IonoWatch by DL6ZB – See where your signal goes

IonoWatch – DXLab Propagation Clock

Rolf Heine, DL6ZB

Status: Version 1.0 (October 2026) – feedback welcome.

Software fact box
Version	1.0
License	Freeware (non-commercial use)
Platform	Windows, .NET Framework 4.x
Prediction	ITU-R P.533
Calibration	RBN, WSPR, PSK Reporter; optional own CW Skimmer
Integration	DXLab (Commander, WinWarbler)

IonoWatch is a UTC clock with current solar and geomagnetic data and a worldwide HF propagation map. The prediction is based on ITU-R P.533 and is calibrated with live data from the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN), WSPR and PSK Reporter and, optionally, with your own CW Skimmer. An own CW Skimmer can improve accuracy but is not required.

IonoWatch works together with DXLab: it takes your callsign and locator from DXLab and reads the current frequency from DXLab Commander. It is a pure display tool – it never transmits and does not control your transceiver.

IonoWatch propagation map for 20 m: world map with predicted reliability from JN58 (green at least 70 %, orange 30–70 %), day/night shading, aurora and sporadic-E zones, plus current solar data — *IonoWatch propagation map, 20 m, seen from JN58 (click to enlarge).*

Requirements

Windows with .NET Framework 4.x
Internet connection
On first start, IonoWatch downloads the ITU-R data files (ITURHFProp and P.533/P.372/P.1239 data) from the official ITU-R GitHub repository. These files are not included in the package.
Recommended: DXLab Suite (callsign, locator, frequency); optional: own CW Skimmer (telnet)

Download

Download IonoWatch 1.0 (ZIP)October 2026 · 311 KB (318,626 bytes)Flyer (PDF, English)Flyer (PDF, Deutsch)

SHA256: 258361A06E63558D7C506F589E0F8FAB8BFAE0411C1DF0B71DC6220B706D25A5

Unzip the package into a folder of your choice and start IonoWatch.exe. On first start a short notice appears, which you confirm once.

Flyer & Manual

You can view the flyer and the user manual as PDF in your browser – no need to download the ZIP first.

Flyer (English) – PDF · 2 pages · 686 KB
Flyer (Deutsch) – PDF · 2 pages · 687 KB
Manual (English) – PDF · 10 pages · 864 KB
Handbuch (Deutsch) – PDF · 10 pages · 866 KB

License, privacy and use at your own risk

IonoWatch is freeware; the source code will be published later. It may contain errors; forecasts can be wrong. Use at your own risk.

When used, the software connects to a number of third-party servers to collect data (KC2G, NOAA SWPC, HAMQSL, wspr.live, PSK Reporter, Reverse Beacon Network, country-files.com, GitHub). No data is sent to the author. Details are in LEGAL.txt in the package, in the Datenschutzerklärung and in the Legal Notice & Software License.

Feedback

Bug reports and test results are very welcome by e-mail: dl6zb@dl6zb.de