A new sunspot emerges, breaking 40 day spotless streak

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(Source: Spaceweather.com via Michael Bird)

A SUNSPOT FROM THE NEXT SOLAR CYCLE: Breaking a string of 40 spotless days, a new sunspot is emerging in the sun’s southern hemisphere. It comes from the next solar cycle. The unnumbered spot is inset in this map of solar magnetic fields from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:

How do we know this is a new-cycle sunspot? Its magnetic polarity tells us so. Southern sunspots from old Solar Cycle 24 have a -/+ polarity. This sunspot is the opposite: +/-. According to Hale’s Law, sunspots switch polarities from one solar cycle to the next. This sunspot is therefore a member of new Solar Cycle 25.

Recently we reported that Solar Minimum has reached a century-class low. This sunspot, plus a few others like it earlier this year, affirm that Solar Minimum won’t last forever. Solar Cycle 25 is showing signs of life. Forecasters expect the next solar cycle to slowly gain strength in the years ahead and reach a peak in July 2025.

www.spaceweather.com

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Reminder: Norddeutscher Rundfunk Christmas Eve Broadcast

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Photo by Jens Rademacher on Unsplash

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald Kuhl (DL1AX), who shares the following announcement from the NDR regarding the annual Gruss an Bord Christmas Eve broadcast. Harald notes:

This year on December 24 Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) will again broadcast its program “Gruss an Bord” on shortwave.

They verify reception report by a detailed QSL card.

[email protected]

[email protected]

Press release below (translated via Google) with schedules and frequencies:

“Greetings on board”: How to receive the broadcast

It has tradition and exudes a very special pre-Christmas mood: On Christmas Eve greetings are sent to the seafarers around the world from 8:05 pm – 10:00 pm and from 11:15 pm – midnight on NDR Info. And on the most different channels and technical ways, so that the greetings and messages can be guaranteed to be received on all seven seas.

The ship’s crews have several options to receive the program “Greeting on board”. Also the shortwave belongs to it.
The livestreams of the program (20.05 to 22 clock and 23.15 clock to 24 clock MEZ) can be found here: NDR Info and NDR Info Special. In addition, there is the possibility to listen to the program via the NDR radio app. NDR Info can also be received via FM, DAB + and DVB-S radio, NDR Info special only via DAB + and DVB-S radio.

So that all crew members on board – on the seas or in the harbors – can receive the traditional program, the NDR radio has also rented shortwave frequencies:

From 19:00 to 21:00 UTC (20:00 to 22:00 CET), the shortwave transmits over the following frequencies (UTC is the abbreviation for Universal Time Coordinated):

“Greeting on board” via shortwave

Frequency target area
6.080 kHz Atlantic – North
11,650 kHz Atlantic – South
9,800 kHz Atlantic / Indian Ocean (South Africa)
9,740 kHz Indian Ocean – West
9,570 kHz Indian Ocean – East
6.030 kHz Europe

Between 21:00 and 23:00 UTC (22:00 – 24:00 CET) the shortwave transmits over the following frequencies:

“Greeting on board” via shortwave

Frequency target area
6.145 kHz Atlantic – North
9,830 kHz Atlantic – South
9,590 kHz Atlantic / Indian Ocean (South Africa)
9,740 kHz Indian Ocean – West
9,675 kHz Indian Ocean – East
6.155 kHz Europe

NDR Info sends the “Greeting on board” from 20:05 to 22:00 CET. This is followed by the transmission of the Christmas Mass from the church of St. Mary Magdalene in Bochum-Wattenscheid from 22 to 23.15 CET. Then you will hear the second part of “Greetings on Board” until midnight CET.

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Reminder: Grimeton Radio / SAQ Christmas Eve Broadcast

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SAQ Current QSL card received by Harald via the QSL bureau

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Harald Kuhl (DL1AX), who shares the following announcement from Grimeton Radio SAQ:

Scheduled transmission from Grimeton Radio / SAQ on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2019

On the morning of Christmas Eve, December 24, we will try to start the old Alexanderson 200 kW transmitter, from 1924 and send out a Christmas message on VLF 17.2 kHz CW. The transmitter will be tuned up from around 08:30 (07:30 UTC) and a message* will be transmitted at 09:00 (08:00 UTC).

