Bouvet DXpedition aborted
Due to high winds and rough seas the captain of the vessel declared it unsafe to continue with our project and aborted the DXpedition.
Bouvetdx.org

D-Star satellite in orbit
D-Star One is a 3U CubeSat with modules configured to work as D-Star repeaters, so they retranslate the received D-Star frames on the downlink frequency.
D-STAR ONE

FT8 DXpedition mode is in the works for WSJT-X
The software can transmit up to five signals simultaneously, upping the potential contact rate to 600/hour.
ARRL

How-to: APRS igate for less than $100
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that getting started is not only relatively straight forward, but also easy on the wallet.
N1AAE

Photos of the colossal Duga-3 Radar System
They’re tearing it down later this year, because all the metal is quite valuable to the ailing economy.
PetaPixel

HamAlert
HamAlert is a system that allows you to get notifications when a desired station appears on the DX cluster, the Reverse Beacon Network, SOTAwatch, or PSK Reporter.
HamAlert

What are those hieroglyphics on your laptop charger?
These symbols are as complicated as the label on the tag of your shirt that have never taught you anything about doing laundry.
Hack A Day

Video

Hawaii’s communication breakdown and how going Ham could save us
Ham Radio operators are standing at the ready and may save us all.
NBC Left Field

Ham Radio 2.0: TYT MD-9600 DMR Mobile, Version 3
Version 3 of the MD-9600 Dual Band DMR Mobile radio from TYT has fixed most of the issues that were present in the first 2 versions.
Ham Radio 2.0

Portable SDR TX: LimeSDR-mini, mobile phone, and QRadioLink
Broadcast FM, digital amateur radio voice, narrow FM, and SSB can be received and transmitted using the LimeSDR-mini.
YouTube

AM Rally this weekend
The purpose of this event is to encourage the use of Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio bands.
AMrally.com

ARRL Grid Chase totals mapped
The IGC Grid Totals map visualizes the number of ARRL Grid Chase QSOs per grid square.
K1WDY

How Amateur Radio played a role in the Hawaii emergency response
While an official retraction from emergency officials of the alert did not come until 38 minutes had elapsed, amateur radio operators were able to confirm within 13 minutes that the Hawaii EAS alert was false.
Radio World

FCC Enforcement: A call to action
In recent months on 40M and 80M, there has been a concern by many Amateur Radio operators regarding certain individual’s operating behavior, specifically on 7.200 MHz and 3.822 MHz.
AmateurRadio.com

ARRL again calls for action on symbol rate limits
Introduced in 1980 the symbol rate restriction has crippled the development of innovative data modes in the United States and amateurs have been trying to get it scrapped for decades.
Southgate

Low-power local radio rises
A knowledge of geography is essential if you are running a tiny, 100-watt radio station. For a low-power FM radio station, anything measurable in miles is good.
New York Times

Inaudible tones in commercials to prevent triggering Alexa
Here’s why Alexa won’t light up during Amazon’s Super Bowl ad.
Bloomberg Technology

Ham turns up undead NASA mission
NASA lost contact with its IMAGE satellite in 2005, but it may still be operating.
Ars Technica

Sticker shock: CW keys cost too much, or do they?
My goodness, straight key manufacturers are gouging us aren’t they?
Ham Radio QRP

Video

Our ARISS contact
How I got involved with a helping a school talk to an astronaut on the ISS.
Space Comms

AO-92 commissioned, open for Amateur use
Initially, the U/v FM transponder will be open continuously for a period of one week. After the first week, operations will be scheduled among the U/v FM transponder, L-Band Downshifter, Virginia Tech Camera, and the University of Iowa’s High Energy Radiation CubeSat Instrument (HERCI).
AMSAT

Blinded by the light: The solar panel tariff
There are a few things off grid amateur radio operators need to know about the solar panel tariff.
Off Grid Ham

PicSat requests Ham Radio assistance to capture telemetry
The CubeSat PicSat carrying an amateur radio FM transponder was launched on the same PSLV-C40 flight from India that delivered AO-92 to orbit.
AMSAT UK

A better antenna for dualband handhelds
Recently, I wondered how well the antenna is really performing so I did a side-by-side comparison with the Smiley 2m halfwave.
AmateurRadio.com

Massive 78-year-old transmitter for sale
A piece of radio history could be yours for $5,000. A 1940 RCA 50 kW shortwave transmitter, located at the decommissioned Radio Canada International Site in Sackville, is up for sale.
CBC

A grave threat to GPS
In the coming months, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may allow high-powered, ground-based, communication transmitters to broadcast at a frequency near GPS L1.
GPS World

