‰  Now 18 WPM transition file follows ‰

Last weeks propagation forecast bulletin ARLP034 reported that the
sporadic E season was probably over, but then we heard from Mark
Bell, K3MSB of Airville, Pennsylvania, located in FM19ut.  He
reports that nine days ago on August 19 he worked KG4NL in
Guantanamo Bay, located in FK29, on 6 meter CW at 2208z.  KG4NL was
weak in Pennsylvania with significant QSB, where Mark was running
100 watts into a five element Yagi at 20 feet.  Bill Rinker, NE9Z in
Moran, Wyoming wrote in to ask how the Solar Flux Index is measured.
Bill is in the Teton National Forest, about 20 miles south of
Yellowstone National Park.  The solar flux readings are done at an
observatory in Penticton, British Columbia, three times per day.
The one we use for the official solar flux is the noon reading.  The
other readings are done in the morning and afternoon.  You can see
all of those readings for the past few years on the web at,
tinyurl.com/ks8tvn.  The ones to pay attention to are the readings
at 2000z, which are shown in the table as 200000 in the second
column, and the observed flux values are in the fifth column.  The
sixth column shows adjusted flux values, which are corrected for
variations in the distance from Earth to Sun.  The adjusted values
may be useful for measuring what the Sun is doing, but the observed
flux gives an indicator of the relative amount of 2R8 GHz energy
that is reaching Earth.  10R7 cm is the approximate wavelength at
2R8 GHz.  The page at spaceweather.ca has more detailed information
about the solar flux under Information about the Programme.  Mark
Lunday, WD4ELG of Hillsborough, North Carolina notes that as the
Summer season slowly wanes, static on the lower frequencies is
subsiding.  Mark recently worked VQ9LA on 80 meters CW with 100
watts and a modest vertical.  Jeff Lackey, K8CQ of St. Simons
Island, Georgia has written to us before with his observations on
the number of zero sunspot days between cycles.  This time he sent a
graphic showing how this minimum is similar to the one prior to
Cycle 19, the big one, and earlier cycles, rather than more recent
cycles after 19.  Currently we have had 48 continuous days of zero
sunspots.  Jeff said if this continues for the next couple of days,
it will be the only cycle minimum since 1855 with two greater than
50 day runs of zero spots.  Back then it was the transition to Cycle
10.  It is happening right now, and it happened in 2008 also.  He
notes, There is still DX to be worked.  You just have to be very
patient.  I heard the V73NF station on 40m CW earlier this week,
August 24, about 1100 UTC but they didnt seem to be coming back to
anyone in NA.  So Im not sure they were hearing very well.  They
finally went QRT and left a lot of us exasperated.  He continues,
This morning the KH2/K7BV operation was quite strong but the QRM for
me was too much to be heard.  They worked several NA stations from
1230 to 1300 UTC but I never could crack the pile up.  Ive got both
DXCC entities before in previous operations.  So I wasnt totally
bummed out.  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 web page.  An archive of past propagation bulletins
is also available.  Monthly propagation charts between four USA
regions and twelve overseas locations are at the qst/propcharts link
off the ARRL web page.  Sunspot numbers were 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, and 0
with a mean of 0.  10R7 cm flux was 67R6, 66R4, 66R6, 67R3, 67R6,
67R1, and 67R3 with a mean of 67R1.  Estimated planetary A indices
were 11, 8, 5, 5, 3, 3 and 4 with a mean of 5R6.  Estimated mid
latitude A indices were 8, 6, 3, 3, 1, 2 and 4 with a mean of 3R9‚

‰  End of 18 WPM transition file ‰