Field Day 2016 is upon us!
Sean, KX9X, Media and Public Relations Manager for the ARRL comes by to share the League’s perspective of the event as well as some tips and tricks to make this Field Day one to remember.
HamRadio360

Field Day 2016 site locator
To find a location near you, type in your town and state in the Location or Call Sign box on the left.
ARRL

It’s Field Day weekend 2016: find a local event, have fun
If you live in North America and have an interest in becoming a ham radio operator, this is the weekend to check out what amateur radio is all about.
The SWLing Post

Are you ready for Field Day?
I’ve been working on my set up for portable HF operations for the last couple of months. It is nothing elaborate or even remotely fancy. It does work and that is good enough for me.
N0RVS

VLF, LF, MF experimenters will transmit ARRL Field Day greetings
A number of Experimental (Part 5) licensees — nearly all of them radio amateurs — have been plying the depths of the radio spectrum as the ham radio community awaits FCC action on the new 2200 and 630 meter bands.
ARRL

Field Day 2016: Activate Off Grid Systems!
Be flexible and understand that Field Day means different things to different people. For some, it’s a serious disaster preparedness drill. For others, it’s a contest, a public outreach effort, or a picnic in the park with radios.
Off Grid Ham

Checklist for a GOTA station
So, I don’t forget to bring anything, I thought I’d come up with a checklist for the station.
KB6NU

Special event station K1D to operate satellites on Field Day
In an effort to encourage more kids and their families to get involved in the hobby, the kids at Ham Radio (dot) World are working to put an all-kids Special Event ARRL Field Day station on the air.
Southgate

“Amateur Radio Week” proclamations abound in advance of Field Day
Several states, counties, and communities across the US have officially recognized the public contributions of Amateur Radio.
ARRL

New Mexico wildfire emergency threatens some Field Day sites
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®) volunteers in New Mexico late last week responded to the Dog Head fire, which is affecting Torrance and Bernalillo counties, and that activation continues.
ARRL

Field Day 2016 rules [PDF]
Field Day is open to all amateurs in the areas covered by the ARRL/RAC Field Organizations and countries within IARU Region 2. DX stations residing in other regions may be contacted for credit, and may submit entries as check-logs.
ARRL

When everything else fails, ham radio will still be there—and thriving
Ham is now a full-fat fabric that can provide Internet access. Why aren’t you using it?
ars technica

FCC to investigate rise in noise floor
The FCC is investigating changes and trends to the radio spectrum noise floor to determine if there is an increasing noise problem.
ARRL

Daily Twitter HF Activity Challenge
Amass as many contacts as possible between 0000z and 2359z each day. Post your results to Twitter.
SOTABEAMS

TCP and UDP connections over audio
This binding provides an abstract version which emits and consumes floating point samples which can be fed to a sound card.
GitHub

6 Meter Quad Turnstile Antenna
A quad turnstile consists of two cubical quad loops oriented in a diamond configuration and angled 90 degrees apart from one another.
High on Solder

DIY Powerpole voltage and current meters
Due to the availability of nice and cheap modules, it is very easy to make them oneself.
AmateurRadio.com

Canada Day Contest 2016 is coming
Amateurs all over the world are invited to Canada’s Birthday Party on the air.
RAC

23DA330 Jeremy’s Homebrew Quad
Jeremy was able to remove about 145′ of #19 copper wire from the old discarded washing machine motor which provided him more than enough wire to create 3 square loop driven and parasitic elements.
Delta Alfa

Video

Icom 7300 Fldigi Setup
Whether I’m using N1MM, N3FJP, MMTTY or Fldigi, the rig settings stay the same.
K0PIR

Digital modes via satellite
An example of what it’s like to work amateur satellites using digital modes.
YouTube

Last Pass of April 2016 ISS SSTV Event
This is one of two rare MAI-75 passes over North America.
YouTube

ARRL June VHF Contest this weekend
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

Hey, which coaxial cable should I use?
We’ll focus on the most popular cables, with 50 ohm impedance to match the output impedance of our transceivers.
Ham Radio School

Is DMR the digital voice winner in Amateur Radio?
It was standing room only at the DMR Forum at Dayton this year.
KB6NU.com

AM: The original speech transmission mode
AM radio has been in slow decline for decades, indeed it’s disappearing completely in some European countries.
Hack A Day

Deceptive Sun
A quick glance at Sunday’s sun reveals a spotless environment, something we will likely be seeing more often in the years to come.
VE7SL

