This weekend: September VHF contest
Objective: For amateurs in the US and Canada (and their possessions) to work as many amateur stations in as many different 2 degrees x 1 degree Maidenhead grid squares as possible using authorized frequencies above 50 MHz.
ARRL

The Hurricane Watch Net
The Hurricane Watch Net is a group of licensed Amateur Radio Operators, trained and organized to provide essential communications support to the National Hurricane Center during times of Hurricane emergencies.
Hurricane Watch Net

Tips for communicating after a disaster
Tips from a Ham Radio operator for communicating after a disaster if all you have is a cell phone.
N4AE

Mom uses Ham Radio to find missing son in wake of Harvey
An Illinois woman used an old-fashioned way to communicate with her son, who was missing after Harvey wreaked havoc on Texas.
WDSU

New version of WSJT-X includes FT8 changes
North American VHF Contesting Mode has been expanded to include both FT8 and MSK144 modes.
ARRL

Eclipse 2017 shortwave propagation observations
Going into this experiment I suspected that since the eclipse should temporarily reduce ionization to D-layer of the ionosphere, there might be some reduction in corresponding typical D-layer daytime absorption on lower frequencies.
The SWLing Post

New ICOM IC-9700 revealed at the Tokyo Ham Fair
Just revealed at the Tokyo Ham Fair 2017 is a new ICOM IC-9700 SDR 144/440/1296 all mode rig.
N6PSE

Teleflix: Morse interface for Netflix
Decode the tapped Morse code, have the Pi present itself as a USB Keyboard, and fire the decoded letters at a retail PS4 running a custom version of the Netflix UI.
Blog of Some Guy

Up close with the Russian Woodpecker
A Soviet engineering and scientific feat of its time, the Russian Woodpecker was an over-the-horizon radar system designed to provide early detection of an intercontinental ballistic missile attack.
news.com

Smoky Mountain Summits On The Air
We are using VHF/UHF for SOTA activations and opted for a basic FM station for this trip: a pair of Yaesu FT-1D handhelds, a couple of vertical antennas and a 3-element Arrow yagi antenna for 2 meters.
K0NR

Video

Tennessee Hams welcome new Techs to the hobby
Wonderful welcome messages in person and on the air for all the recently licensed Hams.
W8IFG

How to decode Weather Fax on shortwave using FLDIGI
How to decode NOAA HF fax transmissions using FLDIGI.
YouTube

Longest distance Amateur 3.4 GHz contact via Moon
Matthew Cosby and Noel Matthews (G8GTZ) talk about massive dishes, Moon bounces and making a world record.
SpaceKate

Charging a laptop from 12V
I’m charging a little HP laptop which takes 19.5V so the converter is set to that and all boxed up nicely.
marxy’s musing on technology

Maritime mobile operation on LF may be a first for Amateur Radio
What began as a “let’s-see-if-we-can-do-this” effort resulted in successful Amateur Radio contacts on 475 kHz.
ARRL

Ofcom takes action against repeater abuse
Ofcom has mandated that GB3DY at Wirksworth and GB3EE at Chesterfield go silent for 14 days.
Essex Ham

Fine tuning noise floor testing methodology
Hot vs cold assumption: A colder dongle has a lower noise floor.
Radio for Everyone

RadioShack dealers unleashed by latest bankruptcy
The future is bright for franchisees, a Wisconsin dealer says.
Twice.com

Recognize your Elmer
ARRL’s Elmer Award and mentor program.
KB6NU

Waterfalls from the eclipse
You can see waterfalls for the 3 bands. They use the same scaling, with a dynamic range of 50dB, so it is easy to see how the noise floor changes per band.
Daniel Estévez

Worked All Europe from a train station
I tossed a half wave wire over a maple tree on the hill overlooking the old station. There was a picnic table directly underneath. I used the KX3 on 20 meters.
AmateurRadio.com

Video

Overcoming mic fright and making your first radio contact on the air
A few tips to encourage those that might be suffering from an easily curable ailment called ‘mic fright.’
K5ACL

Mobile antenna setup
Mobile in the car with a Chameleon Antenna.
SA5LKC

CRT Cataract Repair
A tutorial on removing CRT cataracts from old screens.
John Sutley

