Amateur Radio Weekly – Issue 81
DV4mini: All-in-one USB hotspot for D-STAR, DMR, Fusion
USB stick containing 70 cm data transceiver. Works with D-Star, DMR, Fusion, APCO25 and other digital modes which are based on GMSK, 2FSK or 4FSK.
YouTube
ARRL releases excellent Parity Act explanation video
ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, said the video will be made available on Capitol Hill to make sure that Members of Congress have correct information, instead of misrepresentations.
ARRL
Kickstarter: Tiniest APRS tracking device
The Tracksoar APRS tracker is the smallest, lightest, ready to fly open source APRS tracker.
Kickstarter
Criticisms around ARES October SET
These groups rarely (if ever) properly train on the challenges of trying to use NVIS nets around the clock. Many don’t realize that 60 meters is not optional and they will likely need 160 meters in the mix too.
The Kentucky Packet Network
Field Day logging: A study in pain (PDF)
A local area network based logging system shared between stations, stored in a single database.
KK4SXX
AMSAT live OSCAR satellite status page
This page shows the most up-to-date status of all satellites reported in real time.
AMSAT
How a drug cartel took over Mexico with walkie-talkies
Inside the communications infrastructure of the ultra-violent syndicate.
Popular Science
OS X contest software overview 2015
Whether you are a serious contester, a casual contester, or someone who is just getting started, there is a contest logger that can meet your specific needs.
Mac Ham Radio
Curtain antenna for shortwave radio broadcasting
The curtain antenna is a dipole array, consisting of rows and columns of dipoles.
Broadcast Belgium
D Layer absorption
We learn in Technician Class and General Class studies that the ionosphere’s D layer is created in the daytime by ionizing solar rays and fades away completely at night, and we learn that the D layer absorbs HF frequencies below the 20-meter band.
Ham Radio School
How to
Dealing with urban radio interference on shortwave
The levels of urban radio frequency interference, or RFI, have increased dramatically in the last two decades and the proliferation of poorly engineered electronic gadgets is largely to blame.
The SWLing Post
Video
Amateur Radio: A 21st century hobby
Whether you enjoy writing software, getting hands-on with practical equipment, developing new technology or simply want to use what’s already there to communicate with others across the world, you’ll find all of this – and more – within amateur radio.
RSGB
Basic amplifiers: 1963 U.S. Army training film
An electronic amplifier is used for increasing the power of a signal.
U.S. Army