[UK-CONTEST] CQWW SSB - Some thoughts

[Dave Sergeant]

On 28 Oct 2009 at 8:44, Andy Swiffin wrote:

> I wasn't QRV down there as I was too busy working MS on 144 mhz (more
> QSOs than an average UK AC!) but they weren't European stations on 10
> &15 were they?
> 
> If they were it had nothing to do with the SFI, there's been a
> surprising amount of Es about in the last few days with the Es MUF even
> giving some openings at 50mhz. See
> http://www.vhfdx.net/spots/map.php?Frec=MUF for the estimated MUF and
> map of spotted qsos for each band 28 and up.

I would tend to agree, it was sporadic E on 10m and very little to do 
with F layer progagation. The recent rise in solar flux from the 
latest, significant, spot group only really started this week - it was 
Monday when it reached 81 and reached 83 yesterday, but over the 
weekend was 76 - high compared with what it has been for yonks but not 
enough to cause the MUF to get up to 10m.

Actually I suspect this group still hasn't done much to propagation, 
and will be moving away from the visible disc in a few days with 
nothing else in sight at the moment. I did work VQ9LA on 12m yesterday, 
but the Indian Ocean is a good path and often open in low sunspot 
times. And there was certainly sporadic E around on that band at the 
weekend. I was not on in SSB in the contest though...

73 Dave G3YMC

http://www.davesergeant.com