RSGB
RadCom Assistant Editor | August 28, 2026 Compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on 27 August 2026.
Last week, we said there were no coronal holes to threaten HF propagation. However, guess what appeared just after the time of writing…
Coronal holes can appear at any time, which is why we recommend going to solarham.com for daily updates.
This week, another coronal hole has appeared and this one really does look like it could threaten Earth. This, coupled with coronal mass ejections, means that today, 30 August, could see the Kp index rise and maximum useable frequencies, or MUFs, fall.
On a brighter note, the Kp index has been very low this past week, mostly below 2, with the result that HF propagation has been very good.
Top DX being worked includes RI1FJL on Franz Josef Land in the Arctic Circle, which has been loud on many bands, right up to the 12m and 10m bands.
Other DX to be worked in the coming week includes V5/HB9BFM from Namibia; J38DX and J38LD from Grenada and P29YY working from Papua New Guinea.
A quick check of the NCDXF beacon chain revealed very good propagation on 14MHz and 21MHz. This includes reception of the following beacons:
CS3B in Madeira; RR90 in Siberia; 4S7B in Sri Lanka; 4X6TU in Israel; 4U1UN in New York.
So it looks like we are starting to leave the summer doldrums and entering better autumnal HF conditions.
Next week, NOAA predicts that the solar flux index will be around 120, falling to 90 as the week progresses. After the potential for geomagnetic disruption this weekend, ending today 30 August, the forecast is good with a Kp index of around 2.
VHF and up propagation news:
The weather has changed to autumnal conditions, with lows bringing periods of rain or showers and quite windy conditions at times.
The coming week will turn out in similar fashion and means that we won’t be dealing with much, if any, tropo for VHF. The main weather-dependent mode will be rain scatter for GHz band operators.
The chances of aurora will need to show a Kp index above 5 to be of much interest and probably a bit higher for southern areas.
The prospects for meteor scatter are likely to be reduced to random activity which tends to give better results in the early morning hours before dawn.
Lastly, we are coming to the close of the Sporadic-E season and, with probably a week or so to play out, any openings will be few and far between.
Try checking during the main operating windows of mid-morning and late afternoon. As a back-up, consider the middle of the day since towards the edges of the season the traditional timings are less reliable.
For EME operators, Moon declination went positive again yesterday, 29 August, with increasing peak elevation and lengthening Moon windows.
Path losses are falling all week towards perigee on Sunday, 6 September.
144MHz sky noise is low, increasing to medium by Friday, 4 September.
(Mike Terry, UK/BDXC)
