We had yet another week of unsettled geomagnetic conditions. The Kp index peaked at 5.33 on the 21 April as the solar wind speed hit just above 600 kilometres per second, and active geomagnetic conditions were observed. This was caused by a massive coronal hole on the Sun’s surface, which measures nearly 700,000km in length. […]

Last week was characterised by increased Kp index numbers and severe geomagnetic storms, peaking at G4. These drove down maximum usable frequencies and disrupted DX contacts, especially on the higher HF bands. The solar wind speed increased from 380 kilometres per second to around 500 kilometres per second on 15 April  and an increase in […]

A fast solar wind caused some disruption last week, often sending the Kp index up to five, with many three-hour periods in excess of four. The solar wind speed was in the 600-700 kilometres per second range, which caused a moderate, G2, geomagnetic storm and visible aurora at higher latitudes mid-week. Glancing CMEs that left […]

We had a week of mixed solar conditions, but it ended with an SFI of 182 and a Kp of 3.67 on Thursday 3 April. The geomagnetic field declined to quieter levels following a prolonged period of active, Kp4 conditions earlier on Wednesday due to solar wind enhancements. This impacted propagation, with the critical frequency […]