‰ Now 18 WPM transition file follows ‰

Recent days graced by sunspots were short lived.  June 10 through
June 13 saw a single sunspot group, followed by two days with no
spots, then a week of spots from June 16 to 22.  During that week
the sunspot number was 11 every day, the lowest non zero sunspot
number.  The four days since have had no spots at all.  You can see
the sunspot numbers for the last calendar quarter on the
www.swpc.noaa.gov site.  This current quarter data is only available
on the net through June 30.  July 1 begins a new quarter.  This
weekend is ARRL Field Day, and while there are no sunspots, sporadic
E skip is a possibility, and conditions should be quiet, meaning no
geomagnetic disturbance is expected.  Predicted planetary A index
for June 27 to July 3 is predicted at 10, 8, 5, 5, 5, 5 and 5.
Geophysical Institute Prague expects unsettled conditions June 27
and 28, quiet to unsettled June 29, and quiet June 30 to July 3.
Ken Standard, AD5XJ of Houma, Louisiana wrote, I have been tracking
the NOAA dynamic indicators available on the www.swpc.noaa.gov site.
While I see that if everything is in the green areas that is better
than when they are in the yellow or red areas. My problem is
figuring out what indication each has for HF propagation
specifically. The available data on these indicators is scarce and
ambiguous at best. Can you enlighten a student of El Sol?  The first
figure, the Magnetic Field Bz component, relates to the IMF, or
Interplanetary Magnetic Field, which weve mentioned in past
bulletins.  When it is pointing north relative to earth, this
provides a kind of shield against solar wind, and earth is less
likely to experience geomagnetic activity.  When it points south,
the earth is vulnerable.  The scale in this figure is marked green
at one of the scale, indicating the most protection, and red at the
other end, to represent the greater likelihood of geomagnetic
activity.  The next two figures, Speed and Dynamic Pressure, express
the speed and pressure currently from solar wind.  Similarly, the
scales run from green to red signifying their relationship to
geomagnetic disturbance.  Weve had news of recent e layer
propagation on 6 and 10 meters, and Tom Scorr, AD5FD of Shertz,
Texas wrote to us about 2 meter sporadic E and an opening Sunday
morning of the recent VHF contest.  Running 100 watts to a dual band
ground plane on SSB, he worked three grids in Minnesota and two in
Wisconsin.  He is in EL09, and said this went on four an hour with
very loud signals.  One station was 20 db over S9.  Pat Dyer, WA5IYX
of San Antonio, Texas sent a link to audio of National Weather
Service station KXI68 on 162R45 MHz in Iowa, 1011 miles away.  This
was on Sunday morning during the VHF contest, and you can hear the
audio file on his www.qsl.net/wa5iyx page.  He used an 11 element 6
meter Yagi mounted six feet above ground, and worked mostly into
Iowa and Minnesota.  You can listen to him also working Japan on 6
meter CW.  For more information concerning radio propagation, see
the ARRL Technical Information Service web page.  For a detailed
explanation of the numbers used in this bulletin, see the k9la prop
link off the TIS page.  An archive of past propagation bulletins is
also available.  Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions
and twelve overseas locations are on the qst/propcharts link off the
ARRL web page.  Sunspot numbers were 11, 11, 11, 11, 0, 0, and 0
with a mean of 6R3.  10R7 cm flux was 64R9, 65R2, 64R8, 65R4, 65R3,
65R8, and 65R9 with a mean of 65R3.  Estimated planetary A indices
were 6, 11, 5, 4, 3, 4 and 12 with a mean of 6R4.  Estimated mid
latitude A indices were 5, 8, 4, 2, 2, 3 and 10 with a mean of 4R9‚

‰ End of 18 WPM transition file ‰