HF Band Openings

HF band openings can be tracked in different ways. Weak Signal Propagation Reports (WSPR) provide a useful way of tracking band openings.

The table below contains links that chart HF band openings – based on analysis of weak signals transmitted by amateur radio stations. We will continue to add more bands and more reporters. Keep watching this space.

Updated 2021-01-24

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(m)	AF	OC	SA	NA	AS	EU
160	EA8	VK3 VK4 ZL2 VK7		KD2 WV5 KK6 VE3	BD7 BA7	DK8 G8D
80	EA8	VK2 VK3	PY1	WA2 WA5 KK6 VE4	7L4 BD7	DK8 ON5
40	ZS1 ZS3 ZS6	VK2 VK4 VK5 VK6 VK7	PY1 PT2 PY2	KD2 KD6 VE6	JA BD7 JA8	DL0 G7R HB9 IW2 LX1
30	EA8	VK3 VK4 ZL2	PT2 PY2	KK6 N2H WB5	BA4 JH3	DK8 G8N IW2
20	ZS3 ZS6 ZS6	VK2 VK3 VK4 VK5 VK6 ZL2	LU3 PT2 PY2 PY1	KD6 N2H VE3	BA7 VR2 JH3	DK8 G8N IW2 ON5
17	ZS6	ZL2	PY1	N2H K4C KK6	BD7	ON5 DL0 G8N HB9
15	ZS0	VK3 ZL2	PT2	WA2 KK6 N6	BA7 BD7	DK8 G8D LX1
12	EA8			W8A	BD7	G8L
10	EA8	VK2 VK5 VK7	PY1	WA2 K3 WA6	HL3 BD7	DL0 G8L LA3

HF band openings from Germany to Australia

As an example, the chart below tracks 40m HF band openings for radio communication from Germany to Queensland Australia.

Description

Each dot on the chart above represents a weak signal transmitted by DF2UU in Germany and received by VK4CT near Brisbane Australia.

In this case, spots grouped on the left-side represent signals received on the long-path bearing 246 degrees from Germany to Brisbane. Spots grouped on the right-side represent signals received along the short-path bearing 64 degrees from Germany to Brisbane. Signal strengths correlate with the sun’s solar activity. The strongest signals generally occur during dawn and dusk along the grey line.

The sample chart shows that during seven days ended 2021-Jan-19, the 40m band opened for 1.5 hours on the long-path and six hours on the short-path.

The chart demonstrates that signal to noise ratios vary by about 17dB on the short-path and about 20 dB on the long-path.

Applications

The charts are useful for a variety of applications – including: contest planning and station comparisons.

Contest planning

A plan is essential for competitive performance. Knowing the best band opening times helps to prepare for opportunities when they arise. The alternative is to miss narrow windows to valuable openings. The charts show the best times to work any continent on any HF band.

A plan can be easily mapped on a one page spreadsheet. That sheet is enough to guide the operation. Label each row with the UTC hour down the left column. Label each column with bands along the top row.

Mark cells with band openings using continent abbreviations – AF, OC, SA, NA, AS and EU.

For further refinement add colour highlights to your high priority cells.

Station comparisons

Select two reporters that you would like to compare – typically on the same band and located close by. Then open two browser windows side-by-side on the same screen. Use the first browser to open charts for the first reporter’s callsign, and use the second browser to open charts for the second reporter’s callsign. Scroll through the charts to compare spots received and reported by the stations being compared.

There is no limit to the number of browser windows open at the same time. This is useful for comparing more than two stations.

Have fun

We hope you enjoy an educational journey while browsing through the charts. You might like to test your knowledge of radio wave propagation by doing the exercises at bottom of each set of charts. Chances are that you will find your own call-sign in the charts 😉

Enjoy!