RADIOMETEO · UTC TIME
UTC time now: the radio amateur’s clock
UTC and Italian time in real time, a converter for contests and QSOs, the time around the world and sunrise and sunset for the grey line.
ZZulu = UTC
+1 / +2Italy in winter / in summer
00:00UTC: the log date changes here
Clock and converter
Everything updates by itself, including the switch between summer and standard time.
Why radio uses UTC
One time for the whole world.
- The same time for everyone
- A QSO between Italy and Japan happens at the same moment but at two different local times. With UTC both logs match and the QSL confirms without problems.
- Z and Zulu
- The letter Z after a time, as in 1430Z, means UTC. In the phonetic alphabet Z is Zulu: that is why you hear «Zulu time».
- Logs, QSLs, contests and spots
- Logbooks, QSLs, LoTW, contest rules and DX Cluster spots always use UTC. UTC does not change with summer time.
- Mistakes to avoid
- Logging Italian time; forgetting that the date changes at midnight UTC (1 or 2 am in Italy); leaving the PC clock wrong, which stops FT8 contacts from working.
Radio time signals
Stations that broadcast the exact time: also useful to check your radio’s frequency.
- DCF77 · 77.5 kHz
- Mainflingen, Germany. The signal used by radio-controlled clocks in Italy.
- MSF · 60 kHz
- Anthorn, United Kingdom.
- WWV · 2.5 · 5 · 10 · 15 · 20 · 25 MHz
- Fort Collins, Colorado (USA). 25 MHz is experimental. Also useful to check propagation.
- WWVH · 2.5 · 5 · 10 · 15 MHz
- Kauai, Hawaii (USA).
- CHU · 3330 · 7850 · 14670 kHz
- Ottawa, Canada.
- RWM · 4996 · 9996 · 14996 kHz
- Moscow, Russia.
Sources and tools
Where to check and what to use with this page.
- BIPM: time signals 2025 ↗
- Official list of time and frequency stations.
- NIST: WWV ↗
- The WWV station and its services.
- Contest calendar
- Contest dates and times, in UTC.
- DX Cluster
- DX spots with UTC time.
- Band conditions
- Which bands are open now.
- Logbooks, QSL and awards
- Check the times in your log.