How to check for band openings

Picture this: you switch on your HF rig, you turn your tuning knob across the various frequencies, hearing nothing but noise.

You mutter "The bands are dead..." so you switch off and go back to watching TV. Does this scenario sounds familiar?
In that case, read on!

Did you know that the The Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF) operates a worldwide network of high-frequency radio beacons on 14.100, 18.110, 21.150, 24.930, and 28.200 megahertz.

These beacons help both amateur and commercial high-frequency radio users assess the current condition of the ionosphere. The entire system is designed, built and operated by volunteers.

Each beacon transmits every three minutes, day and night. The table at http://www.ncdxf.org/beacon/
beaconschedule.html gives the minute and second of the start of the first transmission within the hour for each beacon on each frequency.

A transmission consists of the callsign of the beacon sent at 22 words per minute followed by four one-second dashes. The callsign and the first dash are sent at 100 watts. The remaining dashes are sent at 10 watts, 1 watt and 100 milliwatts.

New Zealand has a station in this network, supported by NZART, located in the Wairarapa with the callsign ZL6B.

Our thanks to NZART for the above information
http://www.nzart.org.nz/