Wow. 223 and looking at all three numbers of the day… no flare enhancement seems apparent!  250 again by Christmas??  Maybe.  300 by New year’s day?? Almost too much to hope for but possible with this trend!! 

Hey @G0OFE and @MM0BSM  SFI just exceeded 230 at 18:00 UTC.  And widespread Es across USA.  40 mhz MUF. Very likely F2 will open again for Christmas on our 50 MHZ allocations. 73  Mike.  Merry Christmas and good DX to all Hams!   Haha. 18:00 SFI on Christmas eve?  250 exactly.  What are the odds?  🤣🤣

Edited December 24, 2024Dec 24 by hamateur 1953
Xmas presents for all hams

Yes, signs of openings starting to happen again on  6m. VK and UN into W Europe in recent days, as I would expect with this level of solar flux.

1 hour ago, G0OFE said:

Yes, signs of openings starting to happen again on  6m. VK and UN into W Europe in recent days, as I would expect with this level of solar flux.

It may have peaked now around 250 but definitely good news worldwide! 

Well.   227 Solar Flux Index going into this weekend.  Excellent!  Hopefully high enough to allow worldwide F2 again this weekend or next on 50 mhz.  It wouldn’t surprise me if we hit 300 or better by February of 2025.  Really cool and good timing in the middle of winter when F layer is lower and denser.   

i've made an observation: solar maximum is both good and bad for radios. worldwide 50 MHz is insane, you would be able to listen to an FM radio station in kazakhstan from germany, but depending on the frequency, it would be possible from poland or france, i wish i had a radio receiver though

In my country FM radio is restricted to 88-108 mhz. I don’t know if F2 has ever been observed beyond our 50 mhz band. This would surprise me. However sporadic E skip is observed every year on 50 mhz and into the FM band occasionally in the USA.

1 hour ago, hamateur 1953 said:

In my country FM radio is restricted to 88-108 mhz. I don’t know if F2 has ever been observed beyond our 50 mhz band. This would surprise me. However sporadic E skip is observed every year on 50 mhz and into the FM band occasionally in the USA.

here it's a little wider range with 86-110mhz as far as i know

I went looking for info on F layer propagation on 2 meters and found a nicely done webpage on propagation modes for different bands -

 

"144-146 MHz (2 m)
Ionospheric effects are significantly reduced at 144 MHz, but they are far from absent. F-Iayer propagation is unknown except for TE, which is responsible for the current 144-MHz terrestrial  DX record of nearly 8000 km (5000 mi). " (from www.qsl.net/mi0rtx/radio_propagation.htm)

 

('TE' means Trans-Equatorial north-south paths)

So no F2 is available on 2 meters but there is another F layer phenomenon that does at times offer skip on 2 meters.

Yes. TE has been observed for some time. The F layer is more like an E layer at low latitudes. I have also read of chordal hops where the VHF signals are refracted at shallower angles avoiding any D layer absorption. This results in very strong signals. Unfortunately I am too far north to take advantage of this anomaly. Typically confined to our Gulf coast in USA.

Howdy all. I'm a newly returned operator. I've had the pleasure of communicating with hamateur 1953 a few times, and as I learn more I hope to come to the table here with more useful contributions, and fewer questions of the I don't even know what I don't know variety. That said, anyone here have suggestions for good books, or other resources that might help me learn my way around on space weather and what I'm looking for as it pertains to amateur radio? Oh, and how to get the most out of this site.

Tnx, 73

https://www.dxmaps.com/spots/mapg.php?Lan=E Aside from 10.7 SFI I have found the above international site very helpful to watch propagation trends etc. Other Hams may simply listen or watch their “ waterfall” displays. Not a digital guy here other than CW. Another site I find useful I will post on an edit with the caveat: Their method of determining SFI I don’t understand at all and prefer either Solar Ham or direct from NRC.

https://www.hfunderground.com/propagation/

73, Mike N7ORL.

As far as Ham Radio those are my basics. There are quite a few interesting discussions over the last three years in this section. Take a look as far as this site; and spaceweather I would defer to @Vancanneyt Sander @Marcel de Bont or @Sam Warfel or @arjemma perhaps. Welcome again btw.

