September 08

Propagation Forecast
From August 20th, conditions have remained quiet with the A index at 5, and the K index at 2. This is likely to remain the same except for September 5th with the A index at 18 and the K at 4. Also on September 12th, conditions should again become disturbed with the A index peaking at 20 on the 14th and the K index peaking at 5.
The Solar Flux, however has remained at a steady 66 and is likely to remain the same until at least mid September

MUF Map A near-real-time Maximum Usable Frequency map can be found at: http://www.spacew.com/www/realtime.php

Sunspot Numbers For 2008. With the exception of March, monthly average sunspot numbers have been on a downward trend so far during 2008. January started with an average sunspot number of 26 slowly dropping to 12 by the end of July. NOAA Predicted trends for 2008 have been fairly accurate, although sunspot numbers have been generally higher than predicted. Details at: http://www.solarcycle24.com/sunspot.htm

HF Propagation Flash Movie
Here is a website featuring a flash movie which explains how HF radio propagation actually works: http://www.ae4rv.com/tn/propflash.htm .
A 45 day Solar Flux and A index forecast can also be found at: http://www.dxing.info/propagation

The Sun's Magnetic Field
When the transition from Cycle 23 to 24 occurs the magnetic field which surrounds the sun will change it's polarity. This will be apparent in the magnetic stucture of individual sunspot groups as seen in solar magnetograms such as those recorded at the IPS/USAF Learmonth Solar Observatory in Western Australia. With a change in the solar cycle, the polarity of the leader and trailer spots of a sunspot group are reversed. This observation, in conjunction with the latitude at which the new spot formed, will indicate that the change to the new solar cycle is underway. From: http://www.ips.gov.au/Educational