• Solar Flux Takes One Giant Step

    From ARRL de WD1CKS@VERT/WLARB to QST on Tue Sep 5 17:42:46 2017
    09/05/2017

    On Labor Day, the solar flux took a huge leap, from 120 to 183 from a day earlier. At 1300 UTC today, the solar flux was 144, and the sunspot number was 122. This bodes well for operation on the higher bands, with transequatorial propagation (TEP) a possibility on 12 and 10 meters as well as improved nighttime conditions on 20, 17, and 15 meters.

    "The ionosphere will start cooling later this month; early October could be interesting!" Frank Donovan, W3LPL, has predicted. Alex Schwarz, VE7DXW, of RF Seismograph[1] fame, suggested that 6-meter openings also could occur. "I hope everybody can enjoy the propagation," he said.

    The NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC[2]) said today that a CME analysis[3] was in progress. "Forecasters are in the process of analyzing a coronal mass ejection that could reach Earth within the next 2 days," NOAA said. The SWPC also has issued warnings for minor geomagnetic storming and a minor radio blackout. A moderate radio blackout occurred on September 4 at 2033 UTC. - Thanks to The Daily DX[4], SWPC


    [1] http://users.skynet.be/myspace/mdsr/
    [2] http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/
    [3] http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/cme-analysis-progress
    [4] http://www.dailydx.com/

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