On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:24:41 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 14:54:58 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:38:47 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote:

I was wondering about radar reflectivity a couple of days ago and
thought about this - I wonder if aluminized paint, non-fiber or fiber,
epoxy might be a way to paint a dignhy to make it visible to radar.

Or any small boat for that matter.

Might be worth testing out sometime. I can't find any relevant data
on the web about radar reflectivity of aluminum impregnated paints,
then again, I might not be using the right search terms.

The problem is that dinghys and other small boats are so close to the
water that they quickly get lost in sea clutter on radar. Even the
small reflectors and metalic flags that offshore lobstermen use on
their pickup sticks are a lot better than nothing. A decent radar
reflector 10 to 20 feet off the water makes a huge difference.
Liferaft canopies are supposed to have some sort of radar reflective
material, probably metalized mylar, but I'm not sure.

http://www.theradarreflectorsite.org/Articles/MiscellaneousReflectiveMaterials.pdf

Good point.

I wonder though if you couldn't put a reflector on a short pole - say
three feet or so and add a radar transponder?

Anything like that will help a lot, and a transponder will make you
look like a super tanker. However it's one more electronic gizmo to
keep working and no real easy way to test it.

Speaking of electronics, have you been on 20 meters lately? The
sunspots are coming back. We are open to the North East for 2 or 3
hours every day, California and the PNW later in the afternoon. I've
actually made a few contacts on 15 meters lately.

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:08:39 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

Speaking of electronics, have you been on 20 meters lately? The
sunspots are coming back. We are open to the North East for 2 or 3
hours every day, California and the PNW later in the afternoon. I've
actually made a few contacts on 15 meters lately.

Yeah - I've been listening - had a long path QSO with a JA on 30
meters which was a shocker. That's rather unusual.

I'm not sure its sunspots though - at least not at this stage of Cycle
24. I think what's happening is that we're seeing some flare activity
in the Helium I sphere which created a coronal hole - that would cause
an increase in magenetosphere energy here on Earth. As of today, none
of the major observatories have seen any sunspot activity at all. In
fact, the active/minor/severe potential at mid and high latitudes is
at .05/.01/.01 respectively. No spots. :)

I was reading today that the solar jet stream is finally moving into
position towards the sun's equator - two years or so later than it
normally does. That portends increased sunspot activity. How long
that lasts though is a question - it may be the last "umph" before it
enters another Maunder Minimum as some have speculated. The timing is
right.

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:01:16 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:


Yeah - I've been listening - had a long path QSO with a JA on 30 meters
which was a shocker. That's rather unusual.

I'm not sure its sunspots though - at least not at this stage of Cycle
24. I think what's happening is that we're seeing some flare activity
in the Helium I sphere which created a coronal hole - that would cause
an increase in magenetosphere energy here on Earth. As of today, none
of the major observatories have seen any sunspot activity at all. In
fact, the active/minor/severe potential at mid and high latitudes is at
.05/.01/.01 respectively. No spots. :)

I was reading today that the solar jet stream is finally moving into
position towards the sun's equator - two years or so later than it
normally does. That portends increased sunspot activity. How long that
lasts though is a question - it may be the last "umph" before it enters
another Maunder Minimum as some have speculated. The timing is right.

Huh?? ;-)

On 11/21/09 10:10 PM, thunder wrote:
On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:01:16 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:


Yeah - I've been listening - had a long path QSO with a JA on 30 meters
which was a shocker. That's rather unusual.

I'm not sure its sunspots though - at least not at this stage of Cycle
24. I think what's happening is that we're seeing some flare activity
in the Helium I sphere which created a coronal hole - that would cause
an increase in magenetosphere energy here on Earth. As of today, none
of the major observatories have seen any sunspot activity at all. In
fact, the active/minor/severe potential at mid and high latitudes is at
.05/.01/.01 respectively. No spots. :)

I was reading today that the solar jet stream is finally moving into
position towards the sun's equator - two years or so later than it
normally does. That portends increased sunspot activity. How long that
lasts though is a question - it may be the last "umph" before it enters
another Maunder Minimum as some have speculated. The timing is right.

Huh?? ;-)


tom-tom's boats are hundreds and hundreds of miles away from him...so,
it's either play with his rubber ducky in the tub or insult his buds on
SW radio elsewhere.


--
If you are flajim, herring, loogy, GC boater, johnson, topbassdog, rob,
achmed the sock puppet, or one of a half dozen others, you're wasting
your time by trying to *communicate* with me through rec.boats, because,
well, you are among the permanent members of my dumbfoch dumpster, and I
don't read the vomit you post, except by accident on occasion. As
always, have a nice, simple-minded day.

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:10:32 -0600, thunder
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:01:16 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:


Yeah - I've been listening - had a long path QSO with a JA on 30 meters
which was a shocker. That's rather unusual.

