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Solar cycle exceeds expectations, Brandon's story, Holiday sale.
Solar Cycle 25 Exceeds Expectations
making now the perfect time to try HF!
Solar Cycle 25 is in full swing, and its elevated sunspot numbers and solar flux levels are creating prime conditions for global communication. For experienced operators and newcomers alike, there’s never been a better time to “get radioactive” and explore the magic of bouncing signals off the ionosphere to connect with the world.
Solar activity directly affects HF propagation, and the current solar cycle has exceeded expectations. Sunspot numbers consistently over 200 mean a highly energized ionosphere, supporting long-distance (DX) communication on bands like 20m, 17m, and 15m during the day. At night, lower bands such as 40m and 80m come alive, offering opportunities for regional and international contacts.
One exciting feature of heightened solar activity is the performance of the 6-meter band, affectionately called the “magic band”. Technically a VHF band, 6m behaves like HF under the right conditions, supporting long-distance communication through sporadic-E propagation and even F-layer reflection during strong solar peaks. This yields a unique opportunity to contact operators across continents, even with low power and relatively simple antennas.
Whether you’re chasing DX and exchanging QSL cards, contesting, using digital modes like PSK31 and FT8, or exploring the “magic band,” the fun and challenge of ham radio are waiting for you.
For those who are just getting started with HF:
- Choosing Equipment: If you don’t have an HF radio yet, entry-level transceivers like the Icom IC-7300 or Yaesu FT-891 are excellent starting points. Many options are compact and suitable for home or portable setups.
- Antenna Options: Simple wire antennas, such as dipoles or end-fed half-wave antennas, are inexpensive and effective for beginners. For small spaces, creative solutions like vertical or magnetic loop antennas will work.
- Learn and Listen: Start by listening on the HF bands to understand the rhythm of amateur communication. Online tools like the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) and solar propagation reports help identify the best bands to use at any given moment.
- Embrace Clubs and Mentors: Joining a local ham radio club or online community can provide invaluable guidance, from setting up gear to making your first contact.
The time to get radioactive is now, as the ionosphere’s performance during Solar Cycle 25 ensures thrilling opportunities to reach out and explore the world, one call sign at a time.
Brandon's Story
by Brandon Cunningham, W1SI
This month, we share how the owner's son, Brandon, W1SI, got his ham radio license:
 Ham radio has been in my life for as long as I can remember. My father, W1AI, has been a ham radio operator and “enthusiast” longer than I’ve been alive, so I was exposed to it early on. Even though it wasn't one of my hobbies at the time, my father let me help develop the HamTestOnline™ courses, watching the website become the amazing study method it is today!
“Sparky” I come from a family with an affinity for science. And let me tell you folks, the apple fell straight from the tree! Over the years I have helped with HamTestOnline in many different ways — from implementing hint buttons, to designing our mascot, Sparky, and drawing various graphics throughout the website. Still, it wasn’t until age 23 that I decided to get my Technician license.
Imagine a beautiful summer day in 2010, I’m with my father and his friend, K1RV, listening to them chat about radios and antennas, trying hard to understand everything. I'm sure many of you may recall a similar experience. It seemed like a lot of fun and I wanted to be a part of it, so I turned to my father and said, “I think I’m going to get my ham license!”
He started looking up exam sessions, and quickly announced, “There’s an exam session this evening. If you study on the website for the next few hours, you can probably pass the Technician exam tonight!” I figured it was possible, because I had already seen much of the material while working on the website, and I knew there was no better way to study than HamTestOnline.
“Okay then, let’s do it!” He handed me his phone, and I drilled through questions for the next 4-5 hours, all the way up until the exam. I set my repetition delay factor very high because I wanted to see as many questions as possible within my limited study time. I was a little nervous because I didn't finish seeing all the questions before the exam, but there was no backing out now.
I recall feeling disappointed at how many answers I had to guess during the exam, and I was pretty sure I had failed. It took a few minutes for them to grade it. “Congratulations, you passed!”, they said. “Wait, I passed?! Yesss!!!”, I said, as I pumped my fist! I couldn't believe I had done it after only one afternoon of study.
They asked if I wanted to take the General exam, and while I did attempt it, I missed it by a few questions. That was not surprising, since I hadn’t studied any of the General materials. Nonetheless, I was now a licensed ham, thanks to HamTestOnline! I had planned to apply for a vanity call sign, but the FCC assigned me KB1URL. I’m a computer nerd, so I kept it (Kilo Byte 1 Uniform Resource Locator!).
One of my graphics from the course — Sparky and the Alien demonstrate modulation and demodulation:
Fast-forward to 2018. I’d been working at GoDaddy for a few years, when my father and step-mother, KT1NA, told me the business had grown, and they needed another employee at HamTestOnline. So, once again I said, “Okay then, let’s do it!” That's when they told me my first task was to get my Extra class license!
This time, I wanted to learn all the concepts, including the Technician materials I had rushed through so many years earlier, and I was going for perfect scores. We found an exam session two weeks out, and I turned on all 3 courses and started studying.
