FCC ISM rules may shatter LoRa mesh communities
How have Meshtastic and MeshCore gotten as far as they have without realizing that they may be in violation of regulations that date back to the 1980s?
Hackaday

Helioclock Review: An in-depth look at a well-crafted situational awareness display
A beautiful and well-designed display piece that gives Geochron a run for both its price and design.
Amateur Radio Daily

The uncertain future of Ham Radio
Software-defined radio and cheap hardware are shaking up a hobby long associated with engineering.
IEEE Spectrum

“Active” call sign probably isn’t what you think
Understand what “active” means when you look up a call sign.
K4HST

Volunteer with ARDC in 2027
ARDC is now accepting applications for our 2027 volunteer cohort. We’re looking for qualified individuals to contribute their time and expertise across several committees and teams.
ARDC

The 28.6-kilogram Amateur Radio satellite AO-7 went silent in mid-1981 after its batteries shorted
AO-7’s 2002 return was not a battery recovery: an inferred change from a short circuit to an open circuit let its solar cells power surviving radio hardware in sunlight.
Space Daily

PSKReporter levels up
A volunteer team has mapped out a three-phase modernization plan. Implementation has begun.
Open Research Institute

HamRadioWeb: Operate FT8/FT4 remotely
From your phone or any PC, anywhere. No port forwarding. No VPN setup.
HamRadioWeb

HamQ: Satellite, SSTV, and logbook tools for Ham Radio
Built for the global Amateur Radio community, HAMQ combines precise SGP4 satellite tracking, automatic SSTV decoding and encoding, and a structured QSO logbook with QSL and LoTW workflows. Use it at home, in the field, or wherever your next contact takes you.
BG5AXS

Hamtrax: Keeping the rest of a POTA activation
An activation leaves you with contacts, photos, equipment notes, and a story. Hamtrax keeps those parts together in one logbook, with POTA folders, radio and antenna details, ADIF import and export, and optional public Showcase links. It runs on the web, iOS, and Android, with a free tier and optional Pro subscription.
Hamtrax

brugtgrej.dk is Denmark’s premier marketplace for used Ham Radio gear
Hams may also be interested in their discussion forums and dashboard.
brugtgrej.dk

Upcoming Events

EN100NP on the Air to Honor 100th Anniversary of Symon Petlura
June 8, 2026

Fire Prevention Week Special Event Highlights Fire Safety
October 4, 2026

Zero Retries Digital Conference 2026
October 16, 2026

Video

Stop paying a subscription: Helioclock
In this interview, recorded at the Huntsville Hamfest, I sit down with the creator behind Helioclock (call sign KA9NWM) to talk about why he built it, how it works, and what makes it different from a traditional Geochron display.
KM4ACK

Battery powered soldering irons
Demonstrating the features of a portable soldering iron.
IMSAI Guy

APRS voice alert
A powerful feature of the Automatic Packet Reporting System that helps Amateur Radio operators make quick voice contacts using position data.
KM4ACK

APRS Connect
A new APRS client for Android, built around conversations rather than a packet console.
APRS Connect

The next version of the M17 specification
The proposed V3 meets the goals set out for it, but are there any downsides?
M17 Project

AST SpaceMobile’s 800 MHz trial wraps up — But the 70cm interference story isn’t going away
Monitoring data from the SATNOGS network has reportedly shown AST operating with interference to the 70cm Amateur allocation.
ICQ Podcast

FCC regulations and MeshCore 500
We, along with many in the Meshtastic community, recently found out that most of Meshtastic’s presets are not in compliance with the FCC.
Philly Mesh

Which downlink? An open trade study of candidate bands for futureGEO
If the host cannot offer 3 cm, 6 cm (5830–5850 MHz) is the strongest fallback on physics.
Open Research Institute

A Lewis & Clark POTA journey
The main idea is to do a road trip, starting in St Louis, near the Gateway Arch and follow 3,700 miles of river, prairie, mountain, and forest to the Pacific Ocean.
K0NR

PARC: Protected Area Radio Community
PARC Community® is the new Amateur Radio park activation program. Simple, accessible, and open to all Radio Amateurs worldwide.
PARC

Improving the “Titanic” 40m field expedient backpack portable antenna
The revised “Titanic” antenna’s sloping top hat wires are supported on trekking poles, although raising the ends higher does improve the SWR.
Ham Radio Outside the Box

A few things that have made my POTA spots easier and better
I’ve done a lot of experimenting and I finally landed on a set-up that works for me.
Andrew Woodward