Digital Video Transmission using LimeSDR and GNU Radio
One of the reasons why I find the LimeSDR interesting is that it can transmit high data rates over a wide frequency spectrum. It covers many ham radio bands where we can legally transmit wide signals using high power.
MYRIAD RF

ARES volunteers take part in search for missing plane
Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) volunteers in Kentucky recently joined other volunteer organizations, law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency managers in an effort to locate a missing single-engine private aircraft.
ARRL

Mark’s battle with RFI & EMI
Everyone involved in radio comms will suffer this insane problem at some stage of their hobby career. Interference from cheap and nasty technology destroying listening pleasure!
Delta Alfa

Bouvet… so far away…
Why isn’t the Intrepid DX Group announcing plans to activate Bouvet? It all comes down to money. Lots of money is needed.
N6PSE

Decoding NOAA weather satellite telemetry beacons
The telemetry not only contains data such as the current spacecraft time, day and ID, but also contains scientific data from on-board instruments.
RTL-SDR.com

Wrap it up: Icom sums up Hamvention 2016
Icom America

Video

K8RA P2 Paddle restoration timelapse
YouTube

2016 Hamvention attendance up slightly?
General chairman of the event said attendance this year may have been up slightly from 2015.
ARRL

Can we use a Raspberry Pi model B as FreeDV modem?
I am going to try using them as a headless FreeDV modem similar to the SM1000.
OZ9AEC

6 meter collinear antenna
I like to keep my antennas simple and cheap by using wire as the basis for everything.
High on Solder

Shield Hat: Signal Proof Apparel
It has shielding effectiveness 55dB-65dB from 10 MHz to 4 GHz. Silver is also antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiodor and antistatic.
Shield

Custom 19″ cabinet for a portable repeater
A 19 Inch rack mount is a standardized frame or cabinet for mounting equipment modules.
NT1K

How is Amateur Radio in your country?
European Radio Amateurs’ Organization’s survey wants to determine the current status of amateur radio in your country.
ERAO

Adventures with software defined radio
The SoftRock RXTX Ensemble seemed highly respected and has been available long enough to develop a good user base.
M0SPN

Video

NPOTA Activation: Expect the unexpected
W3ATB shares his NPOTA activation of Saint Gardens (NS60) in New Hampshire on June 1, 2016.
W3ATB

KD2GTM’s Hamvention Recap
All about my experience at my first Hamvention!
KD2GTM

The Transistor: 1953 documentary, anticipating its coming impact
The intent of the film was clearly to give the public of that era their first understanding of what a transistor was and why it mattered so much.
AT&T Tech Channel

Yaesu FT-891 update
The Yaesu FT-891 is the smallest and lightest 100W HF transceiver ever built at 155x52x218mm and 1.9Kg. Unfortunately, the 2A current draw on standby makes it unsuited for truly portable operations.
QRP Blog

2016 Dayton Hamvention: Exhibits Photos
Extensive photoset of Hamvention exhibitor spaces.
The SWLing Post

The Hamvention Takeaway
You’re looking at about two football fields worth of parking spaces, filled with cars, tents, and collapsible tables and the strangest electronic devices you’ve ever seen.
Hack A Day

Photo tour of the 2016 Dayton Hamvention Flea Market
Weather at the Dayton Hamvention was quite pleasant–cool and partly cloudy.
The SWLing Post

Hamvention wants a future at Hara Arena
The Dayton Amateur Radio Association plans to stay at Hara for “as long as (they) draw breath.”
myDayton Daily News

$25 satellite tracker
I found a $25 pan and tilt solution, meant for mounting cameras from drones.
Paul’s Projects

80 meter inverted L
I needed a cheap and relatively unobtrusive solution and I found one in Len Paget’s (GM0ONX) design for an inverted L.
AmateurRadio.com

FCC denies petition for consideration in vanity call sign dispute
An Arizona radio amateur has been unsuccessful in convincing the FCC to take a 1 × 2 vanity call sign away from its present holder and grant it to him.
ARRL

HF portable ops solar powered
My power source for the Yaesu FT-857D is my 12 volt power can with the batteries being maintained by the two solar panels.
Jerry’s Journal

Is pirate radio still a problem in the digital age?
We are examining why ‘pirate’ radio persists despite the existence of legal alternatives to unlicensed broadcasting.
Middlesex University London

Video

Elecraft KX2 decoding PSK31
VA2SS

New D-STAR HT from Kenwood
Tri-band, D-STAR, APRS included. Rumors of August availability at $600.
AmateurRadio.com

New Yaesu FT-891 mobile HF rig
It covers 30kHz to 56MHz on receive and transmits in the amateur bands from 160m to 6m with 100W output.
QRP Blog

