[CQ-Contest] Propagation Update - CQ WW SSB - 25-X-03

[Jim Smith]

Thank you for asking, Tomas, but they're the pits  :-(   Seriously, 
though, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and 
observations.  Here in Vancouver the high bands didn't open to anywhere 
on Fri and Sat until something like 10 am.  I've been running BeaconSee 
continuously for several days and capturing screen shots every 2 hours 
except when I'm in bed.  (It takes 2 hours to cycle through all the 
NCDXF beacons on all bands, including WARC.)  All I have been seeing are 
4U1UN, K6WX, KH6WO, ZL6B, LU4AA and YV5B and a very brief appearance of 
RR9O.  However, I have been seeing them on all bands (including 10 for 
long periods of time late in the day).

I gave up on the test, told my trainees to stay home and did some work 
on the sun deck.

As a calibration point, I have been using BeaconSee for a year or so.  I 
have heard all the operating beacons and most down to the 100 mW level 
at some time or other.  Antenna used for BeaconSee is an R5 up about 50 
ft and totally in the clear of surrounding houses, etc.  My horizon to 
Eu varies from 3 deg down to 1.  VK/ZL is less than 2 deg.  JA is 1 deg. 
 Worst case is 4 deg from 340 to 20 deg azimuth.  Rx is a MkV with 500 
Hz filter selected.  

I have 58 hours' worth of BeaconSee images in Windows .clp format 
starting at 0310212204Z and ending at 0310260126Z.  Each image has a 
duration of 2 hours.  I missed recording a few because I was doing 
something else (like trying to make Qs) or sleeping.  If you want me to 
send you any be warned that each file is a little less than 5 MB.

Maybe someone can tell me how to convert a .clp file (is this actually a 
.bmp?) to something not so humungous and therefore easier to schlepp around.

Tomas (NW7US) wrote:

>Well,
>
>where's the beef?  Er, where's the storm?
>
>Just as I had predicted, the bands are hopping, today.  I live in a valley 
>surrounded by mountains on three sides.  I use a dipole antenna.  I am hearing 
>many stations on 10 meters, even more on 15, and a huge amount on 20.  I have 
>worked N/S paths, like TI5A and LT1F, on 10 meters.  They report propagation as 
>being moderate to good.
>
>At the time of my writing this, the figures are:
>
>10.7-cm Flux: 191
>Ap: 36
>Kp: 3 (36 nT)
>Solar Wind: 511 km/s at 2.2 protons/cm3
>On 2003 Oct 25 1813Z: Bz: 10.8 nT
>
>Looking at the trend of the Kp at several reporting locations, the highest was 
>5, most were 3 or 4, since last night.
>
>The latest flare was a C-class.  There is a chance, still, of a more powerful 
>flare.  So far, though, we have had great sailing.
>
>How're conditions for you, at your location?
>
>73 de Tomas, NW7US (AAR0JA/AAM0EWA)
>