I get the ARRL Propagation bulletin each Friday as many
of you also may do and I have heard not one single Chicken
Little warning about pending apocalypse. Just the usual remarks
about how this Solar Cycle is one of the weakest on record and
how it appears to match Solar cycles around the turn of the last
century such as the Solar cycle of 1913 which was also very
weak. The NPR program "Science Friday" also mentions Solar
activity relatively often and they also say nothing about
anything to be worried about.

	If the Sun was to loose it's magnetic field while
reversing poles, there would be lots of coronal mass spewing out
in all directions as the magnetic field of the Sun is partly
responsible for holding particles inside. If anything, there are
less coronal mass ejections during this cycle than in cycles
past.

	One theory that has been used to describe what might
happen if the Earth's magnetic field flipped says that what
would probably happen is that we would have no unified magnetic
field for a while but that we would see magnetic fields here and
there all over the Earth. We would have aurora in odd places and
radiation from the Sun and space in general would flood in.

	If the Sun lost it's magnetic field, it might do it the
same way so that spews of coronal material would pop out like
sand leaking out of a bag. anything aimed in our direction would
enter our ionosphere and kill radio propagation while it was
happening.

	It's kind of quiet and boring right now so I seriously
doubt we will see or hear anything spectacular any time soon.

	If something big happens, look for a really good VHF
opening just before we all die screaming.

	As you can probably tell, I am terrified. I should leave
work now, go home and finish that almost new carton of
Strawberries and Home-made Vanilla Bluebell ice cream while
there is still time. The thought of Bluebell Ice Cream getting
wasted is just too horrifying to imagine.

	I plan to eat it while listening to the Sporadic E on
450 MHZ and maybe even at 900 MHZ.o
	Everybody take care and hope that ten opens up this
Fall.

Martin WB5AGZ
Howard Kaufman writes:
> Oops, have to hold the dog by the other end, where it has that furry 
> handle.
> 
>