In his Welcome to Cycle 25 article (a free preview from the April 2021 issue of QST Magazine), Steve Ford, WB8IMY, discusses the new solar cycle that is under way and how it is having a positive effect on HF band conditions.
WB8IMY begins with some background information on solar cycles and discusses discovery of harbingers of the next solar cycle.
His article covers:
- Differing predictions for Cycle 25
- Changes in HF band behavior
- Benefits for low-power operating and mobiles
- Tips for preparing for the cycle peak
A 2021 Propagation Forcast sidebar by Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA—originally published in the January/February 2021 Issue of NCJ—discusses the question “How big will Cycle 25 be?”
In closing, WB8IMY writes:
Better days are on the way—we just don’t know by how much. All hams will benefit regardless of license class. Who knows? History may repeat itself and Cycle 25 could even rival Cycle 19.1
“Welcome to CYCLE 25”, ARRL The national association for Amateur Radio, accessed March 22 2021, http://www.arrl.org/files/file/QST/This%20Month%20in%20QST/2021/04%20April%202021/0421%20FORD%20CYCLE%2025.pdf. ↩︎
