10M, 15M Band Opening Today

I’ve gotten to where I distrust the solar-terrestrial data as a predictor of band conditions.

Today’s chart says that 17M-15M is Fair and 12M-10M is Poor. Yet, 15M is hopping.  Stations participating in the Washington State Salmon Run QSO Contest can be heard up and down the 15M band.  Here in AZ they are booming in.  I literally walk walking up and down the band contacting every station. Many remarked upon how great my signal sounded (I’m running 100W and a dipole in the attic – what a morale boost, eh?)

I was hearing stations all along the eastern seaboard and down into the south talking with the WA stations and both end were booming in here.

I thought, “What’s going on on 10M?” I switched.  Granted, I called CQ and did not make any contacts but I heard many beacons.  10M was open but nobody knew it.