I am curious as to whether or not solar flares can cause FM reception issues? I am aware that they do cause problems with the AM band..
We are in the middle of a flare up out here in Ca..The Satelite tv reception is pixie for 10 minutes or so and you can never tell when its going to start again. Day or night it happens.
There were annoucements from the Sat. company over the tv and radio that this was going to happen, and baby has it ever!
Any words would be appreciated....
Marc
Posted on: 19 October 2003 by Minky
Forget about sunspots Marc. What with the "Rage" virus and the Borg on their way, they are the least of your worries.
Posted on: 19 October 2003 by Onthlam
Resistance is futile. I will be assimilated...
WE ARE THE BORG!!!
Marc
Posted on: 19 October 2003 by Geofiz
Seriously,
Sunspots manifest their destructive power primarily through causing fluctuations in the Earth's ambient magnetic field. This can be visually seen as greater than normal Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) in the northern hemisphere (there is a similar phenomena, Borealis Australis in the southern hemisphere). It can affect long power transmission lines, causing momentary fluctuations (the power line is an antenna) and in very exceptional and extreme (in theory anyways) power blackouts. The biggest problem that the solar flares cause is that the generated magnetic field, disrupts satellite communications and can in the extreme, disable a satellite. The Earth's atmosphere disperses these effects for the most part, giving rise to greater than normal magnetic activity betwen the Earth's magnetic poles, usually resulting in very spectacular Auroras. The influence on the Earth's magnetic field can be predicted in advance of the flares arrival with a high degree of accuracy, the effect lasting for a period of several days or even weeks. This phenomena is tracked world-wide in addition to other daily mangetic field fluctuations through a network of magnetic field monitoring stations.
But as Minky suggests, you needn't worry unless you listen/watch satellite programming for TV and radio.
Cheers,
