RSGB
RadCom Assistant Editor | October 31, 2025
Last weekend saw HF shine as stations took part in the CQ World Wide SSB Contest. Geomagnetic conditions remained settled and DX was plentiful, with contacts possible as far afield as Alaska to the west and China to the east.
Given the unsettled conditions we have had recently, it was a welcome break as radio amateurs filled their logs with far-flung DX.
As we enter November, we can still expect the fine autumnal conditions that made October so good. However, as the month progresses, we can also anticipate improvements in LF band DX. So keep an eye on the 80 and 40m bands.
The solar flux index has declined somewhat and is now standing at 118. This is still enough to get the 10m band humming, but it is a far cry from the 200-plus we saw at sunspot maximum. Nevertheless, get on the bands and work the DX while you can.
Two large coronal holes, one in the Sun’s northern hemisphere and one in the southern hemisphere, have been the sources of a fast solar wind stream. We may expect more geomagnetic disturbances today, 2 November.
Also, active region 4246 is now coming around the Sun’s limb again and could be worth keeping an eye on. It has been emitting solar flares while behind the Sun, so look out for more activity upon its return.
For the coming week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index could increase, perhaps starting the week at around 135 and increasing to 150 by 9 November.
The first half of the week should be quiet geomagnetically, but we may expect more unsettled geomagnetic conditions around 7-9 November, when the Kp index could increase to 5. Expect maximum usable frequencies to be depressed until the Kp index recovers.
VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO:
The current spell of unsettled weather remains the focus for the foreseeable future. Previous model runs had suggested the possibility of high pressure returning by the end of the coming week, but this is no longer the case.
The RSGB 144MHz CW Marconi Contest, which ends at 1400UTC today, 2 November, looks to be under the influence of low pressure rather than any tropo-producing highs. With the unsettled pattern continuing, the optional modes might be rain scatter for the GHz bands, but not tropo.
The chances of aurora are there and, after a very auroral-sounding 40m band on Wednesday 29 October when the Kp index hit 4, we should remain alert to changed conditions on the high HF and VHF bands. However, it probably needs something higher, like a Kp index between 5 and 7, before getting excited about radio effects.
The meteor scatter options look reasonable as we move into November but the next important shower, the Leonids, doesn’t peak until 17 November. We do, however, enter the edge of the stream later in the coming week.
A final note of caution is that this unsettled type of weather pattern can produce rapidly developing lows and bring damaging winds to some parts of the country. So, take the opportunity on the quieter days to check antennas are secure.
For EME operators, the Moon’s declination is negative and rising, going positive today, 2 November. So, Moon window lengths and peak elevation are both rising. Path losses are still falling as we approach perigee on 5 November. 144MHz sky noise is low all week, rising to medium by next weekend.
(Mike Terry, UK/BDXC)