I'm not sure its sunspots though - at least not at this stage of Cycle
24. I think what's happening is that we're seeing some flare activity
in the Helium I sphere which created a coronal hole - that would cause
an increase in magenetosphere energy here on Earth. As of today, none
of the major observatories have seen any sunspot activity at all. In
fact, the active/minor/severe potential at mid and high latitudes is at
.05/.01/.01 respectively. No spots. :)

I was reading today that the solar jet stream is finally moving into
position towards the sun's equator - two years or so later than it
normally does. That portends increased sunspot activity. How long that
lasts though is a question - it may be the last "umph" before it enters
another Maunder Minimum as some have speculated. The timing is right.

Huh?? ;-)

Huh what? That the sun has a region of high speed gas they call a jet
stream at the 7Km depth level which causes sunspots or the Maunder
Minimum?

On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:19:03 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:10:32 -0600, thunder
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:01:16 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:


Yeah - I've been listening - had a long path QSO with a JA on 30
meters which was a shocker. That's rather unusual.

I'm not sure its sunspots though - at least not at this stage of Cycle
24. I think what's happening is that we're seeing some flare activity
in the Helium I sphere which created a coronal hole - that would cause
an increase in magenetosphere energy here on Earth. As of today, none
of the major observatories have seen any sunspot activity at all. In
fact, the active/minor/severe potential at mid and high latitudes is
at .05/.01/.01 respectively. No spots. :)

I was reading today that the solar jet stream is finally moving into
position towards the sun's equator - two years or so later than it
normally does. That portends increased sunspot activity. How long
that lasts though is a question - it may be the last "umph" before it
enters another Maunder Minimum as some have speculated. The timing is
right.

Huh?? ;-)

Huh what? That the sun has a region of high speed gas they call a jet
stream at the 7Km depth level which causes sunspots or the Maunder
Minimum?

All of the above. Something about Hams. ;-)

On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:22:26 -0600, thunder
wrote:

On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:19:03 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:10:32 -0600, thunder
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:01:16 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:


Yeah - I've been listening - had a long path QSO with a JA on 30
meters which was a shocker. That's rather unusual.

I'm not sure its sunspots though - at least not at this stage of Cycle
24. I think what's happening is that we're seeing some flare activity
in the Helium I sphere which created a coronal hole - that would cause
an increase in magenetosphere energy here on Earth. As of today, none
of the major observatories have seen any sunspot activity at all. In
fact, the active/minor/severe potential at mid and high latitudes is
at .05/.01/.01 respectively. No spots. :)

I was reading today that the solar jet stream is finally moving into
position towards the sun's equator - two years or so later than it
normally does. That portends increased sunspot activity. How long
that lasts though is a question - it may be the last "umph" before it
enters another Maunder Minimum as some have speculated. The timing is
right.

Huh?? ;-)

Huh what? That the sun has a region of high speed gas they call a jet
stream at the 7Km depth level which causes sunspots or the Maunder
Minimum?

All of the above. Something about Hams. ;-)

ROFTL!!!

"I'm not a solar scientist nor do I play one on TV..."

Having followed this for years, you do start to pick up on things here
and there. Recently, there has been some great solar space science
done at diifferent wavelengths in the past ten or so years which has
really powered up Earth weather science and some very interesting
correlations with the decadal and multidecadal ocean oscillations.

Live long enough, you'll pick up stuff if you're scientifically
oriented. :)

On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 07:20:50 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports
wrote:

On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:22:26 -0600, thunder
wrote:

On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:19:03 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 21:10:32 -0600, thunder
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 22:01:16 -0500, Tom Francis - SWSports wrote:


Yeah - I've been listening - had a long path QSO with a JA on 30
meters which was a shocker. That's rather unusual.

I'm not sure its sunspots though - at least not at this stage of Cycle
24. I think what's happening is that we're seeing some flare activity
in the Helium I sphere which created a coronal hole - that would cause
an increase in magenetosphere energy here on Earth. As of today, none
of the major observatories have seen any sunspot activity at all. In
fact, the active/minor/severe potential at mid and high latitudes is
at .05/.01/.01 respectively. No spots. :)

I was reading today that the solar jet stream is finally moving into
position towards the sun's equator - two years or so later than it
normally does. That portends increased sunspot activity. How long
that lasts though is a question - it may be the last "umph" before it
enters another Maunder Minimum as some have speculated. The timing is
right.

Huh?? ;-)

Huh what? That the sun has a region of high speed gas they call a jet
stream at the 7Km depth level which causes sunspots or the Maunder
Minimum?

All of the above. Something about Hams. ;-)

ROFTL!!!

"I'm not a solar scientist nor do I play one on TV..."

Having followed this for years, you do start to pick up on things here
and there. Recently, there has been some great solar space science
done at diifferent wavelengths in the past ten or so years which has
really powered up Earth weather science and some very interesting
correlations with the decadal and multidecadal ocean oscillations.

Live long enough, you'll pick up stuff if you're scientifically
oriented. :)

Your knowledge of things scientific would be much better demonstrated
if you simply stated, "I also believe everything Al Gore said."
--

John H