Subscribe
EM89mx Guessed from your location
Live

Reverse Beacon Network

See which CW and RTTY skimmers around the world are hearing your call right now.

Last 30 minutesData from ReverseBeacon.net

Who's hearing you?

Call CQ on CW or RTTY for a minute, then search. Spots usually show up within seconds.

What is the RBN?

A worldwide network of automated receivers ("skimmers") that decode CW, RTTY and FT8/FT4 signals and report every callsign they hear, with frequency, signal strength and CW speed.

  • Test an antenna: see how far your signal really goes
  • Check propagation before a contest
  • Compare your signal across bands
Enter a callsign above to see its spots here.

More on ReverseBeacon.net

Live mapWorldwide spots on an interactive map Band activityCurrent activity by band and mode Advanced searchDetailed spot search with filters StatisticsNetwork stats and skimmer info

How to test your antenna with the Reverse Beacon Network

The Reverse Beacon Network is made up of volunteer-run receiving stations around the world. Most run CW Skimmer (by Alex Shovkoplyas, VE3NEA) or similar software, which listens across a whole band at once, decodes every CW and RTTY signal it hears, and reports the callsign, frequency, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in dB and, for CW, the sending speed in words per minute (WPM).

  1. Find a clear frequency and call CQ on CW or RTTY a few times, sending your callsign clearly.
  2. Wait a minute, then search your callsign above.
  3. Note which skimmers heard you, how far away they are, and your SNR at each one.

To compare two antennas, switch between them and call CQ again on the same band a few minutes apart, and repeat a few times since conditions change. Skimmers use different receivers and antennas, so compare SNRs from the same skimmer rather than across different ones.

On FT8 and FT4, PSK Reporter does the same job, and the solar and band conditions page helps explain why a band is open or dead.