[DX-NEWS] ARLP006 Propagation de K7RA
SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP006 ARLP006 Propagation de K7RA ZCZC AP06 QST de W1AW Propagation Forecast Bulletin 6 ARLP006 From Tad Cook, K7RA Seattle, WA February 12, 2010 To all radio amateurs SB PROP ARL ARLP006 ARLP006 Propagation de K7RA Increasing sunspot activity continues. A glance at the image from the STEREO mission (http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/) shows a string of active regions in the Sun's northern hemisphere, both visible and over the horizon on the far side. The high sunspot number for the week was 71 on February 8, and the average for the week was 43.3. We haven't reported a weekly average that high since the week of March 27 through April 4 in 2008, when it was 43.6. The daily sunspot number hasn't been as high as 71 since May 28, 2006 when it was 78. The earlier reading that reached that level or more was 105 on April 6, 2006. On February 8 when the daily sunspot number was 71, the total area covered by sunspot activity was 460 millionths of a solar hemisphere. That measure hasn't been that high since the same earlier week in 2008 that had a high sunspot number average. The dates were March 26-27, 2008 when the area of sunspots was 520 and 510. You can find continuous records of these old indices going back through 1994 at, http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/indices/old_indices. The latest forecast has the solar flux index for today, February 12 at 90, followed by 92 on February 13, 94 on February 14-16, 93 on February 17-18. Predicted planetary A index for February 12-18 is 10, 8, 8, 7, 8, 8 and 5. Geophysical Institute Prague sees unsettled conditions February 12-13, unsettled to active February 14, unsettled February 15, quiet to unsettled February 16, and quiet February 17-18. A number of people have inquired about short versus long skip on 75-80 meters, and why short skip is often non-existent but long skip is enhanced. Dennis Carlson, K9ZMI of Arlington Heights, Illinois provides an explanation: As I understand it, the effect we are seeing is that the F-layer ionization is weak because of low sunspot activity. A weakly ionized layer has a low index of refraction (a term used in optics) which impacts the amount of bending of the HF radio wave impinging on it. Low index of refraction equals not much bending. So an HF radio wave leaving an antenna is typically headed toward outer space but is bent back (refracted) towards Earth when it reaches the ionized layers above Earth. The amount of bending depends on the index of refraction and, for a given index of refraction, the angle of impingement determines if the radio wave will return to Earth or not. HF radio signals impinging on the weakly ionized layer at a high angle (necessary for short skip communications between stations close to each other) are not refracted enough to be turned back to Earth and they simply radiate into space. Signals impinging on the weakly ionized layer at a low angle are refracted enough to be turned back to Earth and they appear at a large distance from the signal's origin, which is long skip. Thank you, Dennis. Look at ionosonde data for Boulder, Colorado on the web at http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/iono_day/Boulder_iono.txt. A glance at the foF2 column is instructive. This is the highest frequency that bounces back a signal from the ionosphere directly above, with a signal beaming straight up. For reliable short-skip communications on 75 meters, we need the foF2 to be at least 4 MHz. It may be different by the time you see it, but starting at z on February 11, I see the foF2 dipping below 4 MHz from 0115-1115z, 1145-1330z, and on February 12 0115-0515z, 0600-0615z, 0700-0715z, and so on. On February 12 the approximate sunrise at the ionosonde is at 1402z and sunset at 0028z. It appears that roughly after sunset until sunrise, possibly there isn't