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V20 Beta Test Plan

This page walks you through every test we need you to run. Follow the tests in order. Each test tells you exactly what to enter, what to expect, and what to record.

You can use either the command line (CLI) or the browser UI. Both produce identical results — pick whichever you prefer.

Before you start

Complete the Getting Started installation first. Run ionis-validate --version and confirm you see 0.2.0 or later.


Test-1: Verify Installation

Objective: Confirm the model loads and reports correct metadata.

ionis-validate info
ionis-validate ui

Click the Info tab.

Expected results:

Field Expected Value
Version V20 (production)
Architecture IonisGate
Parameters 203,573
Device cpu, cuda, or mps

Record: Your device type (cpu, cuda, or mps).

Stop condition

If any value is missing or wrong, do not continue. Skip to Test-8 and report the problem.


Test-2: Automated Test Suite

Objective: Run all 62 physics, robustness, and regression tests.

ionis-validate test

Click the Report tab. Leave "Include test suite results" on. Click Generate Report. The test results appear in the report body.

Expected result: 62/62 — every group shows PASS.

Record: Total pass count (should be 62/62).

Stop condition

If any test fails, do not continue. Skip to Test-8 and report the failure. Failed automated tests on your system are high-priority findings.


Test-3: Reference Path — Good Conditions

Objective: Predict a well-known 20m transatlantic path under quiet solar conditions. This gives us a baseline to compare across all testers.

ionis-validate predict --tx-grid FN31 --rx-grid IO91 --band 20m --sfi 150 --kp 2 --hour 14 --month 6
ionis-validate predict \
    --tx-grid FN31 --rx-grid IO91 \
    --band 20m --sfi 150 --kp 2 \
    --hour 14 --month 6

Predict tab. Enter these values:

Field Value
TX Grid FN31
RX Grid IO91
Band 20m
SFI 150
Kp 2
Hour UTC 14
Month 6

Click Predict.

Expected results:

  • Predicted dB: -18.8 dB (exactly, on all platforms)
  • WSPR: OPEN
  • FT8: OPEN
  • CW: closed (below the -15 dB threshold)
  • SSB: closed

Record: The exact predicted dB value and all five mode verdicts.


Test-4: Reference Path — Marginal Conditions

Objective: Predict a difficult 15m path with moderate solar flux. This tests whether the model correctly identifies marginal openings.

ionis-validate predict --tx-grid DN46 --rx-grid PM95 --band 15m --sfi 120 --kp 2 --hour 6 --month 12
ionis-validate predict \
    --tx-grid DN46 --rx-grid PM95 \
    --band 15m --sfi 120 --kp 2 \
    --hour 6 --month 12

Predict tab. Click Clear first, then enter:

Field Value
TX Grid DN46
RX Grid PM95
Band 15m
SFI 120
Kp 2
Hour UTC 6
Month 12

Click Predict.

Expected results:

  • Predicted dB: -19.4 dB (exactly, on all platforms)
  • WSPR: OPEN
  • FT8: OPEN (just above the -21 dB threshold)
  • CW: closed
  • SSB: closed

Record: The exact predicted dB value and all five mode verdicts.


Test-5: Reference Path — Geomagnetic Storm

Objective: Repeat the Test-3 path but under severe storm conditions (Kp 7). The model should predict significantly worse propagation.

ionis-validate predict --tx-grid FN31 --rx-grid IO91 --band 20m --sfi 150 --kp 7 --hour 14 --month 6
ionis-validate predict \
    --tx-grid FN31 --rx-grid IO91 \
    --band 20m --sfi 150 --kp 7 \
    --hour 14 --month 6

Predict tab. Click Clear first, then enter:

Field Value
TX Grid FN31
RX Grid IO91
Band 20m
SFI 150
Kp 7
Hour UTC 14
Month 6

Click Predict.

Expected results:

  • Predicted dB: -25.2 dB (exactly, on all platforms)
  • This is 6.4 dB worse than the Kp 2 result in Test-3 — the storm sidecar is applying a real penalty
  • If your value does not match, that is a finding worth reporting

Record: The exact predicted dB value. Confirm it is worse than Test-3.


Test-6: Your Own Path — Known Good

Objective: Predict a path you work regularly. You are the ground truth.

Think of an HF path you know well — one you work often enough to know when it opens and closes. Enter your own grid, their grid, the band you use, and the time and month when you typically make the contact.

ionis-validate predict --tx-grid YOURGRID --rx-grid THEIRGRID --band 20m --sfi 150 --kp 2 --hour 14 --month 6

Replace YOURGRID, THEIRGRID, band, hour, and month with your real values.

Predict tab. Click Clear first, then enter your own values. Click Predict.

Record:

  • The grids, band, hour, and month you used
  • The predicted dB value and mode verdicts
  • Whether the model agrees with your experience
  • If it disagrees, note the details — this is exactly what we need

Test-7: Your Own Path — Known Bad

Objective: Predict a path you know does NOT work. Confirming negatives is as valuable as confirming positives.

Think of a path you have tried and failed — for example, 10m to Australia from your grid at midnight, or 160m to Japan. Enter it with realistic conditions.

Same command as Test-6 but with a path you know is dead.

Predict tab. Click Clear first, then enter a path you know does not open. Click Predict.

Expected result: The model should predict your mode as closed.

Record:

  • The grids, band, hour, and month you used
  • Whether the model correctly predicted it as closed
  • If the model says OPEN for a dead path, that is a finding

Test-8: Submit Your Results

Objective: Generate a report and submit it so we can review your findings.

ionis-validate report

Copy the output from the terminal.

# macOS — copies to clipboard
ionis-validate report | pbcopy

# Linux — copies to clipboard
ionis-validate report | xclip -selection clipboard

Click the Report tab. Click Generate Report. Click Copy to Clipboard.

Where to submit:

Open a new issue here and paste your report:

https://github.com/IONIS-AI/ionis-validate/issues/new/choose

Include in your issue:

  1. The generated report (paste from clipboard)
  2. Your Test-3, Test-4, Test-5 dB values (reference predictions)
  3. Your Test-6 and Test-7 results (did the model agree with your experience?)
  4. Anything that surprised you — good or bad

Quick Reference Card

Test What Key Input Pass Criteria
Test-1 Verify install ionis-validate info V20, 203,573 params
Test-2 Automated suite ionis-validate test 62/62 pass
Test-3 Good path FN31 > IO91, 20m, Kp 2 -18.8 dB, FT8 OPEN
Test-4 Marginal path DN46 > PM95, 15m, SFI 120 -19.4 dB, FT8 OPEN
Test-5 Storm path FN31 > IO91, 20m, Kp 7 -25.2 dB (6.4 dB worse)
Test-6 Your good path Your grids, your band Matches your experience
Test-7 Your bad path A path you know is dead Predicts closed
Test-8 Submit results ionis-validate report GitHub Issue filed