Grid IK98 Band Conditions — Africa
Localized HF conditions for Maidenhead locator IK98. Coordinating at 18.50°, -1.00°. Updated with real-time telemetry from NOAA and DX cluster reports.
IK98 conditions are FAIR. Best bands: 10m, 12m, 15m, 17m, 20m. SFI: 137.
From Africa operating area, work the 05:39 UTC and 18:43 UTC grayline windows: probe 20m, 30m, and 40m in the 15 minutes either side while the terminator crosses IK98.
Night operation should keep 20m on watch and move to 40m as the path darkens.
This square sits in Africa 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
- 05:39 UTC / 18:43 UTC
- Best high band
- 10m
- Nearest city
- Africa operating area
● Local Band Quality Scorings
Use this local score for IK98, then compare the global live ranking oncurrent ham band conditionsbefore changing bands.
● Best DX Windows from IK98 — Africa operating area
Great-circle distance, short-path beam heading, the bands most likely open right now from IK98 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 2,260 mi | 13° | 40m, 80m, 20m | Open now |
| Southern Africa | 3,569 mi | 149° | 40m, 20m, 80m | Open now |
| South America | 4,517 mi | 243° | 40m, 20m, 80m | Open now |
| South Asia | 5,068 mi | 72° | 40m, 20m, 80m | Open now |
| North America | 5,783 mi | 309° | 40m, 20m, 80m | Open now |
| East Asia / Japan | 7,815 mi | 35° | 10m, 15m, 20m | Open now |
| Oceania | 10,452 mi | 119° | 10m, 15m, 20m | Open now |
● Band-by-Time Plan for IK98
A planning heuristic for the local day at IK98, built from sunrise 05:39 UTC, sunset 18:43 UTC, SFI 137, and Kp 3. Not a measurement — a starting point for where to listen as the day turns.
Grayline enhancement — low bands reach long distances as the terminator passes.
High bands rising with the sun; check 10m for DX.
Peak high-band window — 10m and 15m open widest.
Second grayline peak — 20m holds, then hands off to 40m.
Low bands own the darkness — 40m for DX, 80m regional.
Recent local activity
Spots touching IK98 and the adjacent squares
These are the newest 10m, 15m, and 20m reports where one side of the path sits in IK98, IK99, IK97, JK08, IK88. This gives the page unique, local context instead of a generic solar snapshot.
Top DX targets
Where this grid is reaching right now
Contest preview
Next major contest outlook
No contest event is currently loaded. For planning from IK98, start with 10m POOR, 15m POOR, 20m FAIR and keep 20m available as the safest all-around fallback.
Open contest calendarNearby grids