Hi Everybody; The NOAA website has issued a "ALTEF3" warning 12h ago. This warning refers to high electron flux, which is caused by a persistent "Coronal Hole" at the sun. Corona is equivalent to clouds on our planet. If there are none the particle on the surface of the sun can escape easier. Since this hole is facing earth some of the particles that escape the sun will hit us eventually. The particles that do hit excite the ionosphere just right and we get excellent propagation event tough flux based indicators stating otherwise. Solar flux output is very low (sere image below), but at the MDSR test station we can hear 20m,15m wide open. Check out the propagation at our test site: http://users.skynet.be/myspace/mdsr/ You can also view our propagation listing: http://www3.telus.net/public/bc237/MDSR/VE7DXW_propList.htm We are used to hear people say low solar flux is bad for propagation..., but it turn out a coronal hole can be very effective, even when flux is low! All the best; Alex - VE7DXW
I was wondering what was going on. Thought maybe something was going on. Lot of EU and a couple of S.A. stations this morning. hardly any USA heard.
12m has been giving long-haul DX, including MW-VK, MW-JA, MW-USA/South America for weeks now. Some of the propagation also might be linked to enhanced inputs of metal ions from the higher rates of meteors at this time of year (i.e. winter Es-type).
So not ground-breaking... It was something i had not seen before and was wondering about what was going on. Thanks to this OP, I now know and very happy to have an answer.
A message like the one below waS be issued from NOAA: CONTINUED ALERT: Electron 2MeV Integral Flux exceeded 1000pfu Unfortunately we have not been able to verify if or by how much the background noise increases. The RF-Seismograph can show when propagation is there, but not really quantify "A Number". How to read the graph: When the line goes wide there is propagation but not necessarily a man-made signal. The absolute value of the noise level is not important for propagation, but it is interesting to watch how the noise changes over time. Slow changes are usually made by the ionosphere (5min and longer). The slower the rise of the signal the further away it originated. Fast changes are man-made signals, hence vertical lines… The black bottom graph is easier to read when it comes to propagation. The gray-scale indicator shows propagation for all the bands according to color codes as in the sig/time graph. White is best propagation.
Having been through four 11-year sunspot cycles now (and I'm only 51!), I must say that we are very lucky to have people like Alex and Joe Taylor who can enable us to find ways to experience and enjoy even the poorest years of the cycle. The ionosphere is still full of mysteries to unravel, which is part of the knowledge you accumulate from years of listening and also reading and using the tools like the RF Seismograph, reverse beacon networks, and digital modes. But frequently, it's like fishing - some days you defy the odds and hook a big one. I check the bands from 10-80m every day and occasionally am rewarded with such a catch. Call CQ, even on the quiet nights.... at worse, your signal will reach Alpha Centuri in 4 years and give them something to wonder about. 73, VE7NZ.
I miss 10 meters being open until the wee hours of the night. I remember back in the late 70's when 15 would be open until 1 am and open at just before day break.10 would be open until a couple hours after sunset and then the e skip would come around about 10 pm or so.20 was open around the clock. 10 meters was fun back in the novice days, a cb ground plane, kenwood 520se. haven't heard the bands really good since 2003.
The ham radio ALE network is not for the purpose of propagation beacons. But, it is easy to notice on the ALE map when certain bands provide paths between stations. Recently there have been more paths on 18MHz and 21MHz than usual, for this bottom part of the solar cycle.
Hi Everybody; The G2 storm that NOAA predicted has arrived. The bands are getting very weak... Current bands open in CN89: 80, 40m with heavy interference. For more up to date info go to our website: http://users.skynet.be/myspace/mdsr/ All the best and 73; Alex - VR7DXW ================================================================================ Space Weather Message Code: ALTK05 Serial Number: 1194 Issue Time: 2017 Nov 08 0406 UTC ALERT: Geomagnetic K-index of 5 Threshold Reached: 2017 Nov 08 0405 UTC Synoptic Period: 0300-0600 UTC Active Warning: Yes NOAA Scale: G1 - Minor www.swpc.noaa.gov/noaa-scales-explanation Potential Impacts: Area of impact primarily poleward of 60 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude. Induced Currents - Weak power grid fluctuations can occur. Spacecraft - Minor impact on satellite operations possible. Aurora - Aurora may be visible at high latitudes, i.e., northern tier of the U.S. such as northern Michigan and Maine.
hard to tell when 10 and 15 are open,let alone 18 and 24. the bands haven't been good since 2003. I used to check the bands everyday,but when you hear nothing,no beacons, sometimes the big gun shortwave broadcast stations,just the continuous hiss,you get bored with that so you never check after a few years.I have cb channel 6 ( 27.025 khz ) in the memory bank,21.070 and 28.070 and still hear nothing day after day. Even listen on the mobile hf station and nothing. so 40,30 and 20 everyday and night home and mobile. Would love to use 75, too much qrn from computers,etc at home and get on nets on 75 from the mobile and everyone keeps telling me that I have RFI on my signal and I've known that for 35 years and can't get rid of it. yes I tried that all ready and that or people complain that your signal is weak...I am mobile.....I don't pull a 50 ft tower behind me with dipole. So my best modes to do now from the mobile is digital and cw. 40 meters isn't bad...THANK YOU TO THE NIGHT WATCH and the BROTHERS NETS 7.192 4 pm daily 4-6 pm 7days a week.
