Decide Which HF Band Is Open for Day or Night Work¶
The HF Propagation Dashboard shows a band-by-band condition summary split into day and night columns, letting you choose the best band before you transmit.
Before you start¶
- AetherSDR must be running. A radio connection is not required for this feature.
- The dashboard fetches data from external propagation services; an internet connection is needed for live data.
Steps¶
- Click
View > Propagation Conditionsto open the HF Propagation Dashboard. - Scroll to the HF Band Conditions section of the dialog.
- Read the condition shown for each of the four band rows under the Day and Night columns.
- Choose a band whose condition matches your current time of day (day or night at your location).
What each control does¶
| Control | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Current Conditions cards | Five metric tiles (SFI, SN, A-index, K-index, X-ray) with hover tooltips. |
| 3-Day Forecast grid | Shows Kp per 3-hour UTC period for each of three days, plus Max Kp, R1-R2, R3+ and S1+ risk rows. |
| Solar And Lunar panel | Live solar image (click cycles wavelengths) and current Moon phase. Default label 'Corona (193A)'. |
| What To Look For | Rotating plain-language learning notes about the current solar image. |
| HF Band Conditions | Displays a condition rating for each of four HF band rows, split into day and night columns. |
| Band condition value | Shows one of three states: Good, Fair, or Poor, color-coded green, amber, or orange respectively. |
| VHF Conditions | Aurora, E-Skip NA, E-Skip EU states. |
| What These Mean (VHF) | Two learning notes explaining aurora vs sporadic-E. |
Tips¶
- The Current Conditions cards at the top of the dialog show SFI, SN, A-index, K-index, and X-ray values. Cross-reference these with the band conditions: a high SFI (120 or above) generally supports upper HF bands, while a high K-index (5 or above) indicates storm-level geomagnetic activity that degrades many paths.
- Hover over any metric card to read a plain-language tooltip explaining what that index means for HF propagation.
- If the A-index is elevated (15 or above), band conditions may remain unsettled even if the current K-index looks quiet.
- The Solar And Lunar panel lets you cycle through solar wavelengths by clicking the image. The default view is 'Corona (193A)'.
- The 3-Day Forecast grid includes color-coded Kp cells across UTC periods, plus NOAA blackout (R1-R2, R3+) and radiation storm (S1+) risk per day.
Troubleshooting¶
- All band condition values appear blank or do not update — the dashboard could not retrieve propagation data. Verify your internet connection and reopen the dialog.
- The dashboard window does not reposition correctly between sessions — the dialog saves and restores its geometry automatically. If the position is incorrect, resize or move the window to a new location, then close and reopen it to save the updated geometry.