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From: ad7i@houxp.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.ham-radio
Subject: Propagation bulletin 50
Message-ID: <340@houxp.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Dec-83 18:31:46 EST
Article-I.D.: houxp.340
Posted: Wed Dec 14 18:31:46 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Dec-83 02:55:43 EST
Lines: 25


qst de ad7i
hr propagatin forecast bulletin nr 50  from arrl headquarters
newington ct  december 12, 1983
to all radio amateurs  bt

during the last half of november, solar activity was very low and
there were days when no sunspots could be seen.  after december 2,
the sun began to look more as it should for this point in the solar
cycle.  the solar flux had been as low as 80, but it peaked at 112 on
the 9th, just in time for the arrl 10 meter contest on the 10th and
11th.  there was worldwide contest activity and the many impressive
scores will show that this is no time to be writing off 28 mhz for
the rest of the solar cycle.  an outbreak of new sunspots is nearly
always followed by an increase in geomagnetic activity and generally
poor propagation in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere.
we were close to auroral conditions as this bulletin was being
prepared, and high absorption and severe fading are likely to be with
us most of the time through the 15th.  conditions will improve the
next two days and remain quite good through the 21st.  the balance of
the month will be erratic, until the 30th, bit generally gmod
propagation will close out the old year and usher in the new.

american sunspot numbers for december 1 through 7 were between 3 and
42 with a mean of 18.3  ar