I’ve long been an advocate for Greg, KJ6ER’s, POTA PERformer antenna. Over the last 8 months or so, I’ve used this antenna in a variety of situations and locations and have often been impressed by how well it works. But in using it, I’ve also refined a few aspects in the setup process to help speed things along. I’ve long had the mantra that a good portable antenna is one that assembles quickly and provides decent performance. While there are antennas that are more efficient, the ones that I will gravitate to are those that require less setup so I have more time on the air.
This week’s video highlights three things that I do to make the POTA PERformer setup quicker: https://youtu.be/pm7YqRr766w
If you are not familiar with the POTA PERformer, it is an elevated 1/4 wave vertical antenna with elevated, tuned, radials. Greg Mihran, KJ6ER, developed the POTA PERformer concept, and while it really a new thing (there are many elevated verticals that predate his), he has refined the antenna for efficiency and portable operation. If you are interested in building your own POTA PERformer antenna, I recommend these two resouces:
KJ6ER’s detailed plans for the POTA PERformer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LwSbXXeovjJdT8ijpOi-9FYR–nNsxgD/view
My video instructions on how to build the POTA PERformer
Please not that some of the dimensions in my video are different than in Greg’s plans. He has further tuned the antenna since the video and while the video’s dimensions won’t fail you, I recommend you follow the written dimensions.
Has Cycle 25 Peaked?
Hams, especially those active on the HF bands, have more than a curiosity to what the sun is up to. Solar activity greatly affects radio propagation, for better or worse, and we often sing praises or curse what Ole’ Sol is throwing at us. As we ride the crest of Cycle 25, I have recently wondered if we are at the peak, or if more sunspots and turbulent activity is headed our way. This was the discussion last week on our monthly livestream as Joe and I walked through the sunspot numbers for the last year. You can watch that segment here: https://youtu.be/1HRqXRnXCTM
Many feel that the peak happened in August of 2024. That’s the month with the highest number of sunspots so far. But I have a feeling that this summer might deliver another round of high sunspots. That prediction, though, is hinging on one thing: the magnetic pole shift.
Like the earth and other planets, the sun as positive and negative magnet poles. When we reach the apex of a solar cycle, those poles reverse their polarity. Sometimes the pole shift can happen quickly, or it can slowly occur over several years. At this point, we haven’t seen any indicators of that shift, so there is still hope that we haven’t quite reached the peak. If you want to learn more about the pole shift and its impact, check out this article.
Moving forward, the next six months will be the real indicator if we are still trending upwards or starting to retreat. If during that period, the average or smoothed number of sunspots over that period drops or stays the same, we are most likely at the peak. If we start seeing an increase, then be aware that a second peak can happen.
So what does this mean to amateur radio operators? I expect the summer of 2025 to be similar to the summer of 2024. That is a high amount of solar activity and storms. Expect turbulent conditions on the upper bands with deep fades on 10 and 15 meters and lots of noise on 40 and 80 meters. At the same time you’ll experience some windows of amazing DX.
Don’t let this get your hopes up, as we ride through the crest, better conditions will be on the way. The shoulders of the solar cycle, both on the up and down side consistently produce better propagation than the peak or the trough.
What do you think? Are we still climbing to the top, or is the peak of Cycle 25 behind us? Leave a comment down below.
Finishing up
I must admit, this week’s video phones it in a bit. The first couple weeks of April has a lot going on for me. Between fulfilling orders, attending city meetings, and getting my taxes done, I don’t have much time for radio things. Good stuff is in the pipeline, though, so stay tuned.
I hope to catch you on the air soon
Michael
KB9VBR
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