SOLAR ACTIVITY VERY LOW

 

Latest from IPS Sydney is that the 10.7 cm Solar Radio Flux has dropped to a miserable 95, and the Equivalent Smoothed Sunspot number down to 41.

 

That means that long-haul multi-hop propagation on darkness or semi-darkness paths on frequencies above about 14 MHz will be unreliable.

 

Here in Melbourne, around sunrise on April 30, 2015, the 11 MHz, 13 MHz, 15 MHz and 17 MHz bands were very active active in the time period 1930 to 2000, with notable signals including RAE ARGENTINA 15345, 11665 RTM (Kajang - normally local daytime frequency but running all-night parallel to 9835), 11775 UNIVERSITY NETWORK (ANGUILLA), and REE SPAIN running three transmitters on 15490 17715 and 17855.

 

Propagation from Americas dominant via short path (daylight) over Pacific; from Europe/Africa via long path over Atlantic and Pacific.

 

This is the Summary -

 

11665 MALAYSIA RTM-Kajang Malay,  parallel 9835

11735 ZANZIBAR Domestic

11760 CUBA RHC French

11775 ANGUILLA University Network English

11875 OMAN BBC Arabic

11965 JAPAN NHK-Yamata Japanese

11975 ROMANIA RRI Romanian to 1958*

11985 OMAN English

11995 FRANCE RFI-Issoudun  French

15130 FRANCE NHK-Issoudun Japanese

15205 GERMANY AW-Nauen Ibo to 2000*

15220 AUSTRIA AWR-Moosbrun French to 1959*

15480 S. AFRICA AWR-Meyerton

15490 SPAIN Spanish parallel 17715 and 17855

17855 ASCENSION BBC Hausa

17850 FRANCE RFI-Issoudun French