The K7VVV Solar Update

FT WAYNE, IN, Oct 25, 2002--(Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, is filling in this week for Tad Cook, K7VVV--Ed.)

Geomagnetic field activity for the first five days of the reporting period, October 18-24, was quiet to unsettled. This increased to a major storm level at the end of the period, which was fueled by high speed solar wind emanating from a large coronal hole in the western solar hemisphere.

There were no significant proton events during the period.

X-ray flare activity during the period ranged from low to moderate. The largest flares were M1 events on Sunday and Tuesday. These flares did not cause any significant radio blackouts.

The book Storms from the Sun by Carlowicz and Lopez--discussed in two previous bulletins--is reviewed in the December 2002 issue of Sky & Telescope.

Propagation is generally expected to be very good for the CQ World Wide DX Phone contest the weekend of October 26-27. There is a chance of geomagnetic field activity at the minor storm level at the start of the contest, but it is expected to subside after that.

There is also a chance of an X-class flare from Region 162, which could cause a short-term blackout on the daylight side of Earth. Remember this is all a roll of the dice, so be sure to jump in and have fun working lots of DX!

Sunspot numbers for October 17 through 23 were 215, 200, 156, 179, 139, 132 and 116, with a mean of 162.4. The 10.7-cm flux was 178.9, 172.6, 179.5, 180.3, 182.5, 169.4 and 163.6, with a mean of 175.3. Estimated planetary A indices were 11, 13, 11, 10, 11, 12, and 10, with a mean of 11.1.

Amateur solar observer Tad Cook, K7VVV Seattle, Washington, provides this weekly report on solar conditions and propagation. This report also is available via W1AW every Friday, and an abbreviated version also appears in The ARRL Letter. Readers may contact the author via k7vvv@arrl.net.

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