CME on the way?

Newly-arriving data from NASA's STEREO probes suggest that a coronal mass ejection (CME) might be heading toward Earth. The source of the cloud appears to be sunspot complex 1185-1186, which experienced an episode of magnetic instability during the early hours of April 9th. Stay tuned for updates to this preliminary analysis.
CME movies: STEREO-A, STEREO-B.
source

KD8BIG

The last 5 weeks have been rough for me, two ambulance rides and 3 visits to the Emergency Room. I have lots of health issues at the moment and I am hoping this all slows down soon.
Mean while, as I stated the other week I hope to get into the swing of things soon. Thanks all for your e-mails and visits.
73,
de KD8BIG

Yaesu, Kenwood & Icom Japan Plant Shutdowns

I have received several e-mails asking if I have heard anything in regards to the Amateur Radio Manufacturing Plants on Shutdown in Japan due to last months Earthquake/ Tsunami.

This is what I found from their web-sites;

YAESU
Click HERE for a message from the Yaesu CEO/President

KENWOOD
Kenwood Updates Current Status Of Company Operations In Japan
Click Here

ICOM
Read about Icom and the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan
Click Here

KD8BIG & Articles of Interest

The last few weeks I have not been feeling to well. Many health issues along with two ambulance rides to the hospital. I am hoping to get back into the swing of things over the next few days.

de KD8BIG
KD8BIG Twitter

Articles of Interest
Ham radios find place in high-tech wor
Girl, 8, parents band together as ham radio operators
Amateur radio balloon video
Ham radio operators concerned about losing band
Local hobbyists riding the waves‎
ULM students earn amateur radio licenses‎

This Weekends Contest

NCCC Sprint	Apr 1
SOC Hank Kohl Memorial CW Bash	Apr 2
LZ Open 40m Sprint Contest	Apr 2
ARCI Spring QSO Party	Apr 2-3
SP DX Contest	Apr 2-3
EA RTTY Contest	Apr 2-3
QCWA Spring QSO Party	Apr 2-3
Missouri QSO Party	Apr 2-3
RSGB RoPoCo SSB	Apr 3
RSGB 80m Club Championship, CW	Apr 4

Aurora Borealis

I remember back in 1998 we loaded up the motor home and took our first major family trip to the Great White North. Although it was in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, we saw the aurora borealis. It was amazing, I only wish that in those days we had the technology we do now and I would have been able to take photos with our digital camera. Maybe our next trip that way.

NORTHERN LIGHTS VIDEO: Oh to be in Norway! Norwegian photographer Ole C. Salomonsen has sorted through more than 50,000 images of the aurora borealis he took during the past six months and assembled the best ones to create a must-see video entitled Land of the Northern Lights. Click here to watch--and then call your travel agent.

Supermoon; Incredible video!

Watch video of the "Supermoon," which could be seen on March 19, 2011. It was the closest the moon has been to Earth since 1993.

BIG Trouble on the Way?

A big sunspot is emerging over the sun's southeastern limb, and it is crackling with activity. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded a surge of extreme ultraviolet radiation from the sunspot's magnetic canopy on March 21st.
This appears to be the return of old sunspot 1165, last seen in early March when it formed on the sun's southwestern limb. Since then it has been transiting the far side of the sun, apparently growing in size and restlessness. The potential for trouble will become more clear in the hours ahead as the active region emerges in full. Stay tuned.

Tsunami Climbing: Ship heading into wave in Japan

The Japanese Coast Guard released footage of a ship in the ocean during the tsunami.

PRESTO ALERT

Rare event 03 21 2011 0957 UTC: Proton flux increased; storm threshold not reached. Back-sided plasma cloud came into view of STEREO B COR2 @ 0254 UTC maybe associated w/proton levels. Earth is magnetically connected w/source site behind Sun. Parker spiral has bended magnetic field lines that guide the electrically charged protons. Earth is near such field lines along which these protons travel. This is a rare event.

SIDC - Solar Influences Data Analysis Center - Homepage

PRESTO Alert

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival Special Event Station

Amateur Radio at Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival
Moray Firth Amateur Radio Society is celebrating the Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival by running three Special Event stations, one located at Strathisla distillery in Keith (call-sign GB3SWF) another located at the Craigellachie Distillery (call-sign GB2SWF) and a third at Glenfarclas Distillery (probably GB4SWF).

