F2 Skip
Don't hold your breath for this one, but be aware of its potentialities. This is the familiar long-haul skip which bounces shortwave signals around the world in hops of roughly 2000 miles each. During sunspot peaks F2 may extend up to 60 mHz, opening American channel 2 to DX, plus a number of European, African and Oceanic TV stations operating at these frequencies and below. F2 activity is greatest in years of peak sunspot activity. As sunspot activity increases, F2 MUF also rise. F2 at VHF frequencies is not probable in years of low solar activity. If you want to keep track of F2 conditions, which tend to peak in the spring and fall, monitor on a 30-50 mHz radio. Paging stations beyond 1600 miles or so on 35 and 43 mHz will give you a warning when F2 is "up".

Since Hauser wrote his article, some areas, including Britain, have switched all of their TV to UHF, which F2 will not reach. I am editing his original comments accordingly, keeping the essence o f his thought while cutting out perhaps-obsolete station information. For listings of TV stations on these frequencies, consult the WORLD RADIO-TV HANDBOOK or the TELEVISION FACTBOOK, both available in libraries.

Note that some foreign TV audio transmission is AM, unlike North America where FM audio is used. North American DX'ers should check during the morning hours when it is noon, or slightly after noon, at the midpoint of the path to Europe. F2 is a daytime propagation at these frequences, directly depending on solar radiation. F2 may have a very sharp MUF, hovering just below or on channel 2 for long periods. So on your radio, keep a check on known TV audio and video carrier frequencies below channel 2. Beware of false signals if radiation near these last frequencies are from your own or nearby TV sets! On a radio, video sounds like a rough buzz. On a TV, video propagated by F2 is rarely clear; though it may be strong, it will be heavily smeared.

The Solar Cycle (Sunspots and the Solar Cum", followed ycle)

Every 11 years the sun undergoes a period of activity called the "solar maximby a period of quiet called the "solar minimum". During the solar maximum there are many sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections, all of which can affect communications and weather here on Earth. Sunspot Cycle 23

One way we track solar activity is by observing sunspots. Sunspots are relatively cool areas that appear as dark blemishes on the face of the sun. They are formed when magnetic field lines just below the sun's surface are twisted and poke though the solar photosphere. The twisted magnetic field above sunspots are sites where solar flares are observed to occur, and we are now beginning to understand the connection between solar flares and sunspots.

more info
1. Sunspot Note
[URL: solar-center.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/quizsp...quiz_notes.html]
These sets of questions test your knowledge of sunspots. Flare spray erupts in a plage in this close look at the chromosphere. Hotter denser areas of the..

Solar Terrestrial Activity Report: Report