Good morning, and keep one eye on the Sun today. NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center still has a G2 (Moderate) geomagnetic storm watch in effect for tomorrow, October 9, with a coronal mass ejection that left the Sun on October 6 expected to arrive and push the Kp index to around 5.7 between 09 and 12 UTC. Right now the field is quiet -- observed Kp was near 2 this morning and the solar flux index sits at 113.7 -- so HF propagation is normal. But when that CME arrives, expect high-latitude fade on the HF bands, and aurora watchers should keep an eye out. Modelers also see a second, Earth-directed CME from an October 7 C7.9 flare in Region 4549, possibly arriving early on October 11, though no watch has been issued for it yet. An alert for elevated 2 MeV electron flux also remains in effect, so satellite and power-grid operators are staying watchful.
Closer to home, Tropical Storm Isaias keeps bearing down on the northern Gulf Coast, with landfall expected late Friday. It may yet become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season -- a record-late first hurricane since 1905, if it happens. The Hurricane Watch Net is monitoring and will activate if the storm threatens land. North Florida emergency coordinator Arc Thames, W4CPD, is already coordinating with ARRL section leadership, and HWN Manager Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, has been keeping amateurs posted. If you are in the path, now is the time to check your emergency power, fuel up, and keep your HF gear ready for net traffic.
The 44th AMSAT Space Symposium opens today at the Wyndham Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Florida. The board meets today and Friday morning, technical presentations begin Friday at 1 PM ET and run through Saturday, and every session is livestreamed on AMSAT's YouTube channel -- no travel required to catch the new-satellite talks. Speaking of new satellites, AMSAT-DL's ERMINAZ-2 trio of PocketQubes is now in orbit: ERMINAZ-2U on 435.900 MHz, ERMINAZ-2V on 145.920 MHz, and ERMINAZ-2X on 145.960 MHz, all with open protocols and telemetry. And AMSAT-EA has two more birds -- HADES-L and UNNE-1B -- headed up on a SpaceX Transporter flight this month.
On the regulatory front, the clock is ticking on two federal RF-exposure proceedings that matter to every amateur. The FCC's comment period closes October 22 and HHS's closes October 21. The FCC notice is a narrow revisit of issues remanded by the courts in 2021, while the HHS inquiry is broader on health effects of RF. Neither changes our rules today, but if you have informed technical comments, the window is open. And do not forget the nationwide Emergency Alert System test on November 17 -- ETRS Form One filings are due October 30.
In the DX world, the 9T0MD operation from the Democratic Republic of Congo is still on the air despite some electrical gremlins at their hotel, OG2M is active from Somalia through October 25, and JK1JXZ hits Vanuatu October 11-16. This weekend's contest lineup is busy: the Oceania DX CW contest, the Pennsylvania, Arizona, and South Dakota QSO parties, the Scandinavian Activity SSB contest, and the SKCC Weekend Sprintathon all run Saturday and Sunday. Hamfest season rolls on with Hamfest Chattanooga October 16-17 and the 78th Texoma Hamarama October 24 in Ardmore, Oklahoma. And for the GMRS crowd, the Southwest Community Radio System has opened four of its Arizona repeaters -- Heliograph, Guthrie, Alpine, and Nutrioso -- to all licensed GMRS users with no membership required.