Excellent 6 MHz propagation at Woolrich Lookout, Olinda

Solar flux has dropped to 88, and the mean Smoothed Sunspot Number has
fallen to 32, according to IPS Space Services, Sydney, June 9 2011.


IPS notes


"That solar activity was Very Low. No sunspot regions of significant size or
magnetic complexity are on the disc. The solar wind speed ranged between
450-600 km/s. The IMF Bz ranged between +/- 5nT with extended southward
periods.


Solar activity is expected to remain Very Low over the forecast period. The
solar wind speed is expected to gradually reduce for the first part of the
9th before increasing around the middle of the UT day due to the expected
arrival of a CME from the M2.4 flare observed on the 7th. Wind speeds are
expected to be elevated on the 10th and begin to reduce to quiescent levels
on the 11th."


I went up to the Woolrich Lookout, Olinda, on June 9, 40 km east of central
Melbourne, and was surprised et the excellent propagation on 6 MHz. It had
snowed there the previous day!


The Eton E5 yielded these results in the window 0500 to 0600:


5915 ENGLAND DW Rampisham Russian
5935 USA WWCR English
5950 USA WYFR English
5965 VATICAN VR SMG English
" COSTA RICA REE Spanish
5975 ENGLAND NHK Rampisham English
5985 USA WYFR English
5995 BOTSWANA VOA Hausa
6010 CUBA RHC English
6020 CANADA CRI Sackville English
6030 USA R. Marti Greenville
6055 SPAIN REE Spanish
6060 CUBA RHC English
6075 PORTUGAL DW Sines German
6080 N. ANTILLES NHK Bonaire Spanish
6090 ANGUILLA Car. Beacon, English
6110 CANADA NHK Sackville English
6125 VATICAN RN via Santa Maria di Galeria Dutch
6150 CUBA RHC
6155 AUSTRIA ORF Moosbrun German
6165 N. ANTILLES RN Bonaire Dutch
6175 CANADA VOV Sackville Vietnamese
6180 PORTUGAL DW Sines German
6190 CANADA CRI Sackville English
" S. AFRICA BBC Meyerton English

IPS Solar Data Graph of June 8 2011

Me at the Lookout

Yarra Ranges view from Lookout