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I am an Air Force meteorologist. I have spent 24+ years doing it...but mostly for the Army. I started out working with helo support...worked some special ops support...but now find myself working at the 3 and 4 star level as staff support doing mostly home land security and solar weather is a big part of our focus (solar flare vulnerabilities). Solar wx is a big part of my job.

The right 50% of the time is a joke amongst weather men...we are right much more than that. The forecaster who is only as right as a coin flip really needs to give it up. I can put out a forecast for SE TX right now...for the next 3 months...and be correct within a small MOE 90% of the time based on how I see the long term patterns setting up. Here's a hint: The drought will continue through September and it will be above normal temps.

And yes...TV is about money. They just regurgitate what the MWS is saying. Very few TV weather people are actual mets. Most are broadcast journalists with a weather emphasis...like a sports caster for weather.

To answer your other question about the Maunder Min: It was from abt 1645 - 1715. It was actually very well observed. Picard and Cassini (and numerous others) carried out direct observations of the sun. Those observations have been preserved...correlated and cross-referenced. So we know there was an absence. If I remember correctly, sunspot observation started in the late 1500's or early 1600's and they observed with their own eyes numerous sunspots...then watched the sunspots disappear for 70 years.

Now...couple this with a reversal of the PDO...and we are likely to see a period of very cold weather over the next 30-40 years.

BTW...I see you are into HAM. HAM radio is something I know little about (I am getting another shortwave...but also want to get into HAM as part of my prepper-preperations). Any recommendations for learning a little more?

It is simple enough today to get a Ham ticket. The question pool is given. If you have a technical background it is easy to pick it up.

There are 3 classes of written exams. Tech, General and Extra.

You can download the question pool here:

http://www.arrl.org/question-pools

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Practice exams can be done here:

http://www.qrz.com/exams

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Morse is another thing. For some it is easy for others it is not. It is mostly repetition and takes several months normally to get to 13 WPM (20 WPM for Extra).

I have taught both Amateur and Commercial radio license prep courses.

The exams themselves are given by volunteer examiners. (when I got my first ticket I had to set before a FCC examiner, had to drive to Dallas for it.) Now most cities have examiners and local clubs often give classes.

Most Hams today are appliance operators. Not very technical.