HamRadio360 interviews Elecraft co-founder, discusses new KX2
Elecraft gives first peek into the new KX2 transceiver.
HamRadio360

[PDF] Elecraft KX2 brochure
Elecraft

[PDF] Elecraft KX2 data sheet
Elecraft

[PDF] Elecraft KX2 FAQ
Elecraft

Video: KX2 in action for SOTA activation
Elecraft KX2 and KX3 Transceivers in action, side-by-side
WG0AT

DV4home announced, supports D-STAR, DMR, dPMR & P25
The DV4home features direct Internet transceive mode using the microphone and the external speaker.
Wireless Holdings

Uniden announces DMR support for its flagship scanners
Uniden has announced that its flagship BCD436HP and BCD536HP HomePatrol series scanners will soon support DMR monitoring.
VA3XPR

Dayton Hamvention AMSAT demonstration plans
A special demonstration on SO-50 will take place during the 12:19pm (16:19 UTC) pass on Saturday May 21st.
AMSAT

Hackaday at Hamvention
The main purpose of my visit is to document the immense swap meet. There will be over a thousand vendors hocking their wares, from antique radios to gauges and other electronic paraphernalia.
Hackaday

ARRL CEO want to hear from you at Dayton
ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, said he’s looking forward to hearing in person from ARRL members when he makes his inaugural appearance at Hamvention.
ARRL

DX Engineering announces new acquisitions
DX Engineering has acquired exclusive rights to Clifton Laboratories’ ham radio product line, and it has purchased TW Antennas.
ARRL

Experience Hamvention remotely
Check out some of the webcasts that will emanate from Hara Arena during the big show.
ARRL

NPOTA activations while bound for Dayton
En route to the 2016 Dayton Hamvention, I’m doing a few National Parks On The Air (NPOTA) activations with my my buddy, Eric (WD8RIF).
The SWLing Post

CubeSats with Amateur Radio payloads deploy from ISS
The Slow Scan Television (SSTV) satellite STMSat-1, built by Elementary students at Saint Thomas More Cathedral School (STM), was deployed along with the pair of NODES CubeSats built by students at Santa Clara University.
AMSAT UK

Television signal DXing
Would pristine digital signals make it harder to find unusual stations? And with so many TVs offering digital channel-scanning functionality, would the heavy tweaking so often needed to bring a channel to life eventually make TV DXing impossible?
Motherboard

habhub: Complete high altitude ballooning software tool set
Tracking system, predictor, car chase apps, SSDV, more…
habub

Ham Radio Mesh Networks – fun and fulfilling
The concept is to take commercial off-the-shelf technology and re-purpose it into a mesh data network.
AmateurRadio.com

Hara Arena Update
About the time we all were leaving Hara Arena last year, organizers were putting up posters detailing the upgrades that would soon be made to the aging facility.
KE9V

Icom: 3 booths at Dayton. Dedicated D-STAR and Land Mobile booths
We’ll have three IC-7300s in the main booth including demonstrations of it in operation with our RS-BA1 Remote Control Software.
Icom

Dayton forums to be streamed live
Official live coverage of Hamvention, produced by DARALive.
Hamvention

AMSAT: Top 10 reasons to come to Dayton
Rub shoulders with 25,000 of your best friends at the largest hamfest in the United States.
Southgate

Dual-band mobile supports DMR, D-STAR and C4FM
“NEW RADIO” will operate on the 2m & 70cm bands and support the most common ham digital modes, including DMR, D-STAR and C4FM (System Fusion), plus analog FM.
VA3XPR

Ham sues repeater owners
The issue before us is whether repeater owners have the right to determine who can and cannot use their network.
PRN

Open VHF digital voice radio prototype ready for manufacture
The SM2000 will be a small box that contains a fully functional VHF SDR Digital Voice radio.
Rowetel

DMR is getting big around here
As a member of Auxcomm, I noticed DMR radios were in heavy use at the state EOC. Also, every time I get around a group of hams, the subject of DMR comes up.
KK4DSD

No Nonsense Extra Class Study Guide ready for new question pool
The new Extra Class question pool goes into effect on July 1, 2016. KB6NU’s updated study guide is now available.
KB6NU

Solar Efficiency: It’s Not What You Think
We’ll go through a hypothetical power system step by step and examine solar efficiency, then fit the pieces together to make the picture complete.
Off Grid Ham

Video

Icom IC-7300 MNF ANF IF Filter works on interference
The Icom IC-7300 knocks out annoying interference.
K0PIR

Built my Elecraft KX3 in about one minute
DL2YMR