Live band conditions
Band conditions for radio amateurs: which bands are active right now, measured on the DX cluster spots of the last hour, with live reception networks and a band-by-band guide. Forecasts, solar indices and the HamQSL panel are on the Ham Radio Weather page.
Activity by band in the last hour
RadioMeteo DX cluster spots (source HamQTH) collected by the site over the last 60 minutes. More spots mean more activity: it is not a direct measurement of propagation.
By mode
- CW 5
- Phone 16
- Digital 20
- Other 5
DX continent
- North America 28
- Europe 9
- Africa 3
- South America 3
- Oceania 2
- Asia 1
Latest spots
| UTC | DX | Country | Band | Mode | MHz |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03:08 | EW6BZ | Belarus | 80m | FT8 | 3,573 |
| 03:08 | K0TI | United States | 6m | FT8 | 50,313 |
| 03:08 | K0AV | United States | 40m | CW | 7,031 |
| 03:08 | K0VBU | United States | 40m | CW | 7,032 |
| 03:07 | N2YO | United States | 40m | CW | 7,037 |
| 03:00 | N3QE | United States | 40m | CW | 7.036 |
| 02:58 | PY8WW | Brazil | 6m | FT8 | 50.313 |
| 02:58 | J88IH | Saint Vincent & Grenadines | 20m | FT8 | 14.074 |
| 02:58 | UR5RBP | Ukraine | 80m | FT8 | 3.573 |
| 02:58 | ZF1BB | Cayman Islands | 20m | USB | 14.265 |
| 02:58 | PY2MIW | Brazil | 40m | LSB | 7.162 |
| 02:54 | 7P8GE | Lesotho | 30m | FT8 | 10.131 |
Band forecasts, MUF, solar indices and the HamQSL panel are gathered on one page: Ham Radio Weather →
Live maps and networks
To see where your signal really goes: automatic receiving networks show who hears you, in real time.
PSK Reporter
Map of FT8, FT4 and other digital-mode receptions, filterable by band and callsign.
Reverse Beacon Network
Automatic receivers that listen to CW and some digital modes and report who they hear, with signal-to-noise ratio.
WSPRnet
Network of very low power transmissions (WSPR) to study propagation over long periods.
Band conditions: what to expect band by band
General rules of ionospheric propagation as seen from Italy. Solar indices tell how much, time of day and season tell where.
160 and 80 m
Night and winter bands: at night they allow long contacts, by day absorption limits them to regional contacts. 80 m by day suits short-distance contacts within the country.
40 m
The all-hours band: by day Italy and Europe, from sunset to sunrise DX as well. When the high bands are closed it is almost always open.
30 and 20 m
20 m is the main DX band: open by day and often into the evening, with openings to every continent. 30 m is reserved for CW and digital modes and behaves halfway between 40 and 20 m.
17 and 15 m
Daytime bands that depend on solar flux: with high indices they offer DX with strong signals, with low indices they open only around midday and towards the south.
12 and 10 m
They open for DX only with high solar flux; from May to August sporadic E brings sudden, short openings across Europe at 1000–2000 km.
6 m
The “magic band”: mostly summer sporadic E, with sudden openings across Europe; intercontinental F2 DX needs a very high solar cycle.
Indices: high solar flux (SFI) means the high bands are more open; a K index of 5 or more indicates a geomagnetic storm that degrades especially paths close to the poles.
How to read band conditions
Activity and propagation are not the same
A band can be open but little used (weekdays, night) or crowded during a contest. Look at both together.
Check where you are
Spots come from all over the world: a band busy between North America and Asia may be closed from Italy. Live maps filtered on your callsign tell the truth.
Test with a real signal
Call CQ or transmit FT8 for a few minutes and check PSK Reporter or RBN: within minutes you see how far you get.
Sources: RadioMeteo DX cluster (HamQTH data, OK2CQR); PSK Reporter, Reverse Beacon Network and WSPRnet reception networks; band-by-band guide based on the general rules of ionospheric propagation (NOAA SWPC). HamQTH, PSK Reporter, NOAA SWPC. Sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Links open on the publisher’s website.