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Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 433
8 August 2026 | by 
Breaking – OFDM-AB – IP400 Refactored
The Amateur Radio data communications revolution of the 21st century.
Zero Retries
Geographic analysis of US Amateur Radio licenses using FCC and Census data
Where have new grants grown over the past X months? Do older counties have higher ham density? (ecological correlation)
KK4SW
Amber Silver Alert net Program (ASAP)
How about passing traffic from field deployed amateur operators to local law enforcement about the status and progress of an AMBER alert search team?
KF5THB
ZRDC 2026 registration now open
This year’s conference will bring together Hams and people interested in the technological innovations in Amateur Radio to explore and listen to expert speakers, regarding various topics pertinent to digital communications.
Zero Retries
How to become a Radio Amateur
When you discover a good thing it’s human nature to want to share it with others.
KE9V
Choosing FT8 frequency & interval on 6 meters
There are behaviours that are unique to 6 meters due to the unique character of DX propagation.
Pattern and Match
bkjbbs
Packet radio BBS, KISS, and AX.25 library for Node.js.
jfedyczak
If your cell phone doesn’t work during a disaster, ‘Look for the houses with an antenna’
The West Contra Costa Emergency Radio Group, founded in 2018, has grown to include dozens of members in multiple cities who have the technology to communicate during emergencies.
Richmondside
My radio club asked me to assemble and evaluate their new Hustler repeater antenna
Anybody who may aspire to build their own 3-element stacked 5/8-wave 2-meter antenna will find this material valuable.
K8EBR
cw-dit: Cross-platform multi-channel CW/Morse decoder in Rust
With an SDR, skim every CW signal across the radio’s full sampled bandwidth.
KK4SW
Building a homemade weather radar with a HackRF or PlutoSDR and salvaged automatic RV dish
After nearly being hit by a tornado that NEXRAD didn’t see coming, Koakno decided to build his own DIY self-contained mobile weather radar built from a $5 salvaged RV satellite dome.
RTL-SDR
Video
APRS net control software
Net Central works in a real net environment, covering the check-in workflow, live map tracking, messaging alerts, and the close net reporting process, built for Amateur Radio operators who want a modern, automated approach to running APRS based nets for EmComm, ARES, and general Amateur Radio net control operations.
KM4ACK
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LHS Episode #624: National Jamboree 2026
Show Notes
Featured Topic:
- Interview with Bill, NE4RD, about the 2026 Scouting America National Jamboree
- K2BSA - https://lhs.fyi/pn
- National Jamboree - https://lhs.fyi/LP
Announcements & Feedback:
- Announcements:
- Support the show!
- Support us via Patreon, Paypal, Merch, Sharing the Podcast via Social Media, and Rating Us in your Podcast Application!
- We need your feedback!
- Comments, Questions, Show Topic Ideas!
- Memorial Service for Russ, K5TUX
- There will be a memorial service held for Russ at our home in Mt. Vernon, Missouri on November 1, 2026. Everyone is welcome!
- Facebook event page: https://lhs.fyi/mem
- Comments, questions, etc: [email protected]
- Support the show!
Subscribers & Supporters:
- Paid Patreon
- Thor (N7JCT)
- Paypal
- Dillon Angle
- Facebook
- Dave Orio
- Gregory Wood-Ward Dyer
- X / Twitter
- @bluskyfarm
- Mastodon
- Discord
- schnitlzd with fancy font
- Mushroom Chef
- JRantz
- T!m
- Peas
- Live Show Participants
- Steve - KJ5T
- Tucker -K5FAZ
Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].
CHOTA 2026
Go to Church on September 12, 2026…and Bring a Radio!
20M US-UK calling frequency at top of each hour: 14.247MHz
It’s nearing the time of Churches and Chapels on the Air again! Here in the U.S., Churches and Chapels on the Air (CHOTA) is a fairly new concept. A few years ago, I was fortunate to play a leading role a couple in getting a few operators on this side of the pond to get on the air for this very special event. For over a half century now, it has been led by WACRAL, The World Association of Christian Amateurs and Listeners. As a regular participant, I recently received this email from WACRAL:
Thanks to all who have entered CHOTA this year – Saturday 12 September. If you are hoping to put a station on and have not let me know please reply to this email.The latest list should be on the WACRAL site. Many thanks for your support over the last 20 years CHOTA has been running. With every Blessing , 73 John G3XYF
Please send your entry info to John G3XYF directly (not through me) at: [email protected].
This year, Mike N5DU and I will be activating the historic St. Marks Episcopal Church in Raymond MS. I’ve been there several times both during and outside of Sunday services. At the top of every hour, we plan to QSY to the 20 meter band with a target of 14.247 mhz in order to attempt to “jump the pond” and work UK stations. Let’s make that happen this year although it will require UK stations to stay on beyond the usual 4pm UTC ending mark.
