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[K2JF]

SFI now is 94 and sunspot number is 35 with an A index of 13 and K index of 4.. So here I am at 20:45 UTC with a 20 m dipole up 85 feet I hear next to no DX! Not into ft8 just 100% CW.

[AE0Q]

K index of 4  and A=13 is pretty bad !

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/planetary-k-index

Glenn AE0Q

[K2JF]

arrggghhh.. it shows the K index going up to 6! Good night Irene! https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ shows geomagnetic storms at G2... Put it all together and I'm watching netflix tonight.

[KM1H]

Might be a good time for aurora on 6 and 2M SSB and CW, thats always fun for extended range Q's

[W1VT]

NOAA announcement:
The CME from 9 October, 2021, arrived early on 12 October UTC-day
published: Tuesday, October 12, 2021 15:52 UTC
The CME associated with the 9 October, 2021, M1 flare arrived as anticipated early on the 12 October UTC-day.
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/phenomena/coronal-mass-ejections
The fastest Earth-directed CMEs can reach our planet in as little as 15-18 hours. Slower CMEs can take several days to arrive.

[GRUMPY2021]

K index is for climatology and not ham radio so it means very little plus it's also globally so in your location it could be different.   Dr. Skov has a great explanation of this starting at the 37 minute mark of this video.   Might answer your questions.  Also SFI of 94 is just moving into the good category.  It's just moving out of the marginal range.  After watching her excellent explanation I've decided to stop worrying about numbers.  Propagation is what it is going to be... relax.   Here's the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Beo_nKUoN7Q

[KC0W]

SFI now is 94 and sunspot number is 35 with an A index of 13 and K index of 4.. So here I am at 20:45 UTC with a 20 m dipole up 85 feet I hear next to no DX! Not into ft8 just 100% CW.

 Propagation has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately the vast majority of daily activity these days is on FT8. I'm getting 50+ JA decodes (times two) on 10 meters FT8 right now. Meaning there are a minimum of 100 JA stations on 10 meters FT8 this very second. I just spun the VFO thru 10 meters CW and there was absolutely nothing. On 15 meters FT8 I'm seeing 40+ stations every decode. Just spun thru 15 meters CW............Again absolutely nothing.

 Welcome to amateur radio in 2021.

                                                                                  Tom KH0/KC0W   

[AE0Q]

K index is for climatology and not ham radio so it means very little plus it's also globally so in your location it could be different.

"The K-index, and by extension the Planetary K-index, are used to characterize the magnitude of geomagnetic storms. Kp is an excellent indicator of disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field and is used by SWPC to decide whether geomagnetic alerts and warnings need to be issued for users who are affected by these disturbances.

The principal users affected by geomagnetic storms are the electrical power grid, spacecraft operations, users of radio signals that reflect off of or pass through the ionosphere, and observers of the aurora."

The climatology K index is derived arithmetically: K-index = (850 hPa temperature – 500 hPa temperature) + 850 hPa dew point – 700 hPa dew point depression.  It's atmospheric thermodynamics.

They are not the same thing...

[K2JF]

hey grumpy and kcow - excellent discussion! and that video by the Space Weather Woman opened me up to a new way of thinking about propagation. Basically turn on the radio and see what's happening! But still, the K index has value for geomagnetic disturbances that effect us hams. And the SFI seems important as well. But who knew about the solar wind speed and some of those other categories?

[AB6RF]

I really like looking at the Ionosonde graphs to see what's going on with the ionosphere right now.
The closest one to me is Boulder, CO

https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/stp/IONO/rt-iono/latest/BC840.png

By looking at the current ionograph, you actually SEE what's happening.
The poor HF conditions during the last day or two have been very clearly visible.

AB6RF

[K6AER]

Maybe everyone just went to bed early. There is an old ham saying... a thousand receivers make no noise. Call CQ several times and you will find the band is not dead.

[AB6RF]

The geomagnetic activity has currently wiped out most F layer propagation.
Take a look at the Boulder ionograph at Oct-13, 05:45 UTC.

AB6RF

[KC0W]

The geomagnetic activity has currently wiped out most F layer propagation.

 The geomagnetic disturbance has wiped out absolutely NOTHING. Here is a snip of a single pass on 40 meters FT8. How many different continents are represented? There are four. Asia, North America, South America & Oceania. I'm seeing the same results on 30, 20 & 17 meters right now as well...............Again, the issue here is that daily CW activity is almost nonexistent because (unfortunately) FT8 has taken over.

 


                                                                        Tom KH0/KC0W