No words are needed
There have been some big visual auroras in the UK, especially Southern UK this year and the press are now suggesting some more visual treats are on the way after we had several large CMEs in close succession over the last days.
Solar wind was ~824 km/s at 1104z ![]()
(Wears a wry smile while watching the rain run down the shack window,)
40% blue sky here. quite mild as there is a 2x2.9m hole in my lounge where new windows are going.
Ye Gods! Aurora seen last night from El Salvador, latitude +13! (spaceweather.com) Kp has subsided to 7.0 (from 8.67) and a major proton event - and another CME due today, and the best I can hope for tonight is that the clouds will glow pink!![]()
China Radio International still S9 on 7.255Mhz, so either they are running 1GW or there is still some propagation. A wee bit of fading evident.
Working the activator’s on 20, 40 and 30 but nothing 15, 17, or 10
W6LEN JESS
I wouldn’t be surprised if they were. When CRI cranks the power up, all the streetlights on planet Earth flicker and groan in unison.
Same could be said for Châine 3 from Tipaza and Châine 1 from Kenadsa.
I think CRI sucks up around 500kW, give or take a kW. CRI can’t get anywhere close to Tipaza, which drains 1500kW of power during the day, and at night they ‘tone it down a bit’ to a meagre 750kW.
Kenadsa just laughs at them both and destroys the pair of them with a full-fat, full beans 2000 of your finest kW’s swamping the planet 24/7.
Algeria would therefore just let out a mere chortle at China Radio International’s pittance of 500kW. ![]()
Radio France International and Radio Romania have some juicy power in their back pockets too but I don’t think (iirc) they get anywhere near the power of Algeria’s finest transmitters.
That’s the RF power not the DC input power. You don’t get 100% efficiency. Even Doherty type units were only 60-65% at best. So you need quite a large amount elastictrickery to run such a device.
The Marconi senders at Skelton were 250kW each. As they were AM high level plate modulated there was a 250kW audio amplifier driving the modulation transformer. If it was all class B there’d be 500kW of mains power needed just for each modulator amplifier. ISTR there were 6 such senders at Skelton. Plus a few wee 50kW ones.
Its subsiding now, Kp down to 4.67, but there may be another impact tonight.
I didn’t cop it at first but for all the power Radio Algeria is using, transmissions get a bit of a drop when signals go over the Sahara apparently.
On a different tangent I do wish the BBC could rummage around and see can they find a few more spare valves to keep 198 LW running after 2026. Sad times alas.
Sooo maybe not the best day to test the new antenna I just built. ![]()
Apparently number three struck this evening. Overcast here, anyone see anything?
E’s window on 4m apparently right now.
Its early for the winter Es season, I bet that is auroral E, and Kp is up to 6.0.
E’s window on 6m now supposedly. Might see some activity on 8m and 5m between EI and Italy possibly. I forget when those windows are usually found.
Edit: Looks like some 8m activity around the UK (assuming those are test licenses?) and Spain, also Greenland? 2 stations reporting on 5m.
On 12/11/2025 I was able to Qualify 2 VKFF to 44+ QSO in 1 hour 6 minutes for first park and 1 hour 15 minutes for the second park.
Signals where lower than usual with more static but still got the job done, so keep activating and I am sure you will Qualify with your regular faithful Chasers.
Best band for around Australia contacts was 30m but 40m and 20m also gave me some contacts.
I had to activate that day because rain is forecast for later in this week.
regards Ian vk5cz ..
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