Here is a bit of history for this beautiful historic church:
https://stmarksepiscopalraymondms.org/
St. Mark’s Episcopal, the oldest church structure in the town of Raymond, Mississippi, was organized as a congregation in 1837. However, the church was not built until 1854. The National Register of Historic Places makes reference to St. Mark’s … “The church dates from the same time as most of the antebellum homes in town. The church utilizes both Greek and Gothic revival motifs. ” During the Civil War the church suffered a great deal of damage while being used as a hospital for Union soldiers. In 1866 Bishop Green stated … “the church was robbed of its benches during the time it was used as a hospital.” Blood stains are still visible on the old pine floors.
There is a Fellowship Hall behind this church. We will set up our station on the patio there (in the shade and under a fan!). N5DU and I plan to be on the air by 8am Central Time, if not before. We will likely use a vertical antenna with a wire antenna as backup if we can hang it properly. It will be publicized locally for hams and non-hams to visit to watch and participate if desired.
For readers of this article who want to activate a church, note that it was a mega-public relations hit in 2023 when I activated my church in Ridgeland MS. So consider that when you plan whether to participate this year. It can be a highly effective way to publicize amateur radio in your community and in ways that are not in emergency situations. We can benefit from a diversity of media attention as long as it is positive.
Frank Howell, K4FMH, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Mississippi, USA. Contact him at [email protected].
Ham College 142
Ham College episode 142 is now available for download.
General Exam Questions Part 3.
G1C – Transmitter power regulations; data emission standards; 60-meter operation requirements.
Demonstration of PEP vs Average Power. Effective Radiated Power.
https://hamcollege.tv
Download
YouTube
Key Topics Covered:
PEP vs. Average Power: The hosts provide a practical demonstration using a transceiver and a True Peak Reading wattmeter to explain the differences between Peak Envelope Power (PEP) and average power across various modes like Single Sideband (SSB), AM, and FM (3:25 – 18:28).
Exam Preparation: The hosts review specific exam questions related to:
Power Limits: Maximum transmitter power for different bands, such as the 30-meter (10.140 MHz) band (19:05 – 21:53) and the 12-meter band (21:56 – 23:07).
60-Meter Band Rules: Specific operational requirements including bandwidth limits (23:08 – 25:06) and necessary log-keeping protocols (25:07 – 27:26).
General Power Limits: Discussing the 1,500-watt PEP limit for most HF bands (27:27 – 31:58).
Digital Protocols: The requirement to publicly document technical characteristics before using a new digital protocol on the air (32:08 – 35:36).
Effective Radiated Power (ERP): A discussion on calculating ERP, accounting for transmission line losses and connector signal attenuation. (38:03 – 44:44).
Community Updates: The hosts share upcoming plans for the Huntsville Hamfest (45:56 – 48:47) and mention the launch of a new dedicated Ham College YouTube channel.
George Thomas, W5JDX, is co-host of AmateurLogic.TV, an original amateur radio video program hosted by George Thomas (W5JDX), Tommy Martin (N5ZNO), Peter Berrett (VK3PB), and Emile Diodene (KE5QKR). Contact him at [email protected].
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 432
Family of KY student says deputy seized child’s radios without warrant. They’re suing
A Somerset family has filed a lawsuit against the county’s school board and local law enforcement, alleging a deputy wrongly seized two-way radios from a student without a warrant.
Lexington Herald Leader
The integrity question: Inside the WRTC 2026 Multiplier Investigation
Public log analysis has raised serious questions about suspected pirate callsigns, disputed multipliers, and how the world’s premier radiosport competition should respond.
Q5 Magazine
MODEM73
An open source software modem that works with any HF, VHF, or UHF radio capable of 2400 Hz of bandwidth.
MODEM73
Expanding Technician privileges: The fix needs a push
There’s a real, already-written fix for one of Technician licensees’ most common complaints — and it’s been sitting in an FCC docket since 2018.
EtherHam
What’s new at Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications — July 2026
DLARC has significantly expanded the AMSAT Symposium archive, adding about 250 new items from AMSAT Space Symposium events. Newly archived material includes audio recordings of the 2007-2008 presentations.
Zero Retries
SDRoxide: Software-defined transceiver
A powerful SDR transceiver client with a GPU panadapter, dual VFOs, neural noise reduction, built-in skimmers, a full stack of digital modes and a live 3D space-weather globe — wrapped in a cyberpunk interface and running native on Linux, macOS & Windows, or streamed to any browser.
SDRoxide
Reticulum
The appeal of reticulum is that it seems to extend the LoRa thing to include mini web pages and a different way of interacting. A cross between packet, the general internet, and normal messaging.
