--- In motm@yahoogroups.com, "Roger Rossen" <mididood@a...> wrote:
> One last thing before snooze time:
> Do you remember, as a child, being forwarned of such catastrophy
from
> the sun? I don't recall it personally - why is it so important
now?
> Have we been going about this 'electronics thing' all WRONG?'
Solar surface activity is directly related to ionospheric density and
flow around our planet. Greater solar activity increases the density
of the ionosphere. As the density increases, higher frequency
electromagnetic waves are reflected.
If you are operating a land-based radio system, this can be a good
thing as your signal will be reflected back down to earth at a fairly
predictable angle. Satelite signals, however, may not make it to
their intended targets. If the communication signal frequency is
lower than what the ionospheric density will allow to pass, it will
be reflected or absorbed.
Large solar flares are quite common, really. Big ones create
greater "atmospheric" noise by putting electromagnetic energy that
constant bombards us into wilder motion and contantly changing
ionospheric density (among other weird phenomena)and this makes
communication quite difficult. Solar activity is rather predictable-
like the tides-and we are just coming off of a peak of an 11-year
cycle. Given that, this sort of flare-up is to be expected.
Why is this a big deal in the media? Simple, Brittany Spears hasn't
done anything interesting this week!
Chub-surfing the ionsphere and, trust me, longboards RULE!