This was my opportunity to fully evaluate HamTestOnline, and to find the best study methods. The Technician course materials came back quickly, and I seemed to be breezing through the General course just as quickly.
By the end of the first week, I felt great about the Technician and General materials, but was a bit overwhelmed with the Extra. It was exhausting! It kept getting harder and harder, and I was only halfway through! When I spoke to my father about it, he told me that it’s normal to feel overwhelmed with the Extra course, and many of our customers request a “soft reset” at this point. This meant I would see all the materials and questions from the beginning, reinforcing my understanding of the basic principles.
That, it did! I breezed through the materials in half the time, and I wasn’t feeling lost anymore! However, I had a problem. I was only halfway through the Extra course, and my exam was just a few days away. I still wanted a perfect score, so I postponed the exam by a week.
Oh boy, was I glad I did! As I progressed through the Extra course it continued to increase in difficulty. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at math, but some of those formulas were difficult to learn. While I knew I could pass without learning any math, I was going for a perfect score, so skipping the math wasn't an option for me.
It wasn't easy, but I did it! I made it through all the materials, and even better, I understood them! *Phew!* Now I just needed to drill the questions until everything was fully learned. Study mode did a great job introducing material and tracking which answers I knew, but there were still some questions I hadn't seen in a while.
We add humor where we can! I decided to switch to “View Courses” mode, and drill the questions in “stale” (least recently seen) order. This way I would see all of the questions again, multiple times. I did this for several days, and my speed was increasing. Sometimes I could see the answers before I could finish reading the question. I knew that it wouldn't be long before I was ready. When my final study day arrived, I knew the questions so well that I could go through and answer every General and Extra course question in a single day! A few practice exams towards the end assured me, I was as ready as I could be.
With my exam just 10 hours away, I wanted to be well-rested, so I packed a bag with the necessary paperwork (FRN number, photo ID, ham license), a calculator, and handy-dandy earplugs, then hit the hay a little early. I woke up early and took a few practice exams focusing on my weakest areas. Yes, the software can do that, it's pretty great. I missed a couple of questions here and there, but I knew I had a good shot at a perfect score, so I left for my exam.
When I got there I wasn't nervous like the first time. I was confident and well-prepared. I was glad I brought the earplugs too. It was noisy; I think there were almost 20 people there! I signed in and gave them all the necessary paperwork, then they handed me the General exam.
When I opened up the exam book, I immediately laughed! Every single answer on the page jumped out at me. I was finished in only a few minutes, giggling the whole time. There was no doubt in my mind that I had gotten a perfect score. I didn't want to sound too overconfident, so I told them I was “pretty sure” I got a perfect score. They immediately started grading it, and within a few seconds, they said, “You sure did. You got a perfect score!”
I asked for the Extra and started on that next. That one took a bit longer, but I was still breezing through it. I finished the test with confidence, but I wasn't 100% sure about a couple of the questions. When I turned in the exam, it wasn't a question of whether or not I had passed, but only if I had gotten a perfect score. They started grading that one immediately as well. “Did I do it?”, I'm thinking. It took a bit longer to grade this one, and the moment seemed to last a long time.
That is until I saw him make a couple of marks on my test! Awwwww!! I missed 2 questions. Before I could even think about it, I asked, “Can I retake it?!” All 3 VE’s stopped and looked at me for a moment. A couple of them even laughed. Then, one of them asked me, “Why?! You passed!” To which I responded, “I know, but I'll pass again!” They all laughed. They didn't let me retake it, sadly, but I was confident I would have passed again.
I have to give credit to the method behind HamTestOnline. I learned everything I needed to pass the exams. It truly is, “The software that knows you!” Now, I have an opportunity to be a part of the business again! And, I'm an Extra class ham thanks to HamTestOnline!!!
73,
Brandon
Holiday Sale
Plus a new 10-year renewal option!
Our holiday sale gives $10 off the list price on all courses and savings on all renewals:
- Technician — 3-month subscription for $24.25 — 29% off list price.
- General — 3-month subscription for $31.95 — 24% off list price.
- Extra — 3-month subscription for $37.95 — 21% off list price.
- Renewal — 3-month renewal for $24.25 — 22% off list price.
For those who prefer to spread out their studies, our longer-term renewals offer even greater savings:
- 6-month renewal — Pay for 5 months, get 1 month FREE! ($6.93/month)
- 1-year renewal — Pay for 9 months, get 3 months FREE! ($6.00/month)
- 2-year renewal — Pay for 12 months, get 12 months FREE! ($4.00/month)
- 5-year renewal — Pay for 2 years, get 3 years FREE! ($3.00/month)
- NEW 10-year renewal — Pay for 3 years, get 7 years FREE! ($2.00/month)
Note that all courses and renewals include automatic course updates when new question pools are released.
This holiday season, give yourself the gift of an upgrade, or give a friend the gift of ham radio!
Feel free to respond to this email with comments for the HamTestOnline™ team. We love feedback!
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