The 5 HF frequencies you should always monitor

Listen to these international beacons to hear where the bands are open to.
PLUS quick tips to assess propagation to a particular place on 5 bands within a minute.
See what beacon is transmitting when: www.ncdxf.org/beacon/
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[@James_Bowie]

Now we need an app that dynamically paints those signal paths by color (for signal strength) onto a map.

[@hamshackleton]

That would be one monster programme to write, though, as it would need to know where you (every user) are!

[@SignalsEverywhere]

@@hamshackleton Wouldn't be too hard realistically as you can use GPS or IP for user location

[@HamRadioDX]

Great summary and video Peter. These beacons provide a valuable service

[@acars9999]

Great video! Finally I understand the beacon network and logic behind their transmission order.

[@davidwilliams5567]

Thank you for explaining this information to someone new to HF

[@MisterBigDave]

Great job going through these! All the best!

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

This is really useful information, I've made a note of the frequencies and the site. Thanks Peter!

[@tiggydorset9041]

Great resource for our toolbox. Thanks Peter.

[@ben31tube]

Thank you for the information. I am just getting back into amateur radio and had forgotten about these!

[@LuisPerez-xe6nu]

As an active SW listener, I have been monitoring those frequencies for last two years almost daily. And from my location Southwest US, 12 meter band at 24.930 MHz is the best performer hands down, followed by 17 meter at 18.110 MHz. The worst performer has been 10 meter (28.200). Depending on propagation and time of the day, I have received all, except RR9O (Siberia), 4S7B (Sri Lanka), and 5Z4B (Kenya). The most challenging one for me has been OH2B (Finland), which I have managed to hear once in two years.

[@DonzLockz]

Thanks Peter, good info mate. Simple but super helpful. Cheers.🍻🤠

[@TR6Telos]

Thanks, I will check this very useful info and store.

[@danedewaard8215]

This is GREAT!!! Thank you so much!!!!

[@TheUrbanHam]

Amazing! I'll program them into my radio now.

[@aj2isotadxing]

Good info thanks Peter

[@BrooksBarrow]

Great video. Thank you.

[@migalito1955]

Thanks. Thats a fabulous tool.

[@kc8wvg]

Thanks, Peter. I'm going to put these frequencies in the memory of my IC-7300.

[@MrWaalkman]

Very handy, thanks!

[@2E0RME]

Brilliant, thank you. Saved to memory bank 👍

[@paulalbers1935]

Tnx Peter, Plugged them in, great resource. vk3da

[@TheSpitfiregoggles]

Many thanks for the explanation, Peter; I was sort of aware of the IBP but had never got around to actually using it! 73, Simon G0CIQ

[@bill-2018]

Thank you Peter, I'd forgotten about these. G4GHB

[@hamshackleton]

I've been licensed for about 12 years, and nobody ever mentioned this site! Thanks! m0hff

[@TonyLing]

Bonza, thanks mate!

[@andrewd4890]

For iphone there is an app Beacon Aid which is aligned to the schedule and can reveal which beacon is transmitting on each band

[@PortableRadio]

There are also handy and free apps (I tested the one for Android) called NCDXF Beacon that should also work off-grid. Handy when you're portable.

[@jeffmachul9562]

Awesome thanks

[@turinskiboy]

It's surprising where signals come from. Long Beach California, South Africa, New Zealand and Darwin are some I've noticed on 10 metres at various times, all of which are good indicators of band openings despite an absence of other signals to be heard.

[@JT-py9lv]

Very interesting

[@patrickbuick5459]

Also of related interest is the Reverse Bsacon Network to test in both dkrections.

[@Ben_3113]

Wow thanks

[@lilblackduc7312]

Very good! thank you...🇺🇸 👍☕

[@Siskiyous6]

I often tune to these.

[@Francois_Dupont]

i personally tune on Radar signals. you know those constant BEEEEEEEEEP you get on some bands?

[@thehamjazz]

G'day Peter, love your channel mate! I got an email from VE3GAM Al in Ontario with a link to this video. This is fantastic intel mate, and with my Flex Radio in Euroa that I am controlling remotely from over here in British Columbia, it will be a wonderful resource to see what propagation is what. Hope to hear you on the airwaves 'remotely' one day Peter. Cheers! Simon VA7BIX (VK3BIX coming call coming shortly)

[@JxH]

Nice.

