ROC-HAM Solar Eclipse QSO Party
By John (W2JLD) & Nate (N2FIX)
Roc-Ham Radio Network on course for an event that will be "out of this world"
Yes the solar eclipse!
With just over 5 days to go for an event that will take our breathe away.
We will be on YouTube Live April 8th 2024 for the Solar Eclipse operating W2E special event call here in Rochester, NY. We are directly in the path and will see total totality. A big thanks goes out to Nate/N2FIX and his fellow hams in Genesee county for helping us with this event and providing the YouTube Live feed.
Work us during the Solar Eclipse QSO Party
What is a Solar Eclipse QSO Party (SEQP), and why is it being held?
The Solar Eclipse QSO Party is an opportunity for amateur radio operators (hams) to operate during the October, 2023 and April, 2024 eclipses, before, during and after they pass over North America. Using various modes (CW, voice, and digital), two-way transmissions (QSOs) made during the SEQP will contribute to scientific studies focusing on the ionosphere’s reaction to the eclipse. The studies should lead to a better understanding of the interactions between the Sun, the ionosphere, and radio wave propagation. That research should benefit hams, professional broadcasters, satellite operators, and many other users of radio spectrum.
When will the SEQP occur?
April 8, 2024; 1400-2400 UTC; is the official 2024 SEQP event period.
The SEQPs both start a few hours before the eclipses begins their transit across the US mainland, so baseline data can be gathered. (It is important to know how well the ionosphere is reflecting and refracting high frequency (HF) signals prior to the eclipses.)
They continue through the entire eclipse period, in order to study how HF propagation is affected by the eclipse (past experience suggests that ionospheric changes will be visible in the data).
They conclude a few hours after the eclipses transit beyond the US mainland, in order to observe and study the after effects of the eclipse (such as ionospheric recovery, if any).
You do not have to operate the full SEQP hour period, though that would be most welcome. If you only have an hour or two, try to schedule your operating when the eclipse path is nearest to your QTH.
That will raise the odds that your signals will be affected by the eclipse. Eclipse paths can be seen at https://www.greatamericaneclipse.com/.
For more info on this event go to https://www.roc-ham.net/solar-eclipse-2024/
Special event qsl cards will be available.
All eyes will be on the skies!
Source: ROC-HAM Radio Network open_in_new
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