Sun spots cause AFN TV and Radio outage

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Larry Schneck
  • American Forces Network, Detachment 12
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Twice a year American Forces Network TV and Radio experiences complete outages due to sun spot and solar flare activity.

AFN is in the period of sun outages, Feb. 28 through March 13.

Sun outages occur when satellites eclipse the sun and their signals are overpowered by solar radiation. This spring's sun outages began Feb. 28 with mild outages; they'll continue getting more severe from March 4 through March 9 and then will subside after March 13.

Local sun outages occur at Misawa Air Base when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. However, because of the number of satellite hops it takes for the AFN signal to arrive in Japan, local viewers and listeners will see temporary disruptions in TV and radio signals a few times during peak sun-outage days.

Loss of signals will last as long as 15 to 20 minutes at a time. It will affect on-base as well as off-base residents.