so ive been noticing the past couple weeks that 10m and 12m have been doing some really strange things. like one afternoon ill be hearing europe like theyre next door and then two hours later the band is completely dead, not even static. been hamming for about 6 years now and i dont think ive seen it swing this fast before.

checked the solar flux index this morning and it was sitting around 180 which honestly i thought would mean pretty consistent conditions but its been anything but. also saw there was a geomagnetic storm warning a few days ago, K index got up to 5 or 6 i think. wondering if thats still affecting things or if its something else going on. anyone been working DX lately and what bands are you finding most reliable right now? im in the midwest if that matters

yeah the flux has been all over the place this cycle, we're deep into solar cycle 25 now and its been more active than most people predicted honestly. the K index spike you mentioned will mess with the higher HF bands for a day or two after the storm settles, especially on paths that go over the poles. if youre trying to work europe from the midwest the transpolar path gets hit hard when Kp goes above 4 or so.

what i usually do is watch the DXmaps site and just see where the spots are clustering. 17m and 15m have been my go-to lately when 10 gets flaky, they seem to hold up a bit better when conditions are unsettled. also worth checking the WWV broadcast on 10, 15, or 20 MHz, they give the solar flux and A and K index readings every hour and it takes like 2 minutes to just tune in and listen. old school but i still do it every morning before i get on the air.

i had a crazy 10m opening to japan last thursday evening, totally unexpected, i wasnt even planning to operate and just happened to turn the radio on. worked like 8 JA stations in maybe 20 minutes and then it just closed up. honestly thats what i love about HF, you never really know. my flux was showing around 175 that day i think.