KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

On the Internet

Let’s meet up at Hamvention 2026

By 1 Comment

Hamvention 2026 logoCale, K4HCK, and I are inviting members of the Fediverse, ICQ Podcast listeners, and our readers  to join fellow users at Hamvention 2026. The informal meet-up will take place Saturday, May 16th at 11:00 AM. We’ll meet in front of the Zero Retries/DLARC booth, #1506 in Building 1, aka the Maxim building.  (Thanks to Steve and Kay for allowing the use of their booth as a rendezvous point!)

Cale and I will both have stickers to pass out and we hope to see you there!

What is the Fediverse and how does it relate to ham radio? The Fediverse is a collection of social networking sites that communicate with one another in a decentralized way. It’s an open source alternative to centralized social networks such as Facebook and X. I like to describe it as the nerd version of Twitter.

There are several ham radio themed Fediverse instances with thriving communities of radio amateurs, including:

You can find and follow Cale on the Fediverse at https://mastodon.radio/@K4HCK. You can find and follow me at https://mastodon.radio/@kb6nu.

ICQPodcast Episode 479 – Baofeng UV-5R Mini

By Leave a Comment

ICQ Podcast logo.In this episode, I join Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news, including:

Colin, M6BOY, also reports on the following:

This month’s feature is a report on the new Baofeng UV-5R Mini.

ICQPodcast Episode 475 – Expanding portable ops on 70cm/2m

By Leave a Comment

ICQ Podcast logo.In this episode, I join Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest Amateur / Ham Radio news, including:

This episode’s feature is “Expanding portable ops on 70cm/2m.”

 

What are amateur radio’s top three priorities in the next three years?

By 2 Comments

Steve, N8GNJ, publishes a newsletter called Zero Retries. Steve describes the newsletter as “an independent newsletter about technological innovation in Amateur Radio (sic), promoting Amateur Radio as (literally) a license to experiment with and learn about radio technology.” It’s a great newsletter, and I’d encourage you to subscribe.

In addition to the newsletter, Zero Retries hosts a Groups.io mailing list. In the Zero Retries group, they discuss the topics covered in the newsletter. One of the latest topics is “Top three priorities, in the next three years, for Amateur Radio in the 21st Century? ” The purpose of this topic is “figuring out what should be the focus of efforts promoting amateur radio in the 21st century.”

Steve starts the discussion by listing three of his ideas:

  • US Amateur Radio reform to remove the symbol rate limits and (preferably) bandwidth limits for the US Amateur Radio VHF / UHF bands.
  • Amore modern “single web page” directory for 21st century Amateur Radio that, for example, references Zero Retries, SARC The Communicator, the reference how.aprs.works for APRS, the upcoming ARRL book on digital networking, the RATPAC video conferences, references to HamSCI, etc. Something that someone thinking about coming into Amateur Radio would find relevant.
  • Some guide, book, web page, video tutorials… something… current… that discusses how to use GNU Radio and GNU Radio Companion for experiencing within Amateur Radio. Includes a directory of various GNU Radio flowgraphs relevant to Amateur Radio such as a flowgraph about 1200 bps AFSK packet radio.

There are a lot of other good ideas in the comments, including:

  • Better digital audio.
  • LoRa on the VHF and UHF bands, and maybe even voice over LoRa.
  • De-emphasize the emergency communications aspect of amateur radio and focus on the “fun” aspects of ham radio, such as POTA and SOTA.
  • Outreach to young professionals and college students.
  • A geosynchronous (or long orbital period) amateur satellite into orbit covering North America. Along with this, devise ground stations that are easy to reproduce on hobby budgets.
  • Make open, non-proprietary digital voice modes widely available, built in to equipment or as add-ons.
  • Develop open, non-proprietary DSP software for transmitter builders, with the goals of efficiency (polar modulation) and clean signals (amplifier linearization).
  • Development of inexpensive small all-mode radios for use in all microwave bands up to 100 GHz. Radios must have USB connection for various modes and content. Should be 12 Vdc powered.
  • Really good basic level publications on GNU Radio that will allow the majority of ham operators to understand and use this powerful tool.
  • Educate Technician class operators about the world of ham radio beyond a cheep handheld to kerchunk local repeaters…..

Take a look and see what you think. You can comment here, but I’d really encourage you to join the group and comment on the mailing list. It will add to the discussion.

ICQPodcast Episode 469 – Club Open Day and Radio Centre Win Award

By Leave a Comment

ICQ Podcast logo.In this episode, I join Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest amateur/ham radio news, including:

There are also reports on:

This episode’s feature is Club Open Day and RSGB win an award.

Ham Radio Ireland magazine relaunched

By Leave a Comment

I received the following email a couple of days ago:

Following many requests over the last year we have relaunched Ham Radio Ireland, Ireland’s only independent amateur radio magazine. We have just published our April 2025 issue, and it may be downloaded for free. Back issues of the magazine are also available.

If you wish to contribute articles to our magazine we would be delighted to include them. Articles should be submitted in Word format and be 1.5 – 2 pages or more with good quality photographs (not compressed).

We hope you enjoy this free e-Magazine and our intention is to publish every two months from here onwards. Please feel free to share with friends and other groups/clubs and social media.

