Sunspots?

With all the talk lately about sunspots, namely the lack of, I thought I'd confess something that might seem a bit unusual.

I've never been on the air during a period of high sunspot activity. Yes, that's right. Never. And I've been a ham for over 30 years.

How can this be?

First, I guess I should define what I'm referring to as "high sunspot activity". Well, I can't give you a quantitative number, like 50 or 60, or even 100. What I can say definitively is that the two periods where I've been an 'active' ham were both during sunspot minimums. And this is one of those periods. So, we're probably talking about, oh, say...zero sunspots!

And, second, I have no one to blame but myself. And work. And family. And all those other obligations that got in the way of ham radio. Oh, and moving 9 times in 6 years (long story).

So, while everyone is complaining about the lack of sunspots, or expressing their joy over a count of 15, I'll say that ignorance is bliss. Because whenever we do get some sunspots, regardless of how many, it'll be a new experience for me!

On other topics, I've been following the blog of W9OY http://w9oy-sdr.blogspot.com/ and his experiences with software defined radio, specifically the new Flex 3000. I'm extremely intrigued by this radio. For one, the price is very attractive (~$1600) and the capabilities seem out of this world for that price level. I'm not in the market for a new radio - my wife would shoot me - but if I were, this one would be right at the top of the list. I don't know how much I'd enjoy not having a tuning knob, although there are some possibilities to add a third party tuning knob. But I often use my logging program and the built-in spotting screen to tune, so the truth is, it wouldn't be that much of a departure. It is really appealing that there are no filters to buy, no additional hardware to buy for digital modes, and a large support forum. And I like the idea of being able to update the radio's capabilities nearly indefinitely. There are some drawbacks to the 3000, no receive-only antenna input, that's a bummer, although it is available on the more expensive 5000.

Also, the 3000 doesn't have a second receiver, and there is no option of adding one. Although I generally prefer using my K2 on a daily basis, it's really nice to turn on the FT-1000MP and use the second receiver to sift thru pileups and spot my transmit frequency, or find a clear spot, or keep an eye on another station simultaneously. A K3 had topped my wish list for some time now, but, the fact is, by the time you add all the options, including the second receiver, you're in a new price range altogether. And at this point, that price range is out of MY range. So for now, I'm sticking with what I have. But I've enjoyed learning more about the new 3000.