The objective of this exercise is to contact as many amateur radio stations as possible, worldwide, to promote Scotland’s iconic dram – malt whiskey. Each station will operate on the Shortwave (HF) bands, principally 80m, 40m and 20m SSB, and also on VHF when possible.

A commemorative QSL card will be sent to all stations that contact the club during the weekend and the station with the most confirmed number of contacts will also win a bottle of malt whiskey. There will be prizes of miniature bottles of malt whiskey sent to the top listed stations in the countries of the United Kingdom (England, Wales, Scotland, & Northern Ireland).

The Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival is held each year during the first long weekend in May (28 April to 2 May 2011), it creates an opportunity for visitors to enjoy a visit to Speyside before the start of the main tourism season.

The Festival invites visitors to celebrate Scotland’s national drink through an inventive and wide-ranging program of whiskey-inspired events – some educational, all of them fun.
Further details can be found on their website www.spiritofspeyside.com
source

Big Eruption on the Sun 3/19/11

ICONIC ERUPTION: A huge filament of magnetism and hot plasma blasted off the sun's southwestern limb on March 19th around 1200 UT. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded the action.
The eruption was not Earth-directed, but it did attract plenty of attention on our planet. Many amateur astronomers in Europe witnessed the blast and said it was the biggest one they'd ever seen. This event continues the recent trend of increasing solar activity, and shows anew that Solar Cycle 24 is gaining steam after a long period of relative quiet.
source

Super Moon; What's So Super?

Very cool e-mail I just got.

"On Saturday night, the moon will arrive at perigee at 19:09 UT (3:09 p.m. Eastern Time). Its distance from the Earth at that moment will be 221,565 miles. But just over three years ago, on Dec. 12, 2008, which was also the night of a full moon, the moon reached perigee at 21:39 UT (4:39 p.m. Eastern Time) at a distance of 221,559 miles, about 6 miles closer than Saturday night's perigee distance."
"Chester points out that on Dec. 12, 2008, the moon reached fullness at 16:37 UT, while perigee was at 21:39. That's a difference of just over five hours. So when the moon turned full that night, it was still five hours away from reaching its closest point to Earth; its distance at the moment it turned full was 221,587 miles.
In contrast, today's full moon occurs at 18:10 UT, while perigee occurs at 19:09; the difference being less than an hour. So today, when the moon officially turns full, its distance from Earth will be 221,566 miles.
So even though the moon actually came a little closer to Earth in December 2008, if we compare distances when the moon officially turns full, today's full moon wins out by a scant 21 miles. "
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/...permoon-super/

This Weekends Contest.

10-10 Int. Mobile Contest Mar 19
BARTG HF RTTY Contest Mar 19-21
Feld Hell Sprint Mar 19
Russian DX Contest Mar 19-20
Oklahoma QSO Party Mar 19-20
AGCW VHF/UHF Contest Mar 19
Virginia QSO Party Mar 19-21
North Dakota QSO Party Mar 19-20
UBA Spring Contest, 6m Mar 20
Run for the Bacon QRP Contest Mar 21
Bucharest Contest Mar 21

Full Calendar; click here

Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant; UPDATE 3/19/11

I am encouraging everyone to avoid the media reports in regards to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
I truly feel that the media is placing fear into those who do not understand what is going on.
I recommend the following sites.

IAEA; International Atomic Energy Agency
Click here
Japanese Earthquake Update (19 March 2011 12:00 UTC)

Contamination in Food Products around FukushimaJapanese Earthquake Update (19 March 2011 12:00 UTC)

Click here

NEI; Nuclear Energy Institute
click here

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Update 3/18/2011

I am avoiding the media reports covering the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants. I feel that the NEI and the IAEA provide better reports with out the drama and hype.

NEI-Nuclear Energy Institute

IAEA-International Atomic Energy Agency


Top Story | 18 March 2011
Japan Earthquake Update

18 March 10:15 UTC: Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA that new INES ratings have been issued for some of the events relating to the nuclear emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants. Read more →

Information on the Japanese Earthquake and Reactors in That Region