RadioBanter - Propagation

The K7RA Solar Update

SEATTLE, WA, Jan 13, 2006--Geomagnetic conditions have been
very, very quiet. This week has seen many periods when the K
index--both planetary and mid-latitude--was zero or one. The
average planetary/mid-latitude K index this week dropped from
5.4/5.1 last week to 3.3/3.4 in the current reporting period.

Of course, this low in the solar cycle, it is not surprising that
sunspot numbers and solar flux also dropped. Average daily
sunspot numbers declined by 35 points from last week to 14.7, and
solar flux was down 7.5 points to an average of 79.4.

Over the next week expect these conditions to stay the same, with
some slightly unsettled geo-activity possible January 16.

Users of Canada's Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory data
were caught off-guard this week when our source of thrice-daily
solar flux readings seemed to disappear from the net. By Googling
around and using a freeware program called Xenu Link Sleuth--a
handy desktop Web spidering application that you can also find via
a Google search, I finally found the new home of the Current Flux
Archive.

More 10 meter mail arrived this week. Glenn Stewart, N7NRA, of
Mesa, Arizona, reminds us to check for beacons between 28.2 and
28.3 MHz. "If you hear beacons, there is a very good likelihood that
you can raise a PSK31 contact or two by calling CQ on PSK at
28.120," he says. "If you get lucky and find half a dozen or so PSK
signals at .120, and if some of them are strong, head for 28.345 -
28.350 and call CQ on phone. Chances are excellent that you'll
raise a phone contact or two. The band's not dead. The problem is
that everyone is listening. No one is calling CQ. Give it a try!"

Also in Arizona and on 10 meters is Hank Pfizenmayer, K7HP, in
Phoenix, about 15 miles northwest of N7NRA. He said that on December 26 from
2137-2220
UTC he worked KP2L, KP4DKE, S9SS, MM0SLH, VE3FGU and ZL1BYZ on 10 meters. The
next day he worked ZL2BSJ, ZL1BYZ and ZL3KR. "I listen just about every day to
the 10 meter
beacons, usually a couple times at least, and it would be easier to list days
that I do not hear a
beacon somewhere," he says. "I have found I can call CQ on CW for long periods
with no
activity at all, even though I am hearing beacons all over the East Coast".

Bob Skaggs, KB5RX, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, says he has been listening to 17
meters later.
He observes that when local sunset occurs, the band goes dead within five
minutes. "From 10
over 9 to nothing in less than 7 minutes," he reports. "Not like when the
sunspot activity is high
where the band slowly fades."

For more information concerning propagation and an explanation of the numbers
used in this
bulletin see the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page. An archive
of past
bulletins is on the ARRL Web site.

Sunspot numbers for January 5 through 11 were 23, 24, 11, 11, 11, 11 and 12,
with a mean of
14.7. The 10.7 cm flux was 83.4, 82, 79.2, 78.2, 77.6, 77.8, and 77.3, with a
mean of 79.4.
Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 6, 5, 4, 2, 1 and 2, with a mean of 3.3.
Estimated
mid-latitude A indices were 3, 6, 6, 5, 1, 2 and 1, with a mean of 3.4.
(K7RA, ARRL)

dxAce
Michigan
USA