[CQ-Contest] 1958 flare?

[K4SB]

Cedrick Johnson wrote:
> I read somewhere today that solar activity hasn't been this good/bad since
> 1958. What were the propagation conditions like back then?
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Well, honestly, the solar activity was already at such a high spot
that I think 1957 would probably fit. As for conditions, they were
simply incredible. 10 was open 24 hours a day, you could work any
continent at any time of the day or night, and a simple dipole would
put in a S9+20/30 signal with QRP power.

I think it was 1957, but in the early afternoon, I was using my old
Hallicrafters to listen to a SSB round table. Every continent in the
world was represented by at least one station, and every station was
hearing the other. The next day, I traded in the
Hallicrafters for a receiver for SSB, and started building a SSB rig
from a kit. Made a VFO from a ARC 7 receiver, but that limited me to
80 and 20. First amplifier was 4
6AG7s in grounded grid ( and for you newcomers, the 6AG7 was a common
metal cover receiver tube ) with 700 volts on the plate. I could drive
it to about 300 watts PEP.

I hope all of you will one day see 10 like that again.

73
Ed