Check current solar flux, sunspot number and K-index¶
The HF Propagation Dashboard shows live solar indices — Solar Flux Index (SFI), sunspot number, K-index, A-index, and X-ray class — in a set of metric cards. Use this page to get a quick read on current ionospheric conditions before calling CQ or chasing DX.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be running. A radio connection is not required for this feature.
- An active internet connection is needed to fetch live solar data.
Steps¶
- Click
View > Propagation Conditionsto open the HF Propagation Dashboard. - Read the Current Conditions cards at the top of the dialog. Five metric tiles are displayed: SFI, SN, A-index, K-index, and X-ray.
- Hover over any tile to read its tooltip. Each tooltip explains what the index measures and what the current value means for HF propagation.
What each control does¶
| Control | What it shows |
|---|---|
| SFI tile | Solar Flux Index. Higher values (120 and above) favor upper HF bands; values below 120 suggest lower bands will lead. |
| SN tile | Sunspot number. More sunspots generally mean stronger ionization and better support for higher-frequency HF propagation. |
| K-index tile | Short-term geomagnetic disturbance on a scale of 0–9. Values of 5 or above indicate storm-level activity and noisy polar paths. |
| A-index tile | All-day average of geomagnetic activity. Elevated values mean conditions may stay unsettled even if the latest K-index looks quiet. |
| X-ray tile | Latest solar flare class (A/B/C/M/X). C, M, and X class flares can trigger daylight radio blackouts on sunlit paths. |
None of these controls have persisted settings keys — they are read-only indicators updated from live data.
Tips¶
- The color of each tile value changes with severity: green indicates favorable or quiet conditions, yellow indicates elevated or unsettled conditions, and red indicates storm-level or major flare activity.
- If a tile shows no value, the dashboard is still waiting for data from the network.