Guests are welcome to attend the transmission at the radio station in Grimeton from 08:00 local time. The Alexander association will arrange coffee and Christmas cookies, free of charge. No entrance fee.

For those of you who can not attend, we will broadcast the event live from Grimeton, Sweden on our YouTube Channel.

NEW !
ONLINE RECEPTION REPORT FORM – PLEASE NO E-MAIL REPORTS!
We are introducing a new online SAQ reception report form to be used by listeners to report reception of any SAQ transmissions. We are kindly asking listeners not to send SAQ reception reports via E-mail.

QSL-reports to SAQ are kindly received via:

– Reception report form at alexander.n.se/receptionreport
– or via: SM bureau
– or direct by postal mail to:

The Alexander Association
Radiostationen Grimeton 72
432 98 GRIMETON
S W E D E N

The SK6SAQ amateur radio station will be QRV on the following frequencies:
– 7.035 kHz CW or
– 14.035 kHz CW or
– 3.755 kHz SSB

Two stations will be on the air most of the time.

WELCOME!
World Heritage Grimeton Radio station and The Alexander Association

For further details visit grimeton.org or alexander.n.se

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Reminder: Christmas on-air event to honor Radio Luxembourg

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alexander (DL4NO), who writes:

For a very long time Radio Luxembourg was *the* pop music radio in Europe, especially in Germany and GB. At a time when Germany only had its public radio system, the Radio Luxembourg was the one and only. But this is history.

At Christmas, several German shortwave broadcasters, organized by Radio DARC, will transmit on 6070 kHz in memoriam of Radio Luxembourg from Vienna. See the attached flyer [above].

Excellent! Thank you for the heads-up, Alexander!

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Christmas Carols from Antarctica on Shortwave

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McMurdo Station, Antarctica. (Source: USAP.gov)

(Source: ARRL News)

A program of Christmas carols will be broadcast from Antarctica on Christmas Eve. The transmissions on 7995 kHz USB will begin on December 23 at 2300 UTC, coordinated by McMurdo Communications Operations (MacOps) — known as “The Voice of Antarctica.”

Each year, the station’s residents celebrate the holiday by singing Christmas Carols to those at remote Antarctic field camps. Participation will be from stations scattered throughout the Antarctic continent.

“The radios and antenna systems are optimized for on-continent communication, so we will be lucky to hear them in other parts of the world, but it has happened in the past,” said Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF, who is handling QSL requests and who has participated as part of the chorus in past years while studying in Antarctica. Frissell shared some links of previous concerts, one recorded at McMurdo Station and one from the University of Twente WebSDR in the Netherlands.

Click here to read the full article at the ARRL.

UPDATE: Check out this episode of Short Wave–an NPR podcast–wher they interview the scientists involved in this tradition:

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Video: “Tribute to a Century of Broadcasting”

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Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill (WD9EQD), who writes:

You probably have already seen this, but from The ARRL Letter, November 21, 2019:

Art Donahue, W1AWX, of Franklin, Massachusetts, has posted his “Tribute to a Century of Broadcasting” video in recognition of the centennial of formal radio broadcasts. The video features a complete scan of the AM broadcast band (530 – 1700 kHz), with station IDs for all 118 AM radio channels.

Following is ARRL Link:

Radio Amateur’s “Tribute to a Century of Broadcasting” Video Debuts on YouTube

Following is YouTube link to the video:

It was a lot of fun to watch the video, hear the on-air id checks, and compare what he heard to the list of stations that I have heard.

Thanks for sharing this, Bill–I missed reading about this in the newsletter.  This goes to show you that the AM dial is chock-full of stations here in North America. Those who complain that it’s “dead” simply aren’t listening.

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