KiwiSDR WebSDR: Live HF & Shortwave Receiver Online
KiwiSDR is a browser-based WebSDR platform that lets you listen to HF/shortwave online from anywhere — no local SDR hardware required. It streams live audio and a real-time waterfall spectrum directly to your browser.
A Software Defined Radio (SDR) performs tuning, filtering and demodulation in software rather than hardware. A WebSDR means the SDR is accessible through the web — the radio sits somewhere with antenna + RF environment, while you control it in your browser.
KiwiSDR typically runs on a BeagleBone-based embedded platform with a dedicated RF frontend and an integrated web server — "plug in an antenna and go online." It's popular for public stations and hobbyist networks worldwide. The project is maintained at kiwisdr.com and receivers are listed on rx.linkfanel.net.
In plain terms: it's shortwave you can scroll like Spotify — but with more static and more personality.
KiwiSDR hits the sweet spot: easy access for listeners, manageable setup for station owners, and a UI that makes signal hunting fast.
- No hardware needed — just a browser
- Waterfall makes signals easy to spot
- Instant mode changes (AM / SSB / CW)
- Great for DX, utilities, beacons
- Standalone embedded system
- Shareable access (public or private)
- Stable tuning with GPS discipline
- Community-driven updates
Many KiwiSDRs are geographically distributed — which turns "listening" into "measuring propagation". The global network is searchable at rx.linkfanel.net and the original websdr.org directory.
This receiver is publicly accessible. Clicking the button opens the KiwiSDR interface in a new tab for live shortwave listening and waterfall exploration.
This is an external SDR device with its own web UI. Your browser loads it directly from
t.ben2.de (port 8073). Your IP address will be visible to that server.
More WebSDR directories: websdr.org · kiwisdr.com/public · rx.linkfanel.net
A waterfall is not just pretty pixels — it's a live dashboard for band conditions: noise floor, openings, fading (QSB) and "where the action lives" on HF.
- Solar flux / sunspot activity
- K-index / Kp (geomagnetic disturbance)
- Time of day (day/night + greyline)
- Season (ionospheric layer behaviour)
- Bright lines → strong carriers / broadcasters
- Wavy fading → QSB / multipath
- Rising baseline → higher noise / disturbance
- Sudden "life" → band opening
- Strong in EU but absent in NA → regional path
- Signals near greyline → possible long-path enhancement
- Many bands fade together → geomagnetic degradation
- Combine with DX cluster trends
- Check beacon networks
- Watch Solar indices (SFI / Kp)
Less guessing, more timing.
With enough receivers, a KiwiSDR network becomes a distributed propagation analysis instrument — practical, visual, and instantly accessible. Check our Space Weather dashboard for live SFI, K and A indices.