enough sunlight to support short skip on 75 meters. On Thursday, Bob Marston, K6TR sent this: Today, Feb 11th, NASA successfully launched the Solar Dynamics Observatory at 10:23 AM EST from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. After completing its second burn 90 minutes after liftoff, the Atlas Centaur booster released SDO in a 1900 by 21,000 mile elliptical Geostationary Transfer Orbit. Through a series of burns over the next three weeks SDO's propulsion system will circularize the orbit. First light from the observatory can be expected in 60 Days. Full calibration of the satellite will be completed in early July. Carried on board SDO is the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment which will render data of importance to ham radio operators interested in HF Propagation. EVE will sample Solar Radiation in the 304 Angstrom Range which composes half of all radiation that goes into ionizing the F Layer of the Ionosphere. The 304A number represents a tighter real-time correlation to F Layer Ionization that the Smooth Sunspot Number (SSN) or the 2800 MHz Solar Flux Number. According to news reports, the
[DX-NEWS] [425ENG] 425 DX News #980
425 DX NEWS _ 13 February 2010 A.R.I. DX Bulletin No 980 === *** 4 2 5 D X N E W S *** DX INFORMATION === Edited by I1JQJ IK1ADH Direttore Responsabile I2VGW 5Z - Cato, LA9PF will be active as 5Z4/LA9PF from Kenya for three months starting on 11 February. He plans to operate on all bands and modes running 100 watts into a 3-element beam or a loop. He also expects to operate as 7Q7PF from Malawi during that time frame. QSLling information at qrz.com under LA9PF. [TNX QRZ DX] 6W - Giovanni, I5JHW is active holiday style as 6V7V from La Somone, Senegal until 23 February. He plans to take part in the CQ WPX RTTY Contest. QSL via home call, direct or bureau. [TNX I5JHW] 6W - Luc, F5RAV will be active as 6V7T from Senegal from 18 February to 1 March. He will operate from 6W7RV's rental shack in Somone. QSL via home call, direct only. 9H - DL4HG and DL5XAT will be active as 9H3TX from Gozo, Malta (EU-023) on 17-24 February, including an entry in the ARRL DX CW Contest. They will run 100 watts into vertical antennas. QSL via DL5XAT, direct or bureau and LoTW. [TNX NG3K] A9 - Dave, EI3IO is now active as A92IO from Sar, Bahrain until at least August 2011. Operations will initially focus on the bands 3.5 MHz to 30 MHz, he says. He also intends to be QRV on 1.8 MHz for the 2010/2011 winter season. QSL direct to A92IO (Dave Court, P.O. Box 31183, Budaiya, Bahrain) or via the bureau to EI3IO. Direct cards may also to be sent to EI3IO, however these will only be actioned once or twice per year. Further information can be found at a92.ath.cx C6 - Look for C6AKQ (QSL via N4BP), C6APG (QSL via K4PG), C6ARU (QSL via N4UM) and K4RUM (C6AUM) to be active from Grand Bahama (NA-080), Bahamas on 15-22 February. C6AKQ, C6APG and C6AUM will participate in the ARRL DX CW Contest as single band entrants, while C6ARU is likely to concentrate on 60 metres and digital modes QRP. [TNX The Daily DX] E4 - Antonio, EA5RM and the Tifariti Gang (EA2RY, EA5FX, EA7AJR, EA7KW, F5CWU, F6ENO, F9IE, IN3ZNR and UT7CR) will be active as E4X from Palestine from 28 May to 6 June. They plan to operate CW, SSB and RTTY on 160-6 metres, with at least three stations active at the same time on different bands and modes. QSL via EA5RM. The website for the expedition is at www.dxfriends.com/e4x/ F - Frank, F4AJQ and a large group of operators from France, Italy and the US (namely F1AFW, F1HRE, F2VX, F4DLM, F4EAT, F4FLF, F4UKP, F5EOT, F5HTR, F6CEL, F6ENO, F8BJI, F9IE, I2VGW and N6OX) will be active as TM7CC from Ouessant Island (EU-065) on 12-20 March. They will operate CW, SSB and digital modes on 160-10 metres. QSL via F9IE, direct or bureau. Further information can be found at www.tm7cc.com [TNX F5NQL] J8 - Once again Dave, G3TBK will be active as J88DR from St. Vincent from 18 