GazLabs

Ham Radio & Hobby Electronics Toolkit

Free tools for UK and European radio amateurs. Live solar space weather, DX cluster spots, satellite pass predictions, HF band conditions, antenna calculators and more — no signup, no ads, just data.

☀️ Solar Data 📻 DX Spots 🛰️ Satellite Passes 📡 Band Conditions
15+
Free WebApps
16
Amateur Satellites Tracked
12
HF Bands Monitored
5+
News Sources Aggregated
Live Ham Radio Tools

Space Weather & Propagation

GazLabs pulls real-time data from NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center, dxc.jo30.de DX cluster, and Celestrak TLE archives to give you a live picture of HF radio conditions right now.

☀️
Solar & Sunspot Data
Live SFI (F10.7 solar flux index), sunspot number, K-index, A-index, X-ray flare class, solar wind speed and Bz from NOAA SWPC and ACE spacecraft. 7-day K-index chart included.
Live · NOAA SWPC
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Band Conditions (IARU R1)
Estimated HF band status for all 12 IARU Region 1 bands from 160m to 2m. Open, spotty or closed based on SFI and Kp. Includes band opening forecast and propagation outlook text summary.
Live · Estimated
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DX Cluster Spots
Live DX cluster spots from dxc.jo30.de refreshed every 3 minutes. Filter by band, view UK and European propagation activity, and see which modes are active on each band right now.
Live · 3-min refresh
🛰️
Satellite Passes
Next-pass predictions for 16 amateur satellites including ISS (ARISS), SO-50, AO-91, RS-44, FO-29 and more. Select your city, see pass times, elevation and duration. TLE data from Celestrak.
Live · Celestrak TLEs
📰
Ham Radio News
Latest amateur radio headlines aggregated from ARRL, QRZNow, IARU, HamDaily and AmRadio. All major amateur radio news sources in one place, updated every 30 minutes.
Live · RSS Aggregator
🗺️
World Map & Grey Line
Live grey-line propagation map with real-time satellite tracking, FT8 cluster overlay, and APRS position data. Built on Leaflet with satellite.js TLE propagation engine.
Live · Leaflet Map
Calculators & Reference

Antenna & Radio Tools

Offline-capable tools for antenna design, modification research and fault-finding. No live data required — use these in the shack, in the field, or anywhere.

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AntennaCal
Wire antenna designer for dipoles and end-fed antennas. Calculates SWR, feed impedance, voltage and current distribution. Covers 17 wire types, 11 HF/VHF bands and multiband comparison.
Calculator · Offline
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WBMod DB
Wideband modification database for Icom, Yaesu and Kenwood transceivers. MARS/CAP TX/RX expansion guides with diode maps, photos and step-by-step instructions.
Database · Reference
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Ciro Baby Loop Fault Finder
Interactive fault-finding guide for the Ciro Baby Loop magnetic loop antenna. Step-by-step diagnostics covering capacitor, motor, controller and RF connector issues.
Fault Finder
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Ciro MK2 Enhanced
Enhanced Ciro Baby Loop MK2 diagnostics with NanoVNA guide, efficiency calculator, SWR logger with session history, and advanced fault-finding decision tree.
Fault Finder · NanoVNA
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Yaesu Parts Lookup
Genuine replacement parts for Yaesu radios sourced from official technical supplements. Covers ATAS-120, FT-818ND, FT DX 10 and FTM-500DR models.
Parts Reference
Other Apps

Radar, Maps & More

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Sky Radar
Retro-style ADS-B radar scope showing aircraft within range of your postcode. Live flight data from OpenSky Network. Popular with aviation enthusiasts and ham radio operators tracking aircraft.
Live · ADS-B · OpenSky
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Meshtastic Live Map
Live map of Meshtastic LoRa mesh network nodes across the UK. See active nodes, signal reports, and mesh network coverage on an interactive Leaflet map.
Live · LoRa · Mesh
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Live Train Departures
Real-time UK train departure boards. Search any UK railway station by name or three-letter code for live departure times, platform info, operator and service status.
Live · UK Rail
About

What is GazLabs?

GazLabs is a personal project by a UK radio amateur — a self-hosted toolkit built for tinkerers, DX hunters, and anyone who wants real data without the noise. Every tool here is free, open and ad-free.

No Signup Required

Every tool on GazLabs is available immediately with no account, no email, no login. Just open and use.

Live NOAA Data

Solar conditions and space weather data come directly from NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center APIs — the same source used by professional forecasters.

IARU Region 1 Focus

Band plans, frequency references, and propagation estimates are all based on IARU Region 1 allocations for UK and European operators.

Open Data Sources

DX spots from dxc.jo30.de, TLE orbital elements from Celestrak, aircraft data from OpenSky Network, and news from ARRL, IARU and QRZNow.

No Tracking

GazLabs uses no advertising, no third-party trackers, and no cookies. Your browsing stays private. Privacy-friendly analytics via GhostlyX only counts page visits.

RSGB Member

Built by a licensed UK radio amateur and RSGB member. Got feedback or a bug to report? Visit the blog to get in touch.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about GazLabs tools, data sources, and amateur radio concepts.

