Propagation News – 31 May 2026

Compiled by G0KYA, G3YLA and G4BAO on Thursday, 28 May.

What a difference a week can make…

Last week we reported that the solar flux index was down in the 100s but that it looked like there were spots coming around the Sun. This week they’ve arrived, pushing the solar flux index up to 142 on Thursday, 28 May.

But with sunspots comes the risk of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, so don’t get too comfy. So far, we have only seen minor C-class flares so keep your fingers crossed.

Upper HF activity has been split between F2 layer propagation and Sporadic-E.

As always, there seems to be more activity on FT8 than CW or SSB. However, it is also worth keeping an eye on the 10m band beacons which often spring out of the noise.

You can find a list of 10m beacons at rsgb.org/main/technical/propagation  Follow the link to ‘Propagation Beacons’.

DX to be worked this week includes 5Z4/MM0ZBH in Kenya; 3G0Z and XR0Z on the Juan Fernández Islands; ZL7IO from the Chatham Islands; CP7DX in Bolivia and VJ2L on Lord Howe Island.

More details can be found at dx-world.net

Next week, NOAA predicts the solar flux index will remain in the 140 to 150 range, with generally calm geomagnetic conditions and an estimated Kp index of 2.

There may be a brief excursion to 4 around Thursday, 4 June but it is predicted to return to 2 the next day.

As we mentioned earlier, with up to ten sunspot groups visible on the Sun’s surface anything could happen, so keep an eye on solarham.net  for news of solar flares and CMEs. Otherwise, enjoy the good HF conditions while they last.

VHF and up propagation news

Compiled by G3YLA and G4BAO.

The lengthy spell of heat is releasing its grip and we are now seeing the start of a change to unsettled weather driven by Atlantic weather systems crossing the country.

It can often take a while to properly reach the southeast but there will be some rain there eventually. For most parts of the country, it will be a mix of occasional spells of rain or scattered heavy showers.

Apart from transient ridges of high pressure in between the fronts, there is only a limited option for tropo, in favour of rain scatter for the coming week.

The first week in June is often regarded as a prime period for Sporadic-E and the return of unsettled weather means that there should be some jet stream activity to generate atmospheric gravity waves that provide the wind shear in the E region.

There is also a lesser-known meteor shower to provide the fuel for Sporadic-E propagation. This is the Arietids which is mainly a daytime shower.

The solar conditions have provided a few recent minor enhancements of the Kp index between 1 and 4, but not enough to get excited about in a radio sense for aurora.

EME now and this is a week to check out your kit. Moon declination reaches minimum tomorrow, 1 June. We also reach lunar apogee tomorrow, after which conditions will improve.

144MHz sky temperature is moderate to high all week, peaking at nearly 3,300 Kelvin on Tuesday, 2 June.

Category: GB2RS Propagation News