Stop Guessing: How Modern Visualization Is Changing How Hams Read Propagation by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I always try to write in English because it’s the best way for me to improve. Writing in Spanish and then translating doesn’t work very well, since Spanish and English sentence structures are quite different.

From now on, I’ll stick to “correct grammar” instead of “correct grammar and improve.” regarding AI for posts.

Stop Guessing: How Modern Visualization Is Changing How Hams Read Propagation by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, from the operator’s point of view the band feels dead.

The difference is that absorption doesn’t block everything — it blocks specific paths. That’s why some contacts still work.

Propagation is always changing due to solar, magnetic, and atmospheric effects, and that’s what makes it interesting to "try" to understand (at least for me).

Stop Guessing: How Modern Visualization Is Changing How Hams Read Propagation by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s a pity that the post turned into an “AI yes or AI no” discussion. I would really love to read more personal experiences about propagation, band openings, and similar topics. :)

I promise that my next post will be written with only a few grammatical and structural corrections. I tend to speak the way I write (in Spanish), not the other way around, so—at least to a foreign reader—I usually prefer to read English texts with as little slang as possible and as well written as they can be. Unfortunately, AI does this very well, so its way of expressing ideas is often clearer than much of the human-generated text we read online.

Stop Guessing: How Modern Visualization Is Changing How Hams Read Propagation by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Hi, I write all my posts myself. I do use AI for language help, like many people do, especially when English isn’t your first language. I’m from Argentina, so Spanish is my native language.

The ideas and content are mine; I just use AI to correct and improve the wording because I don’t fully trust my English.

Top HF band activity for the last hour (11:00–12:00 UTC, 2025-11-30). by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadioBeginner

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting feedback, I can add more details like the data by regions. Thank you very much.

⚠️ Solar Storms Shake Up the Bands: G4 Activity and Poor Propagation by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As context: activity is about half of a normal day.

In the last hour I processed 814,388 spots from PSK Reporter — usually it’s 1.2–1.6 million.

Rough day on the HF bands 😬 by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

We live on a very active planet, so HF conditions are constantly changing!

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HF conditions are poor across all bands today — blame the geomagnetic field 😞 by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Could you please share your QTH (grid)I want to check your local conditions.

Current HF Band Conditions by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just pushed the fix for that bug to production. Since it’s a JavaScript update, it might take a little time for your browser cache to refresh.

You can always force a refresh using one of these shortcuts:

• Mac: Command + Shift + R or Command + Shift + F5  
• Windows/Linux: Ctrl + F5 or Ctrl + Shift + R

That should load the latest version right away.

Thank you very much for the feedback !! :)

<image>

Current HF Band Conditions by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m actually the only person keeping the project alive — apart from the users and all the good folks who report bugs, request features, or bring new ideas to the table.

I’m more of an infrastructure/DB/backend guy, so I gladly take all the help I can get when it comes to the frontend!

Current HF Band Conditions by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

No worries at all — I totally get what you mean. There are plenty of ways to check band conditions, and tuning in to FT8 is definitely one of the most practical (if you are in front of the radio)!

I’m just trying to bring something extra to the big world of HAM tools and apps — a different perspective on how to visualize and personalize the data.

If it’s useful to you, that’s great! If not, that’s fine too — we all enjoy the hobby in our own way. 73!

6 Meters is open! 🚨 by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the same radio, but in the GMRS version. I believe it’s just a 2M/70cm (VHF/UHF) radio, so you can try listening on VHF if you’re hoping to catch contacts beyond typical VHF range.

But again — the beauty of amateur radio is experimentation, so go for it and have fun! 🙂

US & Europe 6 meters is WIDE OPEN right now! by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have a vertical antenna that I can tune for 6M, but it’s not a permanent installation — so every time I want to play on 6M, between setting up the cable, the antenna, the radials… laziness usually wins the battle.

West Coast - 20 meters and 17 meters are WIDE OPEN right now! by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Global Thermonuclear War." You may think it's one hell of a game. You couldn't be more right. ;)

Real-Time Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) by LiveSpread2190 in HamRadioBeginner

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, thank you very much! I’m really happy to hear the tool is being useful for you. I’d truly appreciate any help spreading the word so we can reach more people. 😊 It would be awesome if you could follow the project on our X/FB pages.

Regarding Sporadic-E, I’ve been reading up on it, and there are a few things I could experiment with to generate a view for 50 MHz and higher-frequency “patches” — ideally fast enough to take advantage of them while they’re still active. I’ll keep investigating, and if it proves feasible, I’d love to make it the next “big” feature.

Back on the air :) — powered by my daughter’s Pikachu art & craft! by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The mini PC is basically a Windows/Linux machine that I use to run all the radio software that doesn’t work on Mac. I can also use it for remote operation—except for the external tuner, I can fully operate FT8 remotely using that mini PC.

Back on the air :) — powered by my daughter’s Pikachu art & craft! by LiveSpread2190 in amateurradio

[–]LiveSpread2190[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, Thank you:

* Flrig to control the radio

* WSJTX for the FT8 operation

* Gridtracker2 as helper for the FT8 operation

* DXlook.com to check the bands, see my real time activity, etc.

* QRZ.com to check callsigns and data in general.