[@wesley20991]

Awesome video thankyou, any chance you can shed some light on the cw reverse setting mode on radios.

[@CG-rr6yx]

As far as I know, the reverse CW mode is used to improve reception of signals interfered by a station on a close frequency. The transceiver uses (e.g.) the USB receive path for CW. After switching to reverse mode, the receiver improves the signal by using the LSB path. This way, the frequency of the "beats" of the interfering source changes (while the pitch of the intended station remains almost constant, depending on the tuning accuracy). At the same time, the perturbation may get on the high attenuation side slope of the intermediate frequency filters and the power ratio to the intended signal becomes more favourable.

[@vk3xe]

Feel like I've heard VK6RBP so many times

[@phoneticau]

My kiwi sdr mini-whip active antenna has sadly s5 noise floor in suburban melbourne

[@MarkoManiac]

Choke the power and antenna. Might be surprised how much the floor drops.

[@peter-vk3acz]

Frustrating when I find bands wide open according to the beacons, but dead for phone activity. Worse when 27 MHz is busy but can only hear crickets on 10. Of course the thing that so many hate is what makes the real difference, not beacons… it’s ‘contests.’ Argh… just tune In during a contest and even low in the sunspot cycle 10 metres was/is open to somewhere 24 hours a day! 🤷‍♂️ Peter, VK3ACZ

[@1OFGODSOWN]

11 meters has far better propagation than 10 meters and it always has so you are judging apples and oranges.The FCC of course doing what Government does gave away the best of the two bands as usual.

[@peter-vk3acz]

@@1OFGODSOWN one MHz… really? Judging apples and oranges? Huh? Who, me? Where did you read fruit into what I said. There happens to be more activity on 27. That’s a fact. Better propagation with 1 MHz difference? Not sure that’s a fact!

[@1OFGODSOWN]

@@peter-vk3acz I have been watching and listening to the bands since 1965 and I assure you it’s a Fact like it or not.I have made contacts on 11 meters and I could not make the same contact on 10 meters with more than one station. Neither of us could hear the other? If what you say is true then explain why we couldn’t work each other on both bands and we were running far more power on 10 meters? Guess your theory has some large holes in it so it’s a good thing for you that it’s not a Boat.👍🎙

[@peter-vk3acz]

@@1OFGODSOWN you are the one with the theory… I still don’t know how you made what you did out of what I said, but while you are the one comparing apples to oranges… Oh, how could I ever argue against your scientific, subjective experience? I know, because the lucky rabbit’s foot I carry in my pocket keeps polar bears away… because I’ve never seen a polar bear in my Southern Hemisphere’s capital city! Cheers, brother.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

@@peter-vk3acz We have Polar Bears all over North Florida but we are not allowed to hunt them.😂

[@johnwest7993]

Thanks. I didn't know about this beacon network. BTW, posting the link to the web page would have been quite convenient.

[@scottwood1143]

2:45 shows the URL, and the link is in the description.

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

​@@scottwood1143 People are so lazy... 🙄😒

[@Wes_Jones]

I tried all of the frequencies and got nothing except 14.1 but what I am hearing is not CW, it's some sort of extremely fast varying tones. Doesn't sound like RTTY either. Interesting.

[@ebaystars]

doesnt WSPR now do the same job or will someone write some SDR chirpsounder software that works I've real chirpsounders (TCI) in the UK not my QTH here in Thailand

[@LuisPerez-xe6nu]

What Antenna are you using? Sorry if I missed the info in the video.

[@vk3ye]

G5RV

[@LuisPerez-xe6nu]

I liked the video, showing the entire rotation of beacons gives me a good idea and base to compare to what has my experience. I am surprised to see how good you can receive beacons East and West of VK.

[@syspangylium]

What are the frequencies for 40, 80 and 160 meters?

[@vk3ye]

There are no IBP beacons on those bands

[@patrickslevin6424]

Does this just check propagation? On the HF bands

[@vk3ye]

Yes and Yes.

[@rick5078]

any 40m beacons around the world? (currently only have a improvised 40m inverted v antenna)

[@vk3ye]

Not that I know of. Better to use SW broadcast stations on 41m.

