SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP038 ARLP038 Propagation de K7RA ZCZC AP38 QST de W1AW Propagation Forecast Bulletin 38 ARLP038 From Tad Cook, K7RA Seattle, WA September 29, 2017 To all radio amateurs SB PROP ARL ARLP038 ARLP038 Propagation de K7RA Over the past week we saw solar indices decline. Lower activity persists, and the uptick in solar activity on September 2 to 10, when sunspot numbers were 71, 96, 122, 122, 79, 94, 89, 49 and 38 and solar flux was 100, 120, 140, 121, 133, 129, 117, 107 and 100 will probably not be seen again til the upside after solar minimum, perhaps in 2021 or 2022. But perhaps we will be surprised again. Average daily sunspot numbers declined over the past few weeks from 87.3 to 45 and 13.6, and average daily solar flux from 114.1, to 97.6 and 72.6. Average daily planetary A index was 18, 27.3 and 21.1 while average mid-latitude A index (measured in Virginia, at a magnetometer on Wallops Island was 16.7, 18.3 and 17.1.) Predicted solar flux is 70, and 85 on September 22 and 23, 90 on September 24 to 28, 105 on September 29, 115 on September 30 through October 6, then 110, 85, 76, 75, 74, and 73 on October 7 to 12, 72 on October 13 and 14, 75 on October 15 to 19, 95 on October 20, 110 on October 21 to 25, and 115 on October 26 through November 2, then 110, 85 and 76 on November 3 to 5. Predicted planetary A index is 5, 8, 12, 16, 8, 25 and 35 on September 22 to 28, then 20, 18, 15, 12, and 8 on September 29 to October 3, 5 on October 4 to 10, 25 on October 11 to 13, then 20, 15, 12 and 10 on October 14 to 17, 5 on October 18 and 19, then 8, 18, 12, and 8 on October 20 to 23, 20 on October 24 to 26, then 18, 15, 12 and 8 on October 27 to 30, and 5 October 31 through November 5. Geomagnetic activity forecast for the period September 22 thru October 18, 2017 from F.K. Janda, OK1HH of the Czech Propagation Interest Group. "Geomagnetic field will be: Quiet on September 22, 24 Mostly quiet on September 23, 26, October 18 Quiet to unsettled September 25, October 5 and 6 Quiet to active on September 27, 30, October 1 to 4, 7 and 8, 10 and 11, 14 to 17 Active to disturbed on September 28 and 29, October 9, 12 and 13 Amplifications of the solar wind from coronal holes are expected on September 27 to 29, October (1,) 2 to 5, (8, 11 and 12,) 13 to 15, (16 and 17) Remark: - Parenthesis means lower probability of activity enhancement and/or lower reliability of prediction." Brad Miskimen, N5LUL of Amarillo, Texas wrote: "VHF conditions were amazing this morning (19 Sep 17) at 1400 UTC. I was listening on our local 146.94 repeater frequency and heard other repeater id's coming around. N0UGO in North Platte, NE and WB5BRY in Lubbock, TX both loud and clear. Found the correct PL tone to access UGO had had a nice QSO with KR1STO for about 10 minutes." Thanks to D. Moore for sending this piece about the biggest solar flares in a decade, earlier this month: http://bit.ly/2w9SFCM Don't forget to hit "continue" at the bottom to read the rest of the story. Dick Bingham, W7WKR of Stehekin, Washington wrote: "Well, it won't be long now until I begin signing w7wkr on 630-meters instead of wd2xsh/26. I registered yesterday at the UTC's website https://utc.org/plc-database-amateur-notification-process/ so will begin using my own call by mid-October. PLEASE register your call/location at the website listed above so we can keep the few KHz allotted to us free of PLC signals as time goes on. 73 Dick/w7wkr and wd2xsh/26 at CN98pi" Chuck Zabriskie, KE5HPY, in Houston, Texas wrote recently: "Thought one could add WSPR to the propagation aids discussed in your recent report. With the high flux report, I put my homebrew 10m WSPR rx on-line and happily recorded TI, CE, ZL and multiple VK calls for the first time in a long while. Of course those were regular events a couple of years ago but now are rare enough to me get excited to look at the logs." I seem to be out of synch with Dr. Tamitha Skov, as she has been issuing new spaceweather videos shortly after I post a new propagation bulletin, so all I can report is the latest from the previous week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIhABAXtV4Y Try searching for her videos to find later issued reports. For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical Information Service at http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of 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. More good information and tutorials on propagation are at http://k9la.us/. 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 September 14 to 20, 2017 were 11, 13, 13, 13, 12, 11, and 22, with a mean of 13.6. 10.7 cm flux was 74.2, 72.8, 72.1, 72.2, 72.2, 70.6, and 73.9, with a mean of 72.6. Estimated planetary A indices were 25, 36, 30, 17, 22, 8, and 10, with a mean of 21.1. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 19, 30, 23, 13, 21, 6, and 8, with a mean of 17.1. NNNN /EX