[NZ4O Spaceweather] Daily Discussion Of Solar Space & Geomagnetic Weather Conditions

[Thomas F Giella NZ4O]

Published on Monday October 15, 2012 at 1400 UTC. Valid for the next 24 
hours.
1.) DISCUSSION OF SOLAR, SPACE & GEOMAGNETIC WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT CAN 
IMPACT MF & HF RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION IN A NEGATIVE MANNER-

I operated on 10 meters early this morning UTC using the digital mode JT65A. 
I saw lot's of single hop and double hop sporadic E (Es) and trans 
equatorial (TEP) radio wave propagation. As the Kp index finally fell under 
a 3 and the background x-ray flux rose in response to new sunspot group 
activity, I did see some east-west F2 layer radio wave propagation.

For the 18th day in a row the daily sunspot number has languished below 100, 
currently at 97.

There are no other significant impediments to good radio wave propagation on 
the HF bands as far as solar, space and geomagnetic weather. However the 
daily sunspot number needs to be higher than the present 97, as the higher 
the sunspot number (100 >) (150 & > best) the more ultraviolet light 
available to increase ionization in the F/F2 layer, for more consistent 
east-west radio wave propagation openings on 12 and 10 meters.

On the medium frequency (MF) bands there is the normal absorption of RF 
signals in the D layer due to incoming cosmic rays and hard x-rays. Also the 
background x-ray flux is running in the C range so there is some additional 
minor absorption of RF signals in the D layer. Also there is RF signal 
absorption via the E layer on high and mid latitude propagation paths due to 
unsettled (Kp-3) to active (Kp-4) geomagnetic conditions.



73 & GUD DX, 
Thomas F. Giella, NZ4O
Lakeland, FL, USA
nz4o at tampabay.rr.com

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