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

1. Click View > Propagation Conditions in the menu bar. This opens the HF Propagation Dashboard dialog.
2. Scroll to the 3-Day Forecast grid section.
3. 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).
4. Check the R1-R2, R3+, and S1+ rows below the Kp cells. These show NOAA radio blackout and radiation storm risk probability per day.
5. Read the Rationale text beneath the grid for a plain-language explanation of the current forecast.
6. 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

• The dialog automatically saves and restores its size and position across AetherSDR sessions. There is no separate setting for frameless mode.
• 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.
• The dialog's appearance adapts to your current AetherSDR theme. Separator lines and backgrounds use theme colors instead of fixed values.

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.
• Window position or size is not remembered — The dialog uses PersistentDialog to store its geometry under the key PropDashboardDialogGeometry. If the setting file is corrupted, close AetherSDR, delete the PropDashboardDialogGeometry entry from your settings file, and reopen the dialog.

Related

• HF Propagation Dashboard overview
• Check current solar flux, sunspot number and K-index
• Decide which HF band is open for day or night work
• Watch for VHF sporadic-E or auroral openings