some thinking and a chart from Carl, K9LA
The good news is that Cycle 25 has surpassed the small Cycle 24 – but not by much. Will it get up to an average cycle? All we can do is wait and see. FYI – Cycle 24 was the smallest in our lifetimes and the fourth smallest in recorded history since Cycle 1 started in 1755.
The hemisphere data (sunspots emerging in the northern solar hemisphere versus emerging in the southern solar hemisphere) suggest Cycle 25 is only going to have one peak. That’s because the two solar hemispheres appear to be working in concert and not one hemisphere working much harder than the other initially and then switching later in the cycle.
Get on the higher HF bands (15-meters, 12-meters and 10-meters) as much as you can. And keep an eye out for F2 openings on 6-meters. We’ve had some already, but they have been few and far between.
