deck" meant they were tuning The FT-950 for multipliers on the second position.

Since the FTdx5000MP has the SM-5000 Station Monitor, we moved the FT950 + DMU-2000 combination to position #2.  Both radios with band monitors is extremely helpful.

Fun and fellowship.  At one point we had six people in the shack, 100% over capacity.  New-new guy Wes KL3WY stopped by and introduced himself Saturday afternoon.  Elaine KL6C got us out of the gate on 10 and 15.  KL1JP had a very good run, and KL3WY jumped in and lent a hand as well.  KL3UI got plenty of air time, and Carl WL7BDO rounded out the heavy lifting.  Each one of the 419 QSOs was hard-won.

IARU-ora 2012

Old Sol burped late last week.  At 0400 local time on Saturday the 14th, I strapped myself in for a bumpy ride in the IARU HF contest while I waited for the coronal mass ejection to hit, which was estimated to strike in the late morning.   

Best rate was about 1.5-2 hours into the contest with 130-150 Q's per hour.  The rest was mostly S&P once the CME hit.  Painful, indeed, but very interesting.  Even though Kp > 5 and aurora > 7, it was still possible to work stations.  

I have this theory:  When the aurora is active, we northerners all know we can usually only work those inside the aurora oval.  When the aurora level is so high, the oval pushes outward to lower latitudes.  (Hence, our friends in the south saw some nice lights last night.)  The larger the oval, the more stations enveloped.  The "box", so to speak, has more folks inside to work, at least on the higher bands.

The real-time geomagnetic field activity, which is reflected in the Kp, was fluctuating pretty wildly.  Higher = more absorption between here and there.  While it fluctuated, the door would open and then shut every few minutes. You maximize your chances of finding a station in rapid S&P.  It will pop up and then be gone in a few minutes. You can keep a 45-60 Q/hour going even under the worst conditions by keeping one hand on the dial and the other on the keyboard.  Those stuck in RUN will suffer mightily.

Our friends in the Lower 48 apparently enjoyed some fine Northern Lights.  Of course, it is still too light in the sky to see stars or aurora in Fairbanks.  In another few weeks, that will be different.  

Hexx Beam Under the Aurora