Period: 20.04.2026 – 26.04.2026 · Calendar Week: 17/2026 · SFI: 107 (rising) · SSN: 50 · A: 4 · K: 5 · X-Ray: B3.6
Summary
What a week behind us – and what a week ahead! The G2 storm of April 18 gave the bands a thorough shaking, but recovery is already well underway. The A-index sits at 4, the K-index at 5 and falling – the geomagnetic field is normalising rapidly. The storm is fading, and that’s the best news of the week.
Even more exciting: the Solar Flux Index is climbing steeply from its current 107. The NOAA 27-day forecast predicts a rise to 140-145 by mid-week – that would be the highest value in weeks and a massive jump from the low of 94 in CW 15. The sunspot number currently sits at 50 but will also rise as flux increases.
This means: from Wednesday, one of the best DX windows of the month opens up. With SFI above 140 and quiet geomagnetics, 12m and 10m will reopen regularly – the upper bands are waking from their two-week slumber. If you want to work DX, keep the second half of the week free.
The Week in Detail
Monday/Tuesday (April 20-21): Recovery phase. The geomagnetic field settles after the G2 storm. Ap values drop to 8-12. The lower bands (160m-80m) remain slightly disturbed, but 40m and 20m are already usable again. SFI rises noticeably – up 5-10 points daily.
Wednesday to Friday (April 22-24): The DX window of the week! SFI reaches 140-145, Ap drops below 10. That’s the combination DXers dream of: high ionisation and a quiet magnetic field. All bands from 80m to 10m benefit massively. On 10m and 12m, stable openings to South America, Africa, and Asia are possible for the first time in weeks.
Saturday/Sunday (April 25-26): Conditions remain good, SFI holds at high levels. A slight decline toward the weekend is possible, but still well above 130. An ideal weekend for extended DX sessions.
Band Forecast
| Band | Day | Night | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160m | Poor | Fair | Storm aftermath fading, usable from Wed |
| 80m | Fair | Good | Good night-time signals toward NA/SA from mid-week |
| 40m | Good | Good | Reliable all week, worldwide DX in the evenings |
| 30m | Good | Good | Excellent, DX-capable around the clock |
| 20m | Excellent | Good | Band of the week – open worldwide, strong signals |
| 17m | Excellent | Fair | Long daytime openings toward JA, VK, ZL |
| 15m | Good | Fair | Stable openings to AS/AF/SA from Wed |
| 12m | Fair→Good | Poor | With SFI>140 from Wed, regularly open again |
| 10m | Fair | Poor | Sporadic to stable openings possible from Wed |
27-Day Outlook
The medium-term outlook is promising – but with a warning on the horizon.
- April 20-21: Recovery from G2 storm, SFI rises to 120-130, Ap drops to 8-12.
- April 22-26: Top week! SFI at 140-145, Ap below 10 – excellent conditions on all bands.
- April 27-28: SFI begins slowly declining but stays above 120. Good conditions.
- April 29-30: Renewed geomagnetic unrest (Ap 18-20). Lower bands temporarily disturbed.
- May 1-5: SFI drops below 100, quieter phase of the solar cycle. 10m/12m become difficult again.
VHF Conditions
VHF gets more interesting this week: with the subsiding storm, a brief aurora opening on 2m and 70cm may be possible on Monday/Tuesday if Kp values briefly spike to 5+. From mid-week, Sporadic-E on 6m becomes a possibility with rising SFI – the April Es season is slowly starting. On 4m and 2m, tropo and local propagation remain the norm.
Recommendation of the Week
This week offers a rare opportunity: after the storm, a wide DX window opens with rising SFI. If you want to work the upper bands (15m, 12m, 10m), use Wednesday to Friday – we haven’t seen conditions this good since CW 12. In particular, 20m and 17m promise worldwide openings with strong signals. For contesters and DXers: point antennas toward JA/VK in the morning, SA/AF in the afternoon.
Live Data
| Band | Tag ☀ | Nacht ☾ |
|---|---|---|
| 160m | Schlecht | Schlecht |
| 80–40m | Schlecht | Mäßig |
| 30–20m | Gut | Gut |
| 17–15m | Mäßig | Mäßig |
| 12–10m | Schlecht | Schlecht |
Links
- prop.kc2g.com – Real-time MUF maps
- NOAA Space Weather – Official space weather data
- HamQSL Solar – Ham radio propagation data
- DXHeat DX-Cluster – Current DX spots
- SolarHam – Solar activity and space weather
73 de OERadio DX Weather Desk
This report was AI-assisted, based on current data from NOAA SWPC and HamQSL.com. The live data above refreshes automatically every 3 hours.
