Been tracking the solar data and noticed SFI has dropped from around 160 in December to 135 this month, with sunspot numbers also declining from 124 to around 80. Still decent numbers, but the trend has me wondering about contest season.

For those with more cycles under their belt - how much impact does a 25-point SFI drop typically have on the higher bands during major contests? Should we be adjusting our band plans for CQWW CW later this year?

Good observation! That SFI drop will definitely affect 15M and 10M reliability, especially for European paths during contests. 20M will become even more important - make sure your antennas are optimized there. I've seen similar drops kill 10M completely during winter contests.

Thanks for posting this - I hadn't been watching the trend closely. Are you using any particular sites for tracking these long-term patterns? I'd like to start paying more attention to the solar cycle progression.

SFI of 135 is still workable, but you're right to be concerned about contest planning. The key is that geomagnetic activity matters more than absolute SFI - even SFI 120 with K=1-2 can produce great contest conditions. Watch the A-index trends too, not just solar flux.