prop.hfradio.orgCurrent sunspot cycle activity, space weather, solar storm and geomagnetic conditions and radio prop

Ways to help keep this website on the air for everyone: How to Help Us With Your Support SunSpotWatch.com Radio Propagation : Space Weather : Sunspot Cycle Information a live reference resource site for solar and geomagnetic data and images Please help: Please 'LIKE' this page: Google+ Please share this page: Follow @hfradiospacewx on Twitter Follow @NW7US on Twitter Radio Propagation and Space Weather Google+ Community + Gain the on-air edge: This article explains how the ANTENNA is the key! -> Read this introduction to Antenna Modeling STEREO 3D X-ray Conditions (Flares) 5-min. X-ray Conditions (Flares) 1-min. Geomagnetic Conditions (Kp) Satellite Environment Plot: Main Propagation Menu: + Aurora Resources How-To Articles: - Is HF Propagation Reciprocal? - De-mystifying HF Radio Propagation and Modeling Check out the ACE-HF propagation software - the latest is version 2.05. ACE-HF is propagation forecasting and modeling for Amateur Radio as well as for Shortwave radio Listening and general HF operation. This software is even used by the military and other clients around the world. This software is developed and maintained by the same engineers that keep VOACAP up-to-date. As a result, this software is the most accurate user interface integrated with VOACAP. CHECK IT OUT, TODAY . This software is the most accurate modeling software available, and is endorsed by NW7US. Read the details to find out why . Main Site Menu: - Main NW7US Page - About NW7US - About Amateur Radio - Feedback - Contact NW7US Please help me keep this site running: This website is kept alive by Tomas (NW7US), out of "spare change" (which there's not always enough of), and, by the kind, helpful people who visit this website. Would you like to help me keep this site running 24/7? If you are able to help me keep this website up and running, please: help me keep this site running for everyone... click on this donation button: There are other ways that you can help me keep this site up and running. Here are a few other ways: + Make a purchase through the HFRadio.org affiliation with Amazon.com . Other links of interest: - PropNET - live propagation studies - Shortwave Radio Resource Center - Shortwave Broadcasting Search Comments? Please use the feedback form . I look forward to hearing your comments. Web hfradio.org NW7US Update to CQ Magazine Last Minute Forecast Updated: 16-Apr-2020 UTC Day-to-Day Conditions Expected for April 2020 Propagation Index Days (4) (3) (2) (1) Above Normal: 1-7,9-18,20-25,28-30 A A B C High Normal: 8,19,26-27 A B C C-D Low Normal: No days B C-B C-D D-E Below Normal: No days C C-D D-E E Disturbed: No days C-D D E E To use this chart, please refer to my Propagation Column in CQ Magazine . Warnings/Alerts issued in the last 24 hours, if any: (Key: NOAA Scales ) [ live aurora display ] [ auroral power maps ] [ d-layer conditions ] [ latest solar images 1 ] [ latest solar images 2 ] [ latest solar images 3 ] [ active solar regions ] [ current solar region image ] [ What is a flare and its class? ] Recent Space Environment Reports: + Reports of Solar & Geophysical Activity + Solar & Geophysical Activity Summaries From the Space Environment Center : Solar X-ray Flux + A 3 day plot of 5-minute solar X-ray flux values measured on the GOES 8 and 10 satellites. + A 6-hour 1-min Solar X-ray Flux plot Satellite Environment Plot [ Proton Flux ] [ Electron Flux ] [ GEOS Hp ] [ Estimated Kp ] Additional Resources + SpaceW.com Aurora Network + D-Layer Absorption Conditions/Predictions + 160 Meter Propagation Forecast + Solar Physics Department of the Royal Observatory of Belgium , the official keepers of sunspot data. Solar Activity Forecast The Forecast of Solar Activity as well as Geomagnetic Activity Probability of Flares and Proton Events EVENT (Flare/Proton) 0-24 hrs 24-48 hrs M-class 01% 01% X-class 01% 01% Proton 01% 01% Geomagnetic Activity Probabilities Middle latitudes High latitudes 