An intense burst of noise from what is being called a “monster X-class solar flare” briefly blanked out HF reception around the globe at around 1600 UTC on March 12, and additional disruptions could be on the way. The March 12 event was an X-2.2 flare. X-class flares can have a nearly immediate effect on Earth. The E30FB DXpedition currently under way from Asmara in Eritrea (number 20 on the Cl…