On 50 mhz last evening at west coast time of 9 pm (!) I observed trans equatorial F2 or possibly multi hop Es from Southern California into New Zealand. Also many southern tier states working into South America as far as Chile. This opportunity is rare especially with flux below 200. So keep your ears open later in the day. It may last for another week this equinox.

Edited March 21Mar 21 by hamateur 1953
Typo

Currently at 01:00 utc I am seeing the entire path between Southern California and Brisbane Australia open as high as 52 mhz. Very unusual especially given SFI. This opening isn’t likely to last long unfortunately, so fire up that KW amp quickly. 😊 73 Mike.

7 hours ago, hamateur 1953 said:

Currently at 01:00 utc I am seeing the entire path between Southern California and Brisbane Australia open as high as 52 mhz. Very unusual especially given SFI. This opening isn’t likely to last long unfortunately, so fire up that KW amp quickly. 😊 73 Mike.

Maybe this belongs in the "ask your 'stupid' space questions here" thread, but could you please explain what this means, ELI5 style?

Edited April 13Apr 13 by Stella

Sure. No problem. Our ionosphere consists of numerous layers. Radio Amateurs and international broadcasters still use these layers around the clock to communicate worldwide depending on time of day, the frequencies of operation change. Although the internet has supplanted this method for the most part there are still people who have little or no access to it whatsoever. And still rely on shortwave transmissions from the BBC etc for their news. Our sun being irritated at times can either help or hinder these transmissions. A short explanation. I posted this in the Amateur Radio section because of the rarity of this opening. And a KW is basically the maximum input power we are allowed to emit on that frequency. ( actually 1,500 watts peak envelope power output) Giving an operator the best shot at communicating over the distance. Any other questions please feel free to PM me. Best regards. Mike N7ORL

Edited April 13Apr 13 by hamateur 1953

Aug 28 2025. It looks possible that we will crest close to 250 SFI soon if not tomorrow. Making 50 mhz F2 a definite possibility this weekend. It is early to be sure, typically this likelihood doesn’t happen until early November, However yesterday I saw a transpacific contact between Nova Scotia and the British isles. Wish I had a tower and 1,500 watts. 🤣🤣

2 hours ago, hamateur 1953 said:

Aug 28 2025. It looks possible that we will crest close to 250 SFI soon if not tomorrow. Making 50 mhz F2 a definite possibility this weekend. It is early to be sure, typically this likelihood doesn’t happen until early November, However yesterday I saw a transpacific contact between Nova Scotia and the British isles. Wish I had a tower and 1,500 watts. 🤣🤣

Today 232, so we're on the way to the second peak of this cycle. On 22nd of June, Dr. Tamitha Skov showed in her Spacenews the perfect symmetry of filaments on the Northern and Southern hemisphere. Actually she presented us a live presentation of the exact midpoint in the Gnevyshev Gap and she must have been aware of this, because she was full of excitement showing this mirroring of filaments on both hemisphere.

So the next coming months the SFU will certainly raise and lets hope for good F2 propagation on 6 meter. The timing seems perfect as this 2nd peak most likely takes place in our wintertime on the Northern Hemisphere and having advantage of the winter anomaly 🙂

In solar physics, things will definitely change now that the Gnevyshev midpoint has been observed live for the first time by Dr. Skov. From now on, I will refer to it as the Gnevyshev-Skov Gap, as Tamitha has transformed it from a retrospective concept into a real-time event.

Good DX to you hamateur 1953 😀

3 hours ago, 53Noord said:

Today 232, so we're on the way to the second peak of this cycle. On 22nd of June, Dr. Tamitha Skov showed in her Spacenews the perfect symmetry of filaments on the Northern and Southern hemisphere. Actually she presented us a live presentation of the exact midpoint in the Gnevyshev Gap and she must have been aware of this, because she was full of excitement showing this mirroring of filaments on both hemisphere.

