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ARRL Propagation Bulletin ARLP032 (2012)

SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP032
ARLP032 Propagation de K7RA

ZCZC AP33
QST de W1AW  
Propagation Forecast Bulletin 32  ARLP032
From Tad Cook, K7RA
Seattle, WA  August 10, 2012
To all radio amateurs 

SB PROP ARL ARLP032
ARLP032 Propagation de K7RA

The bulletin today is coming from Eugene, Oregon.
 
Average daily sunspot numbers rose over 20 points this week, or
about twenty-percent, to 119.4.  The average daily solar flux was up
3 points to 134.7.
 
Geomagnetic activity was quiet, with unsettled conditions around
August 2.
 
The NOAA/USAF prediction has solar flux at 135 on August 10, 130 on
August 11-12, then 125, 120, and 115 on August 13-15, then 110 on
August 16-17, then 95 on August 18, 100 on August 19-20, then 110,
115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140 and 145 on August 21-28, then 140 on
August 29-31.
 
Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8 and 10 on August 10-12, then 5
on August 13-15, then 10, 8, 5, 8 and 8 on August 16-20, then 5 on
August 21-23, and 8 on August 24-25, then 12 on August 26, then 5 on
August 27 through September 14.
 
F.K. Janda, OK1HH sees quiet geomagnetic conditions on August 10,
mostly quiet August 11, active to disturbed August 12, quiet to
active August 13, mostly quiet on August 14, quiet August 15-16,
quiet to unsettled August 17-20, mostly quiet August 21, quiet
August 22-24, quiet to active August 25-26, mostly quiet August
27-28, active to disturbed again August 29-30, and a return to quiet
on August 31 through September 1.
 
Check out some nice solar images at
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/08/09/the-sun-is-shagadelic-baby/
and
http://www.space.com/17003-sun-eruption-solar-filament-video.html.
 
O.J. Lougheed, AD7DR of Lopez Island, Washington wrote:  "I've been
interested in transpolar propagation since I lived in Irkutsk,
Siberia from 1997-2004.  I'm thinking of putting together a ham club
at the school on Lopez Island and your name popped up with an
internet search.  There is so little on the web.  With sunspots
picking up, things (I would assume) will get exciting.  Do you know
of any EU or Russian/Ukrainian folks interested in such
propagation?"
 
I don't know, but if any readers across the poles or anywhere want
to contact AD7DR, look him up in QRZ.com, where you will find his
email address.  You will have to login, but getting an account is
free.
 
Larry Godek, W0OGH of Gilbert, Arizona wrote on Thursday, August 9,
"Spratly Island, 9M4SLL has been worked on both 20 meter SSB and CW,
along with CW on 15, with great signals.
 
Comoros Islands, D64K was worked on 15 yesterday at 2155Z.  Had good
signals into this area all the time he was on the air.  Typically
shortly after I get to work them, the band goes out.  Happens a lot
to me on 20 as well.  Just like Arizona is the last place to make a
QSO even though I hear the DX for long periods of time.
 
ZS2I was worked this morning at 1353Z on 20 CW long path.  He
couldn't hear me on the regular path so turned the antenna around to
270 degrees and he came up to over S9.
 
Talk about short hop, J68HZ was worked yesterday at 2224Z on 28.375.
He was working mainly 4-land and the east coast.  Surprised he came
back to me.
 
Same thing with HT9H on 18.073 MHz at 2215Z.  But then we had a large
storm front within 100 miles from the north around thru the east to
the SE.  Then 20 this morning has been excellent to the Pacific.
 
Yesterday in the morning we had a 6 meter opening, double hop into
Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas.  Nothing unusual about
the Texas stations as the area from EM00 though EM03 and EM10 thru
EM13 are the first hop for us.  They usually have loud signals and
are typically the first stations from the E we hear.
 
There would be an idea.  If it were possible, have any DX station,
maybe some of the rarer types, run a WSPR beacon.  If they can
capture your signal at 2W, then you've got a path.  But then there
is a lot of one way propagation that goes on isn't there?
 
Really been a pretty fair year so far for DX.  30 meters has been a
disappointment as has 10.  If it wasn't for 15 and 20 there would be
very little DX.
 
We print all the ARRL bulletins on a Model 28 TTY machine here.
Everything that is 45 Baud 60WPM anyway.  Really nice that ARRL
continues that mode.  Lots of hams around the country have real
mechanical TTY machines and look forward to running them several
times a week.  Keeps the oil and grease from getting old, kinda like
the body!"
 
Burton Boyd, W7IIT of Bremerton, Washington says his hearing isn't
as sharp as it used to be, and he can't always hear the WWV
broadcasts of geophysical data at 18 minutes after each hour.  I
advised Burt to get the info off the internet at
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/latest/wwv.txt.
 
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 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.  Find more good
information and tutorials on propagation at
http://myplace.frontier.com/~k9la/.
 
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 August 2 through 8 were 126, 160, 140, 107, 108,
96, and 99, with a mean of 119.4. 10.7 cm flux was 134.6, 139.7,
138.7, 134, 134.1, 128.5, and 133.3, with a mean of 134.7.  Estimated
planetary A indices were 16, 7, 7, 6, 11, 7, and 10, with a mean of
9.1.  Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 16, 8, 6, 6, 10, 8, and
12 with a mean of 9.4.
NNNN
/EX

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