[@Trent28888]

28.205 sounded like a constipated bird chirpin in friday

[@JxH]

From eastern Canada, I often hear a beacon from Texas. But the entire 10m band is 'dead'. I guess nobody wants to be the first to call CQ, including me... 🙂

[@LA6UOA]

Thanks! Very interesting! 73 de LA6UOA

[@burnout-d]

Great video. Only, there is no country named Siberia.

[@johndavis3615]

I rarely hear any of the DX beacons, I have better luck with the many 10M beacons between 28.200 and 28.300 !

[@Ressy66]

never understood why 40m was left out of the IBP

[@vk3ye]

When the IBP was conceived 40m was a crowded band only 100 kHz wide in some countries.

[@Ressy66]

@@vk3ye Ahhh ok, thanks

[@20807shane]

Newbie here, just wondering what the point in listening to Morse code if ya don’t know it.

[@vk3ye]

Sometimes just knowing a signal is there is enough. Especially with the online resources mentioned in the video.

[@michael-tq1ri]

For.....?

[@alexander19681]

Try 10.460Mhz USB

[@KingLoopie1]

Just learning about beacons. Thanks for putting this info together! This video just pulled more together about beacons for me than studying the arrl manual 👍 kd0ndc

[@HarryHamsterChannel]

Tell ya what: You monitor that noise. Let me know what happens.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

I will watch my band scope on whatever band I’m on as usual.🎙

[@patrickbuick5459]

​@@1OFGODSOWN Good for you, not all of us have a bandscope.

[@bigpimp347]

'what if you don't know morse' you should !!, or you're not a proper Amateur, just a corn flake packet poor excuse.

[@BreannaVK3BBS]

The CW requirement to hold a licence has been removed in many jurisdictions. Your attitude is gatekeeping of the highest order and is likely to hurt the hobby. I’m keen to get licensed and learn CW but in that order. Once licenced I can call on USB or use 70cm/2m without any CW knowledge at all. Learning it will be an extra challenge later on, one I’m confident I will enjoy.

[@CBRadioWayBack10-4]

If you don't know morse then you shouldn't be allowed to use HF or certain bands, simple.. Bring back the RAE (for the UK) and a morse assessment, RAE you're limited above 30MHz, no HF, do a simple Morse test to show you understand the letters, distress, numbers, repeaters etc then gain access to HF.. now days any idiot CBer can pass a foundation test, and trust me many manage after several attempts still have no knowledge on radio, band plans, some can't even SWR an antenna or wire a mains plug.. yet they pass a simple idiots test and get 'given' everything.. then you say you then want to learn ??? why should you ?? learn for what ?? you already have everything, no need to learn anything.. @@BreannaVK3BBS

[@1OFGODSOWN]

USELESS for those who don’t copy CW.I passed the 5 wpm CW Test long ago and I never used it because it gives me a Killer Headache.I can’t even copy my own call sign any longer because all I have ever done is Phone & I will never try and learn CW again.🎙🎙🎙

[@vk3ye]

I suggest watching the video again. It shows you how you can identify the beacon transmitting without knowing CW by following along on a continually updating website.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

@@vk3ye As I stated,CW gives me a KILLER HEADACHE so I will NEVER give myself a HEADACHE on purpose.I will just watch my Band Scope.👍🎙

[@patrickbuick5459]

It takes me a lot longer to check the bands using the beacons than 1 minute. I'm very surprised that more amateurs don't know about the IARU beacons because I swore it was on the exams. The amount of QRM has been astounding...

[@Francois_Dupont]

5wpm CW, LOL!

[@1OFGODSOWN]

@@Francois_Dupont I passed what was Required as did anyone else that took the test back then.I did something called,Following the Rules.Have you ever tried that? 😂🤣🤪🎙

[@1965wazza]

Thanks Peter. Just got my Foundation, and there is a lot to learn.vk4wrw

[@spencerhochstetler]

Fantastic information to us newbies! Thank you! Add 1 subscriber... WD4AWD

[@kokokaka5250]

You R Great indeed From ST2KI/7Z1FA

[@sleeve8651]

Sadly, with the Morse Code requirement no longer needed, those new to Amateur Radio would likely find this pointless ? Kudos to those that have found the joy of using CW ! The 1st Digital mode ! 😉🫴