So the next coming months the SFU will certainly raise and lets hope for good F2 propagation on 6 meter. The timing seems perfect as this 2nd peak most likely takes place in our wintertime on the Northern Hemisphere and having advantage of the winter anomaly 🙂

In solar physics, things will definitely change now that the Gnevyshev midpoint has been observed live for the first time by Dr. Skov. From now on, I will refer to it as the Gnevyshev-Skov Gap, as Tamitha has transformed it from a retrospective concept into a real-time event.

Good DX to you hamateur 1953 😀

Thanks! 73 , Mike N7ORL. Edit: Thanks for bringing up this Gnevyshev gap whatever the heck it is! I heard her mention it briefly, however I have no idea what it actually means. I will definitely look into it now. Hopefully translation from Russian into English is available! 🤣🤣

Edited August 29Aug 29 by hamateur 1953
Gnevyshev gap

Hi Mike, Gnevyshev discovered in the 1960s that solar maximum often features two distinct peaks. The gap between them is defined by a period of equal activity in both hemispheres. During this phase, overall solar activity is lower because the more active hemisphere begins to decline, while the opposite hemisphere starts to increase in activity.

Thanks to modern instruments like SOHO and STEREO, solar activity is now monitored in much greater detail. As a result, we’ve observed a clearly defined gap in the last three solar cycles. Even Cycle 21 showed signs of this phenomenon.

Interestingly, the midpoint of this gap aligns closely with the actual midpoint of the solar cycle. The double-peak structure is currently forming, with the second peak now on the rise. This peak may reach its maximum by the end of this year or early 2026.

54 minutes ago, 53Noord said:

Hi Mike, Gnevyshev discovered in the 1960s that solar maximum often features two distinct peaks. The gap between them is defined by a period of equal activity in both hemispheres. During this phase, overall solar activity is lower because the more active hemisphere begins to decline, while the opposite hemisphere starts to increase in activity.

Thanks to modern instruments like SOHO and STEREO, solar activity is now monitored in much greater detail. As a result, we’ve observed a clearly defined gap in the last three solar cycles. Even Cycle 21 showed signs of this phenomenon.

Interestingly, the midpoint of this gap aligns closely with the actual midpoint of the solar cycle. The double-peak structure is currently forming, with the second peak now on the rise. This peak may reach its maximum by the end of this year or early 2026.

Yes. I was rereading something that completely confused me regarding cycle 19. ( published in 1967 ) They were referring to a chromatic shift towards the green spectrum. They were tracking F 10.7 emissions. At that point I gave up completely. That shift did however coincide with a hemispheric shift towards the opposite hemisphere. Probably this topic should be addressed in our Growth of Cycle 25. Thread though. But tnx and 73. Mike. Edit: on DX maps just saw a Florida to Sweden contact posted on 50 mhz. Pretty rare.

Edited August 29Aug 29 by hamateur 1953
Grammar, clarity. Florida usa / Sweden F2

@hamateur 1953

I don't know how to explain this well, but I was looking at the radio frequency blackout map. I was seeing that there was a blackout due to a blue radio emission, and it was going on for a long time.

Maybe it's because of the mini flares from a sunspot? Perhaps it is because of the mini flares of a sunspot, why I find it curious to see that frequency blackout, it was almost traveling around the world, maintaining itself

I wanted to know how common that is. I haven't seen that radio frequency blackout map for months.

Edited September 25Sep 25 by Isatsuki San
I wanted to explain it a little better.

When a flare happens typically the ionisation is immediate. Depending on intensity the absorption or attenuation ( reduction in strength) May extend past 15 mhz or so. The blue hue seen on DRAP is roughly the normal attenuation for the portion of the ionosphere during daylight hours at our present level of background solar flux or SFI. Particle radiation can affect this too and is taken into account by DRAP. After a flare occurs recombination takes place, typically within a couple of hours. Hopefully this helps. We are at equinox also so top to bottom is roughly identical in ionospheric conditions. Mike. edit: I thought I had a quick link to DRAP but I don’t. However solarham has one where you can easily view a 48 hr run to see the events hit our ionosphere if you are interested.

Edited September 25Sep 25 by hamateur 1953
DRAP