‰  NOW 25 WPM  ‰  TEXT IS FROM FEBRUARY 2017 QST  PAGE 48‰

FREQUENT IN COMPARISON.  TWENTY AND 30 METERS WILL BE MOSTLY DAYTIME BANDS,
AND BOTH WILL STILL OFFER OCCASIONAL DX OPPORTUNITIES.  BUT WHEN YOU DIP TO
40 METERS, AN INTERESTING THING BEGINS TO HAPPEN.  BECAUSE THE SUN IS NOT
AS ACTIVE, THE LOWER LAYERS OF THE IONOSPHERE WILL NOT EXHIBIT AS MUCH OF
THEIR USUAL PROPENSITY TO ABSORB LOWER FREQUENCY SIGNALS.  AS A RESULT, AT
WAVELENGTHS OF 40 METERS AND LONGER, PROPAGATION WILL IMPROVE.  FOR MANY,
40 METERS WILL BECOME THE NEW 20 METERS WITH MAJOR DX POPPING AT CERTAIN
TIMES, PARTICULARLY AT NIGHT AND IN THE EARLY MORNING.  SIXTY METERS WILL
ALSO PICK UP STEAM, AND 80 AND 160 METERS WILL BECOME DOWNRIGHT HOT AT
TIMES.  ODD AS IT MAY SOUND, I KNOW 80 AND 160 METER OPERATORS WHO ARE
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE SOLAR MINIMUM AS A TIME WHEN THEIR RADIO HORIZONS
WILL EXPAND SUBSTANTIALLY.  THIS DOESNT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD COMPLETELY
ABANDON THE HIGHER BANDS, BUT CONSIDER MAKING CHANGES TO YOUR STATION THAT
‰  END OF 25 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