HF propagation
HF propagation forecast on a 3D globe: MUF, LUF and how reliable each band is toward wherever you want to work.
The Earth right now
Drag to spin the planet, scroll or pinch to zoom (or use the arrow keys and + / −) and click anywhere to put the other station there.
- Your station
- Target station
- Sun overhead
- Ionospheric reflection point
The path
Bands right now
Hover over a band to see it on the globe.| Band | Reliability | SNR | Signal | Take-off angle |
|---|
The full 24 hours
Click an hour to jump to it.This is a simple empirical model, not VOACAP: it shows the trend on the path, not a guarantee. Real propagation also depends on geomagnetic storms, sporadic E and the noise floor at your own QTH. Use it to decide which band to listen to first.
How to read it
The MUF
The highest frequency the F2 layer still bends back to the ground on this path. Above it, the signal escapes into space. The optimum working frequency (FOT) is 85% of the MUF: just below it you get the strongest signal with the least absorption.
The LUF
The lowest frequency that still makes it through. During the day the D layer absorbs the low bands, which is why 80 m is dead for DX at noon. The window worth calling in lies between the LUF and the MUF.
The gray line
The dark band across the globe is the boundary between day and night. The D layer has faded but F2 is still ionized, so for a short while the low bands open up remarkably long paths. That's when 160 and 80 meter DX happens.