Geomagnetic storms and flares mean zero contacts. Called AM CQ on 80 and 40 last evening and heard very little except very high noise levels indicative of D level activation. The Gulfcoast Mullet Society Net was absent....either I couldn't hear them or the NC gave up due to bad conditions.
I'm not sure there were any major geomagnetic storms and flares recently but there was lots of bad weather across the country over the last several days with lots of lightning. Plus the lower bands are never really perky during the summer months with all the atmospheric noise. Also, during the summer months, with the sun so high in the sky, the D-layer probably has trouble disappearing completely during the evening hours. However, grayline DXing on 40 and 75 meters has been report good to great in recent weeks. Also, 20 is hot, 17 is good, and 6 is open. I can live without 40 and 75 meters for a few months.
