SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP048

ARLP048 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP48

QST de W1AW 

Propagation Forecast Bulletin 48  ARLP048

From Tad Cook, K7RA

Seattle, WA  November 28, 2014

To all radio amateurs

SB PROP ARL ARLP048

ARLP048 Propagation de K7RA

It seemed to me that solar activity perked up again over the past

week, but the numbers are about the same as last week. Average daily

sunspot numbers went from 98.9 to 97.4, but on Thursday, November 26

(our reporting week runs from Thursday through Wednesday) the

sunspot number was 155, and the day before it was 177.

One new sunspot region appeared on November 20, another on November

23, three more on November 24, two more on November 26 and one

(after the reporting week) on November 27, the Thanksgiving holiday.

Average daily solar flux rose from 164.4 (in last week's bulletin)

to 168.9. The day after the end of the reporting week solar flux was

up to 178.8.

On November 24, the Penticton observatory in British Columbia

reported an unusually high solar flux number for the noon reading.

As I recall, it was around 300 or higher, and when we see an outlier

like this which is inconsistent with readings before and after that

time, we always check the NOAA archive at

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/DSD.txt .

NOAA changed it to 172. But then a few days later the Penticton

reading at noon for November 24 was reduced to 144.4, which is far

below readings near that time.

Not sure what all this means, but we're sticking with the NOAA

estimate. These numbers are changed when the hardware at Penticton

gets swamped with energy from a solar flare, and so the flux reading

is meaningless.

10.7 cm solar flux is measured in British Columbia three times per

day, at 1800 UTC (10:00 AM local time), 2000 UTC (noon local time)

and 2200 UTC (2:00 PM local time). But the local noon reading is

always the official solar flux for the day.

On November 24 the morning reading at 1800 UTC was 170.1 and the

2200 UTC afternoon reading was 168.4, so the 172 estimate seems more

likely than 144.4.

You can see all of those readings at,

http://www.spaceweather.gc.ca/solarflux/sx-5-flux-eng.php and

ftp://ftp.geolab.nrcan.gc.ca/data/solar_flux/daily_flux_values/fluxtable.txt

.

The latest solar flux prediction from Thursday, November 27 is 180

on November 28, 185 on November 29 through December 1, 180 on

December 2, 170 on December 3-4, then 160 and 150 on December 5-6,

140 on December 7-8, 145 on December 9-10, 140 on December 11-13,

150 on December 14, and 155 on December 15-16. Flux values peak at

170 on December 18-20, then drop to 115 on December 31 through

January 2, 2015.

Expected planetary A index is 5 on November 28-30, 18 on December 1,

15 on December 2, 8 on December 3-4, 10 on December 5, 8 on December

6, 5 on December 7-10, then 10, 15 and 20 on December 11-13, 10 on

December 14-15, then 8, 10 and 12 on December 16-18 and 10 on

December 19-20.

Petr Kolman, OK1MGW gives us his outlook for geomagnetic conditions.

He says to expect quiet to unsettled conditions November 28-29,

quiet to active November 30, active to disturbed December 1, quiet

to active December 2, quiet to unsettled December 3-4, mostly quiet

December 5, quiet to active December 6-7, quiet to unsettled

December 8, mostly quiet December 9-10, quiet to unsettled December

11, quiet to active December 12-13, quiet to unsettled December

14-15, quiet to active December 16-17, quiet to unsettled December

18-20, quiet on December 21-23, and mostly quiet on December 24.

Petr expects increases in solar wind on November 30 through December

2 and December 11-13.

I received an email from Bill Paul, KD6JUI of Dixon, California. He

wrote, "Due to the high solar flux predictions I've been doing a

little bicycle mobile work on 10m. Amazing what one can do with 5

watts and a hamstick on 10m. See attached photo. Had a couple 5-9

reports on the east coast the other day. Wow. (Was using the metal

guardrail as the radial or counterpoise.)

"I have a ham friend in Germany, DL2MFJ (I'm in California) and I

have tried a couple times to reach him on 10m at 10 a.m. Pacific

time with no luck. That's 1800 hours UTC. I guess I'm too lazy to do

all the research on this -- but here's a question you may be able to

help me with: what band and at what time would you recommend me

trying to reach him?"

I replied, "Doesn't look too promising at this time of year, but it

might be possible around 1630-1700 UTC on 10 meters.

"Also looks pretty weak a month from now (Christmas Eve) but

possible around 1700 UTC.

"3 months from now looks a little better, 1700-2000 UTC.

