Report

Space weather: solar flux 105, 10 below its 90-day average of 115. Maximum usable frequency 9 megahertz, measured by the Idaho Falls ionosonde via KC2G: long-distance paths open through 40 meters, 30 meters and up closed. Critical frequency 2.8 megahertz, too low for NVIS right now. K index 5, minor geomagnetic storm. No significant flares. Data from NOAA.

Geomagnetic storms can open aurora on 6 and 2 meters. Point north and listen for raspy, buzzy signals. The declining phase of the solar cycle often brings some of the cycle's strongest flares and geomagnetic storms, so VHF aurora openings on 6 and 2 meters are still very possible.

Sun and moon, Pacific Daylight Time: sunrise 7:08 AM, sunset 6:48 PM, day length 11 hours 40 minutes. Moonrise 12:27 AM at 58 degrees, east northeast; moonset 3:40 PM at 299 degrees, west northwest. Waning crescent, 38 percent lit. The Orionid meteor shower peaks Wednesday, October 21, a meteor scatter opportunity on 6 and 2 meters. Moonbounce: the moon peaks today at 8:07 AM, 76 degrees high and 3 percent closer than average, a good time to listen for EME signals on 2 meters and up.

The maximum usable frequency usually peaks in early afternoon and falls after sunset, so higher band openings tend to be best from late morning to mid-afternoon.

Amateur satellite passes for the next four hours. FO 29, linear transponder, on a schedule: at 7:03 AM rising in the south southeast, 88 degrees, overhead. PO 101, FM, on a schedule: at 7:15 AM rising in the south southeast, 45 degrees. AO7, linear transponder: at 8:14 AM rising in the north northeast, 86 degrees, overhead. AO 91, FM: at 9:49 AM rising in the south, 33 degrees. The ISS, FM crossband repeater, when active: at 10:30 AM rising in the southwest, 85 degrees, overhead. For the next pass, FO 29: inverting linear transponder, uplink near 145.95 megahertz lower sideband, downlink near 435.85 upper sideband. Frequencies and live status at amsat.org/status. Pass predictions at n2yo.com.

Satellite tip: a small dual-band handheld Yagi is all you need for the FM satellites.

DX activity, via the cluster network and hamqsl.com. None spotted by West Coast stations right now. No aurora or 6 meter E-skip.

Tropospheric ducting, from balloon soundings 14 hours ago: Newer data is not yet available, and conditions may have changed. No ducting strong enough for amateur VHF or UHF bands over Oakland. K6EEG's experimental tropo forecast, based on NOAA atmospheric model data, for the next 12 hours. Bay Area coast, peaking around 6 PM: ducting likely on 70 centimeters, 65 percent; a slight chance of ducting on 2 meters, 15 percent. Southern California coast, peaking around 3 PM: ducting likely on 70 centimeters, 75 percent; a chance of ducting on 2 meters, 30 percent. Nothing toward Hawaii.

Events. The California QSO Party, now under way, California stations in demand. IARU Region 1UHF/Microwaves Contest, today. VHF-UHF FT8 Activity Contest, on Wednesday.

Club and community announcements. The SF Amateur Radio Club meets on the third Friday of each month, 7 PM at the Randall Museum. Visit sfarc.org for more details.

Check into a local net this week. Regular net practice is what makes emergency nets work.

Current weather conditions at San Francisco International Airport: Temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Dew point 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Relative humidity 68 percent. Wind calm. Barometric pressure 29.87 inches of mercury, normal. Visibility 10 miles.

Batteries and radios in parked cars degrade in heat. Keep go-kit batteries somewhere cool.

National Weather Service forecast. Today: Partly sunny. High near 85, with temperatures falling to around 77 in the afternoon. West northwest wind 1 to 12 miles per hour. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 61. West wind 0 to 9 miles per hour. Monday: Sunny. High near 82, with temperatures falling to around 76 in the afternoon. West wind 0 to 10 miles per hour.

Tide predictions for today at the San Francisco Embarcadero gauge. Low tide at 12:34 AM, minus 0.1 feet. High tide at 8:16 AM, 4.7 feet. Low tide at 12:48 PM, 3.3 feet. High tide at 6:32 PM, 5.6 feet.

Ocean and bay conditions. No marine advisories in effect. From the San Francisco buoy, 18 nautical miles west of the Golden Gate: significant wave height 3 feet, slight seas, dominant period 8 seconds, from the west northwest. Wind at the buoy 4 knots from the west. Ocean water temperature 59 degrees Fahrenheit. San Francisco Bay water temperature 66 degrees Fahrenheit. Golden Gate currents: slack water at 9:03 AM, then maximum ebb 1.5 knots at 11:39 AM, then slack water at 2:32 PM.

Air quality for field operations, from the Bay Area Air District's San Francisco Arkansas Street monitoring station. Fine particulate matter, PM2.5, is 6 micrograms per cubic meter, rated good. Ozone is 6 parts per billion. Nitrogen dioxide is 16 parts per billion. For more information visit the Bay Area Air District or openaq.org on the web.

Sign up for your county's emergency alerts, such as Alert SF in San Francisco. Hams are often among the first to relay that information.

Seismic awareness for emergency communicators: no Bay Area earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or greater in the past 24 hours. Largest in California in the past 24 hours: magnitude 2.4, near Alum Rock. No earthquakes of magnitude 6 or greater worldwide. Seismic data from earthquake.usgs.gov.

Know your local emergency net frequencies, and test your radios on battery power regularly.