Propagation & weather widgets
Shortwave reception depends on the state of the ionosphere, which changes with the sun. The app’s Propagation panel summarises current conditions so you can pick a band that is likely open before spending time tuning.
Solar conditions
The panel shows the headline space-weather numbers: solar flux, the A and K geomagnetic indices, sunspots, X-ray activity, the maximum usable frequency and aurora activity. As a rule of thumb, high solar flux with a low K index means good shortwave conditions; a geomagnetic storm (high K) can flatten the bands.
Band conditions at a glance
Alongside the raw numbers, the panel rates each HF band for day and night conditions, and flags VHF phenomena such as aurora, Sporadic-E and meteor scatter. It is a quick "where should I listen right now?" summary.
Local weather
There is also a local weather widget (temperature, wind, pressure, cloud and so on) for your location, convenient for portable, outdoor listening. It only fetches once you open the panel and share a location.
Recommended gear
- MLA-30+ active loop antennaAntennaWhen the widgets show a band opening, an active loop is what turns it into audible signals in a noisy location.
- 9:1 unun + longwire kitAntennaA longwire is the cheap way to make the most of the openings these numbers predict.