Call for amateur radio operators to observe and record propagation anomalies

In his editorial in the August edition of QST the ARRL Chief Executive Officer, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, called on radio amateurs to continue to observe and record propagation anomalies.

He wrote "we are about the only people who still are.
There was a time when anyone with a TV set could view the effects of sporadic E, whether they wanted to or not; it's what interrupted the baseball game when the picture from your local station was knocked out by one from Miami or St Louis."

In every generation there are people who seek a better understanding of natural forces that shape life on our planet. For more than a century, amateur radio has provided an outlet for such curiosity. It still does today - and it will tomorrow.

The South African Radio League (SARL) is working with the Hermanus Magnetic Observatory to have space weather conditions streamed in real time. The first step is to set up a display at the NARC in time for the September Radio Technology in Action 2010, after that it will also become available on the SARL web.

The SARL will also be setting up a reporting system to record unusual propagation conditions. If you experience an unusual propagation condition, record all the details and mail a report to unsualprop@sarl.org.za.

SARL website
http://www.sarl.org.za/