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Solar and Band Conditions
Space weather affects how far radio signals travel. This dashboard shows current solar conditions so operators can pick the best time and frequency for their next outdoor session.
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Good HF Conditions
Low geomagnetic disturbance, strong solar flux. Most HF bands should be open.
203
Solar Flux (SFI) Higher = better propagation NOAA: 116 10.7 cm radio emission from the Sun. Above 100 means good ionospheric support for HF. Below 70, higher bands (15m, 10m) may not open.
2
K-Index Lower = calmer = better 3-hour geomagnetic disturbance index (0-9). K ≤ 2 is quiet, K 3-4 is unsettled, K ≥ 5 means a geomagnetic storm that can black out HF.
146
Sunspots (SSN) More = more ionization Daily sunspot count. Tracks the 11-year solar cycle. More sunspots produce more UV, strengthening the ionosphere for HF.
HF Band Conditions
80m-40m
☀ Poor ☽ Good
30m-20m
☀ Good ☽ Good
17m-15m
☀ Good ☽ Good
12m-10m
☀ Good ☽ Poor
More Solar Data
C5.4 X-Ray Flux Solar X-ray class (A/B/C/M/X). M-class or higher flares cause shortwave fadeouts on the sunlit side of Earth.
17 A-Index Daily average of 3-hour K values. A ≤ 7 is quiet, A 8-15 unsettled, A ≥ 30 is a storm.
405 km/s Solar Wind Speed of charged particles from the Sun. Normal is 300-400 km/s. Above 500 km/s can enhance aurora and disturb HF.
12.0 nT Magnetic Field (Bz) North-south component of the interplanetary magnetic field. Bz south (negative) lets solar wind energy enter Earth's magnetosphere, causing storms.
QUIET Geomag Field Overall geomagnetic field state (quiet/unsettled/active/storm).
S1-S2 Signal Noise Background noise level affecting weak signal reception.
1 Aurora Auroral activity index. Higher values may enable VHF aurora scatter but disrupt HF polar paths.
25 Proton Flux High-energy protons from solar events. Elevated levels cause polar cap absorption (PCA), blocking HF over polar routes.
1870 Electron Flux High-energy electron flux in the radiation belts.
125.5 Helium Line 10830 Angstrom absorption. Indicates coronal hole activity that can produce high-speed solar wind streams.
VHF Conditions
VHF propagation phenomena detected by monitoring stations. These affect 6m, 2m, and 70cm.
Band Closed vhf-aurora (northern hemi)
Band Closed E-Skip (europe)
Band Closed E-Skip (north america)
Band Closed E-Skip (europe 6m)
Band Closed E-Skip (europe 4m)
Updated: 01 Jul 2026 2121 GMT Sources: N0NBH / hamqsl.comNOAA SWPC