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. After you sign in, Hamtrax pulls the shared status-bar and dashboard data from HamQSL and refreshes it hourly while the app stays open.
Viewing the Dashboard
Tap the sun in the top status bar to see the compact band summary, then tap Open Solar Conditions to open the full floating panel. You can also open Solar from the sidebar tools section. The panel stays available alongside your other work.
[SCREENSHOT: Solar Dashboard showing solar indices and band conditions in a compact card layout]
Solar Indices
The dashboard displays up to six key metrics, each rated Good, Fair, or Poor with color-coded indicators:
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Solar Flux | Radio energy from the sun at 10.7 cm. Higher values mean better HF propagation. |
| K-Index | Short-term geomagnetic disturbance (0--9 scale). Lower is better for HF. |
| A-Index | Daily average geomagnetic activity. Lower is better. |
| Sunspots | Count of visible sunspots. More sunspots generally mean better HF conditions. |
| Solar Wind | Speed of the solar wind in km/s. Lower speeds tend to improve HF stability. |
| X-Ray | GOES X-ray classification. Higher classes (M, X) can cause radio blackouts. X-Ray only appears when data is available. |
Green = Good conditions for HF. Yellow = Fair -- workable but not ideal. Red = Poor -- expect weak signals or blackouts. Tap the info icon next to any metric to see a tooltip explaining what that number means.
Band Conditions
At the top of the dashboard, the band conditions section shows ratings for up to four bands. Each band displays separate ratings for Day and Night propagation:
- A colored bar shows whether conditions are Good, Fair, Poor, or Unknown.
- Below each bar, the condition label is shown in the matching color.
- Use this to quickly decide whether it is worth spinning the dial on 20m or if 40m might be the better bet tonight.
Band conditions come from HamQSL's pre-calculated propagation 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 a session -- monitor conditions to pick the best band for the time of day.
Data Sources
The data source is HamQSL.com, which provides solar indices and pre-calculated band conditions (fetched via a server-side proxy). The authenticated status bar and full dashboard share one set of readings, refreshed hourly while Hamtrax stays open. A timestamp at the bottom of the panel shows when Hamtrax last fetched the data.
Related Pages
- Band Plan -- see which frequencies to use on the bands that are open