February to 15 March. He will operate CW, SSB and RTTY on 160-10 metres, and will participate in both the ARRL DX Contests as well as the RSGB Commonwealth Contest. QSL via G3TBK. [TNX NG3K] KP2- Look for KP2/K3CT and KP2/K3TEJ to operate CW, RTTY and PSK31 on all bands from the US Virgin islands on 17-24 February. QSL via home calls. They will participate in the ARRL DX CW Contest as KP2M (QSL via AI4U). [TNX NG3K] T32- Nils (SM6CAS), Derek (G3KHZ), Steve (G4EDG) and Mike (K9AJ), plus five Kiribati Government officials, will be leaving Christmas Island on 17 March on a long voyage to the Southern Line Islands. They plan to stop and operate from four IOTA new ones, namely Malden Island (OC-279), Starbuck Island (OC-280), Caroline Island (OC-281) and Vostok Island (OC-282). They plan to be active on each island for four days. QSL direct via SM6CAS. The voyage will be almost 1,800 nautical miles and they will return to Christmas on 20 April. Further information is expected in due course, bookmark t32line.webnode.com (currently under construction) for updates. [TNX G3KHZ] V3 - Ben, DL6RAI will be active as V31RI
[DX-NEWS] [425ENG] 425 DX News #980 [Calendar]
425 DX NEWS _ 13 February 2010 A.R.I. DX Bulletin No 980 === *** 4 2 5 D X N E W S *** *** CALENDAR *** === Edited by I1JQJ IK1ADH Direttore Responsabile I2VGW PERIOD CALL REF till 13/02 J5NAR: Guinea-Bissau (incl. AF-093)975 till 13/02 Z21DXI: Zimbabwe 978 till 14/02 C21DL and C21YL: Nauru (OC-031)979 till 14/02 JD1BMV and JD1BNB: Ogasawara (AS-031) 975 till 14/02 JM1YGG/JD1 and JA2ZL/JD1: Ogasawara (AS-031) 975 till 14/02 KP2/VA3QSL: US Virgin Islands (NA-106) 978 till 14/02 XK1RST: Yukon 979 till 15/02 E51WWB: Manihiki (OC-014), North Cooks 976 till 15/02 JD1BMM: Minami Torishima (OC-073) 971 till 15/02 PJ4/N4RR and PJ4R: Bonaire (SA-006)979 till 15/02 XU7AFU: Cambodia 975 till 16/02 5W0OU and 5W0YA: Samoa (OC-097) 979 till 16/02 T88SM and T88HS: Koror Island (OC-009), Palau 977 till 16/02 XU7KOH: Koh Russei (AS-133)979 till 18/02 C6ABB: Bahamas (NA-001)979 till 19/02 BA4DW/4: Changxing Island (AS-136) 979 till 19/02 H40FK: Reef Islands (OC-065), Temotu 969 till 19/02 H40FN: Reef Islands (OC-065), Temotu 969 till 19/02 H40MS: Reef Islands (OC-065), Temotu 974 till 20/02 KC4USV: McMurdo Station, Ross Island (AN-011) 966 till 22/02 9Y4/DF8AN: Tobago (SA-009) 979 till 23/02 6V7V: Senegal 980 till 23/02 J38XX: Grenada 977 till 23/02 V31SU: Belize 978 till 24/02 HC1MD: Ecuador 979 till 24/02 TX4T: Tahiti (OC-046), French Polynesia975 till 25/02 5Z0H: Kenya975 till 25/02 OR4TN: Antarctic base Princess Elisabeth 977 till 28/02 V31YN and V31GW: Belize976 till 01/03 PH50YA: special callsign 976 till 02/03 V31RI: Belize 980 till 03/03 J37BO and J38A: Grenada979 till 20/03 5X1NH: Uganda 975 till 26/03 XR9JA: South Shetlands (AN-010)979 till 27/03 PJ5NA: St. Eustatius (NA-145) 974 till 31/03 6W2SC (Senegal) and J5UAP (Guinea-Bissau) 975 till 31/03 J79XBI: Dominica (NA-101) 975 till 31/03 VG, VX, XJ, XK: special prefixes (Canada) 978 till 31/03 VG7G: special callsign 963 till March FG/F6AUS and TO4D: Guadeloupe (NA-102) 967 till March PJ4/PE1MAE: Bonaire (SA-006) 973 till March VP6AL: Pitcairn Island (OC-044)968 till 30/04 C6ANM: Bahamas (NA-001)974 till 30/04 PI65RTD, PA65xx, PD65xx, PH65xx: special callsigns 977 till April T6AG: Afghanistan 964 till 11/05 5Z4/LA9PF (Kenya) and 7Q7PF (Malawi) 980 till MayVK9WBM: Willis Island (OC-007) 970 till 30/06 3Z0FCH: special event station (Poland) 975 till 30/06 GB50ATG: special event callsign957 till 12/07 ZS10WCS: special callsign 956 till 31/12 3Z0RADIO: special event callsign 974 till 31/12 DR2010L, DR2010O, DR2010N: special callsigns 977 till 31/12 HA2010S: special callsign 976 till 31/12 LM50NRK: special event station 976 till 31/01/11 DT8A: King Sejong Base, South Shetlands (AN-010) 977 till March 2011 AT10BP: Maitri Base, Antarctica967 13/02-28/02 TM7AAW: special callsign (France) 977 14/02-20/02
