High Solar Activity and 10m.

While the solar flux dipped below 200 again yesterday (189), due to the time of the year, 10m is open world wide. 

My FT8 monitor setup receives signals from 6 continents essentially every day.

Australia may skip an day sometimes, and New Zealand is rare with my modest vertical for 10m. The mid pacific, the most tricky propagation part is very rare, but it does happen. Japan often shows a plethora of spots from there on my setup.

Getting the receiver up and running again on 28.200, listening for the IBP (International Beacon Project) was quite rewarding. I got it up in the mid afternoon, and all the beacons in South America were heard.

The surprise was hearing North America hours after sunset. The 4U1UN beacon in New York was heard until 20:00 local time, about 3 hours after sunset. So were the New York repeater on 29.620 FM

If you have not already, it is a good idea to keep an eye on 10m, especially in the daytime and the early evening right now.

In the summer this F2 propagation is less common on 10m, but it does occur, and can often be assisted by sporadic E extension.

There have been reports of world world wide propagation on 8m. most activity has been with FT8 on 40.680. I am considering getting a monitor system up and running on that frequency.

Then there is 6m. "The Magic Band".

This band has had some F2 openings reported, and now that weak signal modes like FT8 are available I expect to see more reports, as the solar activity (already pretty high) seems to be growing still.

Especially in the spring and autumn 6m can exhibit Transequatorial Propagation (TEP). This happens at other times than F2. I will have to look it up again. so I can be there at the correct times. If I recall correctly there are two maxima for TEP, around 1800 and around 2300 local time.

In the summer months, the sporadic E season there are often openings to Europe and up to 2200km, and occasionally to 3-4000km. Every summer for the last several years, even in the solar minimum, there have been occasional openings across the Atlantic and to Japan, mostly available with FT8 and higher power stations, very rarely with my 100W into a vertical.