Issue 439 September 19, 2026

Top links

FCC ISM rules may shatter LoRa mesh communities
How have Meshtastic and MeshCore gotten as far as they have without realizing that they may be in violation of regulations that date back to the 1980s?
Hackaday

Helioclock Review: An in-depth look at a well-crafted situational awareness display
A beautiful and well-designed display piece that gives Geochron a run for both its price and design.
Amateur Radio Daily

The uncertain future of Ham Radio
Software-defined radio and cheap hardware are shaking up a hobby long associated with engineering.
IEEE Spectrum

"Active" call sign probably isn’t what you think
Understand what "active" means when you look up a call sign.
K4HST

Volunteer with ARDC in 2027
ARDC is now accepting applications for our 2027 volunteer cohort. We’re looking for qualified individuals to contribute their time and expertise across several committees and teams.
ARDC

The 28.6-kilogram Amateur Radio satellite AO-7 went silent in mid-1981 after its batteries shorted
AO-7's 2002 return was not a battery recovery: an inferred change from a short circuit to an open circuit let its solar cells power surviving radio hardware in sunlight.
Space Daily

PSKReporter levels up
A volunteer team has mapped out a three-phase modernization plan. Implementation has begun.
Open Research Institute

HamRadioWeb: Operate FT8/FT4 remotely
From your phone or any PC, anywhere. No port forwarding. No VPN setup.
HamRadioWeb

HamQ: Satellite, SSTV, and logbook tools for Ham Radio
Built for the global Amateur Radio community, HAMQ combines precise SGP4 satellite tracking, automatic SSTV decoding and encoding, and a structured QSO logbook with QSL and LoTW workflows. Use it at home, in the field, or wherever your next contact takes you.
BG5AXS

Hamtrax: Keeping the rest of a POTA activation
An activation leaves you with contacts, photos, equipment notes, and a story. Hamtrax keeps those parts together in one logbook, with POTA folders, radio and antenna details, ADIF import and export, and optional public Showcase links. It runs on the web, iOS, and Android, with a free tier and optional Pro subscription.
Hamtrax

brugtgrej.dk is Denmark's premier marketplace for used Ham Radio gear
Hams may also be interested in their discussion forums and dashboard.
brugtgrej.dk

Video

Stop paying a subscription: Helioclock
In this interview, recorded at the Huntsville Hamfest, I sit down with the creator behind Helioclock (call sign KA9NWM) to talk about why he built it, how it works, and what makes it different from a traditional Geochron display.
KM4ACK

Battery powered soldering irons
Demonstrating the features of a portable soldering iron.
IMSAI Guy

APRS voice alert
A powerful feature of the Automatic Packet Reporting System that helps Amateur Radio operators make quick voice contacts using position data.
KM4ACK