A Handy Guide To Solar Activity

I recently came across this handy guide to solar activity. It is intended to help the QRP operator, but the information applies to anyone.

State QSO Parties

I'm still new enough into HF that I haven't yet learned when various HF events are happening. This year, Field Day happened a month after I got my license, but I was aware that it was coming up. Since I started out June without an HF radio, I wasn't expecting to work Field Day, but I managed to get myself a Yaesu FT-857 and Buddistick antenna in time, so I was able to make 40 Field Day contacts. Since I started out having no clue what I was doing and only worked a few, sporadic hours, I was pleased to have made that many contacts. Next year I'll be much better prepared for Field Day.

In the meantime, I just discovered this list of state QSO parties: http://qsoparty.eqth.net/

There are quite a few opportunities to try to work specific states scattered throughout most of the year.