Topband: VK6VZ was loud this morning!

[Bill Tippett <btippett@alum.mit.edu>]

KB5NJD wrote:
>He also started out louder to the NW.  Did anyone else notice
this?

        In disturbed conditions like we had today, it is not
unusual for signals to be skewed AWAY from the magnetic pole
closest to the normal great circle bearing.  For DX from the
Southern Hemisphere (i.e. ZL or VK), this means their signals
are often skewed North.  For DX from the Northern Hemisphere
(i.e. EU or JA), this means their signals are often skewed
South.  During one severe aurora (Kp index = 8), I once worked
an SM skewed nearly 90 degrees from his great circle bearing!

        Ford, regarding living underneath an auroral zone, you
might want to consider a complementary hobby like aurora
photography.  When you have aurora, turn your radio off and
go outside like this guy from North Dakota:

http://www.prairiejournal.com/northern_lights/

Visual aurora is quite rare at my 35N latitude, but we do
occasionally have them:

http://users.vnet.net/btippett/6_nov_aurora.htm (6 Nov 2001)

I have more pictures from another last Fall but have not yet
uploaded those yet.

                                        73,  Bill  W4ZV

P.S.  Aurora does not necessarily destroy propagation everywhere.
I set the current CQ WW SSB record on 10 meters during a weekend
that had a brilliant auroral display.  The Ap index was 38 on the
2nd day of the contest fter the following Saturday night aurora:

http://www.spaceweather.com/aurora/gallery_28oct01.html
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