Propagation News – 3 May 2026

Compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on 30 April.

Last week was about as good as it gets at this point in the solar cycle. We had a solar flux index in the 140s and a Kp index that was pretty flat, often below 2.

That’s good news for HF as it means the ionosphere had a chance to settle and, although not record-breaking, a solar flux index of 140 to 150 is very usable.

There were numerous C and M-class solar flares, but these were relatively minor and the latest forecasts show a 70% chance for additional M-flares and a 20% chance for an isolated strong X-flare.

This all came together to give a maximum usable frequency over a 3,000km path of around 21 to 24MHz, often just peaking around 28MHz. This gave the odd 10m band opening but these were sparse and not very strong.

DXpeditions to be worked this week, according to DXWorld.net, include E51TLM in the South Cook Islands; T31TTT from Kanton Island; FO/F6BCW in French Polynesia; XT2AW from Burkina Faso and 3G0Z on Robinson Crusoe Island.

So, which bands should you be looking at? The 20, 17 and 15m bands will probably give the best results  but don’t completely rule out the two higher bands that may show occasional surprises.

We are now starting the Sporadic-E season so look out for short-lived but strong openings around Europe on the 12 and 10m bands.

Next week, NOAA predicts a solar flux index of between 130 and 140, with a Kp index of 2 or 3. Unsettled conditions are forecast for 7 May and 8 May with a potential Kp index of 5.

As always, keep an eye on solarham.com  for almost real-time reports of solar activity.

VHF and up propagation news from G3YLA and G4BAO

The excellent tropo conditions for some parts of the country recently are likely to be slightly subdued over this weekend but there are signs that another period of high pressure weather will return as we move through the coming week.

Unlike the recent dry weather, there are likely to be a few showery spells with a chance of rain scatter on the GHz bands.

Meteor scatter is probably enhanced next week by the Eta Aquarids, which peak on Wednesday, 6 May and are associated with Comet Halley.

The aurora prospects are probably moving away from their spring activity period but check the Kp index as usual for high values above 5.

The Sporadic-E season is slowly limbering up and it’s well worth checking for activity, initially on the 10m and 6m bands. Check for SSB and CW activity as well as digital modes.

Work continues on the propquest.co.uk  website. There are still some missing elements but it is hoped that these will be back soon.

EME now. The Moon is moving towards minimum declination today, 3 May, so there will be short Moon windows and low peak elevation.

Path losses are still increasing until apogee on Monday, 4 May, when the Moon is at its furthest from Earth at 405,840km.

144MHz sky temperature reaches a maximum of more than 2,800 Kelvin on Wednesday, 6 May.

Category: GB2RS Propagation News