[Lutin]

Apparently, the sun is possibly entering a more active phase after a long lull in activity. The resultant increase in solar flares could mean serious problems for satellite communications - and GPS.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8494225.stm

So, stand by for millions of disgruntled GPS users returning their "defective" products and class action law suits (in the US, of course) over warranty claims that make no mention of solar variability on reliability of service.

Oh, and Prat Nav users getting lost 50 metres from home.

Me, I'm sticking with my totally 100% recyclable, battery free, satellite ignoring, handily pocket sized paper maps. Not sure about totally waterproof and the update time could be a little better.



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[Lord Vader]

I am sure this is the excuse MOM was waiting for a long time

 

[Lumiya]

What they don;t explain though is that this cycle is every 11 years and if it's just entering a high cycle it won't be sending out these big solar flares for a year or two..

Mind you it is good news for the radio hams on here as solar flares/sun spots mean contacts all over the world

 

[ian porter]

beet me to it Kymmy,

good news for us sad old gits of astronomers too, the Suns been dead boring for far to long.

 

[BobA]

..good news for the radio hams on here as solar flares mean contacts all over the world

Pahhhh!

If you start wearing flares, none of us will speak to you!!!!

 

[Lutin]

What they don;t explain though is that this cycle is every 11 years and if it's just entering a high cycle it won't be sending out these big solar flares for a year or two..

Mind you it is good news for the radio hams on here as solar flares mean contacts all over the world

It will be interesting to see just how long we have to wait before the effects are felt.

Also interesting to hear about the Radio Hams, as I haven't heard much about this for a long time (not one myself though), as I had assumed that it was one of those things that just isn't done anymore. There has been quite a lot written about more radio noise making Hams life difficult, the last idea was high speed broadband over the high voltage power lines (in the UK at least). Nice long aerials those power lines.



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[Lumiya]

The weird thing is that this high cycle is actually late, The last High Cycle being in 2001 and currently we're just coming off the bottom of the low cycle (2009) so it probably will not peak till 2014-2015 at the very earliest

Oh and before anyone mentions it no it willl not peak in 2012 (they really scr€wed up the title of that film)

 

[Lutin]

Yeah, it was really funny watching some of the BBC News reports about this last week. The solar astronomers were practically jumping up and down with excitement. Which rather begs the question as to what they have been doing in the meantime? Oops, shouldn't have said that..........

Anyway, it seems that Ireland, for once, is in the right place at the right time. There has just been launched a European sun observing satellite, that Ireland actually has a stake in - on-board instruments and ground based data interpretation and dissemination. Who would have thought of that?



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[Lumiya]

Also interesting to hear about the Radio Hams, as I haven't heard much about this for a long time (not one myself though), as I had assumed that it was one of those things that just isn't done anymore. There has been quite a lot written about more radio noise making Hams life difficult, the last idea was high speed broadband over the high voltage power lines (in the UK at least). Nice long aerials those power lines.

The sunspots/flares ionise certain layers of the atmosphere which raises the frequencie reflected back by them.. This then enables the signals to bounce back enabling greater distances than a signal following the ground. As the ground/sea can also reflect the signal you can actually speak to AUS/JAP on a couple of bounces..

Remember that HAM signals are a lot higher power than GPS so it's a different situation.

As for data over power lines the frequencies used will mean that the long power lines will actually attenuate the signals than radiate them

 

[Dee Dub]

... There has just been launched a European sun observing satellite...

Why? We can see the sun from here?

 

[Mabels Old Man]

I am sure this is the excuse MOM was waiting for a long time

Don't need excuses it is a natural occurring wonder. So bo**ox

 

[StumpyFingers]

What they don;t explain though is that this cycle is every 11 years and if it's just entering a high cycle it won't be sending out these big solar flares for a year or two..

Mind you it is good news for the radio hams on here as solar flares/sun spots mean contacts all over the world

I thought it was decided the solar cycle was actually 22 years, that means the 11th year activity will not be as violent as the last one.