Ham and Shortwave Radio
Ham radio, also known as amateur radio, is a hobby that allows individuals to communicate with each other using radio frequencies. Some of the benefits of ham radio include the ability to communicate with others locally and around the world, the opportunity to learn about electronics and radio technology, and the ability to provide a valuable public service during emergencies when other forms of communication may be unavailable. Ham radio can also be a fun and social hobby, allowing individuals to meet and connect with others who share their interests.
Exploring the Technical Aspects of FT8 Mode: Understanding the Protocols and Algorithms FT8 is a digital mode used in amateur radio communication that has gained significant popularity in recent years. This mode uses Franke and Taylor 8-FSK modulation, and it was developed by Steven Franke and Joseph Taylor, an astrophysicist and Nobel laureate. FT8 is … Read more
Is FT8 any good for Ecomms? The short answer is no, FT8 is not well suited for emergency communications because of its very short message payload size. Read on for a further explanation. In today’s world, we are surrounded by different forms of communication. From the use of smartphones, emails, and social media, communication has … Read more
The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is a research program that studies the Earth’s ionosphere, a region of the upper atmosphere that is affected by solar activity and other factors. The program is based at a research site in Gakona, Alaska, where researchers use radio transmitters to send signals into the ionosphere. The purpose … Read more
Cool beans! I just worked a rare DXpedition team in Benin, a not well-known country in Africa on FT8 mode using WSJT-X. This Russian team is pictured below, and I managed to capture the contact on video. It’s always fun to work a DXpedition. When I first saw this callsign TY0RU come up in my … Read more
Finally got around to exploring this cool little device – the WSPRLite The WSPRlite is a special test transmitter that sends a signal to a Worldwide network of receiving stations. When used with our web-based DXplorer system, it’s a powerful new way to evaluate antenna performance. Going way beyond antenna modeling or antenna analyzers, this … Read more