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Solar Dashboard

The Solar Dashboard shows you real-time space weather and propagation conditions so you can decide which bands are worth operating on right now. Data is pulled from NOAA and updated automatically throughout the day.

Viewing the Dashboard​

The Solar Dashboard appears in the Home tab as a compact widget. You can also access the full dashboard from the Tools menu.

[SCREENSHOT: Solar Dashboard showing solar indices and band conditions in a compact card layout]

Solar Indices​

The dashboard displays six key metrics, each rated Good, Fair, or Poor with color-coded indicators:

MetricWhat It Tells You
Solar Flux (SFI)Radio energy from the sun at 10.7 cm. Higher values mean better HF propagation.
K-IndexShort-term geomagnetic disturbance (0--9 scale). Lower is better for HF.
A-IndexDaily average geomagnetic activity. Lower is better.
Sunspot NumberCount of visible sunspots. More sunspots generally mean better HF conditions.
Solar WindSpeed of the solar wind in km/s. Lower speeds tend to improve HF stability.
X-Ray FluxGOES X-ray classification. Higher classes (M, X) can cause radio blackouts.
Reading the indicators

Green = Good conditions for HF. Yellow = Fair -- workable but not ideal. Red = Poor -- expect weak signals or blackouts. Hover or long-press any metric to see a tooltip explaining what that number means.

Band Conditions​

Below the solar indices, the dashboard shows condition ratings for HF bands. Each band displays separate ratings for Day and Night propagation:

  • A colored bar shows whether conditions are Good, Fair, or Poor.
  • Use this to quickly decide whether it is worth spinning the dial on 20m or if 40m might be the better bet tonight.
info

Band conditions are derived from solar data and represent general predictions. Real-world propagation can vary -- the best way to know is to get on the air and listen.

When to Check​

  • Before an activation -- make sure the bands you plan to use are open.
  • When signals seem weak -- a high K-index or solar flare may explain poor conditions.
  • During contests -- monitor conditions to pick the best band for the time of day.

Data Sources​

All solar and propagation data comes from NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. The dashboard refreshes automatically, and a timestamp at the bottom shows when the data was last updated.