Putting my AllStar node on 44Net
Here is how that went, including the parts that did not go well.
EtherHam

Upcoming Events

EN100NP on the Air to Honor 100th Anniversary of Symon Petlura
June 8, 2026

9/11 ‘We Do Remember’ Special Event Returns for 6th Year
September 9, 2026

Activate All RI POTA Event
September 11, 2026

CHOTA 2026: Churches and Chapels on the Air
September 12, 2026

Video

The Ham Widows Ball started with $100—and you’re not invited
There’s a side of the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) that has nothing to do with radios, antennas, multipliers, or scores—and Bill Vinci believes it can make ham radio stronger.
Q5

Ham kit building is booming
Stu, Tom, and Quin present the current Ham Radio rig kit companies and products.
Ham Radio Perspectives

Chasing birds: The addictive world of Amateur Radio satellites
An introduction to the world of Amateur Radio satellite working.
Online Amateur Radio Community

Unveiled at Tokyo Ham Fair 2026: Introducing the new Icom IC-7110
The new IC-7110 succeeds the popular IC-7100 combining a versatile HF/50/70/144/430MHz all-band mobile design with a vibrant 4.3-inch colour touchscreen and advanced dualwatch capabilities.
Icom

Ceefax Station
Old-school Ceefax teletext pages — on your PC, and optionally over Amateur Radio.
M7TJF

Call sign WB4MZ0 (numeral zero)
An FCC error gave one club a unique call sign.
K4HST

FreeDV RADE: A new approach to digital voice over HF, now integrated into popular radios
Since late 2023, FreeDV has been working to create a digital voice mode that could compete with SSB across varying signal-to-noise conditions on HF while providing more natural-sounding speech.
ARDC

WRTC 2026: Now we know it was riddled with cheating
Four teams have been disqualified and the results of WRTC 2026 have changed.
KE9V

Online Remote Radio
Online Remote Radio was built to provide a simple way for amateurs to experience what FlexRadio has to offer using just a web browser. Whether you’re a seasoned operator looking to get back on the bands, a newcomer studying for your first license, or a shortwave listener who loves the hobby — if you’re limited by cost, physical ability, RFI, or HOA restrictions, we have a station for you. Station owners who want to give back to the hobby share their FlexRadio stations with the community when not in use.
Online Remote Radio

Visit with a blind Ham operator
Archer72 talks through a noise issue with Matthew (KG4QWH) concerning his desktop mic.
Hacker Public Radio

QSO in a Kilo(gram)
This bag fits in one hand and disappears into my backpack.
KZ4LY

HTCommander
A free, Open-Source EchoLink and Internet APRS software that supports Benshi radios. Program channels, chat over APRS, send Winlink email, track satellites and more.
HTCommander

CEMOTA: Cemeteries on the Air
Hunt from anywhere, or activate from a listed cemetery.
CEMOTA

Automatic net logging: Who it’s for, and getting audio out of a hub node
I had exactly one use in mind: I wanted a record of nets. Who checked in, what got discussed, all in a form I could search later.
EtherHam

First transatlantic LEO satellite QSO
Now that the antennas are mounted about 5 meters higher on the roof, a whole new range of possibilities has opened up.
RZ01

Video

Networked Off-Grid Communications Terminal (NOCT)
NOCT is an all-in-one communications and situational awareness platform designed for reliable communications when traditional infrastructure isn’t available.
The Comms Channel

Unboxing the Icom IC-2730A Black Edition
In this video, we’re taking a first look at the Icom IC-2730A Black Edition, Icom’s popular dual-band VHF/UHF mobile radio with a sleek all-black control head.
Syber Radio

Microwave SOTA activation
My first microwave SOTA QSO on 13cm with SG Labs transverter.
GM5ALX

SpotHole
Spothole is an aggregator of Amateur Radio spots from DX clusters and outdoor activity programmes. It’s free for anyone to use and includes an API that developers can build other applications on.
M0TRT

Zero Retries Digital Conference (ZRDC) 2026 to bring Amateur Radio technology and innovation to San Ramon
ZRDC 2026 Registration is open!
ZRDC

QDX-M assists in the rescue of a spelunker
Rescuers attempting to retrieve a cave explorer made use of a QDX-M built for the 2200 meter band (136 kHz).
AE5X

HFPilot
Your go to app for estimating HF propagation that works offline.
HFPilot

The EMF Explorer: A badge for Ham Radio?
Ham Radio is missing the boat by not having cool badges.
KB6NU

Getting started in Amateur Radio
Amateur Radio is a playground for exploration and adventure. To get you started and begin to explore the landscape here is a list of resources to whet your appetite.
VK6FLAB

