Message-ID: <003701bf7a76$9a62f790$0a00a8c0@server1.ThreeLakes.ca>
From: "Larry Kayser" <kayser@king.igs.net>
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
Subject: LF: One Week Later, and more....
Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2000 20:13:23 -0500
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Greetings All:

A week ago tonight I was introduced to DDH47 who were doing an
end-of-the-era CW broadcast and later DCF39 who came thundering in here as a
result of a SID that occurred sometime earlier that week.

In the week since then, DCF39 has come in, starting at somewhat different
times before sunset, usually fading out after sunset for a while and then
returning from medium to weak signal for a number of hours each evening.  I
do not have a recording facility to tell me what the DCF39 does at sunrise
in Europe but that will come in time.

DCF39 is heard regularly here in Canada and the signal level varies but it
is there on a daily basis at this time of year.

I was lucky to find a source of notifications of solar events through an
Australian organization, part of their email to me follows.....

quote

Visit our web site www.ips.gov.au/mail-lists/ and subscribe
to our flare alerts.  Flare alerts deliver a message to you
as a significant flare starts and another message when it
ends.  This second message gives some general details of
the locations experiencing a fadeout during the flare.  When
the flare is fairly large there is a third message during the
event giving the estimated end time of the event.

For web based information try www.ips.gov.au/asfc/status_panel/
and look at the flare and fadeout icons and the information
behind them.  These update every 5 minutes.

and unquote.

I have subscribed and received two notifications so far.  Each notice
contained the following

A Flare (Greater than C8 in X-ray Flux) Has Just Started At:
nnnn UT on 17-02-2000

and was later followed by

IPS FLARE ALERT - PART C
PRELIMINARY FLARE DETAILS AT END OF FLARE
ISSUE TIME: Fri Feb 18 08:00:33 EST 2000
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Approximate Flare Start  :  17-02-2000 2024 UT
Approximate Flare Maximum:  17-02-2000 2034 UT  at Flux M 1.3
Approximate Flare End    :  17-02-2000 2059 UT
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Australian Space Forecast Centre
IPS Radio and Space Services
(61)(2)9213 8010 (phone)
(61)(2)9213 8061 (fax)

and somewhat later a second


and today K0HB passed on the following.

>
>Space Science News for February 18, 2000
>
>Here Comes the Sun:  A "full halo" coronal mass ejection left the Sun
>yesterday, apparently headed directly for Earth. When the leading edge of
>the disturbance reaches our planet on Feb. 19 or 20, it could trigger
>aurora and other geomagnetic activity. FULL STORY at
>
>http://www.spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast18feb_1.htm
>
><a href="http://www.spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast18feb_1.htm">
>Here Comes the Sun


So maybe we will be having some fun tomorrow night or Sunday night.  I will
be away on Sunday night.

I will be watching tomorrow night.  If things get hot, this might be another
good opportunity to see what can be heard across the North Atlantic.

My receiving system is still not resolved and I am taking steps to resolve
things by making a trip to compare results (axiom of substitution) with a
peer, the trip to maybe occur as early as next Friday.

Questions:

I do not know how to interpret these flare warning messages.  I would
certainly like to know what the size of the event was that triggered the
conditions we had a week ago.  I also do not want to be a propagation expert
at this time, I am busy trying to get an LF station going and that is
keeping me busy enough.  Some help with the propagation would be
appreciated.  My goal is to be alerted as early as possible of solar events
that might provide enhanced LF propagation across the North Atlantic.

It has been a great week.  I am looking forward to more of them in the
future.

Larry
VA3LK