Visualizing satellite doppler shift
Doppler Shift is experienced as the satellite (wave source) is moving relative to you, the observer (or receiver) of the transmitted wavelength.
N1AAE

Do shortwave ‘Numbers Stations’ really instruct spies?
Today, numbers stations remain a reality on shortwave radio, even in the Internet Age.
Radio World

Video

Pre-planning for the ARRL VHF Contest
KB1HQS

Indoor attic dipole antenna
Trying out an antenna for Ham Radio in the attic.
K5ACL

A note to members from ARRL President Rick Roderick
To those who try to suggest that the Board has abandoned its obligation to the members in favor of the organization — you draw a distinction that doesn’t exist.
ARRL

ARRL CEO to retire
Gallagher, 69, cited recent changes included in the new federal tax law that made it unattractive for him to continue working.
ARRL

ARRL: It’s not just the bylaws that need changin’
To this day, neither Mr. Gallagher nor anyone from the BOD has been willing to answer “Why?”
KL7SB

AO-92 transponder and camera tested, further camera tests planned
The first thirty-six hours of AO-92’s life in orbit have seen a flurry of activity as the AMSAT Engineering and Operations teams walk through an extensive checklist of tests.
AMSAT

DPØGVN WSPR beacon in Antarctica is operational
The multiband receiver of the new permanent WSPR beacon DPØGVN in Antarctica has been put into operation.
Southgate

Anticipating Winter Field Day Jan 27/28
The antenna will be a 100-foot loop 30 feet across 20 feet vertical fed at the bottom with an Icom AH4 tuner. This antenna takes up only 30 linear feet, needs no trees. and was designed to fit the campsite.
N4KGL

[PDF] FT8 Operating Guide
Work the world on HF using the new digital mode.
G4IFB

SSTV with a Baofeng
The Baofeng speaker mic would make the perfect donor for a cable between the radio and audio connection of a computer / smartphone.
Essex Ham

3D-printed radio works, despite having no battery
Called a crystal radio receiver, or sometimes a “cat’s whisker receiver,” this is an incredibly simple type of radio receiver that was popular in the earliest days of radio.
Digital Trends

Video

My first uBitX contact
First contact made with my ubitx transceiver after the initial wiring.
VO1UO

Smith Chart: Z, VSWR, reflection coef and transmission line effects
This video gets into several practical aspects of using a Smith Chart to take care of doing complex calculations involving VSWR, reflection coefficient (gamma and rho), return loss, and the impedance transformations that occur when using transmission line between a source (generator, transmitter, etc.) and the load (antenna, amplifier input, etc.).
W2AEW

Fox-1D launched, initial telemetry received
Initial telemetry values appear nominal.
AMSAT

Ham Radio 360: FaradayRF – Open Source Digital Radio
We pull back the veil and get a glimpse of the future… “Challenging the notion of making a contact.”
Ham Radio 360

ARRL revises changes to Articles of Association and By-Laws
The ARRL Executive Committee is scaling back proposed changes to its Articles of Association and By-Laws.
CQ Magazine

Monitoring power meters with an RTL-SDR
And with one simple command, I was reading the power (and probably water) meters for my entire neighborhood.
kroy.io

Baofeng APRS PTT controller
Baofeng radios trigger the ptt by shorting the sleeves of the two audio connectors. I isolated the audio lines with two audio transformers and set up the pi to trigger the transistor with a GPIO pin.
awsh.org

TyMD380toolz for Tytera MD-380
Now that I have the worldwide database of DMR users loaded onto the radio, its like having caller ID on my HT.
K0NR

Amateur astronomers track secretive spy satellites for fun
If Zuma is still up there, there’s a small group of people who will be ready and watching for it to reappear in a week, when its projected orbit should bring it out of Earth’s shadow and into the daylight.
Popular Science

Why a maritime forecast is so beloved in the United Kingdom
This weather report has been making waves for 150 years.
Atlas Obscura

Video

How Hedy Lamarr changed the world with radio
An overview of frequency hopping.
ARRL

A tip to keep track of charged batteries
This is a little cheap tip I picked up to keep track of the status of multiple charges batteries.
WI9LL

N4KGL FM satellite setup
This is my gear I am using for operating on FM amateur radio satellites like SO-50.
N4KGL

