See the 3-day Kp forecast and blackout risk¶
The HF Propagation Dashboard includes a 3-day Kp forecast grid showing geomagnetic activity across 3-hour UTC periods, along with NOAA radio blackout and radiation storm risk rows for each day. Use this to plan operating sessions around disturbed conditions or aurora.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be running. A radio connection is not required for this feature.
- An active internet connection is needed to fetch forecast data.
Steps¶
- Click
View > Propagation Conditionsin the menu bar. This opens the HF Propagation Dashboard dialog. - Scroll to the 3-Day Forecast grid section.
- Read the Kp values across the 8 columns of 3-hour UTC periods for each of the three days. Cells are color-coded: green indicates quiet conditions (Kp below 3), yellow indicates unsettled conditions (Kp 3–4), and red indicates storm-level activity (Kp 5 or higher).
- Check the R1-R2, R3+, and S1+ rows below the Kp cells. These show NOAA radio blackout and radiation storm risk probability per day.
- Read the Rationale text beneath the grid for a plain-language explanation of the current forecast.
- Check the summary labels — Geomagnetic field, Solar wind, Noise, and X-ray — for additional context below the forecast grid.
What each control does¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| 3-Day Forecast grid | Displays Kp per 3-hour UTC period across three days, plus Max Kp per day. Cells are color-coded by severity. |
| R1-R2 row | NOAA HF radio blackout risk at the R1–R2 level, shown per day. |
| R3+ row | NOAA HF radio blackout risk at the R3 level and above, shown per day. |
| S1+ row | NOAA solar radiation storm risk at the S1 level and above, shown per day. |
| Rationale | Plain-language explanation of today's forecast. |
| Geomagnetic field / Solar wind / Noise / X-ray | Summary status labels below the forecast grid. Color-coded by severity. |
Tips¶
- A Kp of 5 or higher signals storm-level geomagnetic activity. Polar and high-latitude paths are most affected. Lower HF bands (40m, 80m) tend to hold up better than upper bands during geomagnetic storms.
- The R1-R2 and R3+ rows reflect probability estimates per day, not certainty. Check the Kp cell colors across individual 3-hour periods to see when during the day risk is highest.
- Hover over the Current Conditions cards (SFI, SN, A-index, K-index, X-ray) for tooltip explanations of each index.
Troubleshooting¶
- Forecast grid shows no data or stale values — AetherSDR fetches forecast data from the internet. Verify your network connection is active and reopen the dialog.