DXLook has released a new VOACAP View that makes professional-grade HF propagation predictions accessible to amateur radio operators for the first time, without requiring technical expertise or specialized software. VOACAP (Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program) is the gold standard for HF propagation prediction, originally developed by the U.S. government for international broadcasting. It uses sophisticated ionospheric modeling to predict which frequencies will work between any two points on Earth, based on solar activity, time of day, and seasonal variations. Until now, using VOACAP required command-line tools and configuration files that put it out of reach for most hams. What makes DXLook's approach unique is how the VOACAP data is presented: using the same visual language as DXLook's Reports view. If you already understand how Reports work, you'll understand VOACAP immediately — same colored arcs showing propagation paths, same band indicators, same signal quality visualization. Zero learning curve. This release marks a significant evolution for DXLook as a platform. Until now, DXLook has focused on displaying real, observed propagation data from sources like PSK Reporter, RBN, and WSPRnet. With the new VOACAP View, DXLook adds the capability to display predictions alongside that real data — giving operators both what's happening now and what's expected to happen. The VOACAP View is driven by real-time solar data, automatically adjusting predictions based on current smoothed sunspot numbers (SSN). Predictions update hourly and cover all HF amateur bands from 80m to 10m. The VOACAP View is now live and available to all users at https://dxlook.com. The image on the left shows the VOACAP prediction, while the image on the right shows current on-air activity. About DXLook DXLook is a real-time HF and VHF propagation visualization platform built by amateur radio operators for the amateur radio community. It combines live reception reports, space weather data, physics-based modeling, and professional-grade VOACAP predictions to help operators understand both current band conditions and expected propagation behavior worldwide.
Really cool! really good propagation app. I have a suggestion: A heatmap/bounce predictor! You could see exactly where your bounce will land based off of some parameters. Would be great for planning antennas.
Hi, thank you so much! The first iteration of this view was a heatmap, but then, after thinking about it a lot, I decided to move to the arcs view. Why? Because the intention of this new view is to make VOACAP as easy as possible to use for all hams. Using the same “language” as the Reports view made sense to me, and it also helps to compare both views: the VOACAP view shows what is predicted, and the Reports view shows what is truly happening.