Pocket DATV
Minimal Digital TV chain: Transmitter and Receiver. Hardware used on Tx: PiZero, Picam, LimeSDR Mini. Hardware used on Rx: Raspberry Pi 2, RTL-SDR
YouTube

mcHF QRP transceiver kit
The choice of architecture is a direct conversion receiver and transmitter, with a small micro-controller to provide control and DSP functions. The analog blocks in this implementation were kept to the bare minimum.
M0NKA

Prepare to get your grid on
What’s your grid square? Be prepared to answer that question a lot in 2018. The ARRL International Grid Chase 2018 has begun.
ARRL

Amateur Radio: Narrowband communications in a broadband world
My day job is focused on wider bandwidths and higher frequencies. Then I go home and play amateur radio which is a narrowband, low frequency activity.
K0NR

D-star, DMR, Fusion, Which is right for you?
Each of these modes has a place and my goal is to help you decide which one fits you the best.
K3DO

An Antenna in Every Pot | AO-40
You start out shopping with the group for antenna parts at the local electronics surplus store as the entire plot of this segment was that spacecraft don’t have to be expensive.
FaradayRF

Keep in touch with the hams in your life and help prevent isolation
The AARP reports that more than 8 million adults age 50 and older are affected by isolation.
KB6NU

Exploring options for DIY waterproofing
TL;DR — Don’t use silicone to pot electronics.
Hack A Day

New digital mode puts beacon off air
The Barossa Valley beacon VK5RBV has been switched off to avoid interfering with stations running FT8.
Southgate

A CODAR advent
Over the last few days, I have been recording CODAR on 4463kHz to produce images of the ionosphere.
EA4GPZ / M0HXM

Yaesu FT-857: No TX audio fix
The symptom was that it was transmitting carrier on FM, but no audio was being transmitted. Embarrasing, and potentially expensive.
Essex Ham

Video

Exploring abandoned Hara Arena
The facilities include a bar pub, ballroom, conference center, ice rink, and 4 exhibition halls. This place is huge!
One Occupied

How to seal coax connectors
This method can be applied to many other applications and works great to keep moisture out of your connectors & antennas.
K5ACL

The Apollo 13 Squawk Box
How astronaut families listened to mission audio via their homes.
FranLab

2017 Year in Review

For this last issue of the year, I pulled the most popular links from each issue and complied the top 10
as a ‘look back’ on the world of Amateur Radio in 2017. Enjoy! –Cale K4HCK

#10

End Fed Antennas – Where’s the other half?
I was shocked to say the least, a guy that’s been a ham for 20 years that’s never heard of the End-Fed antenna?
K5ACL (Issue 147)

#9

What pushed Radio Shack into bankruptcy?
After two years of unsuccessful turnaround efforts, RadioShack filed for its second bankruptcy, citing poor mobile sales.
The Christian Science Monitor (Issue 149)

#8

FT8
I was actually flabbergasted by the amount of signals I already received at the 20m FT8 frequency. Within a few moments I already worked HA6NN and A92AA.
PE4BAS (Issue 165)

#7

Teardown Tuesday: Baofeng UV-5R
This display driver has been around since the late 80s.
All About Circuits (Issue 148)

#6

A better way to put a PL-259 on RG-58 coax
This soldering technique simplifies assembly of PL-259s with RG-58 cable.
KB6NU (Issue 155)

#5

The future of Amateur Radio is not in the numbers
In truth, anyone of any age is a potential good candidate to ensure the future of amateur radio.
Off Grid Ham (Issue 170)

#4

First transceiver with built-in FreeDV
Chinese Ham Radio gear for HF with built-in FreeDV digital voice mode.
marxy.org (Issue 153)

#3

Millennials are killing Ham Radio
Despite being clickbait, the title isn’t wrong. Millennials are definitely killing ham radio, just like they’re killing everything else.
N0SSC (Issue 182)

#2

80/40 Meter Loaded Dipole Antenna
The plan for this antenna was to build a lightweight 80/40 meter antenna for field use (as part of my Go Kit) that wouldn’t overload my 21 foot telescoping fiberglass mast.
High on Solder (Issue 151)

#1

FCC revisions will affect GMRS, FRS, CB, other Part 95 devices
CBers will be allowed to contact stations outside of the FCC-imposed — but widely disregarded — 155.3 mile distance limit.
ARRL (Issue 156)

Bonus!

#11

µBITX general coverage HF SSB/CW transceiver kit
It works from 3 MHz to 30 MHz, with up to 10 watts on SSB and CW with a very sensitive receiver.
HF Signals (Issue 185)

#12

The “Slick Six” 6 meter horizontal dipole
This antenna is small, only about 9 feet 4 inches from end to end and is easy to adjust.
hamuniverse.com (Issue 145)