Hi all I have been slipping.....I forgot to collect last weeks file from the
local cluster so here it is.

Propagation conditions continue to be very disturbed, as the geomagnetic
events run into one another. The plots from SXV (Marathon) show a lot of
absorption in the night-time and also a lot of deep fading. As a result of
these plots and some help from Vaino, and Laurie, I have come to the
conclusion that the 'quiet period' before dawn is only quiet because the
propagation has collapsed. I have a number of plots now that show that the
signals start to decline about an hour before dawn at ground level. They go
down to a level below the normal daytime strengths. This effect is most
noticable on the north-south paths as the sun's UV reaches the D-layer along
the whole path at almost the same time. On east<> west paths like that to
CFH in Canada the curtain 'creeps up' from the east and the path only starts
to fade as a substantial part of it is subjected to solar UV. I am afraid
this is a sad conclusion as we all believed that the noise decreased for
other reasons and it would enable us to hear the weaker stations.  The plots
suggest that the best time for this is about an hour before ground sunrise
for paths with a predominantly N<>S track. For E<>W paths the best time is
up to about an hour after ground sunrise at the most easterly station. The
longer the path, the later it is open.

CFH (Halifax N S) is not full back in service so is still only appearing
sporadically and SXV (Marathon) is very difficult to interpret.  I am not
sticking my neck out about conditions except to say that there may be
exceptional peaks in signals over the next week but for short periods. It
will all depends on what yesterdays CME arrival did in the way of injecting
particles to the ionosphere, and how much absorbtion they cause.

Cluster spots follow:-

  136.6  DJ2LF       29-Apr-2001 0819Z  cq
<DL6SN>
  136.8  DL3FDO      29-Apr-2001 0750Z  cq
<DL6SN>
  136.5  DJ7RD       29-Apr-2001 0750Z  in qso with dj2ey
<DL6SN>
  136.5  DJ2EY       29-Apr-2001 0749Z
<DL6SN>
  136.6  DK6NI       28-Apr-2001 1407Z  cq
<DL6SN>
  136.6  DJ7RD       28-Apr-2001 0727Z  cq
<DL6SN>
  137.7  OM2TW       22-Apr-2001 1315Z  qrss
<DL6SN>
  137.7  OM2TW       22-Apr-2001 1250Z  cq qrss
<DL6SN>
  136.6  DF0WD       22-Apr-2001 1244Z  qrz
<DL6SN>
  136.6  F6BWO       22-Apr-2001 1241Z  in qso with df0wd
<DL6SN>
  137.7  OM2YL       22-Apr-2001 1043Z  cq qrss
<DL6SN>
  136.5  DK6NI       22-Apr-2001 0854Z  cq
<DL6SN>
  136.8  DL3FDO      22-Apr-2001 0818Z  cq
<DL6SN>
  137.7  DF6NM       22-Apr-2001 0811Z  clg om2yl
<DL6SN>
  137.7  OM2YL       22-Apr-2001 0805Z  qrss
<DL6SN>
  137.5  DF0WD       16-Apr-2001 1740Z  psk31
<DL6SN>
  137.5  DF6NM       16-Apr-2001 1736Z  psk31
<DL6SN>
  136.6  OK1DTN      16-Apr-2001 1549Z  cq
<OM1BM>
  136.5  OK1DTN      16-Apr-2001 1541Z
<DL3FDO>
  136.5  SM6CRE      16-Apr-2001 1021Z  QRV again with new
<SM6PXJ>
  137.7  DK8KW       16-Apr-2001 0855Z  clg F5MAF
<DL6SN>
  136.8  DJ7RD       16-Apr-2001 0758Z
<DL6SN>
  136.8  GW4ALG      16-Apr-2001 0745Z
<DL3FDO>
  136.5  M0BMU       15-Apr-2001 1100Z  in qso with df0wd
<DL6SN>
  136.5  OM2TW       15-Apr-2001 1046Z  cq
<OM5CW>
  136.5  HA6PC       15-Apr-2001 1030Z  just working OM5CW
<OM2TW>
  137.0  OK1DTN      15-Apr-2001 1003Z
<DL6SN>
  136.3  OK1DTN      15-Apr-2001 1003Z  now again CQ...& up OM2TW cq
<HA6PC>
  136.7  DF0WD       15-Apr-2001 0957Z  in qso with dj6fu
<DL6SN>
  136.7  DJ6FU       15-Apr-2001 0957Z
<DL6SN>
G3NYK de GB7MRS 29-Apr-2001 2045Z >

Cheers de Alan G3NYK   JO02PB
[email protected]