I have developed a Telegram bot to help ham radio operators find solar and propagation data.
Telegram is an instant messaging application like iMessage, Google Chat, or WhatsApp focusing on security and privacy. I have used Telegram for this bot because Telegram provides a very extensive API allowing me to send text, images, and alerts. Telegram also runs on any device, from a phone to a Linux computer. Telegram can also run on a Raspberry-pi.
Anyone can download Telegram for free on their website Telegram.org
The bot's name is SunFluxBot. In the Telegram's contact search window, search for SunFluxBot. Click the start button at the bottom of the screen, and the bot will send a welcome message.
Bot commands
You can use the following commands for the solar activity and on HF radio bands.
| Command | |
|---|---|
| /aindex | A Index |
| /alerts | NOAA Alerts |
| /drap | D Layer Absorption Prediction |
| /dxcc | Show dxcc contacts |
| /flux | 10cm Flux |
| /geost | Geo-Space Time line |
| /kpindex | K Index |
| /legend | Index information |
| /outlook | 27 day Solar Predictions |
| /ssn | Sun Spots |
| /swx | Solar indices overview |
| /tec | Total Electron Content |
| /warning | Warning time lines |
Examples of information provided by the bot
Solar Information
Planetary K-index is used to characterize the magnitude of geomagnetic storms. Kp-index is an excellent indicator of disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field.
The solar radio flux at 10.7 cm (2800 MHz) is an excellent indicator of solar activity.
The following graph shows the daily relative sunspot number, with the estimated error, and the number of entries.
Propagation information
The graph below shows the contact made in the last hour from the US by band and DX continent. The graph below shows most of the contacts are 20 meters from North America toward Europe and North America. It also indicates that the 10, 15, and 40-meter bands are marginally active.
The bot provides much more valuable information to ham radio operators operating HF.
This bot is currently in development. Please send me a message on my Telegram account @w6bsd with your suggestions or if you encounter a problem. You can also find more propagation and band activity graphs on the bsdword.org website