So that's an R1 Radio Blackout Event

KB9BVN at US-4183 Atterbury FAWA

Woke up this morning and the birds were chirping and the sun was shining and the day was looking like a beautiful April day....so why not load up the gear and head out for a Parks on the Air outing? 

So normally when I go out for a POTA activation, I usually have my 10 required contacts within 15-20 minutes, sometimes even faster. Today was going to be much different.  I never check atmospheric conditions before I play radio, I don't want to get jinxed.  Well, today is a day I should have looked, but even if I had looked I doubt if it would have stopped me from playing radio in the outdoors today.  

Here is what the conditions report was showing:  SSN:154 SFI:148 A:9 K:1 - what this means is there were 154 sunspots active, and the Solar Flare Index was 148.  With this kind of sunspot activity being this high, this usually means noisy conditions.  Which in and of itself isn't that horrible.  You like to see the A Index 5 or less, mush over 5 and you'll heard a lot more signal fading (up and down).   What I did not know was the earth was in the middle of an R1 Radio Blackout.  

An R1 (Minor) radio blackout is the lowest level of space weather event on the NOAA Space Weather Scale, caused by an M-class solar flare. These flares release X-rays and ultraviolet light, ionizing the lower D-layer of Earth's ionosphere. This ionization causes High Frequency (HF) radio signals to be absorbed or degraded, resulting in weak or brief blackouts, mainly impacting sunlit areas.

This explains why it took me almost 2 hours to make 10 contacts.  None of them outside the United States, and all contacts were made on the 20m band.  

Three of the contacts were not POTA hunters, they were working the Florida QSO Party, but as we say in the POTA world, a contact is a contact.  So they count toward the 10. 

Signals were WAY down, and the fading and noise was ever present.  I'm amazed that my little 10 watts was getting out at all but my reverse beacon logs showed in some places I was booming in and in some places I was not even noticed. 

On the bright side, I enjoyed a few hours in the outdoors, got to watch some blue jays, some squirrels, a big black snake, and some geese.  Plus I had a nice picnic lunch by one of the lakes, it was a peanut butter sandwich and a nice crisp Gala Apple.  Made the trip and the time all worth it! 

Oh and I forgot my metal folding chair.  I had taken it out of the POTA mobile so I had something to sit on during our fish fry a few weeks ago.  So here's my operating position...while I sat on an overturned pickle bucket...not very comfortable! 

Well that's it until next time!  Hoping for better conditions soon! 

de KB9BVN

Brian