Sunspots and 10m - Sunday Oct 2nd 2016

Solar flux is 79 today but the sunspot number is zero! K=3. The forecast for 10m F2 propagation remains "poor".

QRT

Darn it! Just when I was having 10m JT65 fun, there was a nasty storm quite close, so I have had to go QRT. Never mind. There will be other days.

UPDATE 2038z: The storm is now well out in the North Sea. I shall be back on tomorrow morning around breakfast time probably 10m WSPR and 6m JT65 until the afternoon.

South America (again) on 10m JT65

PU4EPM (9212km), Rio,  was copied at 1552z. Yet again this proves that 10m is far from dead.

UPDATE 1644z: So far, 4 Brazilian stations spotted on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1704z: Lots of Es from all over Europe on 10m JT65.

UPDATE 1715z: Now it is 5 Brazilians all in the Sao Paulo and Rio areas on 10m JT65.

Solar activity

At the moment, although on the downward part of the solar cycle, conditions are still holding up. This autumn may yet be better than we had hoped. See http://www.solen.info/solar/ .

MW0CSO spotting me on 10m JT65

MW0CSO in North Wales is spotting me on 10m JT65. This is probably tropo or aircraft reflection. It is too close for Es/F and backscatter is unlikely.

Romania on 10m JT65

YO3GXC (2086km) in Bucharest has been spotted on 10m JT65. I assume this is Es, but it could be F2.

Storms?

With thunder and lightning not too far away, I need to keep a watchful eye out. If it gets too near I shall go QRT and disconnect rigs, antennas and PC. At the moment the storms are to the east and moving away, but things can change!

See http://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en

UPDATE 1510z: Storms now in Kettering/Thrapston area. Keeping an eye out!

USA call areas

USA callsign numbers mean little these days.

At one time you could be sure where a station was located in the USA by his number. W4 for example was Florida or nearby and W6 California or nearby.  KF1BUZ is monitoring 10m JT65 but he is located in Nevada! A W6 could be in New England now!

I blame it on the FCC. Whoever thought up the present scheme needs his/her head relocating to a different call area. As someone located in Europe, the present system is poor.

Caribbean on 10m JT65

FM/DD5ZZ (6798km) in FK94 square (Martinique) has already spotted my 2W on 10m JT65. This is very promising. This is the most northerly station to have spotted me in the Americas this autumn.

USA next? We live in hope, HI.

UPDATE 1438z: DL2IAU (648km) in the Rhineland-Palatinate has been spotted on 10m JT65. Es again I assume.

UPDATE 1458z: GM4OAS (653km) in the west of Scotland has recently spotted me on 10m JT65. I assume this is Es.

South America on 10m WSPR

As well as Northern Europe on 10m WSPR I see that FY5KE (7117km) spotted my 500mW WSPR earlier. 10m is very far from being a "dead band".  Just be patient!