As I'm sure many have noticed HF propagation conditions have been pretty good lately. Even LF and MF conditions have begun to improve for the first time in many weeks. We have managed to put together a string of 10 days with high solar flux, high sunspot number, low background x-ray flux and no geomagnetic storming. As a result I've been doing allot of AM operation on 10 meters around 29000 kc, SSB operation on 12 meters, PSK31 operation on 15 meters and allot of SWLing on 13 meters and I can tell you that the bands have been wide open. I've also seen DX begin to roll in on 160 meters, the MF AM broadcast band and even the LF broadcast band.
Unfortunately though we are coming to the end of our present long run of good and improving propagation conditions. Earlier today between 0940-0957 UTC Sunspot Group #10508 which had already set behind the western limb of the Sun, released a C7.2 proton solar flare from a related solar filament and an associated Coronal Mass Ejection (CME). Fortunately the CME was not geoeffective (Earth facing) so will have little negative affect on the IMF and Earth's geomagnetic field. However the energetic elevated proton event has already surpassed >10MeV (10+o), which will create Polar Cap Absorption (PCA) on LF/MF/HF high and maybe for a time mid latitude propagation paths during the next 48 hours. Also recurrent Coronal Hole #071 will become geoeffective beginning on 12/5/03. As #066 on 11/9-14/03 it produced a Kp of 6 (moderate geomagnetic storm) and I expect at least a Kp of 5 (minor geomagnetic storming) this time around. Overall I expect to see degraded propagation conditions on LF and MF and also on HF on high latitude propagation paths as the week unfolds but not a total collapse as we have seen during the past two months. 73, Thomas F. Giella, KN4LF Plant City, FL, USA EL87WX Yaesu FT-840 & PSK31 Digital Mode E Group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yaesu_ft840 160 Meter Amateur Radio Resources & More http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf.htm Daily Solar Space Weather & Geomagnetic Data Archive http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf5.htm HF/MF Radio Propagation Theory Notes http://www.kn4lf.com/kn4lf8.htm Florida Space & Atmospheric Weather Institute http://www.kn4lf.com/fsawi.htm Friend Website Design www.kn4lf.com --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free Thanks To Grisoft AVG. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.545 / Virus Database: 339 - Release Date: 11/27/2003 ---[Start Commercial]--------------------- World Radio TV Handbook 2004 is coming out! Preorder yours now! Only $20.97 through us. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823059685/hardcoredxcom ---[End Commercial]----------------------- ________________________________________ Hard-Core-DX mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://dallas.hard-core-dx.com/mailman/listinfo/hard-core-dx http://www.hard-core-dx.com/ _______________________________________________ THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS FREE. It may be copied, distributed and/or modified under the conditions set down in the Design Science License published by Michael Stutz at http://dsl.org/copyleft/dsl.txt