Propagation Monitor

Amateur Radio Solar Propagation Monitor

User Manual

Version 1.0 | Part of the Win4AddOnPac

Table of Contents

  1. Overview
  2. Getting Started
  3. Main Screen Layout
  4. Understanding Solar Data
  5. Band Condition Indicators
  6. Settings Configuration
  7. PSK Reporter Integration
  8. Geographic Propagation Data
  9. Troubleshooting
  10. Technical Notes

1. Overview

The Solar Propagation Monitor provides real-time space weather data and live on-air activity reports to help you determine current HF band conditions. It combines official NOAA solar data with crowd-sourced PSK Reporter spots to give you a practical picture of what’s actually working right now — not just theoretical predictions.

Key Features:

  • Real-time Solar Flux, Sunspot Number, K-Index, and A-Index from NOAA
  • Live band activity from PSK Reporter (FT8, PSK31, RTTY, and other digital modes)
  • Geographic breakdown showing which regions are being heard
  • Distance-based filtering centered on your grid square
  • Color-coded band condition indicators for 160m–6m
  • Automatic refresh with countdown display

2. Getting Started

  1. Launch the application from the Win4AddOnPac menu.
  2. On first use, you will be asked for your grid square.  After this you can enter the rest of the settings.
  3. The app will automatically load current solar data.
  4. Click Refresh Data at any time to update manually.

3. Main Screen Layout

Solar Activity Panel
Displays current Solar Flux, Sunspot Number, K-Index, and A-Index, each color-coded for quick reference.

Propagation Forecast Panel
Shows an overall condition summary (Excellent/Good/Fair/Poor) along with a live activity summary — the most active band, report count, geographic breakdown, and digital modes currently in use.

HF Band Conditions Panel
Nine band indicators (160m through 6m). Each is color-coded, and when live PSK Reporter data is available, displays the number of reports received for that band.

Status Bar
Shows the last update time, data source (Real Data, Fallback Data, or PSK-enhanced), and countdown to the next automatic refresh.

4. Understanding Solar Data

Indicator Description Good Fair Poor
Solar Flux (10.7cm) Measure of solar radio emissions; higher generally means better high-band propagation ≥150 100–149 <100
Sunspot Number Count of visible sunspots; correlates with solar cycle activity ≥100 50–99 <50
K-Index Measures geomagnetic disturbance over the last 3 hours; lower is better ≤1 2–3 ≥4
A-Index Daily average geomagnetic activity, derived from K-Index ≤7 8–30 >30

Color coding: Green = Good, Yellow = Fair, Orange = Poor, Red = Bad.

5. Band Condition Indicators

Each HF band label is color-coded based on a combination of solar flux, K-index, and (when available) actual PSK Reporter activity:

  • Green — Band is open with strong activity
  • Yellow — Band is open with moderate activity
  • Orange — Marginal conditions
  • Dark Red — Likely closed or very quiet

When PSK Reporter data is active, the number below each band name (e.g., “20m / 24”) shows the number of live spot reports within your configured search area.

6. Settings

  • Your Callsign — Enter your callsign to see who is currently hearing your signal (requires that you have been actively transmitting a digital mode in the last 30 minutes).
  • Grid Square — Your Maidenhead grid locator (e.g., FN45), used as the center point for distance-based filtering.
  • Max Distance (miles) — Radius around your grid square to include in the geographic and band activity display.

Notes:

  • If Callsign is filled in, it takes priority — the app searches for stations hearing you, regardless of the distance setting.
  • If only Grid Square is filled in, the app searches globally, then filters results to your specified radius.
  • Leaving both blank shows worldwide activity with no geographic filtering.

Choosing a distance: Since HF propagation varies enormously by band, consider your goal:

  • 500–1000 miles: regional/continental conditions
  • 2500–5000 miles: transatlantic/transcontinental DX
  • 8000+ miles: worldwide/global openings

7. PSK Reporter Integration

PSK Reporter is a free, community-run service that aggregates real-time reception reports from digital mode software worldwide (FT8, FT4, PSK31, RTTY, and others). The app queries this data to show you actual current activity rather than just theoretical propagation predictions.

Important — Rate Limiting:
PSK Reporter is a volunteer-run service with limited capacity. To avoid overloading it, the app:

  • Caches data after each successful query
  • Waits at least 1 minute between live queries
  • Re-filters cached data locally when you change distance settings (no new query needed)
  • Only issues a new query when necessary (e.g., changing your callsign, or the cache expiring)

If you see a “too soon” message in the debug log, this is normal — the app is using cached data to protect the PSK Reporter service from excess requests.

8. Geographic Propagation Data

When grid square and distance filtering are active, the Propagation Forecast panel shows a breakdown of which regions are receiving signals — for example:

 
Most active: 20m (452 reports)
Nearby: Canada(310), USA(142)
Modes: FT8, PSK31, RTTY

Understanding the regions shown: The regions returned depend entirely on your distance setting. A small radius (e.g., 500–1000 miles) from a North American location will typically only show nearby countries (Canada/USA). To see transatlantic or transpacific propagation, increase your distance setting to 4000+ miles.

9. Troubleshooting

“No recent activity” for my callsign
This means no stations have reported hearing your callsign in the last 30 minutes. Make sure you are actively transmitting a supported digital mode (e.g., FT8) with PSK Reporter reporting enabled in your logging software.

All regions show only Canada/USA
This is expected behavior at shorter distances. Increase your Max Distance setting to see intercontinental propagation.

503 error / PSK Reporter unavailable
This means the PSK Reporter service is temporarily rejecting requests due to high load or rate limiting. The app will automatically fall back to cached or solar-only data. Wait a few minutes and click Refresh again.

Data shows “(Fallback Data)”
This means NOAA’s servers could not be reached. The app is displaying simulated data that follows realistic patterns until a connection can be re-established.

Band counts don’t match between the band indicator and the forecast panel
Ensure you’re running the latest version — this was a known issue in early builds that has since been corrected so both figures reflect the same filtered dataset.

10. Technical Notes

  • Data sources: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (solar flux, K-index, sunspot number), PSK Reporter (live spot reports)
  • Refresh interval: Automatic refresh every 15 minutes; manual refresh available anytime
  • Distance calculation: Great-circle (Haversine) distance between Maidenhead grid squares
  • Platform: Windows, .NET Framework 4.8
  • Network requirement: Internet connection required for live data; app falls back to simulated data if unavailable