Hurricane Harvey: How to monitor Watch Net via shortwave radio
The Hurricane Watch Net is a group of amateur radio operators who are trained and organized “to provide essential communications support to the National Hurricane Center during times of Hurricane emergencies.”
SWLing Post

Solar Eclipse QSO Party a hit, science conclusions await analysis
While logs are still coming in, the preliminary participation numbers look good.
ARRL

Ham operator rescues epileptic girl on remote campsite
Ham was able to direct paramedics to the area after one of the camping party used a radio set to call for help as there was no mobile phone signal.
BBC News

N9EWO Review : Icom IC-R8600
In our view this is the best receiver Icom has produced to date.
N9EWO

The future of Amateur Radio is not in the numbers
Stop hawking EMCOMM. Forget about Morse Code.
Off Grid Ham

RAC Canada 150 Award
Celebrating Canada’s 150th Birthday.
RAC

Make great circle maps from any location in the world
Good looking maps in the azimuthal equidistant projection
SM3GSJ

A great way to make quick and easy knobs
All you need is some casting resin, a silicone mold intended for candy, and some socket head bolts.
Hack A Day

Video

Digital mode FT-8 with light bulb antenna
750 Miles.
W6LG

Solar Eclipse QSO Party
The SEQP will take place on August 21 from 1400 – 2200 UTC.
hamsci.org

VUARC Eclipse balloon project
AA4VU will fly three items in the balloon payload: Crossband repeater, APRS tracking unit, CW ID.
Vanderbilt University Amateur Radio Club

Pacific Hams to aid emergency response during eclipse
Alderman Steve Myers asked local hams to be on hand during the eclipse in case someone needs an ambulance or police during a cell tower overload.
Pacific Missourian

South Carolina Hams to aid emergency response during eclipse
There will be added voices over the air waves, aiding emergency response over the Total Solar Eclipse weekend.
WIS

Ham Radio Operators step up in good times and bad
Hams regularly volunteer their skills and expertise to coordinate responses in emergencies like the Boston Marathon bombing and when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans.
Emergency Management

The 30m CW Interest Group
encourages CW activity on 30m to ensure that we do not lose this very special prime CW band to other modes, nor lose it to other primary services.
30cw.net

Using RUMlogNG for iOS with an Elecraft KX2 over Bluetooth
My goal is to build the project for under $35. I’m also planning to design my own PCB board and offer it as a kit.
VA2SS.com

A test of the saltwater effect using WSPR
The simultaneous reports showed a mean 10 dB SNR advantage for Vertical 1 at the shore.
N4KGL.info

ARRL finally realizes status quo isn’t going to cut it
Any “visioning” or strategic planning that doesn’t get the membership involved right from the start just isn’t going to work.
KB6NU.com

Parachute Mobile
In the Air, On the Air
Parachute Mobile

Thank a Ham radio operator today
Since the early 1900s, no other group has made a greater contribution to radio communications.
The Tribune

Video

RF Noise: Find the sources
Neighbors, street lighting, shopping malls plus much more. I have had a few QSOs on SSB when the propagation have been good and other stations have been strong so they have overthrown my QRM.
SA5LKC

HF signal propagation reporter
Where is your signal being heard? Is your antenna working? What is the status of the band? Check out this video to learn about the PSK reporter website and how it can benefit you.
HamRadioConcepts

Hara Arena to be auctioned by IRS
The minimum bid is $850,000; proceeds will satisfy a tax lien.
ARRL

Amateur Radio and The Maker Community
Makers generally use radios as a means of achieving a larger goal whereas radio amateurs generally use radios as a means of communicating.
FaradayRF

A rediscovery of TV antennas
Almost a third of Americans (29%) are unaware television is available for free.
Southgate

The ghostly radio station that no one claims to run
MDZhB has been broadcasting since 1982. No one knows why.
BBC

Antenna Summer – part 2
I finally went further on my quest to erect a better antenna for 20 meters.
AmateurRadio.com

Ham pushes village to allow zoning exception for front-yard antenna
Should there be a way for government to give one person the right, just one time, to exceed the letter of the law, without changing that law for all time for everybody that comes after that person?
Chicago Tribune

Wolf River Coil Silver Bullet – the ultimate portable vertical antenna
Once I threw a few radials underneath the antenna, I was hearing like I had never heard before.
K5ACL

