[South Florida DX Association] ARLP004 Propagation de K7RA

[Bill Marx]

 ZCZC AP04
> QST de W1AW  
> Propagation Forecast Bulletin 4  ARLP004
> From Tad Cook, K7RA
> Seattle, WA  January 28, 2005
> To all radio amateurs 
> 
> SB PROP ARL ARLP004
> ARLP004 Propagation de K7RA
> 
> Solar activity was down this week. Average daily sunspot numbers
> were off by nearly 36 points to 53.4, and average daily solar flux
> dropped 31 points to 101.7. Last Friday, January 21, we were hit by
> a big blast of energy from an X7 class solar flare on the previous
> day. Just one point below two days earlier, the planetary A index
> went to 61 and the mid-latitude A index was 30, also one point
> lower.
> 
> A severe geomagnetic storm lasted the next couple of days, but
> conditions really calmed down on Monday through Thursday (January
> 24-27) of this week. On Wednesday, January 26, the mid-latitude A
> index went clear down to 0, because the K index upon which it is
> based was 0 during all eight reporting periods. This is incredibly
> quiet, and good for HF propagation, at least if the sunspots are
> around to support it.
> 
> We could hope for similar quiet conditions for this weekend's CQ
> World Wide 160-Meter CW Contest, but the forecast doesn't look that
> great. The predicted planetary A index for Friday through Monday,
> January 28-31 is 15, 30, 20 and 20. This isn't due to any flare, but
> earth is about to move into a solar wind stream, and the most active
> conditions are expected on Saturday. Conditions should be back to
> quiet by February 3.
> 
> Ken Kopp, KK0HF of Topeka, Kansas sent in a great article that
> appeared in the Baltimore Sun on recent solar activity. It is full
> of dramatic descriptions of solar flares, the recent giant sunspot,
> and the evacuation of astronauts on the International Space Station
> to the better-shielded Russian Zvezda service module. For a while at
> least, you may be able to read it (without having to register) by
> clicking on the following link on,
> http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.solar21jan21,1,7436903,pr
> int.story?coll=bal-health-headlines
> 
> Also be sure to check out a constantly updated collection of links
> to press clippings relating to amateur radio on Ken's web site at
> http://members.cox.net/kk0hf/.
> 
> Flares, solar wind and geomagnetic storms aren't bad for all radio
> propagation. 6-meters often gets interesting during active
> conditions, and a number of reports arrived this week concerning
> VHF.
> 
> When HF operators thought their radios were dead on January 21,
> OZ1DJJ in Denmark worked K1TOL on 6-meter CW during Aurora in the
> Scandinavian Activity Contest. You can hear the QSO at
> http://www.oz1djj.geronne.dk/6m.htm. Click to the left of the
> phrase, "I am so lucky!!" Thanks to Arne, SM7AED for passing that
> along.
> 
> Jon Jones, N0JK reported a nice 6-meter opening between Arizona and
> the Midwest on January 21 beginning at 0015z and lasting nearly four
> hours. Jon was mobile in Wichita, Kansas and talked to K7TOP on
> 6-meters. K7NN in Tucson and AC7XP and K7TOP in Phoenix worked
> stations in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee with
> strong signals.
> 
> And finally, ever thought of building your own magnetometer? I've
> thought for a long time that in addition to noting the College K
> index, Boulder K index or planetary K index, it would be neat to
> have one that is strictly local. Where I live in Seattle, I could
> have a University District K index, although in the city it might be
> affected by passing trucks. Check a web page devoted to just such an
> instrument at http://www.da4e.nl/magno.html. You can see current
> real time results from a homebrew magnetometer in the Netherlands at
> http://www.da4e.nl/magnetogram.htm.
> 
> If you would like to comment or have a tip, email the author at,
> k7ra at arrl.net.
> 
> For more information concerning propagation and an explanation of
> the numbers used in this bulletin see the ARRL Technical Information
> Service propagation page at,
> http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/propagation.html.
> 
> Sunspot numbers for January 20 through 26 were 61, 69, 60, 40, 42,
> 56 and 46 with a mean of 53.4. 10.7 cm flux was 122.7, 113.5, 102.2,
> 95.8, 94.6, 94.1 and 89.3, with a mean of 101.7. Estimated planetary
> A indices were 12, 61, 28, 17, 6, 4 and 4 with a mean of 18.9.
> Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 10, 30, 23, 12, 5, 2 and 0,
> with a mean of 11.7.
> NNNN
> /EX
>