SB PROP @ ARL $ARLP052   
   ARLP052 Propagation de K7RA   
      
   ZCZC AP52   
   QST de W1AW   
   Propagation Forecast Bulletin 52  ARLP052   
   > From Tad Cook, K7RA   
   Seattle, WA  December 23, 2016   
   To all radio amateurs   
      
   SB PROP ARL ARLP052   
   ARLP052 Propagation de K7RA   
      
   Over the past reporting week (December 15-21) solar activity was little   
   changed from the previous seven days, although on two days (December 16-17)   
   there were no sunspots. Average daily sunspot numbers declined two points from   
   13 to 11, and average daily solar flux bumped up one point to 73.2.   
      
   Average planetary A index changed from 13.3 to 7.9, and average mid-latitude A   
   index from 9 to 5.7.   
      
   The outlook for the next month shows daily solar flux in a big downward   
   adjustment for the next week, compared to the forecast in yesterday's ARRL   
   Letter. The average predicted solar flux Wednesday on December 23-28 was 84.2,   
   but in Thursday's forecast it dropped suddenly to 62.   
      
   Predicted solar flux is 73 on December 23-24, 72 on December 25-29, 77 on   
   December 30-31, 79 on January 1-3, 77 on January 4-5, 75 on January 6-10, 77   
   on January 11-12, 75 on January 13-14, 73 on   
   January 15-17, 75 on January 18-23, 77 on January 24-27, 79 on January 28-30   
   and 77 on January 31 and February 1.   
      
   Predicted planetary A index is 12 on December 23-24, 8 on December 25, 5 on   
   December 26 through January 1, then 8, 10, 20, 22, 16, 14 and 6 on January   
   2-8, 5 on January 9-13, 10 on January 14, 15 on January 15-16, 25 and 28 on   
   January 17-18, 12 on January 19-20, 8 on January 21, and 5 on January 22-28.   
      
      
      
   > From Australia's Space Weather Services:   
      
   "Subj: SWS Geomagnetic Disturbance Warning 16/57   
   Issued At 0002 UTC/22 December 2016   
   By the Australian Space Forecast Centre.   
      
   "The effect of a high speed solar wind stream from a coronal hole is expected   
   to keep the geomagnetic activity enhanced from 22 to 24 December. Minor storms   
   may be observed throughout this period with the possibility of some major   
   storm periods on 22 and 23 December.   
      
   "INCREASED GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY EXPECTED DUE TO CORONAL HOLE HIGH SPEED WIND   
   STREAM FROM 22-24 DECEMBER 2016   
      
   "GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY FORECAST   
   22 Dec:  Active to minor storm, some major storm periods possible   
   23 Dec:  Active to minor storm, isolated major storm periods possible   
   24 Dec:  Unsettled to active, isolated minor storm periods possible"   
      
   We also have the weekly geomagnetic prediction for December 23 to January 18   
   from F.K. Janda, OK1HH of the Czech Propagation Interest Group.   
      
   "Geomagnetic field will be:   
   Quiet on December 30-31, January 1, 8-11   
   Mostly quiet on December 27-28, January 2, 12, 15-16   
   Quiet to unsettled on January 2-3, 14, 29   
   Quiet to active on December 23-26, January 4, 6-7, 13, 17   
   Active to disturbed on January 5, 18   
      
   "Increases in solar wind from coronal holes are expected on December 23-25,   
   January 3-8, 17-18."   
      
      
      
   W4KUT's comments on Cycle 19 in last week's Propagation Forecast Bulletin   
   ARLP051 drew quite a response.   
      
   Jon Jones, N0JK wrote:   
      
   "Interesting comments from W4KUT regarding Solar Cycle 19.   
      
   "I have heard from 6M ops who were active during Cycle 19 of daily North   
   America coast to coast F2 contacts on 6M with just a few watts on AM and   
   indoor dipoles during the Fall and Winter months. With the higher F2 MUF, 6   
   meter contacts also occurred from the Midwest to New England and California   
   via F2.   
      
