Coronal Mass Ejection

At the next Meeting of the ALPB (Association of Low Power Broadcasters) on August 2, I will propose Hearings on a Part 15 Plan for Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) Preparedness.

When all other human systems are demolished for years to come, Part 15 radio will be there to re-start civilization.

2 man team. One person runs the station, while the other rides the pedal powered generator for power. 🙂

You always put such wonderful scientific/electronic

theory on here. 

I didn't know about the Carrington Event until

an engineering prof here at U of H read me a

copy of Carrington's notes on the event.  That

was probably 5 or 10 years ago.  Correct me

if I'm wrong, but I think 2 different scientists

wrote about the event in the best detail that

they could with what they had to work with -

which wasn't much.  The 2 men were not

in the same place, they were apart by a

fairly great distance, I think. 

As I seem to remember what was said - they

observed what looked like a brilliant whilte

flare that was much brighter than the sun

itself.  It almost looked like a little white sun

on the serface of our sun.  Then it faded

down for a bit, and then got much much

brighter (than before)  until it went down again

and eventually faded away. 

Considering the importance, scope, and

magnitude of the event - when I think about

it - it gives me the creeps.  All of that "power,"

not under our control.  - - With overhead

telegraph wires burning up, and telegraph

sounders racking with gibberish - with no

batteries connected to the systems. (Wow!)

I know that you are familiar the the Maunder

Minimum  (a completely different subject, really.)

Gosh, in the year 1690, solar activity

was so incredibly low - I don't know if around-the-earth

communications would even be possible by radio. 

It's a good thing there were no radios then. 

Bruce, Mon. Stn., CT

Part 15 stations using the Knight Kit phono oscillator will not be affected I am happy to report.

My Hallicrafters S-120 and S-20R should be fine.  Also as well my HB-115A and KT-195.

I'll be listening and broadcasting if my generator is still running.

Judging from the model designation

it sounds like an old Lafayette CB set.

Either that or an old shortwave receiver.

(?)

That's a nice collection of gear by the way.

Bruce, Mon. Stn., CT

The HB-115A is a 1960's vintage Lafayette CB.  23 channel tuner, 8 position transmit crystals.  A very basic tube CB.

The KT-195 is a Lafayette AM broadcaster same vintage.

The Hallicrafters S-120, also 1960's, is a 4 band receiver which covers 530 kHz to 30 mHz.  It has a BFO which allows receiving CW and Sideband transmissions.

The Hallicrafters S20-R is older, around the 1940's or so.  Physically much larger than the S-120.  It covers 520 kHz to about 40 mHz.  It has additional controls for RF gain and audio tone.

Yup.  I had an S-120.  I also had a KT-195,

long gone.  I believe you were the

guy that made your KT-195 safe and

you also improved the modulation. 

My long gone KT-195 FMed like crazy.

With a regular radio, the center of the

tuned in signal had no audio at all. 

My friend up the street (when I was 12)

had a Lafayette HE-20A, the model before

the famous HE-20T.  It also had a tunable receiver

with crystal controlled transmit channels. 

And it was vacuum tubes.  I looked at the

radio in awe.  My CB "set-up" was just 

a 100 mW Radio Shack TRC-22 2 channel

100 mW walkie talkie.  Actually, there

were 2 versions of the TRC-22.  I had the

second version which looked very different

from the first.  I have a small collection of

vintage CB gear.  I guess my favorite is

the 100 mW TRC-1B walkie talkie. 

One channel - channel 11 -

crystals that, unfortunately, are soldered to the

board.  I have some other vintage CB gear, but

nothing that will talk to the TRC-1B.  All the radios

in my CB collection have plug in crystals and that's all.

(And they are all on other channels.)  So the TRC-1B was

from 1968.  Later, it was sort of upgraded to something

called the TRC-4, with was 300 mW with 2 switchable plug

in channels.  (I don't have a TRC-4.)  I really love CB radios

from the 1960s.  That was

when it all started for me.   It was CB radio and TV DXing -

those were the first 2 things. 

I have vacuum tube shortwave receivers and transmitters. 

So if there was a solar flare - yeah - those would

work if I  had a generator.  All I can think of is the

home made generator they had on Gilligan's island, which was

made of bamboo. 

Bruce, Mon. Stn., CT

I've mentioned this before, but

I have a Lafayette PF-300.  This

is a very good tunable VHF/UHF monitor

receiver from - - the late 1960s to

early 1970s?  It's the 3 basic bands -

30 - 50 MHz, 144 - 174 MHz, and

450 - 470 MHz.  It works great and is

built like a tank.  I mention it every

once in a while - because there is

nothing about it on the internet.

It makes me feel as if I have the

only one.  I think it's a really nice

looking radio, too.

Bruce, Mon. Stn., CT