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How advanced the world has become today! Information and data that once required hours—or even days—of searching are now instantly available through AI. Tasks that once seemed difficult can be completed in moments. I often wonder how much fun it would have been to have these tools during our golden age of shortwave listening. I remember my early questions about CIRAF Zone, which were commonly used to indicate the broadcast destinations of international radio transmissions.
In 1986, after a great deal of searching, I finally found a CIRAF Zone
map. However, it did not include country names—only boundary lines. So I had to
buy a Graphosman map and gradually learn how to interpret it. That experience
turned out to be a blessing in disguise: I became deeply interested in
geography and developed a strong understanding of maps during my school years.
This year, as my long vacation was coming to an end with family
responsibilities, I reserved the final two days for radio. While preparing for
the new 2026 (B26) winter schedule, I encountered the CIRAF Zones once again.
This time, I asked AI to provide the country names corresponding to Zones 1
through 85.
But there was a catch.
The AI produced the list while asking me a series of questions:
- Chad appears as Zone 46 on your map, but several sources list it as
Zone 47. Where exactly do you see it?
- Sri Lanka and the Maldives do not appear anywhere in the source
list. How should they be classified?
- Several countries appear to fall within two zones on the map. Which
zone should be used?
And six or seven similar questions
followed.
What else could I do? Eventually, I paused the process and carefully
checked the official ITU-R CIRAF Zones of the International Telecommunication
Union’s Radiocommunication Sector. I needed a complete list covering all 85
zones. But easy way to find specific country, need to follow the whole data file.
That experience inspired me to create a useful search page of my own: the
S21TS CIRAF Zone Finder, now available on the ABCDXing Club website.
I know that AI can provide a great deal of inaccurate information, so its answers must always be checked carefully before being used. I am not an expert on this subject either. Therefore, if you find any inconsistencies in the list or search results, please let me know.
CIRAF Zone Finder
Find the broadcast target zone of a country, or the countries inside a zone. Type in one box or both.
| CIRAF Zone | Continent / Subcontinent | Country or Area | Remarks |
|---|
Zone data follows the ITU-R CIRAF chart (1999) and the UDXF list, with country positions checked on the chart. Zones do not follow national borders, so border countries may fall in two zones. Please confirm critical cases with the official ITU or HFCC tables.
How to use this tool
Search by zone code. Type a number from 1 to 85. The tool shows the continent and every country in that zone.Search by country name. Type the full name or a few letters. Common older names also work, such as Ivory Coast, Burma and Swaziland.
Use both boxes together. Enter a zone and a country to check a match. Press Clear to start again.
Read the Remarks column. It explains border cases, islands and special areas. Please read it before you trust a single result.
Understand split countries. Zones do not follow national borders. Some countries fall in two zones. On our maps, these include Sudan, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Gabon, Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Zambia and Tunisia.
Know the quadrant codes. Some zones are split into quarters. Examples are 14NW, 14NE, 14SW and 14SE. The cyan dashed lines on the maps show them.
Use the maps. Compare your result with the world map. The Africa map shows the zone lines over country borders, which makes border cases easier to see.
