Your message went back to me, based on how the listserv is configured and
the Reply-to: field in my e-mail client.

The A index can go up to 400, conceivably.  It is a 24-hour geomagnetic
activity index, whereas the K index is on a 3-hour basis on a scale from 0
to 9.  If you had been operating toward the end of the IARU contest
(approaching 6 AM your time Sunday), conditions were getting quite bad.
From something I read on prop.hfradio.org , the storm became more intense at
around 0600Z; it began at 1730Z on Saturday.  The bands sound better tonight
than last night, but they haven't fully recovered.
73,
Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, Wheaton, Maryland
Home:  http://lras.home.sprynet.com
Work:  http://www.loc.gov/nls
 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: colin McDonald [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Monday, July 16, 2012 1:10 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: 20-Meter Net, July 15
> 
> it's kind of shocking since the conditions were excellent for the duration
> of the contest...at least most of the contest...then poof, gone today.
> I've never seen the A index reach 60...that's crazy.
> 
> 73
> Colin, V A6BKX
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lloyd Rasmussen" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2012 7:23 PM
> Subject: 20-Meter Net, July 15
> 
> 
> > The disadvantage of being in the higher part of the sunspot cycle is
> that
> > we
> > can have solar flares and coronal mass ejections which punch holes in
> the
> > earth's magnetic field.  So conditions tend to be really good or really
> > poor.  In the lower part of the cycle, at least the last one, skip
> tended
> > to
> > be longer, but conditions were very predictable.
> >
> > We ran the cross-country blind hams net for about 15 minutes today,
> > beginning at 2000Z.  I think these were the worst conditions I had
> > experienced while running this net.  Very few stations were audible on
> the
> > band.  K7UC was running his amp into a new Force 12 beam pointed my
> > direction.  He gave me an S4 reading, and he wasn't very far above my
> > noise
> > level, either.  Thanks to everyone for attempting to relay for me.
> > Check-ins were:
> > W3IUU
> > W6PR/0
> > KG4ITD
> > K7UC
> > WB9SLM
> >
> > We'll do this again next Sunday, and conditions have to be a lot better
> > than
> > they were today!
> > 73,
> > Lloyd Rasmussen, W3IUU, Wheaton, Maryland