"Around the first day of Spring, 1600-2200 UTC has possibilities,

with 1830-2000 UTC the best bet.

"For today, I think 15 or 17 meters would be much better. 15 meters

around 1630-1730 UTC, and 17 meters (much better bet) 1530-1900 UTC.

Get a 17 meter hamstick (I've used these) and clamp your ground on

to that metal guardrail in the photo for a counterpoise. I've done

this sort of thing in my car, but of course you cannot actually be

moving when you do this."

There is nothing magic about those times and frequencies, just

probabilities suggested by running the numbers with W6ELprop. For

more info on that free program check http://www.k9la.us/ and

specifically http://www.k9la.us/html/tutorials.html .

Jon Jones, N0JK in Kansas wrote on November 25, "It appears the

Winter sporadic-E season has started this month. On November 22 and

23 there was extensive Es on 6 meters from the Midwest to Florida

and Gulf Coast states.

"XE2JS DL68 Mexico was into Kansas November 24 UTC on 6 meters via

Es around 0230z. I worked Julian at 0240z."

Jon also said CE2AWW worked the Pacific Northwest via Es-TEP/F2

links on November 24, and from 0219 UTC to 0241 UTC XE2JS worked

NW0W (EM47qu), W4HLR (EM56ic), K2DRH (EN41, see

http://k2drh.yolasite.com/ ) and N0JK (EM17be).

Pete Corp, K2ARM of Fort Edward, New York (FN33eg) wrote on November

26, "Tad, I finally had some Es on 6M. I have seen very few

openings, if any since August. I know the South and West have been

experiencing many but it seldom gets to my location in the

Northeastern part of New York. I am back to using a dipole because

the leaves are gone and no longer hide my EDZ (Extended Double

Zepp).

"On 11-17-14 there were good signals from the South and Southwest

but few hams on the CW portion, many SSB signals for about 4 hours.

Then on 11-21-14 it opened again but for only a couple of hours. On

11-22-14 it opened for a good 4 hours.

"What I have found when we start getting Es it seems to occur every

5 days. Maybe the 27th will have some Es and turkey. This seemed to

happen in the summer too. Thanks for the information you provide on

propagation."

Jon Jones, N0JK sent further info on the November 10 opening:

"6 meters opened from Colorado, Texas and states further west to VK

and ZL after the Hawaiian states began fading out around 2300z. In

the Midwest -- the band closed to Hawaii after 2215z.

 

"The Nov. 10, 2014 6 meter F2 opening is reminiscent of the 6 meter

F2 opening on Nov. 09, 2013. (Almost exactly a year ago!) There was

a strong F2 opening from the Midwest and Gulf Coast states to the

Caribbean and northern South America the morning of Nov. 9, 2013.

(1500-1600z)."

Pat Dyer, WA5IYX said of the 2013 November F2 opening - "The

unexpectedly high F2 MUF from a rather minor amount of geomagnetic

activity at the right time of the year with enough solar flux gave

perhaps the first morning 50-MHz paths from here to the Caribbean of

this poor Cycle 24. A similar situation occurred on November 10,

2014.

"But instead of the Caribbean, 6 meters opened to the Pacific in the

afternoon.

"This was not a 'single hop' F2 opening for many in North America.

Single hop F2 is usually out to approximately 4,800 to 5,000 km.

"KH6/K6MIO to EM28 Kansas is 6,100 km. More than the usual one hop

distance. The Hawaiian stations worked even further east as far as

W3 and W8. K7BV FM04 North Carolina heard KH6HI BL01 at 2130z on the

10th."

And finally, it's back! See

http://www.space.com/27834-monster-sunspot-solar-flares-video.html .

If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers,

email the author at, k7ra@arrl.net.

For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL

Technical Information Service web page at,

http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of the

numbers used in this bulletin, see

http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past

propagation bulletins is at

http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. More good

information and tutorials on propagation are at http://k9la.us/.

Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve

overseas locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.

Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL

bulletins are at http://arrl.org/bulletins.

Sunspot numbers for November 20 through 26 were 83, 68, 64, 66, 111,

120, and 170, with a mean of 97.4. 10.7 cm flux was 168.1, 162.5,

166.6, 173.1, 172, 169.4, and 170.9, with a mean of 168.9. Estimated

planetary A indices were 11, 15, 10, 10, 7, 5, and 5, with a mean of

9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 8, 10, 8, 9, 5, 4, and 4,

with a mean of 6.9.

NNNN

/EX