G7KSE
Zero Retries Digital Conference 2026 call for papers
A typical technical paper for ZRDC is a short (typically 5-10 pages) but in-depth explanation of a project, experiment, or new technique.
Zero Retries
I made an AFSK RTTY encoder for the Sony PSP
The PSP is acting purely as an encoder, generating the RTTY audio tones which are then received and decoded externally.
Reddit
TunerScope: A browser app to help optimize HDTV antenna positioning with an RTL-SDR
TunerScope has a few interesting features, including the use of spectrum stitching to visualize the full 6 MHz + wide ATSC signals as the RTL-SDR only provides 2.56 MSPS max.
RTL-SDR
Olivia spotting
View live on-air station spots, filter by mode/band, and spot station activity in real-time.
OliviaDigitalMode.org
Feds hunting for German spy found a 12-year-old radio genius instead
Francis “Frank” Ryder, whose remarkable talent for radio led federal agents to his Brooklyn home during World War I before he went on to found the Suffolk County Radio Club.
South Shore Press
A visit to Nashville’s WSM AM
Photos from the transmitter site of the station that birthed the Grand Ole Opry.
RadioWorld
Video
This 3D printed trailer hitch antenna mast mount is awesome
Printed on Bambu P1S with Bambu PETG, 10 walls, 40% infill.
Ham Radio Tube
40M V Dipole vs 130′ EFHW
The results are not what you expect.
Hounds and ham
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Amateur Radio Weekly is curated by Cale Mooth K4HCK. Sign up free to receive ham radio's most relevant news, projects, technology and events by e-mail each week at http://www.hamweekly.com.
ICQPodcast Episode 489 – STEM and Radio for a Brighter Future
In this episode, we join Martin Butler M1MRB, Chris Howard (M0TCH), Martin Rothwell (M0SGL), Frank Howell (K4FMH), Bill Barnes (WC3B) and Leslie Butterfields (G0CIB) to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news. Colin Butler (M6BOY) rounds up the news in brief, and the episode's feature is STEM and Ham Radio Works.
We would like to thank our Chris Carini, (GW4RER), Walter Washburn, (KT0D), Constantine Papas (KL0S) and monthly and annual subscription donors for keeping the podcast advert free. To donate, please visit - http://www.icqpodcast.com/donate
- HAMgpt Launches as an AI Assistant Built Around Your Station
- Keeping Teams Connected Where the Network Isn't
- Scientists Building Massive Deep Synoptic Array in Nevada Desert
- FCC Clears Orbital Mirror Satellite Despite Widespread Objections
- aprs.world — A Free, Modern Live APRS Map in 11 Languages
- RSGB Club Finder Back Online After Redevelopment
- Peter the First Island DXpedition Seeks Operators
- Icom RS-BA1 Version 2 (Version 2.81) & RS-R8600 (Version 1.02) Software Updates
Colin Butler, M6BOY, is the host of the ICQ Podcast, a weekly radio show about Amateur Radio. Contact him at [email protected].
Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 431
APRS On the Air
Let’s create a new Amateur Radio activity and supporting software that brings the activator-and-chaser game of Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air to APRS.
K0TFU
China is using Ham Radio in its territorial claim over the South China Sea
An article goes into great depths to use decisions by the ARRL in the 1990’s and a multi-national DX-petitions to give legitimacy to its claim.
Andrew Woodward
FT8 on CB Channel 26
FT8 has taken over Channel 26 USB (27.265 MHz) as an incredibly efficient way to rack up 11-metre DX contacts on the CB band.
EA5IYL
FT8 Is a fad, and other heresies
People are growing weary of too much tech. Digital detox is trending in the non-radio world.
KE9V
Contact the ISS
Some ISS crew members make random, unscheduled, Amateur Radio voice contacts with earth-bound Radio Amateurs.
ARISS
VHF for Parks On The Air?
Don’t overlook the VHF bands, especially 2m FM.
K0NR
School students successfully launch high-altitude balloon into the atmosphere
The Hutt Valley Amateur Radio Club helped with the transmitters inside the payload.
RNZ
Move Meshtastic up on your list
The worst kept secret in communications.
Off Grid Ham
A look at DXpedition funding
Let’s go over these different funding sources, why each is important, and how they come together to make a DXpedition go.
OnAllBands
ARRL June 2025 VHF Contest replay
Video map version.
K5ND
How Amateur Radio built the Indonesian Internet
PaguyubanNet, packet radio and the pioneers of 1986-1994.
HamRaio.my
Video
SOTA by bicycle in Puerto Rico
Elecraft KX2 + AX1.
WP4TZ
RV Ham Shack
My complete RV Ham Radio setup explained.
KM4ACK
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