Credits
Data sources
CQDeck stands on free public data and volunteer projects. Here's where each piece comes from and how we use it.
NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
Solar flux, the K index, X-ray flares and daily sunspot numbers.
- Used in
- Dashboard: Sun and space, band estimates
- Refresh
- Every 5 to 30 minutes
- Terms
- Public domain, from the US government. Shown as published; our band estimates are our own.
Parks on the Air
Live spots of operators activating parks.
- Used in
- Dashboard: Parks you can work
- Refresh
- Every minute
- Terms
- Spots come from POTA's public spot feed. CQDeck isn't affiliated with POTA.
CelesTrak
Orbital elements for the ISS and amateur satellites.
- Used in
- Dashboard: Satellites over you
- Refresh
- Every 2 hours, matching CelesTrak's update cycle
- Terms
- Downloaded once per update and cached, as CelesTrak asks.
callook.info
US license records, updated daily from the FCC.
- Used in
- Refresher license check, station setup
- Refresh
- On request, cached for an hour
- Terms
- We show only license class, status, dates and a 4-character grid square. Never names or addresses.
US Census Bureau ZIP Code Tabulation Areas
The center point of each ZIP code, used to turn a ZIP you type into a grid square.
- Used in
- Station setup
- Refresh
- Built into CQDeck; refreshed by hand when the Census publishes a new file
- Terms
- Public domain, from the US government. Your ZIP is looked up once and never stored; only the grid square is saved.
Net sponsors and AMSAT
Day, time, repeater and frequency of the nets on the Nets you can listen to card, read from each sponsor's own page where possible.
- Used in
- Dashboard and shack display: Nets you can listen to
- Refresh
- Checked by hand, with the date we last read each listing
- Terms
- Nets change and pause, so each one carries a note to listen first. For other areas, try NetFinder or RepeaterBook.
satellite.js
The open-source library that predicts satellite passes in your browser.
- Used in
- Dashboard: Satellites over you
- Refresh
- Runs locally
- Terms
- MIT license.
FCC Part 97
The rules behind every license-privilege chart and filter on CQDeck.
- Used in
- Band charts, privilege filters
- Refresh
- Reviewed by hand
- Terms
- Public law. Always check the current rules before transmitting.
Band conditions on the dashboard are CQDeck's own rule-of-thumb estimate from NOAA data and daylight. They aren't an official forecast.