Propagation

In 1978, members of the Montreal Amateur Radio Club began sending ASCII data over VHF frequencies with homebuilt equipment, after Canadian authorities authorized the experiments. It was a bold idea for its time: instead of speaking into a microphone, a ham would let a computer chop a message into small bursts, send each burst with an address and error checking, and let the station at the other end reassemble it. When the United States Federal Communications Commission authorized ASCII transmissions for American amateurs in 1980, the experiment was ready to spread.

Good morning from the shack on Wednesday, October 14. If the bands sound a little restless today, the Space Weather Prediction Center has an explanation. In its October 13 forecast discussion, SWPC reported low solar activity, with Region 4549 producing a largest flare of only C1.2 early that morning and no new Earth-directed coronal mass ejections observed. Solar activity is expected to stay low through October 15, though forecasters put the chance of M-class flares at 35 percent.

The weekend of October 17 and 18 is shaping up as one of the busiest on-air weekends of the fall, with a major digital contest, a 160-meter classic, and a fresh DXpedition to a rare Atlantic entity all landing on the same two days. Here is what to line up in your shack this week.

West Africa is coming to a pileup near you. From November 11 to 23, 2026, the Belgian Rockall DX Group will activate Guinea as 3X4U, operating from the shores of Lac de Koba on all HF bands from 160 through 10 meters — with possible 6-meter activity — on CW, SSB, and FT8/FT4. Guinea remains a sought-after DXCC entity for operators worldwide, especially on the low bands and in mode-specific award chases, and this expedition is built to serve them all.

The moon is a terrible reflector of radio waves. It absorbs most of what hits it, returns only a whisper, and keeps moving the whole time. Amateurs have been bouncing signals off it for more than 70 years anyway.

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.