‰ Now 18 WPM transition file follows ‰

Average daily sunspot numbers increased slightly this week from
111.4 to 113.3, but average daily solar flux declined by 22 points
from 155.4 to 133.4. Although there seems to be no shortage of
sunspots, they are anemic and not magnetically complex, and thus
radiation from the spots is feeble, indicated by lower solar flux
values.  Predicted solar flux for the near term is 135 on January
24, 130 on January 25 and 26, 135 on January 27, 140 on January 28
to 30, 150 on January 31, 155 on February 1 to 5, 160 on February 6
and 7, then 150, 140 and 135 on February 8 to 10, 125 on February 11
to 15, and 130 on February 16 to 20.  Predicted planetary A index is
5 on January 24 to 26, 8 on January 27, 12 on January 28, 5 on
January 29 through February 6, 8 on February 7 and 8, 5 on February
9 to 16, 8 on February 17 and 5 on February 18 to 23.  OK1HH sends
his latest geomagnetic predictions, which have mostly quiet
conditions on January 24, quiet on January 25, mostly quiet January
26, quiet January 27, quiet to active January 28, active to
disturbed January 29, quiet to unsettled January 30, mostly quiet
January 31, quiet on February 1, quiet to unsettled February 2 and
3, mostly quiet February 4 to 6, quiet February 7 to 9, quiet to
unsettled February 10 and 11, and mostly quiet February 12.  Jimmy
Mahuron, K9JWJ of Salem, Indiana, in southern Indiana, about 30
miles NNW of Louisville, Kentucky, noted great 40 meter conditions
with strong signals on January 21, and commented on the sunspot
number. The sunspot number on January 20 and 21 was 131 and 141,
with solar flux at 137.4 and 146.  Amid many news reports with
observations about a quieting Sun, we get this from Scott Bidstrup,
TI3/W7RI on Costa Rica.  A friend of mine in Panama, in HP3AK, is
quite the 75 meter DX enthusiast, and is up every morning looking
for whatever DX he can find in the DX window on that band at gray
line from his QTH in the western Panama highlands. He reports to me
that so far, this has been the lousiest DX season he can remember.
With his monster high gain phased delta loop array, he can still
manage to work Japan only about every other day, and in past
seasons, hed be talking to his friends there every morning with
great signals both ways. Hes only worked a couple of new ones in the
South Pacific all season.  6 meters has been very quiet here lately,
too. There hasnt been a really good opening on 6 from down here
since the big F2 opening in December, just the odd, short sporadic E
opening now and again.  Pickings have been pretty slim other than
the usual daily TE, or trans equatorial, openings into Brazil and
Argentina from here, and always with the same stations in evidence
every day.  Sunspot numbers were 77, 95, 114, 91, 131, 141, and 144,
with a mean of 113.3. 10.7 cm flux was 121, 128.8, 129.6, 127.5,
137.4, 146, and 143.3, with a mean of 133.4. Estimated planetary A
indices were 3, 4, 2, 2, 3, 8, and 9, with a mean of 4.4. Estimated
mid latitude A indices were 2, 2, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8, with a mean of
3.6.

‰ End of 18 WPM transition file ‰