TAARC Propagation Talk Jan 2018

Thurrock Acorns ARC’s club night on 16 January 2018 was on the subject of radio propagation.

The club’s membership had requested a talk on the subject, which of course affects all of our radio activity. Some research by the club team highlighted an excellent introductory talk prepared by Rueben Meeks W8GUC and Frank Beafore WS8B which was apparently used at the 2011 Hamvention in the US. Rather that reinventing the wheel, Dave M5ABP and Gordon M0WJL contacted the authors for permission to use the talk, and then formed a double-act, went through the presentation and added their own take on the subject.

Topics discussed included:

• Basics of propagating
• Reflection, refraction and diffraction
• Ground wave vs sky wave vs line of sight
• The Ionosphere, its properties, and how solar weather affects propagation
• The makeup of the sun, solar flux, flares, sunspots
• Sun cycles – we’re on the downward track of cycle 23
• Scatter modes
• Sporadic E (see below)
• Seasons,and Earth weather

Kudos to Richard and Dorothy for asking for more details on one of the types of stations mentioned in the presentation:

Well, it was a ham radio talk!

Well done to David and Gordon for delivering the talk, and thanks as ever to TAARC for then hospitality and the opportunity to chat with friendly clubmembers.

Related Links

• Thurrock Acorns Amateur Radio Club Website
• TAARC Club Profile
• Essex Ham’s reports on recent TAARC events
• Promote your club events on Essex Ham