The W9DXCC was THE convention to go to outside of Dayton when I lived in the Midwest. It was the very first ham convention I ever attended.

The convention is great fun, well attended, and run pretty well. And this year’s programs look great.

Scot, K9JY

Related posts:

1. W9DXCC is September 15th
2. Club Program Ideas: CW Skimmer
3. Contesting University at Dayton 2008

Sunspot measurement

Sunspot numbers are shown as a "tens" number relating to the number of "regions" on the site and a "singles" number relating to the number of sunspots associated with a "region."

So if there are no sunspots, the number is understandably zero. But, a single sunspot on the sun would translate into a sunspot number of 11. The tens spot for having one region and the singles number for one sunspot in the region.

Solar Flux measurement

Solar Flux is the 10.7 cm measurement from the daily 1700Z value recorded at Ottawa, Ontario. The solar flux varies from 66 — the lowest number associated with zero sunspots — to several hundred. It is a more "linear" view of sunspot numbers.

A very small change in the solar flux can have a big change in propagation. For example, here at the low of the sunspot cycle, a solar flux moving from 66 to 72 could mean longer openings on 20-meters until after sunset or even some 15-meter openings during the day.

An 80 reading will mean that 15-meters should open.

A 90 reading will mean that 10-meters should be open.

The A index

The A index is the measure of the geomagnetic activity or radio absorption of the ionosphere. The higher the A index, the more absorption and the weaker the radio signals. The A index range is near zero to several hundred.

As "rules of thumb," readings below 10-15 usually signify good band conditions. Readings over 30 usually mean bad band conditions.

The K index

The K index also measures radio absorption like the A index, but it is reported every 3-hours instead of every 24. Consequently, the K index more accurately reflects current band conditions than the daily A index.

The K index varies from 0 to 9, with 0-2 suggesting reasonably good conditions. The higher the number, the more absorption from disturbed conditions will exist.

Solar flux and A-K indexes work together

You always want low absorption on the bands, regardless of the solar sunspots.

The reason is that 160 and 80 meters perform very well with low sunspot numbers and low absorption, but aren’t very good with high absorption.

Yet 10 meters can be fabulous with a solar flux of 110 and low absorption and terrible if the K index and the associated absorption is 9.

So you always want low absorption, regardless of the sunspot number.

Propagation is not an exact science. There are weird anomalies all over the place all the time (which is one of the reasons ham radio is so much fun). These numbers should provide some good guidelines, however, to get you used to looking at those solar numbers again now that the new solar cycle 24 has started.

Scot, K9JY

Related posts:

1. Club Program Ideas — Sunspots and Propagation
2. Solar Cycle Web Site

For those of you who like working a bit of DX while contesting, one of our “entities” just got a whole lot smaller. I had not realized the extent of damage from Hurricane Dean on Aves Island, but it is significant.

Passed on from one of the reflectors I am on, you can see the devastation of the island from the hurricane.

Check it out over on the YX0A site — it’s something to behold with before and after pictures.

Scot, K9JY

Related posts:

1. Marion Island ZS8T Web Site Up

UPDATE: This is the 2007 version. 2008′s convention information can be found here.

Here’s the schedule:

Friday

7:30 PM – Registration Open

7:30 PM Welcome Reception – Hosted by Carl Smith N4AA and DX Publications.

10:00 PM Late Night Hospitality Suite – Hosted by Northern Illinois DX Association

Saturday

8:00 AM – Registration Opens

9:00 AM – Program Begins – Master of Ceremonies – Jim O’Connell, W9WU

12:00 PM – Lunch

1:00 PM – Program Resumes

4:45 PM – Raffle Prize Drawing

5:00 PM – CW Copying Contest

5:30 PM – Reception – Hosted by The Directors of the Northern California DX Foundation

6:30- PM Grand Banquet and Grand Prize Drawing

Banquet Speaker -

10:00 PM Saturday – Hospitality Suite – Hosted by Greater Milwaukee DX Association

There’s some great programs, as usual.

Check out the site and sign up.

Scot, K9JY

Related posts:

1. W9DXCC 2008 Program Released
2. Sunspot Saturday, September 5, 2008

www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Nga-eQCo8

Thanks, VE1EN.

Scot, K9JY

Related posts:

1. Opening up countries to ham radio
2. Working on DXCC for the K9JY Site — July, 2008
3. Sunspot Saturday, July 5, 2008
4. Sunspot Saturday, July 12, 2008
5. Sunspot Saturday, July 26, 2008

One of the ways that I was able to work a lot of DX countries quickly was through contesting. In a good contest weekend, like CQWW, I was able to hear over one hundred countries on the air. When first starting out DXing, this was (and still is) a big deal.

Here’s five ways working contests can help you work more DX:

1. DXpeditions to Rare Countries. Groups of ham radio operators will often travel to other countries to activate them during a contest. Usually, the contest operation will try and pick countries that have few other hams operating, opening up a DX opportunity for you. I worked lots of stations in Africa on this principle alone.
2. Stations on all bands. A contest like CQWW or the ARRL DX contests generates stations on all bands open during the contest time frame. This means building out your 5-band DXCC becomes easier when the stations need to work all bands to generate points. My 80-meter totals really increased by working contests.
3. Better able to work a station one-on-one. Contesting means only working one station per band; duplicates don’t count for points. Consequently, the pileup on the station at 0000Z at the start of the contest will often yield to your DX need calling CQ during the second day of the contest on the same band.
4. Better QSLing. Contest stations know they will get a ton of QSL cards and have already thought through how the QSLing will be done.
5. Instant QSLing through LoTW. In addition, because contesters know they will get lots of cards, they try and reduce the number of cards received by uploading their logs to Log of The World as soon as it makes sense after the contest to give the deserving the contact. It’s faster service to the person looking for a confirmation of the contact — and fewer cards for the contesting station to work through.

Working DX through contests won’t get you to 300-countries. But you’d be surprised at how well your DX dance card fills up by working contests.

Scot, K9JY

Related posts:

1. 30 Ham Radio Contest Tips — Work a contest one month before the real contest
2. Contesting to the fourth level station
3. Contesting for Beginners: Non-Contest Goals
4. Ham radio contesting Wiki site
5. Ham radio contesting on your terms