rjr@mgweed.UUCP (Bob Roehrig) (12/17/84)
qst de k9eui hr propagation forecast bulletin nr 51 from arrl headquarters newington ct december 17, 1984 to all radio amateurs bt thus far in december, the solar flux has been slightly higher than at the same time in november, but the difference has been too small to improve propagation substantialy. the highest flux reading, 81 on december 11, was nearly 14 per cent below the base figure used in compiling the propagation charts in qst for december. readings mostly in the nineties or higher would be needed for good propagation in the higher latitudes of the northern hemisphere at this time of year. the flux was at 77 at bulletin time. it should be higher during the rest of the year, as the area of the sun responsible for the 86 in late november will be facing the earth again later this week, having maximum effect december 22 through 26. erratic conditions prevalent during the past week will improve gradually. the best signal level and minimal fading will be observed in the above period. the year will close with the solar flux falling and geomagnetic activity rising, making for no better than fair conditions december 27 through january 2. american sunspot numbers for november 29 through december 5 were between 11 and 19 with a mean of 15.1 ar