Steve EI5DD

We covered this story on the ICQ Podcast several episodes ago, and as a result, I sent them an article on my POTA antenna experiments, which they included in the April 2025 issue. This issue also includes articles on:

  • Diodes
  • Hex beam antennas
  • Bunkers on the Air
  • and more

ICQPodcast Episode 452 – Disqualified ARRL board nominees tell their stories

By Leave a Comment

In this episode, I join Martin Butler M1MRB, Caryn Eve Murray KD2GUT, Edmund Spicer M0MNG, and Ed Durrant DD5LP to discuss the latest amateur/ham radio news:

From my point of view, the big news is this episode’s feature, which starts at approximately the 1:25:00 mark. In the feature, Frank K4FMH and I interview the three hams who were disqualified from last year’s ARRL board elections. They are:

  • Jim Talens, N3JT
  • Dan Marler, K7REX
  • Fred Hopengarten, K1VR

Each of them tells the story of how they came to be disqualified, and I’m sure that these stories are sure to raise an eyebrow or two. After hearing their stories, we all discuss how the recent board decision to modfy ByLaw 18 will make the ARRL even less democratic and what that might mean for ARRL membership. (TL;DR it’s not a positive thing.)

Videos: Single sideband, HAMNET update, HF propagation

By Leave a Comment

Introduction to SSB

This is an Air Traffic Command instructional video describing the theory behind single side band (SSB) modulation. Dig that jazzy intro music!

HAMNet Update

HAMNET (Highspeed Amateur radio Multimedia NETwork) is a fully-independent amateur radio wireless network that provides data services. It’s a wireless internet, so to speak. It covers many regions in Europe and is even now growing fast beyond its European border. Hamnet is using international coordinated IP-address space of the AMPRNet (44.0.0.0/8) and Autonomous System (AS) numbers out of the 16-bit and 32-bit private AS number space to interconnect active regions by external Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing.

Here is an up date on HAMNET given at the recent FOSDEM conference.

Rohde & Schwarz on HF Propagation

Rohde & Schwarz produces some of the finest RF instrumentation in the world. They also produce great videos on RF topics. This one explains HF propagation.

ITU offers spectrum-management classes

By Leave a Comment

I’m not sure how I got on this particular ITU mailing list, but I got an email this morning announcing some spectrum management courses that the ITU is offering:

  • SMTP – Advanced spectrum authorization regimes
    3 – 28 February 2025 | Online
    Explore modern spectrum management approaches, focusing on advanced allocation, dynamic access, flexible use, and innovative licensing to optimise spectrum resources.
  • Satellite coordination procedures & fillings 
    17 February – 14 March 2025 | Online
    Learn about ITU’s Radio Regulations, covering orbit spectrum allocation, satellite filings, coordination procedures, regulatory examinations, and BR space tools and databases.
  • SMTP – Opportunistic spectrum access & cognitive radio
    17 February – 14 March 2025 | Online
    Gain insights into opportunistic spectrum access, spectrum sensing techniques, white space utilisation, and current regulations on Cognitive Radio and White Spaces.

The cost for these is $300 each, so I’m not sure that individual hams will want to sign up for these classes, but perhaps it might be worthwhile for someone at the ARRL to sign up for one or more. That is, if there is anyone left there whose job it is to keep up with advances in spectrum management.

One free event that hams certainly might be interested in attending is the seminar E1 – LEO Satellite Constellation Fundamentals, 30 January 2025, 14:30 to 16:30 CET. The description for this seminar reads:

Kickstart your 2025 space journey with our inaugural Space Connect session! In this first installment of our exciting new series, we’re diving into the revolution happening in Low Earth Orbit.  Discover the orbital choreography of modern satellite constellations and the radio spectrum that makes global connectivity possible. ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin and Director of Radiocommunications Mario Maniewicz will open this session, followed by expert insights into the technology and market forces driving the LEO satellite boom. Join us for this first step into the future of space communications. Save your spot now – and stay tuned for more fascinating Space Connect sessions throughout 2025!

I think that they’re probably going to be talking about things like Starlink, but perhaps this could get some hams thinking about doing a ham radio version of Starlink.

A couple of things from my inbox: DLARC updates, W4RNL pages updated

By Leave a Comment

New stuff in the Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC)

Kay, K6KJN, curator of the Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Communications (DLARC) recently posted the following to the ARDC-Community mailing list:

First,  my What’s New in DLARC column in the Zero Retries newsletter talks about archiving the Japanese language “Ham’s Radio” podcast, fascinating newly digitized material from the estate of satellite television pioneer Bob Cooper, and new scans of many amateur radio newsletters.

Second, the Internet Archive blog has a great new post about the college radio material recently added to DLARC. Highlights include 1980s radio interviews with LL Cool J, Sonic Youth and more, 1960s amateur radio footage, college radio oral histories, and radio station correspondence from the 1940s-1960s.

W4RLN antenna info now on GitHub

Thanks to Lonney, K1LH, the L. B. Cebik W4RNL (SK) Website and Document Collection is now on GitHub as well as on the website. What you’ll find there is:

  • a download of the Cebik website,
  • a topic index,
  • a collection of books by W4RLN
  • a collection of magazine article written by W4RLN,
  • transcripts of talks given by W4RLN, and
  • an “antenna potpourri.”
W4RLN was really quite prolific. If you’re at all interested in antennas, you really should check out this collection.