What is the SFI (Solar Flux Index) and why does it matter for ham radio? ▼
The Solar Flux Index (SFI), also called F10.7, measures the intensity of radio emissions from the sun at 10.7 cm wavelength. It is a reliable proxy for solar activity and directly affects HF radio propagation. A higher SFI (above 150) means the ionosphere is more densely ionised, supporting higher frequency bands like 10m, 12m and 15m. A low SFI (below 80) typically means only 40m, 80m and 160m will support reliable contacts. NOAA publishes daily SFI readings from the Penticton Radio Observatory in Canada.
What is the K-index and how does it affect propagation? ▼
The planetary K-index (Kp) measures geomagnetic activity on a scale of 0–9. Low Kp (0–2) means quiet conditions — ideal for HF DX, especially on northerly paths. Kp 3–4 is unsettled to active — conditions degrade. Kp 5 and above indicates a geomagnetic storm, which causes auroral absorption on high-latitude paths (UK to Scandinavia, North America to Europe) and elevated noise on low HF bands. The K-index is updated every 3 hours by NOAA from magnetometer stations worldwide.
How accurate are the band condition estimates? ▼
The band condition estimates on GazLabs are simplified models based on SFI and Kp only. They use a rough MUF (Maximum Usable Frequency) calculation: MUF ≈ SFI × 0.15 + 2. Real propagation is significantly more complex — it varies with time of day, season, solar cycle phase, geographic path, antenna type, and local noise floor. The estimates are a quick starting point, not a precise forecast. For detailed propagation prediction use tools like VOACAP, PropFinder, or DX Atlas.
How do I use the Satellite Passes tool? ▼
Select your nearest city from the dropdown. The tool fetches current TLE (Two-Line Element) orbital data from Celestrak and calculates the next pass for each satellite over the next 48 hours. It shows the pass start time, maximum elevation angle and duration. Passes with higher elevation (above 30°) give much better signal. FM satellites like SO-50 and AO-91 need a dual-band handheld — some require a CTCSS tone to open the repeater. Linear transponder satellites like RS-44 need SSB/CW with Doppler correction.
What is a DX cluster and how do DX spots work? ▼
A DX cluster is a real-time network where amateur radio operators post "spots" when they hear a rare or distant station (DX). A spot includes the callsign of the station heard, its frequency, mode (CW, SSB, FT8 etc.) and any comments. GazLabs pulls spots from dxc.jo30.de, a European DX cluster node, every 3 minutes and shows the latest 100 spots. You can filter by band to see what DX is active on 20m, 40m, 10m and so on right now.
What licence do I need to operate as a radio amateur in the UK? ▼
In the UK, amateur radio is licensed by Ofcom. There are three licence levels: Foundation (entry level, up to 10W), Intermediate (up to 50W), and Full (up to 400W with full HF access). All levels require passing an exam run by the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain). Foundation allows operation on most amateur bands including HF, VHF and UHF. The RSGB website at rsgb.org has full details on exam dates, training materials and licence conditions.
What is FT8 and why does it dominate the DX cluster? ▼
FT8 is a weak-signal digital mode developed by Joe Taylor (K1JT) and Steve Franke (K9AN) and released in 2017. It uses 15-second transmission sequences, extremely narrow bandwidth (50 Hz), and forward error correction to achieve contacts at signal levels 15–20 dB below what SSB requires. This makes it highly effective when bands are marginal or signal paths are poor. FT8 has become the dominant HF mode for DX contacts, which is why most DX spots today show FT8 activity, particularly on 20m, 17m and 15m.
What is a wideband modification (wbmod) and is it legal? ▼
Many amateur radio transceivers are manufactured with receive and/or transmit capabilities restricted by software or hardware to comply with amateur radio band limits in different countries. MARS/CAP modifications (also called wideband mods) remove these restrictions. In the United States, MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System) and CAP (Civil Air Patrol) operators are licensed to use some frequencies outside standard amateur allocations, and manufacturers support these mods for them. In the UK, any modification that enables transmission outside your licensed amateur bands is illegal. The WBMod DB on GazLabs is provided as a technical reference only. Always operate within your licence conditions.
Resources

Useful Ham Radio References

Key organisations, data sources and references used by GazLabs and the wider amateur radio community.

NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center

The primary source for all space weather data on GazLabs. NOAA SWPC provides real-time solar flux, K-index, X-ray flare data and geomagnetic storm alerts. swpc.noaa.gov

Celestrak TLE Archive

Source of Two-Line Element orbital data used for satellite pass predictions. Celestrak maintains up-to-date TLEs for all amateur radio satellites. celestrak.org

RSGB — Radio Society of Great Britain

The national membership organisation for UK radio amateurs. Runs the UK amateur radio licence exam programme in partnership with Ofcom. rsgb.org

IARU Region 1

The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 coordinates frequency allocations and band plans for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. All band plans on GazLabs follow IARU R1 recommendations. iaru-r1.org

dxc.jo30.de DX Cluster

The European DX cluster node that powers the GazLabs DX Spots webapp. Provides a live feed of DX spots from radio amateurs across Europe and worldwide.

AMSAT — Amateur Satellite Corporation

AMSAT designs, builds and operates amateur radio satellites. The satellite frequency database and TLE data used by GazLabs is maintained with AMSAT coordination. amsat.org

Cookies & Tracking
GazLabs uses no advertising cookies, no third-party tracking, and no personal data collection. Google Fonts are loaded from fonts.googleapis.com. Privacy-friendly page-view analytics via GhostlyX — no cross-site tracking. Theme preference stored in localStorage only.
External Data Sources
Live tools fetch data from NOAA SWPC, dxc.jo30.de, Celestrak, and OpenSky Network. These services receive your IP address as part of normal HTTP requests. Some fetches are proxied server-side to apply caching and avoid CORS restrictions.
Data Controller
GazLabs is operated by a UK radio amateur. For enquiries visit gazlabs.co.uk. Subject to UK GDPR and PECR. No ICO registration required as no personal data is collected or processed.