oeradio.at – Amateur Radio in Austria
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Planned Antenna Workshop or an Unplanned Field Day?
What was originally planned as a structured antenna workshop ultimately turned into what radio amateurs love most: a vibrant field day full of hands-on practice, exchange and genuine radio enthusiasm. Several of our newly licensed…
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SOTA meets Star Wars – May the 4th be with you!
For about a year now, I’ve been roaming through Carinthia’s forests, hills, meadows and mountains as a SOTA activist – equipped with a radio, antenna, an old-fashioned paper log and occasionally more optimism than sense…
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D-Star – much more than just voice
Guest post by Alex, OE8HAM: Why D-Star is much more than just voice — image transfer, Bluetooth chat, GPS tracking, voice recorder and the Doozy app for the ID-52 plus.
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Experimental 5-Band Vertical Groundplane – Four Planks for a Hallelujah
Guest article by Jürgen, OE8RMJ If you want to skip the backstory, jump straight to “The Experiment”. Prologue I got my licence in April 2025. Fresh and full of curiosity about the vast field that…
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Kärnten Funkt: New Website for Radio in Carinthia and Beyond
An active radio community has established itself in Carinthia: Kärnten Funkt. The association brings amateur radio, CB radio, PMR and LoRa/Meshtastic together under one roof, now counts over 280 members — and has just launched…
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Magnetic Loop: The Balcony Antenna for Radio Amateurs
If you live in a rented flat or apartment, you know the problem: a Yagi on the roof? Not a chance. A dipole in the garden? What garden? For many radio amateurs in urban areas,…
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Sending and Receiving QSL Cards in Austria: All Options Compared
When radio amateurs in Austria want to exchange QSL cards, the ÖVSV QSL bureau is usually the first thing that comes to mind. But the range of options for sending and receiving contact confirmations has…
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3D Printing for Ham Radio: Projects, Materials and Tips
When you need a special enclosure for ham radio, an antenna mount in an unusual shape, or a part that simply isn’t available to buy — reach for the 3D printer. The combination of amateur…
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Packet Radio & AX.25: The Digital Legacy of Amateur Radio
Long before the internet became mainstream, radio amateurs were already sending digital data packets over the airwaves. Packet Radio — the packet-switched data network based on the AX.25 protocol — was the backbone of digital…
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POTA in Austria: Amateur Radio from Parks and Nature Reserves
A sunny afternoon in a national park, the antenna strung between two trees, the transceiver on the picnic table — and radio amateurs from around the world are calling you. That’s Parks On The Air…
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Kärnten Funkt: 100% Pass Rate at the Amateur Radio Exam — for the Third Time!
Every participant of the Kärnten Funkt course passed the 2026 amateur radio exam — 100% pass rate for the third consecutive time!
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Numbers Stations: The Mysterious Voices of Shortwave
Imagine this: late at night, you’re turning the VFO on your shortwave receiver. Somewhere on 4625 kHz the dial sticks — a monotonous buzzing, about 25 times per minute. You think it’s interference. Then suddenly:…
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Belarus: Radio Amateurs on Trial for Espionage
Seven amateur radio operators in Belarus are facing trial — with the death penalty on the table. The charges: high treason and espionage. The “evidence”: QSL cards, logbooks, and confiscated Baofeng handheld radios. What sounds…
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DX for Beginners: First Steps into Long-Distance Contacts
Japan, Australia, South America — all reachable with your own antenna from the roof? DX operation, meaning radio contacts over great distances, is the pinnacle of the hobby for many radio amateurs. The good news:…
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DX Weather CW 19/2026: SFI 159 — Top Conditions, Quiet Field
CW 19 / 2026 | May 4–10 | SFI 159 | SSN 133 | A 7 | K 3 | X-Ray C1.2 Summary The SFI climbs to 159 — the highest in weeks and a…
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xOTA Map: 34 Outdoor Programs on One Map — with Spots and Field Logging
If you operate outdoors, you know the drill: SOTA has one map, POTA another, WWFF yet another. Spots are scattered, rules are everywhere. The idea came up during the Dobratschrunde — a regular on-air roundtable:…
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OERadio Weekly Digest CW 18/2026
Calendar Week 18/2026 · Read by Charlotte, your new OERadio voice (ElevenLabs Multilingual). Welcome to the OERadio Weekly Digest, calendar week eighteen. New on the mic: Charlotte, your new OERadio voice. This week on oeradio.at:…
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MeshCom vs. Meshtastic: LoRa Mesh Networks for Radio Amateurs
Text messages without the internet, without mobile networks, without infrastructure — simply device-to-device across kilometres? What sounds like science fiction has long been reality with LoRa mesh networks. Two projects dominate the scene: Meshtastic, the…
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QRP Operation: Around the World with 5 Watts
Five watts of transmit power — less than an LED light bulb consumes — and making contacts across thousands of kilometres? That’s the fascination of QRP, operating with reduced power. What sounds like a limitation…
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Yaesu FT-290R: 2.5 Watts of Pure Addiction
There are radios you buy. And there are radios that find you. My Yaesu FT-290R belongs to the second category. I was scrolling through willhaben (Austria’s Craigslist) one evening, no plan, just browsing, and there…
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RTL-SDR for Beginners: Discover the World of Radio for 30 Euros
Track aircraft, receive weather satellite images, listen to amateur radio, monitor ships on the Danube — all with a USB stick costing around 30 euros? Welcome to the world of Software Defined Radio. The RTL-SDR…
