10m Is Alive and Well. Worldwide Openings.

 My monitoring of the International Beacon Project on 10m has really paid off today.

As there is no beacon on the Antarctica continent that cannot count.

Today all the normally populated continents have been heard on 28MHz - yes just one frequency and CW.

Oceania: VK6RBP

Asia:       4X6TU (been there every day for weeks), VR2B

Africa:     CS3B (most days for weeks), ZS6DN

South America: YV5B, LU4AA

North America: 4U1UN

The only beacon in Europe is OH2B, and that is inside the skip distance, so it has not been heard. However, many signals from the Mediterranian  Sea have been heard, and in my 5W/365day challenge I worked EA5NI today. After the QSO I heard a Japanese station calling him. Not too bad with a vertical.

The challenge stands at 271 QSOs this year, so with some breaks some days I should work a few QSOs per day, one or two will likely do it. As I am not limited to any single band that should not be too difficult to do.

If the solar activity continues like it is now, with a solar flux about 140 or higher, I would expect this fall/autumn, winter and spring to be excellent on 10m, and the summer season should provide some excellent sporadic E. I think we will have a few golden years for 10m propagation.

As to 6m, IF the solar activity continues to be above the original prediction I would not be surprised to see F2, TEP and other propagation at the peak of the solar cycle 25. Right now it does look good, but we never know. A wise man once said "Prediction id hard, especially about the future." ;)