Space weather: Forecasters keep eye on looming 'Solar Max'

Space Daily ^ | Dec 29th, 2010

[Jack Hydrazine]

NASA’s Sunspot Prediction Roller Coaster

(excerpt)
Santa brought us a new Sunspot prediction to be added to NASA’s incredibly high series of at least five ill-fated predictions starting in 2006. NASA’s latest peak Sunspot Number for Solar Cycle #24 (SC24) is down 60% from their original, but it still seems a bit too high, judging by David Archibald’s recent WUWT posting that analogizes SC24 and SC25 to SC5 and SC6 which peaked around 50, during the cold period (Dalton minimum) of the early 1800′s.

Read the rest of the article here.

[skeptoid]

. . . . . remind me - who is “Snake Pisskins??

[Bratch]

[Cisco Nix]

“don’t ‘get around much”

Yeah well, I was just a kid in 1859.

[Cisco Nix]

“. . . . . remind me - who is “Snake Pisskins??”

You don’t know who Snake is? Man, dude, you are a nobody! :-)

[saintgermaine]

It is nice to know that other “Hams” read these posts......

[spokeshave]

Best Bent Wire

[Vaduz]

Should put a few cell phones on the fritz,at least my road rage finger will get a rest.

[mazda77]

The only bit of relevant hard fact in the story is the sun spot cycle of roughly 11 years. This is something I learned in 1973 while serving at the STRATCOM Facility in Teheran. Our Receiver site also had a solar observatory operated by the Air Force right next to our building. I would visit them occasionally when they were seeing an event we needed to be aware of for our HF communication trunks to Asmara and Schweitzengen.

If the event was large enough, it usually took out all but the lower frequencies but at times those were toast as well. It didn’t burn up anything but the magnetic disturbance screwed up the way radio waves bounced along the ionosphere. During the 18 months I was there, we only saw one that took us totally down for two days on HF but our newly installed satellite link with Ft. Devins was not affected.

I look at these OMG stories of doom to be just the next wave of junk science designed to scare the masses in addition to their hand extending for the next government grant to keep food on their table for doing absolutely nothing. The 1859 example cited cold have very well happened but not knowing much about electricity then, especially the importance of grounding, the cables most likely acted as capacitors and stored up massive amounts of energy until it eventually jumped to something that was grounded.

[Techster]

Yep, we do.

[Marty62]

PLISKIN

At the end of Escape from LA, he turned off all power, picked up a pack of banned cigs and lit one.

BTW he was double-crossed by the Pres.

[Thermalseeker]

Isn't it some kind of grounding or un-grounding?

You could build a Faraday cage over your house to protect all your sensitive electronic goodies......but don't expect your cell phone to work inside......

[airdalechief]

dah dit dit - dit

NU4J

dah dit dah

75 meters sure sucks at night

need mmore sunspots

[Clinging Bitterly]

There are quite a few hams here. FReeper mylife maintains a Ham/SWL/DX ping list.

[usconservative]

At least 3 years ago.....however.......Activity is....................LOOOOOOOMING!

Every now and then the bands pick up for a little bit and good DX contacts are possible. I reached Tasmania, Australia and New Zealand in the last week on 50 watts and my Alpha-Delta DXLB Plus inverted V on 40M.

[boomop1]

These people are in the league with hurricane predictors.

[usconservative]

Last time could talk to St Louis from NJ on 11 Meter CB radio

I just got Argentina on 20 Meters (14.260) from my home 30 miles SW of Chicago.... Granted mi espanol es muy mal, pero it's enough to get a signal report and exchange names for the logbook.

[usconservative]

Should put a few cell phones on the fritz,at least my road rage finger will get a rest.

Perhaps THIS will help. I've found it to be quite a satisfying alternative to the middle finger and getting upset.

[joe fonebone]

So, what are they trying to say? That global climate change is caused by.....THE SUN!!???!!...whoda thunk it

[joe fonebone]

I thought he was dead..... :)