DXChrono
A dedicated shack-wall display for Amateur Radio operators.
DXChrono

Pakistan’s Amateur Radios are tuned in for the apocalypse
Hams prove the oldest technology is still the hardest to break.
Prism

Mt Barker balloon launch
Cross-band repeater, live imagery, MeshCore, telemetry, and more.
Amateur Radio Experimenters Group

Can an LLM pass the US Ham license exams?
The answer is very much, yes.
Copasetic Flow

Video

How-to: The off center fed L-dipole antenna
Could this be the next big thing?
KB9VBR

2 Meter FM simplex net on August 22, 2026
Recording of the 2m FM simplex net in the Rochester, NY region with realtime distance maps.
N2MAK

Hunstville Hamfest this weekend
For the first time since 2007, we will again host the ARRL National Convention.
Hunstville Hamfest

Ham donates $1 million to ARRL
Entrepreneur and Amateur Radio operator invests in the next generation of problem solvers.
ARRL

Making Hams of hackers
Facilitating Tech classes at DEFCON and Hackers on Planet Earth (HOPE).
KB6NU

Helioclock
A new all-in-one next generation situational awareness display with live SDR.
Helioclock

RepeaterLive
The repeater directory Hams actually trust.
RepeaterLive

#APRSThursday
An APRS net held every Thursday with the aim of growing message activity on APRS across the world.
APRSPH

Cave radio – Talking through solid rock
Radio signals don’t pass through rock to reach caves, mines, and tunnels, right?
Make:

I built a Yagi… Then carried it 20 miles
May I introduce to you, The M1TJM Botherer Magnet. An antenna that is guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows.
M1TJM / SOTA Reflector

Winlink tells you what happened. APRS tells you what’s happening
Two tools, two jobs, and why most EmComm plans only cover one.
EtherHam

Beyond packet radio
Designing a modern radio broadcast protocol (HQFBP).
F4JXQ

MeshWX Pro
MeshWX Pro watches the National Weather Service and automatically broadcasts severe-weather warnings across your Meshtastic or MeshCore network.
MeshWX Pro

A great tool to find new POTA parks
There’s an excellent online tool to find POTA parks that you have yet to activate.
Andrew Woodward

Video

AmateurLogic 220: It’s going to get meshy
Building a solar powered mesh node and the rapidly growing Gulf Coast Mesh Network.
AmateurLogic.TV

Inside Icom: Behind the scenes at our factory in Japan
Ever wondered where your Icom radio comes from? Take a look inside Wakayama Icom, our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Japan.
Icom UK

FCC Ham “Call Book” in PDF and CSV formats
The call book supports Ham Radio enthusiasts who suffer little-to-no internet bandwidth while chasing QSOs — or when your favorite search site goes down for (un)scheduled maintenance.
Playground Amateur Radio Club

Amateur Radio has never been more affordable
So why do some things seem so expensive?
QRPer

Ragchew Lounge
A relaxed place where operators can drop in, meet other hams, have a chat and make new radio friends from around the world.
avelichat

The very last new commercial AM radio station in the USA
Here’s what we should do next.
Off Grid Ham

OMD — Optical Modem
33 KB/s file transfer via light, adaptive OFDM with per-carrier bit loading, zero-install browser receiver.
Muggy86

An Outside the Box look at the 48 inch base loaded vertical antenna
It’s not the smartest idea really is it?
Ham Radio Outside the Box

Email QSLs: Sense or nonsense?
Let me lay out the pros and cons.
DB4SCW

At last! FT8 on iPad & iPhone
It’s a great experience with Greyline FT8 and Digirig Lite.
Andrew Woodward

The signal never died
Peter I, Bouvet, and the operators who carried DX forward.
KA3DRR

New Jersey Amateur Radio plates
Photos of NJ Ham Radio license plates going back to 1959.
moini.net

Four Days in August (Hunstville)
These are hands-on, conversational, bring-your-own-questions gatherings focused on doing the thing, solving the problem, and sharing what actually works in the field.
Temporarily Offline

Video

Cootie-style single paddle CW key
A compact portable single paddle key with a sideswiper style lever, tight action, and small contact spacing.
W4ARB

VARA Winlink email speeds with Mercury HF
Special thanks to KO0OOO for hosting possibly the first Mercury HF Winlink server.
KM6LYW

Morning Morse Code in the Alberta Badlands
Join me for a Sunday morning 3-park rove in the Badlands of Southern Alberta Canada.
VE6LK

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