What grid square is the EK96 operating area?

EK96 is the live DXRadar reference square for the EK96 operating area. The exact portable or home QTH may vary within the square, but this page tracks the center of EK96 for planning propagation.

How do I find my grid square?

Use a Maidenhead grid lookup from your GPS coordinates or street address, then compare that grid with the nearby squares linked on this page. A 4-character grid is enough for most HF planning.

What bands are open in EK96 right now?

EK96 is currently rated FAIR. The best bands right now are 10m, 12m, 15m, 17m, 20m, with 10m as the main band to watch first.

HomeSFI --K ---:-- UTC

Grid EK96 Band Conditions

Localized HF conditions for Maidenhead locator EK96. Coordinating at 16.50°, -81.00°. Updated with real-time telemetry from NOAA and DX cluster reports.

EK96 conditions are FAIR. Best bands: 10m, 12m, 15m, 17m, 20m. SFI: 137.

Regional Radar

SFI

137

K-Index

3 Kp

Center Coords

16.5, -81.0

Local Phase

Night

Grayline window

Sunrise 11:02 UTC

Sunset 00:00 UTC from EK96

From the EK96 operating area, work the 11:02 UTC and 00:00 UTC grayline windows: probe 20m, 30m, and 40m in the 15 minutes either side while the terminator crosses EK96.

Best band now

10m

Night operation should keep 20m on watch and move to 40m as the path darkens.

Closest operating hub

the EK96 operating area

This square sits in a mixed-region footprint and is best used as a planning center for portable, field-day, and home-station band decisions.

Latitude zone: tropical
Local phase: Darkness
Aurora exposure: low at this latitude
Grayline: 11:02 UTC / 00:00 UTC
Best high band: 10m
Nearest city: the EK96 operating area

● Local Band Quality Scorings

Use this local score for EK96, then compare the global live ranking oncurrent ham band conditionsbefore changing bands.

10m

POOR

15m

POOR

20m

FAIR

40m

GOOD

80m

GOOD

● Best DX Windows from EK96 — the EK96 operating area

Great-circle distance, short-path beam heading, the bands most likely open right now from EK96 to each DX region at SFI 137 / Kp 3, and a current verdict. "Open now" means a suitable band is scoring well on that path; "Try ~HH:MM" points at the next far-end grayline. Band picks and status are a planning heuristic, not a measurement.

Target	Distance	Beam	Bands to try	Status
North America	1,863 mi	330°	40m, 80m, 20m	Open now
South America	2,683 mi	143°	40m, 20m, 80m	Open now
Europe	5,394 mi	41°	40m, 20m, 80m	Open now
Southern Africa	7,746 mi	112°	40m, 20m, 80m	Open now
East Asia / Japan	8,004 mi	326°	10m, 15m, 20m	Open now
Oceania	9,096 mi	244°	40m, 20m, 80m	Open now
South Asia	9,421 mi	29°	40m, 20m, 80m	Open now

● Band-by-Time Plan for EK96

A planning heuristic for the local day at EK96, built from sunrise 11:02 UTC, sunset 00:00 UTC, SFI 137, and Kp 3. Not a measurement — a starting point for where to listen as the day turns.

Dawn grayline

around 11:02 UTC

40m · 30m · 20m

Grayline enhancement — low bands reach long distances as the terminator passes.

Morning

after 11:02 UTC

20m · 15m · 10m

High bands rising with the sun; check 10m for DX.

Midday

local noon

10m · 15m · 20m

Peak high-band window — 10m and 15m open widest.

Dusk grayline

around 00:00 UTC

20m · 40m

Second grayline peak — 20m holds, then hands off to 40m.

Night

after 00:00 UTC

40m · 80m

Low bands own the darkness — 40m for DX, 80m regional.

Recent local activity

Spots touching EK96 and the adjacent squares

These are the newest 10m, 15m, and 20m reports where one side of the path sits in EK96, EK97, EK95, FK06, EK86. This gives the page unique, local context instead of a generic solar snapshot.

No fresh PSKReporter paths are cached for the immediate EK96 footprint right now. That usually means you should widen the search to the nearest regional hubs below or fall back to 20m/40m for the next operating window.

Top DX targets

Where this grid is reaching right now

No outbound targets were strong enough to rank from the current cache. Check back after the next PSKReporter refresh or switch to the regional grids below.

Contest preview

Next major contest outlook

Worked All Europe - SSB starts Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT. Current forecast from EK96: 10m POOR, 15m POOR, 20m FAIR. Current solar conditions (SFI 137, K 3) favor 10m, 15m, 20m for this contest weekend.

Open contest calendar

Nearby grids