Hello:
Summary of propagation conditions for both CQ WW contest weekends (SSB and CW).
Prior to the CQ WW SSB contest weekend of October 26-27, 2002, sunspot group 99
(NOAA 0162) dominated the solar flare activity. Several halo coronal mass
ejections (CMEs) were observed on October 24 and 25, and from October 24
onward,
high-speed solar wind streams swept past the Earth, triggering geomagnetic K-
index readings as high as 7. This resulted in an Ap of 32 on both contest
days.
On the first day, the observed sunspot count was 130, with an associated 10.7
cm
flux index of 158, and a background X-ray level of B5.4 on the first day and
B6.0 on the second day. Thankfully, no flares occurred during the SSB contest
weekend. Polar paths were fair to poor, while High-, Mid-, and Low-latitude
paths were generally good.
Amazingly, a rocky week also preceded the CQ WW CW contest weekend of November
23-24, 2002. The week started out with two M-class flares, and on November 19,
a partial halo CME left the Sun, followed by a faint full halo CME on November
20. Solar wind speeds increased to 700 km/s in the night between November 21
and 22. The magnetic component of the IMF stream turned negative (south),
causing very high geomagnetic storming by November 22 and early November 23,
with a peak of 7 in the K-index. Thankfully, things settled down later on the
first contest day. The observed sunspot count was 133 over the weekend, with a
10.7 cm flux of 148 on November 23, and 146 on November 24. The background X-
ray level was B5.9 on the first day, and B4.1 on the second. A small Kp spike
occurred again on the second day, but did not seem to degrade most mid- and low-
latitude paths. Polar paths were generally fair.
What were your experiences on the air? Which bands suffered? Which were the
best for you? How did the contest weekends this year compare with past years?
Do you have any comments about propagation and band conditions for this year?
I'll summarize your comments and include them in the CQ Propagation column.
Thank you.
73 de Tomas, NW7US // AAR0JA
--
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