G0KTN Amateur Radio - 2026 current projects and technical notes

  What Solar Cycle 25 Has Taught Us And why amateur data really does matter Solar Cycle 25 has turned out to be a surprisingly instructive cycle. Not because it has broken records, but because it has unfolded at a time when amateur monitoring networks are mature, widespread, and actually quiet powerful . For me, one of the clearest lessons from this cycle has been that long-term , systematic amateur observations can reveal propagation behaviour that is subtle, nuanced, and genuinely informative,  often before those changes become obvious in summary indices or prediction models. This short series has touched on MUF dynamics, absorption effects, seasonal modulation, geomagnetic disturbance, late-day high-band behaviour, and the early signs of decline. Each article has been grounded in observation rather than theory alone, and all of it has come from a single, consistent source of data. The value of simply listening - all the time Every article in this series has been ba...

  Why 15 Metres Becomes the Evening Surprise Band at Solar Maximum Most HF users will recognise this. You’ve come down from 10 metres hoping that 12 metres is still open, its not, so move on down to 15m fully expecting it to be fading too. And yet, it’s still there. Signals are not huge but they are workable and DX is still appearing. The band feels alive when, by instinct, it shouldn’t be. This is not imagination, selective memory, or wishful thinking. Near solar maximum, 15 metres often becomes an evening surprise band , lingering after higher bands have already failed. Using CW Reverse Beacon data during the peak of Solar Cycle 25, this article looks at why that happens and why it happens so reliably. Where 15m sits in the HF hierarchy To understand 15 metres behaviour, it helps to place it correctly in the HF spectrum. At solar maximum: 10m and 12m operate close to the MUF 20m operates well below it 15m sits in between That intermediate position is crucia...

  Do Higher HF Bands Stay Open Later at Solar Maximum? What “later openings” really mean - and what the data actually shows It is sometimes said that during solar maximum the higher HF bands “stay open later”. Some will nod in agreement, recalling evenings when 15 metres lingered unexpectedly, or when 12 metres produced signals well past the time it normally fades. But what does “stay open later” actually mean? Later than average? Later in the season? Later compared with solar minimum? And is this a consistent effect, or simply a memorable one? Using CW Reverse Beacon spot data covering late August 2024 to December 2025 (the peak and early decline of Solar Cycle 25), this article takes a look at how higher HF bands behave toward the end of the day at solar maximum, and separates genuine effects from selective memory. What operators usually mean by “open later” In everyday jargon, “open later” tends to describe one or more of the following: Signals still present after l...

  The Early Decline of Solar Cycle 25 What changes first and why amateurs often notice it before the models do Solar cycles do not end with a bang. They fade. After the excitement of solar maximum - lively higher HF bands, frequent openings, and a sense that “everything is possible” the decline phase begins quietly. There is no clear date when the cycle turns. Instead, small changes creep in, often noticed first by operators who spend time listening rather than watching indices. Using CW Reverse Beacon spot data covering late August 2024 through December 2025, this article looks at how the early decline of Solar Cycle 25 reveals itself on the HF bands , which changes appear first, and why amateur observations frequently detect them before formal models or forecasts catch up. Decline is not the opposite of ascent It is tempting to think of the solar cycle as symmetrical: what improved on the way up should simply reverse on the way down. In reality, the decline phase behaves...

Geomagnetic Disturbance and HF Propagation Correlating solar storms with what a UK Reverse Beacon actually hears Geomagnetic storms are often reduced to shorthand phrases: “bands disturbed” , “conditions poor” , or simply “Kp too high” . While these descriptions are not wrong, they hide an important reality: geomagnetic disturbances affect HF propagation in structured, repeatable, and physically explainable ways . Using CW Reverse Beacon data, covering late August 2024 through December 2025, spanning the peak and early decline of Solar Cycle 25, this article looks at how different HF bands respond during geomagnetically quiet periods versus disturbed periods, and how those responses align with well established solar terrestrial physics. Geomagnetic storms are not “more solar cycle” A useful starting point is to separate two solar influences that are sometimes confused. The solar cycle primarily affects HF through radiated output (EUV and soft X-rays), raising or lowering ov...

  Winter vs Summer on 40 Metres Why season often matters more than the solar cycle During the peak of Solar Cycle 25, many operators noticed something that at first seemed puzzling. Solar activity was high, higher HF bands were lively, and yet 40 metres often behaved very differently depending on the time of year. Winter sessions produced long runs of workable DX, while summer daytime operation could feel noisy and unrewarding despite excellent conditions elsewhere on the spectrum. This contrast is not an anomaly, nor a failure of the solar cycle to deliver on 40m. It reflects a basic reality of HF propagation: on 40 metres, seasonal effects often dominate behaviour more strongly than the solar cycle itself . Using CW Reverse Beacon spot data covering late 2024 through the whole of 2025, this article looks at how and why winter and summer produce such different 40m experiences, even under broadly similar solar conditions. What operators commonly notice Most experienced HF op...