Cycle 23 could bottom out this summer (Jan 4, 2007) -- Radio wave propagation could be looking up after this summer, according to past and predicted sunspot and solar (radio) flux statistics this week from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Environment Center. Those numbers indicate that current Cycle 23 will bottom out in July. As for Cycle 24, which should peak in approximately five years, the predictions are all over the map, with some saying it could be one of the most intense cycles in history and others calling for a weak or average cycle. This week's data predict a smoothed sunspot number of 9.5 and a 10.7 cm solar (radio) flux of 72.0 for July. More information on radio wave propagation is available on the ARRL Technical Information Service Propagation page....