IO85PO

Daily Propagation Check list @ www.gm7nva.co.uk (For UK users)

1: Space weather conditions? Check Solar Data Indices...

Background x-ray flux levels less than C1 for several days consecutively are good for 120 - 80 meters and less than B9 for MF broadcast band but A9 or less is best.

Other indices mainly affecting higher bands are, K (If above 2 and rising not good), A (Below 10 is good), Flux (SFU) (100 - 125 with low "A" good for Low bands. For high band 40m - 20m and up, a flux of over 150 is getting there.
(http://www.sec.noaa.gov/SWN/index.html) / (http://dx.qsl.net/propagation/propagation.html).

2: Check for Solar Storms and Aurora on links above. (Either condition not good).

3: What is local MUF? Check bands 20m and up for signals. Propagation Beacons (is 10m open?). Find a list here. (http://www.ncdxf.org/Beacon/intro.html )

80M DX (Main season is September - March)

Check around the SSB DX window (3780 - 3800MHz) and CW section of band just before dawn to the west for West Coast USA and later in mid afternoon for any long path signals from the east coming from USA.

At dusk through evening start looking east toward Asia for JA etc as grey line travels west toward you. From midnight start looking for USA and South America. as night moves toward dawn look for Pacific station both toward the south west and also over the north pole to the north east. West coast USA is best just before our dawn. (Providing that area is in darkness).

A: Check "Low Band Cluster" for activity. (http://www.on4kst.info/chathf/start.php).

B: Check "Grey Line". Main propagation paths are perpendicular to the Grey Line on 80 or at right angles to line. Propagation moves from east to west as darkness moves across Northern Hemisphere.

40M

Check conditions around 7 - 7.100MHz before dawn between, early afternoon and dusk. Band is then a darkness hour band till dawn. DX can be found all day when conditions are very good.

A: Check "Low Band Cluster" for action. (http://www.on4kst.info/chathf/start.php)

B: Check "Grey Line". Main propagation paths are along the Grey Line on 40, which is different to 80m.

6M "Magic Band"

Check 50.000 - 50.300 CW + SSB sections band in late morning, late afternoon, at dusk for conditions.
(Peak times noon and late afternoon).

A: Check 6M Band Clusters for activity. (http://www.on4kst.info/chathf/start.php)

B: Check Solar Data indices K is best to be below 2 for sporadic E.

C: 6m On-air Beacons check. List is at - (http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm)

D: Look at 6m Group DX site for info. (http://www.uksmg.org/index_cs.php)

Generally 6m sporadic E action starts in east (Scandinavia) moving south (Ukraine Italy etc) south/west as the day progresses. (France, Spain etc). Look west toward Carribean and Canada late afternoon early evening for DX. Also check for far east - european traffic on clusters.

2M

Check 144MHz CW + SSB segment of band at dawn, late morning, late afternoon, at dusk for conditions
(Peak times Dawn, Late afternoon).

A: Check 2M Band Cluster for activity. (http://www.on4kst.info/chathf/start.php )

B: Check Solar Data. Check for aurora conditions.
(Aurora Signals mostly come from North/ East).

C: Check "William Hepburn's" Web site for Troposphere ducting conditions.
( http://home.cogeco.ca/~dxinfo/tropo_nwe.html ).

D: Check BBC Weather Pressure charts. BBC Chart: DX is generally worked around or through the outer edges of a High Pressure Zone for longest distances. Look for increasing pressure and the High zone's direction of travel. (Normally North / East). ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast/pressure ).

E: Beacons check. Scan band for European beacons to see if band open.

Notes for LF/HF UK users

Solar Wind: The effects of the solar wind on Earth's magnetosphere decreases as we approach the Summer/Winter solstice and increases at the Fall/Spring Equinox. Why? Basically it's the orientation of Earth's magnetic field with respect to the Interplanetary Magnetic Field within the Solar Wind. When solar material and shock waves reach Earth their effects may be enhanced or dampened depending on the angle at which they arrive.

Lightning: Occasionally high lightning QRN levels plague amateur and
SWL radio operations caused by El Nino, mainly in eastern Oceania and North and South America, including the Caribbean.

High Latitude Propagation Paths: (UK-JA, UA0 / UK - KL, V8, OX etc) These can be severely effected by Polar absorption due to geomagnetic storming levels or Aurora conditions. K index at 0-1 is low absorption, 3-5 moderate and 9 is major.

Sporadic E: Evidence shows that the K index must be below K2 for this mode to occur on high bands including 6m and up. E's travel from the east toward south west as day progresses. Peak times are around noon and late afternoon.

Here are some "general" guidelines concerning correlation of propagation Indices to actual expected HF/MF propagation conditions.

1: Dropping index numbers are better, with the exception of solar flux and sunspot number on HF.

2: For medium frequencies a solar flux under 150, fewer than 100 better, 70 is best for E layer multi-hop. For high frequencies over 125 is good, over 150 is better, over 200 is best.

Keep in mind though that at medium frequencies the 10.7 cm (2800 MHz) solar Flux (SFU) index is not a "reliable" gauge of ionisation in our atmosphere, as the energy of photons at this frequency is to low on the order of one million times. However most are used to solar flux and sunspot number and it's a hard habit to break. A better indicator is the background x-ray flux. See #7.

3: Solar flux of at least 100 for E valley-F layer ducting mechanism.

4: Previous 24 hour Ap indexes fewer than 10, fewer than 7 for several days consecutively are best.

5: Previous 3-hour Kp index under 3 for mid latitude paths, under 2 for high latitude paths, 0-1 for several days consecutively is best.

6: Energetic protons no greater then 10 MeV (10+0) for 160/120 meters and no greater then (10-1) on MF AM broadcast band.

7: Background x-ray flux levels less than C1 for several days consecutively for 160/120 meters and less then B9 for MF broadcast band but A9 or less is best.

8: No current STRATWARM alert.

9: IMF Bz with a (+) sign, indicates a lesser chance of high latitude path auroral absorption/unpredictable refraction or scattering of MF RF signals, when the Kp is above 3.

10: A -50 or better towards a positive number Dst index during the recovery time after a geomagnetic storm, as related to the Equatorial Ring Current.

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