0-24 hrs 24-48 hrs 0-24 hrs 24-48 hrs Active 01% 01% 01% 01% Minor Storm 01% 01% 01% 01% Major-severe Storm 01% 01% 01% 01% Solar Sunspot Cycle 24 Progress Do you want the latest solar conditions sent to you as an RSS feed? Click: You will need a newsreader for RSS/XML. (Use http://hfradio.org/propsupport/prop.rss as your RSS channel url) This page was rendered on 16-Apr-20 1800 UTC . This page was first created in 1998, by Tomas David Hood (NW7US) Current Sunspot Cycle 24 Activity and Space Weather [ How you can help this website ] Sun Spots: 12 as of 03/09/2020 :: 10.7-cm Flux: 68 SFU ( SFU=Solar Flux Units ) 30 Minutes of Dazzling Sun! Ultra-high Definition 4k View An Intimate View of the Sun, Every Day of 2015 (Year 6 of SDO) UHD 4k Watch Five Very Intense X-class X-ray Flares Erupt, Back-to-back! (From the largest sunspot region in 20+ years...) Check out the X2.7 X-ray Flare (May 5 2015) - 'Biggest' of 2015, so far See highlights of the last five years of the Sun, as seen by SDO The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Latest Solar Images Click on an image for full-sized view Map, Above: Conditions in the D region of the ionosphere have a dramatic effect on high frequency (HF) communications and low frequency (LF) navigation systems. The global D Region Absorption Predictions (D-RAP) depicts the D region at high latitudes where it is driven by particles as well as low latitudes, where photons cause the prompt changes. Note: At times, images may appear broken or missing, when SDO is working on the AIA/HMI instruments. Planetary A-index ( Ap ): 7 | Planetary K-index ( Kp ): 1 Solar Wind: 348 km/s at 4.0 protons/cm3 , Bz is 1.0 nT (Apr 16, 2020 at 1750 UT) X-ray Solar Flares: 6h hi [ none ] 24h hi [ none ] Background X-ray Level, Last Six Days :: :: :: :: :: :: Check out the current Aurora Oval and activity. What is the difference between the CB and Amateur Radio Services, in the USA? Here are some thoughts on the portrayal of the Amateur Radio Service by the Hit TV Series, NCIS, and a clarification of the difference between CB radio and ham radio. (Skip to timecode 1:33 to bypass the introductory chat and talk about the headset microphone.) Here is a video introduction to shortwave / HF amateur radio -- what is it that we amateur radio oprators listen to? If you have not yet been introduced to this world, this is a very basic introduction. If you are using software utilities such as Ace-HF, that require a "smoothed" sunspot number (Referred to as the SSN ), or, the smoothed 10.7-cm Radio Flux Index , use the following predicted values in this following table: Predicted SMOOTHED Sunspot Number And Radio Flux Values With Expected Ranges YR/MO Smoothed Sunspot Number Predicted/High/Low Smoothed 10.7 cm Radio Flux Predicted/High/Low To understand more about the Maximum Usable Frequencies, and related science, please read the MUF Basics Page . Global HF Propagation Conditions Global HF Propagation Conditions for 1700Z on 16 Apr, 2020 High Latitude: Normal Middle Latitude: Normal Low Latitude: Normal Geomagnetic Latitude Ranges: High: 60-90 degrees Middle: 20-60 degrees Low: 0-20 degrees Global Ionospheric Map - Critical Frequencies - foF2 (Created with PropLab PRO) Global Ionospheric Map - Critical Frequencies - foF2 (Created with PropLab PRO) At 0805 UTC, on 9 August 2011, a strong magnitude X6.9 X-ray flare -- the strongest yet in this current solar cycle (Cycle 24) -- erupted on the northwestern solar limb. Here is a HD Movie of the event : Videos of Interest - Space Weather, Solar Dynamics Observatory, STEREO, and more... from the NW7US YouTube Channel . (Click on the small image to launch the video...) Video: Voyager Finds Magnetic Foam at Solar Systems Edge Video: Zoom View of Prominence Eruption and X-Ray Flare - M2.5 Magnitude - June 7 2011 Video: X-Ray Flare, Coronal Mass Ejection, Proton Storm - M2.5 Magnitude - June 7 2011 (Close-up of the video, above) Video: Stunning Close-up View of M3 X-Ray Flare 24 February 2011 Video: On How NCIS TV Show Maligned Amateur Ra...