Thanks to KY1H for pointing out a mistake in my original posting. The
contest was Feb 17-18 and I noted K-index numbers for Feb 18-19... Guess I
really needed some extra sleep...
Note that the original information was the planetary K-index. This is an
index derived ("averaged"?) from magnetometer readings from nine locations in
Canada and the USA. The K-index reported on WWV is the single K-index
measured at Boulder Colorado.
Here is information on both for the correct two days:
Planetary Boulder
2/17
00-03 3 3
03-06 3 3
06-09 2 2
09-12 2 2
12-15 1 1
15-18 1 1
18-21 2 2
21-24 2 1
2/18
00-03 2 1
03-06 1 1
06-09 2 2
09-12 2 3
12-15 2 2
15-18 2 2
18-21 3 1
21-24 3 3
---------------Original Message---------------
During the recent ARRL CW DX contest the usual WWV flux, A and K numbers were
not reported every three hours on the local PacketCluster. I wondered what
the weekend's K-index numbers were so it might explain a few things - like
why we only had a total of 25 QSOs during the 08-09-10Z hours on Sunday
morning (and that was with 160-80-40 all looking and CQing!). Remember that
during the CQWW CW last fall the K-index was 0 or 1 for the entire weekend
(we were spoiled!). With the K-index in the 2-3 range the paths over the
pole sure go downhill!
Planetary K-index
2/18
00-03Z 2
03-06 1
06-09 2
09-12 2
12-15 2
15-18 2
18-21 3
21-24 3
2/19
00-03Z 2
03-06 3
06-09 3
09-12 2
12-15 1
15-18 0
18-21 1
21-24 2
Information retrieved from:
http://www.sel.bldrdoc.gov/planetary_k.html
Also check out:
gopher://proton.sel.noaa.gov:70/00/lists/geomag/AK
Another interesting thing is that we worked more stations from LA-SM-OH-UA on
80 meters than on 40 meters, though for almost all of the rest of Europe we
had more QSOs on 40 than 80. Actually, we had more QSOs on 160 than on 40
from 04-07Z the first night, and from 01-07Z the second night! I guess the
MUF really did drop below 7 MHz as ON4UN noted, and then the geomagnetic
activity (K-index) made it worse.
73 - Tom
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-mail: frenaye@pcnet.com
Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box 386, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444
----------End of Original Message----------
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E-mail: frenaye@pcnet.com
Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box 386, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444
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