NB6Z - Propagation Tools

CURRENT SOLAR INDICES WWV Report FORCAST

Earth: Sun:

CURRENT WORLD WIDE PATH OBSERVATIONS

CURRENT WARNINGS AND ALERTS

The Solar Flux Index is a gauge of solar particles and magnetic fields reaching our atmosphere. Higher numbers mean more solar wind is reaching the earth.
The K-Index (or Boulder K) is a gauge of geomagnetic activity relative to an assumed quiet-day curve for Boulder Colorado. Falling numbers mean improving conditions particularly in northern latitudes and areas where aurora activity can occur. (The further you are from Boulder CO, the less exact this information will be.) View the K indices data in Western Australia
The A-index is simply an index of geomagnetic activity derived from a scaled average of the previous 24 hours K-index readings. Use this as a reference for general conditions on the bands. More detail about WWV Reports

Current Ultra Violet image (left) and X-ray image (right).
- Click image for hi-resolution view -
Solar storms track from left to right across the disk.
The brightness of the storms seen on these images
is an indication of their size and energy output.
Major storms will effect HF propagation shortly after seen.

: MAXIMUM USABLE FREQUENCY or MUF (GET CHART ONLY)
CRITICAL F2 LAYER FREQUENCY MAP (GET CHART ONLY) (N. AMERICA) (EUROPE)
MAX HEIGHT OF F2 LAYER (GET CHART ONLY)
E LAYER FREQUENCY MAP (GET CHART ONLY)
INTRODUCTION TO HF RADIO PROPAGATION (PDF 159K 23 Pgs.)
RECENT SOLAR ACTIVITY CHART CYCLE 23 GETS OFF TO A SLOW START!
INDEX OF SOLAR SURFACE IMAGES REAL TIME SOLAR IMAGE HI-RES VIEW from SPACE
GLOSSARY OF SOLAR TERMS
AURORA BOREALIS HOME PAGE or CURRENT AURORA MAP (Northern) (Southern)
MOST RECENT FORECAST FROM W1AW or 27 DAY FORCAST (SOLAR INDEX)
MORE INFO ON SOLAR ACTIVITY from the Australian Space Weather Agency

: The current condition of the eleven year "sun spot cycle" has increased the usable spectrum for propagation on the HF bands. Improved band conditions along with new inexpensive PC software and hardware techniques, have sparked all new interest in digital HF radio communications! This trend should continue into the new millennium.
Currently, the best frequency band to find HF digital activity during the day is 20 through 10 meters, and 30 through 80 meters during the night. We occasionally experience periods of improved ionospheric conditions, allowing HF propagation to occur on the higher bands such as 10 meters and allowing 20 meters to be usable for longer periods after sunset.
Over the course of the next 1-3 years, propagation on all the higher bands will stabilize and provide many opportunities to experiment with and enjoy digital communications!. The new millennium is the start of the "Golden Age of Digital HF Radio"!

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