   "International DX was limited due to many countries, particularly in Region 1,   
   not having a 50 MHz allocation. The IGY, however, gave special permission to a   
   few operations from Region 1, so a number of stations completed WAC on 50 MHz   
   during Solar Cycle 19.   
      
   "This was a comment regarding Cycle 19 in 1957 from the UKSMG regarding 6   
   meters from Japan.   
      
   "During the peak of Cycle 19, the fall DX season of 1957, North America was   
   coming in every day to Japan (on 50 MHz). At the same time, VE (Canada), KL7   
   (Alaska), and KH6 (Hawaii) signals were also heard every day. On October 9,   
   1958 - JA3CE and CT3AE (Madeira Island) had a QSO establishing the new record   
   via long path for 50 MHz of over 25,000 km."   
      
   "http://www.uksmg.org/content/historyjapan.htm   
      
   "Jon, N0JK"   
      
      
   KH6CJJ wrote:   
      
   "My novice license was issued in 1957.  As a novice I was limited to CW with   
   crystal control and had only one or two crystals in the 15 meter novice band.    
   As I remember, one was around 21.175. In the evenings, I would hear VKs and   
   ZLs operating AM around that frequency with great signals.  I started calling   
   them on CW and worked many cross mode.  My 60 watt signal was loud enough   
   there to cause them to see who was calling, even though I was many kilocycles   
   away and on CW.   
      
   "I got my Conditional (General for those who did not have access to an FCC   
   examination office) license in 1958.  Band conditions were so good that in the   
   Fall and Spring I would cause big pileups of Europeans on 15 while running 40   
   watts AM with my Heathkit DX-35. Europe is the toughest place to work from   
   Hawaii and I have never had the same pileups ever since, even running more   
   power on SSB with a better antenna.   
      
   "PS - I enjoy your propagation bulletin every week...keep up the good work!   
      
   "Kent Carlson KH6CJJ Maui Hawaii"   
      
      
      
   Max White, M0VNG sent this article about activity at the core of the Sun:   
      
   http://bit.ly/2ie0EYl   
      
      
      
   Here is an article from the Chinese Academy of Sciences regarding sunspot   
   helicity, which I had not heard of.   
      
   http://bit.ly/2i05pG4   
      
      
      
   Helicity definition:   
      
   https://www.aa.washington.edu/research/HITsi/research/helicity   
      
      
      
   If you would like to make a comment or have a tip for our readers, email the   
   author at k7ra@arrl.net.   
      
   For more information concerning radio propagation, see the ARRL Technical   
   Information Service web page at, http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals.   
   For an explanation of numbers used in this bulletin, see http://   
   rrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere. An archive of past propagation   
   bulletins is at http://arrl.org/w1aw-bulletins-archive-propagation. More good   
   information and tutorials on propagation are at http://k9la.us/.   
      
   Monthly propagation charts between four USA regions and twelve overseas   
   locations are at http://arrl.org/propagation.   
      
   Instructions for starting or ending email distribution of ARRL bulletins are   
   at http://arrl.org/bulletins.   
      
   Sunspot numbers for December 15 through 21 were 12, 0, 0, 13, 12, 25, and 15,   
   with a mean of 11. 10.7 cm flux was 72.5, 72.6, 72.1, 72.3, 72.8, 74.9, and   
   75, with a mean of 73.2. Estimated planetary A indices were 3, 3, 6, 9, 5, 6,   
   and 23, with a mean of 7.9. Estimated mid-latitude A indices were 2, 2, 3, 6,   
   5, 4, and 18, with a mean of 5.7.   
      
   NNNN   
   /EX   
      
   )\/(ark   
      
   Always Mount a Scratch Monkey   
   Do you manage your own servers? If you are not running an IDS/IPS yer doin' it   
   wrong...   
   ... Of course I'm sane. The voices said so.   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:3634/12.73)