PROPAGATION
A Quick Look at Current Cycle 24 Conditions
(Data rounded to nearest whole number)
Sunspots:
Observed Monthly, May 2019: 6
12-month smoothed, November 2018: 4
10.7 cm Flux:
Observed Monthly, May 2019: 71
12-month smoothed, November 2018: 70
Ap Index:
Observed Monthly, May 2019: 7
12-month smoothed, November 2018: 7
One Year Ago: A Quick Look at Solar Cycle Conditions
(Data rounded to nearest whole number)
Sunspots:
Observed Monthly, May 2018: 11
12-month smoothed, November 2017: 18
10.7 cm Flux:
Observed Monthly, May 2018: 74
12-month smoothed, November 2017: 81
Ap Index:
Observed Monthly, May 2018: 9
12-month smoothed, November 2017: 12
Are the daytime Maximum Usable Frequencies (MUFs) on signal paths spanning daylight regions higher during the summer than during the winter? With more hours of daylight, wouldn’t the increased exposure to solar radiation cause greater ionization?
The surprising answer to these questions is no, it is not generally the case. A look at many signal paths reveals that there are higher peaks during the winter daytime than during the summer daytime. However, during the summer night, those same paths may have higher MUFs than during the
