HF propagation conditions today
Current HF band conditions, solar flux, K and A indices and NOAA space-weather alerts in one place — what the numbers are now and what they mean for your next contact.
Band conditions
| Band | Day | Night |
|---|---|---|
| 80m-40m | Fair | Good |
| 30m-20m | Good | Good |
| 17m-15m | Good | Good |
| 12m-10m | Fair | Poor |
Calculated by N0NBH · updated 09 Nov 2026 1032 GMT · HamQSL
Solar indices
- Solar flux (SFI)
- 128
- Sunspot number
- 80
- A-index
- 21
- K-index
- 2
- X-ray (now)
- C1.2
- Latest flare peak
- C1.4 08:45 UTC
NOAA space weather
Planetary K-index — last 24 h and forecast
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center · 2026-11-09 11:22:00 UTC · swpc.noaa.gov
What the numbers mean
What is a good solar flux index (SFI) for HF?
Higher solar flux generally supports higher HF bands. Values above roughly 150 usually mean the upper bands (15, 12 and 10 metres) open well in daylight; below about 90 those bands are often quiet and 40 and 20 metres carry most of the traffic.
What do the K-index and A-index mean?
Both measure geomagnetic disturbance. The K-index covers a 3-hour period on a 0–9 scale: 0–2 is quiet, 3–4 unsettled to active, and 5 or more is a geomagnetic storm (NOAA G1 starts at Kp 5). The A-index is a daily average; under about 10 is generally favourable for HF.
What is an R-scale radio blackout?
NOAA's R scale rates radio blackouts caused by X-ray flares. They affect the sunlit side of the Earth and hit the lower HF bands hardest. R1 corresponds to an M1 flare; X-class flares (R3 and above) can wipe out HF on the daylight side for an hour or more.
Want to go deeper? Read our propagation & DX guides or see who is on the air right now in the live DX spots.