Category: Technology
HackRF PortaPack: The Portable All-Rounder for SDR Enthusiasts
If you're into Software Defined Radio, you know the problem: most SDR devices are powerful but need a computer to work. Not so with the HackRF One and its PortaPack extension — a combination that has…
ISS Contact via Amateur Radio: How to Hear the Space Station
Who wouldn't want to make contact with an astronaut orbiting Earth at 28,000 km/h? The International Space Station ISS makes exactly that possible – and you probably already have the equipment for it in your shack.…
Understanding Propagation Conditions: SFI, K-Index, A-Index Explained
"What are the conditions like today?" – every amateur radio operator asks themselves this question before going on the bands. The answer lies in a handful of key indicators: SFI , K-Index , A-Index , and…
CubeSats for Radio Amateurs: Small Satellites, Great Opportunities
A 10 cm cube racing across the sky at 27,000 km/h – and you can transmit through it. CubeSats have democratized amateur radio satellite communication: Where once huge budgets and years of development were necessary, today…
WSPR: The World of Propagation Research with 5 Watts
Imagine sending a signal with less power than a flashlight – and stations around the world receive it. That's exactly what WSPR (pronounced "Whisper") makes possible. The Weak Signal Propagation Reporter network is one of the…
ChatGPT, Claude & Co. for Radio Amateurs: AI as Learning Aid and Shack Assistant
Let's be honest: who among us hasn't asked ChatGPT how long a half-wave dipole for 20 meters needs to be? Or asked Claude to write an Arduino sketch for a CW keyer? Artificial intelligence has long…
arcOS – The Linux Distribution for Ham Radio
Plug in USB stick, boot, operate. arcOS is a live Linux system with Fldigi, JS8Call, WSJT-X, Winlink, APRS and SDR – built for radio amateurs. Plug & play with Digirig Mobile. Comparison with other ham radio distributions.
Memory Channels Processor – Never Type Repeater Data Manually Again
Let's be honest: who hasn't spent an entire evening typing repeater data into a new radio? Frequency, offset, CTCSS tone, name... channel by channel. Fifty repeaters later, your eyes are tired, your fingers are stiff, and…
OERadio Meshmap – All Meshtastic Nodes at a Glance
A real-time map for the Meshtastic network in Austria and Europe – open, live, and without tracking. We've all been there: your Meshtastic node is running, happily transmitting away – and then you wonder: can anyone…
OERadio Goes Mesh – The Path to a Dedicated MQTT Server
How we connect Meshtastic nodes via the internet – and how you can join in. Meshtastic is brilliant. Small LoRa nodes that communicate without internet, without a provider, and without monthly costs. Locally via radio, point…
Meshtastic in Carinthia: Three Nodes, a Solar Panel, and Surprising Range
Hello everyone! Hermann here, OE8HSF, from Knappenberg near Hüttenberg – at a good 1,000 metres above sea level. You probably know the feeling: you stumble across a topic on the internet, think "I'll just have a…
MFJ-1982MP: 42 Metres of Wire, 9 Bands, One Happy Ham
You know the feeling? Standing in the garden, 42 metres of wire in one hand, coffee in the other, wondering: where is all this supposed to go? That is exactly how my adventure with the MFJ-1982MP…
