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Amateur Radio Club SOLAR ACTIVITY: Perhaps you've been hearing about the increased levels of solar activity over the past several months. Those involved with amateur radio certainly have taken notice because the sun can dramatically affect our ability to communicate through the ionosphere, either benefiting communications or preventing them. It all depends on the level of the activity emanating from the sun: too much is bad, while a little can greatly improve long distance communications. There are two types of solar events that concern us. First, Solar Flares, which run in 11-year cycles, are violent eruptions from the Sun's surface and typically last only a few minutes to an hour. The result is that the Earth's ionosphere gets ionized and are a ham's delight because long distance communications are suddenly greatly improved. However, if a stronger flare ionizes the lower ionosphere, then ham's are generally blocked from long distance communications. The effects of a solar flare can remain in the Earth's atmosphere for several days even though the flare itself has subsided. A much greater risk comes from Coronal Mass Ejections (CME's). If a solar flare is exceptionally strong, it may result in a massive discharge of particles from the surface of the sun, although a CME can occur on its own without initiation from a solar flare. Large CME's will not only disrupt communications, but can shut down a country's power grid, cable networks, ATMs, cellular communications, as well as burn out home appliances. These are serious, and small compensation is that for short periods of time during the CME, communications can actually be enhanced. CME's are the cause for the colorful auroras in our Northern and Southern latitudes. In recent memory massive CME's have shut down large portions of Brazil's power grid as well as the power grids in some Canadian cities. The entire province of Quebec had an electrical blackout in 1989 due to a CME. However, CME's won't affect the Earth unless directed toward us. CME's peak at about two to three per day when there is maximum sunspot activity and drop to about 1 per week during minimal sunspot activity. Unfortunately, we are currently near the peak of the sun's 11-year activity cycle. There isn't much we can do except hope for the best. The Amateur Radio Club meets at 10 am in the Lodge Card Room. Our website is w6fsb.com. ~ Pete Hersey, KJ6NRR 34 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JULY 2013 | clubs & Groups Taste d'Vine Here's to the continued exploration of various wines. Our last meeting was the blind tasting of three Chardonnays and three Merlots. Wow! It was fun and there was lively discussion among the tables. Some liked this, others liked that. Even though there were winners, the purpose was to reinforce the mantra of whatever YOU like is okay. One of the least favorite wines happened to be the most expensive! The warm weather is upon us and we continue with wines for summer quaffing. Join us Thursday, July 18, at 6 pm in the Lodge Ballroom for wine tasting, food, fun, and entertainment. As always, bring an appetizer that can feed eight , your glass or two. Members $5, guests $8. For information, please feel free to contact me. Cheers! ~ Anita Worthen Writers' Club The Writers' Club will be born at the first meeting on Sept. 10, at 1:30 pm, in the Craft Room at the Lodge. This club is for everybody who had an idea or an experience, either only in mind or already couched, in part or completely, and would like to share it and discuss it with friends for inspiration, evaluation and creative suggestions. Parts of the presentations and discussions may be confidential. If you would like to put down in words a special idea or experience you had, for others to appreciate and enjoy reading, this club is for you. Join us and we will try to help each other, not by lecturing, but by discussing projects and helping bring them to life in a poem, a play, a short story, a memoir, an article or a book. This club is also for the writers among us. They also need some stimulation and inspiration sometimes. Believe me! For more information, please get in touch with me, Joseph, by e-mail at josephlaurin@verizon.net or call (951) 769-1520. ~ Joseph Laurin

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