The official definition of the midpoint of a solar cycle is when both halves of the sun have reversed magnetic poles. Up until recently, just the upper half had reversed. But in late December, the lower half finally caught up.
What does this mean for hams? Well propagation was outstanding 3 years ago in early 2011. We can reasonably expect three more decent years of propagation.
However, we are seeing a trend toward higher solar flux levels in this second peak of cycle 24, and have already surpassed the first peak in September of 2011, with a new record high of 262 reached on January 4th. That means we are seeing values not seen since Cycle 23.
Solar Cycle 22, 23 and 24 through Dec 2013
