VOAProp
VOAProp was written to meet my need for a program that would show me what HF band propagation should be like on a particular day on a particular band. It is the successor to my popular propagation program HFProp, which used fast, but not very accurate propagation modelling algorithms. VOAProp uses the well-regarded VOACAP forecasting software, and provides a simplified graphical interface for it so that you can get an overall idea of how propagation should be at a given time and date without getting bogged down in detail.
Description
VOAProp shows you typical propagation for a given hour of the day during a given month. The propagation is shown as expected signal strengths to be received from different parts of the world, plotted on a world map. VOAProp can also display daily point-to-point propagation charts showing the best frequency and time of day for communication with a particular location.
VOAProp includes a table of smoothed sunspot number (SSN) data going back to the year 1900. This data is used by VOACAP to produce a plot of average expected propagation for the time of day. VOAProp can also obtain real-time solar data from WWV, which it uses to give a qualitative assessment of conditions. This can show whether conditions are likely to be better or worse than predicted.
VOAProp can also be used as an IARU amateur bands beacon monitor. If your computer clock is accurate, the program displays icons on the map which show which beacon is currently transmitting, together with the expected received signal strength according to the predicted conditions.
VOAProp includes a built-in updater which can download the WWV solar data, and update the SSN table and beacon status data, via an Internet connection.
Version 1.1 fixes all known bugs and incorporates the following minor changes:
- Cosmetic changes to improve the appearance under Windows Vista.
- Improved online updater.
- Ability to print point-to-point propagation charts and copy them to the clipboard.
- Option to display the UTC time in the title bar.
- Increased capacity for DX locations
Thanks to Gianni, IS0VSG, for the updated locations data file that is included in the download. Please note that the locations data is based on a very old file and may well contain inaccuracies. I have no interest in updating or maintaining it with the latest prefixes. If anyone is willing to take on that task then I will be happy to provide a link to an updated version of the file.
For more information about VOAProp see the VOAProp online help.
Requirements
- PC running Windows 98 or later.
- VOACAP for Windows.
Terms and Conditions
This software is made available as-is, without any warranty or support. I do not provide technical support for this software by email. If you need help with VOAProp or just want to chat about propagation, join the Propagation message board at Zerobeat Forums.
Since this program was written I have switched to Linux so there will be no further development of this Windows software.
Downloads
Download VOAProp 1.1 Setup (1Mb)
The source code for this project is not available.
If you wish to provide a link to this program from your own web pages please link to this page, not directly to the download file.
VOAProp for Linux (5.8Mb)
This is a copy of VOAProp together with an installation of VOACAP, packaged as a .tar.gz archive for installation on Linux. It is not a native Linux binary so it must be run under wine, which is available for just about any Linux distribution.
You will need to extract the software to a convenient folder in your wine installation, preferably one without spaces in the name, such as ../Ham/VOAProp. After that, you must set write permissions, since VOACAP needs to be able to write to files in its folders. Open a console window, change to the directory where you installed the software, and execute the command chmod -R u+w. Now start VOAProp and set the location of VOACAP using the dialog that appears. If you receive an error message from VOACAP, close it, then right-click the map and set your home location. Close VOAProp to save your location. It should work normally after that.
You will probably also want to create a link to the VOAProp online help.
Reviews
If you find this program useful and want to help other people find out about it, please consider contributing a review to the NCDXF Beacon Monitoring Tools page or eHam.net..
