How to Read Open Bands

A guide to the visualization

The Light Fields

Each column of glowing particles represents one amateur radio band. The brighter and denser the field, the more signal reports (spots) have been received on that band recently. A dark, sparse column means the band is quiet or dead.

Band Colors

Colors follow the electromagnetic spectrum. Lower frequencies are warm, higher frequencies are cool.

160m1.8 MHz
80m3.5 MHz
60m5.3 MHz
40m7.0 MHz
30m10.1 MHz
20m14.0 MHz
17m18.1 MHz
15m21.0 MHz
12m24.9 MHz
10m28.0 MHz
6m50 MHz
2m144 MHz

Spectrum Bar

The thin bar near the top spans all 12 bands left to right, from 160m (lowest) to 2m (highest). Each segment glows brighter as that band becomes more active. A quick glance tells you which part of the spectrum is alive.

Band Cards (Instrument Mode)

Each card in the bottom panel shows detailed health for one band:

Status badge
Dead, Quiet, Active, Open, or Wide Open. Shows overall band condition.
Activity bar
A glowing progress bar showing relative signal density. Wider = busier.
Spots
The number of signal reports logged in the recent time window.
dB
Average signal-to-noise ratio. Higher is stronger and clearer.
Trend (+/-/=)
Whether the band is getting busier (+), quieter (-), or holding steady (=).

Status Levels

Dead - No signals detected. Band is closed.
Quiet - Occasional signals. Mostly noise.
Active - Regular signal reports. Worth listening.
Open - Strong propagation. Many stations heard.
Wide Open - Exceptional conditions. The band is full of signals.

Ambient Mode

Strips away all text and data. The same particle fields remain, but enlarged and interconnected with faint threads. Color and motion become the only indicators. Designed for a second screen or background display.

Keyboard Shortcuts

IInstrument Mode
AAmbient Mode

Open Bands uses simulated signal data for demonstration. No callsigns or operator identities are displayed. In a production system, this would connect to public aggregators like the Reverse Beacon Network or DX Cluster.