Deployable VHF crossed Yagi antenna for CubeSats
Sean Hum VA3SHV and Jeff Nicholls VA3NGJ worked on the design for a deployable VHF crossed Yagi antenna on the recently launched NORsat-2.
AMSAT UK

WSPR comparison: vertical vs. dipole
My quick analysis indicates the vertical had the edge over the dipole in distance and total spots.
N4KGL

Ham Radio promotional posters
The six posters are based around the theme, “Ham Radio Is…”
ARRL

Video

FT-8 HF/6m digital mode introduction for beginners
This is an introduction for someone who has never heard of FT-8, or has never used JT-65.
HamRadioConcepts

Antenna tram
2X Array installed @ 50′
YouTube

Solar power inverter interference 30mhz to 120mhz
This is what happens if you or your neighbors install a dodgy quality solar power system.
YouTube

17 year old ISS APRS packet module bites the dust
ARISS has received several reports stating that the packet system on ISS is down. Here is what we know and our current forward plan.
AMSAT

[PDF] ARRL Annual Report
Well designed report with a focus on members, NPOTA, and women in radio.
ARRL

Traditional Ham Radio leaves youngsters uninterested
ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, expressed his surprise when he discovered his usual amateur radio talk didn’t impress young people.
Southgate

A story from a numbers stations operator
The purpose of all this was to send messages to spies implanted in an enemy (or target) country. However not all – or even not many – of the broadcasts were actually messages.
numbers-stations.com

Amateur Radio at Alert, Nunavut
When the UHF link from Alert to Eureka was installed in the early 1980’s, it brought telephone service to Alert for the very first time.
VE3FAB

Single lever paddle for the KX series
If you want to have an attachable paddle for your KX3 or KX2, but feel squeamish about parting with the dinero for a set of Elecraft KX3PD or KX2PD attachable iambic paddles, then you might want to look into buying one of these.
W2LJ

QRP vs. QRO… Let’s “go there”
The QRP vs. QRO dilemma seems to be a top concern for off grid hams. Let’s objectively try to sort this one out.
Off Grid Ham

A history of CB radio in the US and UK
Probably the first recorded users of the illegal 27MHz band were the Charlie Bravo Group who seem to have appeared in about 1965.
RF-man

Video

Tropo band opening VHF/UHF Midwest USA
This is the time of year here in my area for some good tropospheric band openings on the VHF and UHF bands on ham radio. Here is a little sample of what I was hearing and talking to from my ham shack.
RadioHamGuy

Kenwood TH-D74 – review and quick tour
This video is a quick tour, but complete, of the Kenwood TH-D74.
Laboenligne.ca

Receive pictures from space
The International Space Station is transmitting SSTV pictures to Radio Amateurs around the world on 145.800 MHz FM.
Southgate

Serious DX: The Deep Space Network
Amateur Radio operator Paul Marsh (M0EYT) recently bagged the Cassini probe, currently making its final orbits of Saturn before plunging into the gas giant in September.
Hack A Day

Using SDRTrunk on Linux for live trunk tracking with an RTL-SDR
SDRTrunk is a cross platform Java based piece of software that can be used for following trunked radio conversations.
RTL-SDR.com

Antenna Summer
This summer it is time to get serious about putting up a decent antenna. Being a sensible guy I set myself some goals.
AmateurRadio.com

Connect with the global community of Amateur Radio enthusiasts
I first got involved in amateur radio (also called ham radio) in 2010, mostly to prove a point that “girls can be amateur radio operators too” — and discovered I was joining a fun community by doing so.
Make:

Scrap dealer finds Apollo-era NASA computers in engineer’s basement
Plus hundreds of mystery tapes from Pioneer and Helios probe missions.
Ars Technica

Review: Hiland adjustable DC regulated power supply kit‎
Limiting the amount of current a prototype can draw is really a must. Also, Did I mention the power supply goes down to zero volts? Not an every day need but definitely a good feature.
EA4EOZ

Video

A close look at our Ham Radio go box
We show you what is in the Go Box and how we installed all of the equipment.
YouTube

New digital mode FT-8 for the fast & furious
Here’s a short demonstration on the new digital mode FT-8 developed by K1JT & K9AN.
K5ACL

Replacing dead capacitors in consumer electronics
Replacing the capacitors in an old Netgear FS116 Ethernet switch, but the same methods should apply to any other piece of consumer electronics.
The Life of Kenneth