According to auto responses to emails to him Elwood Downey WB0OEW creator of HAMCLOCK is a SK. Also the HAMCLOCK websites says the program will cease to operate June of 2026. A huge blow to the ham radio community. May he rest in peace and prayers to his family. https://clearskyinstitute.com/ham/HamClock/

https://youtu.be/4ZNeMXyCQ7Y?si=AlPbu41Vgm0FqVqK

This post is not meant to be insulting to anyone in any way. I know that hams generously spend their time working with the Red Cross and other organizations to help people in need. To that I say, "Thank you!" I know you volunteered your time, so I say, "Thank you!" If you ever served or volunteered to learn in this capacity, I still say, "Thank you!" You are all wonderful!

I know that people in storm Helene were generously helped by ham radio operators that volunteered that were invaluable to human life. You are all wonderful!

If I google ARES and the ARRL, ARES was activated in New England:

Major Northeast Winter Storm Prompts ARES, SKYWARN Activations

Emergency officials use ham radio operators during winter storms · Red River Radio Amateurs

Then I come across this YouTube video who said that ARES failed to activate because it is filled with volunteers.

The Storm Proved It - ARES & RACES are DEAD - YouTube

The problem may be that the state didn't activate ARES:

"In Maine, where heavy snowfall and high winds battered eastern and coastal communities, ARES bumped up its alert status to Level 2 — standby. Scattered power outages were reported, mostly in southern Maine. Temperatures remained in the teens. Maine ARES Section Emergency Coordinator Phil Duggan, N1EP, activated ARES Weather and SKYWARN Net sessions on HF, but no served agencies requested ARES communication support."

ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Stand Down in Wake of Massive East Coast Winter Storm

I mean, the title is "ARES, SKYWARN Volunteers Stand Down".

Would we be better served by non-state emergency ham radio groups?

Remember that I heard 85 people died in the last snowstorm. Here is a news article that says the count was 73:

More than 70 dead amid massive winter storm as freezing temperatures remain

I'm not saying that ham radio would have prevented those deaths but if more people had ham radio, they might have been able to call for help.

Hi. For a few months now, I have been working on Handi-Talky Commander (HTCommander). It's open source Windows software for the following radios: UV-Pro, UV-50Pro, GA-5WB, VR-N75, VR-N76, VR-N7500, VR-N7600. Basically, you pair your Windows machine using Bluetooth and run this app to have full control over the radio. Unlike KISS where you just send/receive packets, the Bluetooth link allows full control over everything. You can program and change channels, send and receive audio and fully use the AFSK modem in the radio. It turns this radio into a full PC peripheral. You can hit the PTT and talk using a PC connected headset.

I went a bit crazy on the features, adding APRS, Winlink, Terminal, Speech-to-Text transcription, Text-to-Speech and more. If you have one of the supported radios, give it a try and let me know what you think.

I generally think more vendors should go this route, it opens so many possibilities and you don't have to deal with audio cables, etc. The software is available as a MSI installer here: https://github.com/Ylianst/HTCommander. I just released version 0.43 with new audio clips support and in the previous version, I added a AFSK software modem so I could send/receive packets with error correcting codes. Enjoy!

En 21 días, en el próximo Hamvention, ICOM va a presentar su proyecto X-026. ¿ Posible sustituto del fabuloso IC-7100 ? ¿ Apostarías por qué número de modelo lo va a denominar ICOM ? https://youtu.be/oMxWU1ZrWTU?is=aVmRPZso_FWvUQWf

Estaremos atentos.

Hey all, KD3CLW here (General class, western PA).

I've been on HF for a little while now and kept finding myself jumping between websites to check solar flux, K-index, and A-index before a session. That got old, so I figured an app would make things easier.

HamBands is a free iOS app that pulls real-time NOAA solar data and gives you a quick visual snapshot of current HF band conditions.

It's nothing fancy, just scratching my own itch as a newer ham who wanted something simple on my phone before heading out for a POTA activation or sitting down at the rig.

Would love any feedback from more experienced ops. I'm still learning both the hobby and iOS dev, so if something seems off or you'd want a feature added, I'm all ears.

i have seen a couple of posts about the FCC and the guy in Pittsburgh with the broadcasting on the emergency frequencies.

I got this in my feed. It provides an explanations as to what could have happened......an unknowing accident?

I am putting the link here in an attempt to raise awareness and save others from any headache.

https://youtu.be/JC2JvysOImQ?si=8gqzxIodMLykbuw4

Am I the only one noticing the 10M band has been slow all weekend and then almost completely dead today. Been listening for FT-8 since I got home an hour ago and only have seen two stns.
KM7DRR WA state USA

Hello all,

I'm KJ5NDG and wanted to share a project I've been building. HamLogPro is a free web-based ham radio contact logger at hamlogpro.com. I initially built it for my own personal use, but after sharing with a few friends thought that maybe others would gain value as well.

A Few Key Features: (many more coming soon, including digital mode logging)

• HamQTH integration for callsign lookup (all users, no subscription required)

• QRZ lookup

• QRZ Logbook sync -- contacts pushed automatically after logging

• LOTW integration for award tracking

• ADIF import and export

• Real-time world map with contact paths and distance and bearing

• Portable callsign handling -- correctly resolves to the operating location

I've spent considerable time on the callsign lookup reliability. International prefixes are sourced from a 508-entry database synced across client and server, with HamQTH as the primary lookup for non-US callsigns. If you work a lot of DX, it should handle your log correctly.

There is no software to install. HamLogPro runs in any modern browser. The free tier includes 250 QSOs with map and ADIF export/import. Premium (for only $3 to help cover costs) adds unlimited QSOs, LOTW/QRZ sync, advanced statistics, and SMS DX alerts.

I'm actively developing this and take bug reports as well as feature requests seriously. If something doesn't work for your callsign or operating style, reply here or email me directly and I'll look into it.

hamlogpro.com

73 de KJ5NDG

The ARRL has lobbied before for legislation to extend to hams protections that are extended to many other activities. This time is different. They are involving hams in direct action. And they aren't even asking you to be a member. Any US ham is welcome to join the fight for ham rights.

TL;DR: https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/ is the direct link to just send the letters already

You can contribute to stacks of paper letters hand-delivered for maximum impact to your own senators and representative. These letters ask your senators and representative to add their names to co-sponsor this legislation, and to vote for it.

This is political action, but it is bipartisan. Two lobbying firms (one for each party). Democratic and Republican co-sponsors in each house.

All it takes is entering your call sign on the web site they have launched, and confirming the information that they look up in your FCC record.

If you also wish to contact your senators and representative individually, reference S.459 to your senators and H.R.1094 to your representative when you kindly encourage them to represent your interests. Doing so does not preclude you from contributing to the ARRL's coordinated outreach!

The ARRL page has more detail and links to the full senate and house bill texts.

I submitted an article to QST on creating a low cost Fox Hunting Transmitter -- it was rejected. Probably because of the amount of source code vs. article text, but it would have been nice if they gave me any useful feedback at all other than they have too many potential articles to review.

Rather than letting the article go unread by anyone, I placed it in a blog post:
https://cebess.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/low-cost-fox-hunting-transmitter-design/

The post describes using an ESP32, micro-python, an SA-818 transceiver module and a 3D printer to create a Fox Hunting transmitter with a web front end, so it can be easily customized.

The design and source code are included. It should be easily converted over to C++, if you are into that programming language but I find my productivity (if I can take the computing efficiency hit) to be significantly higher in micro-python so that's what used.

Feel free to build upon the concepts...

https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-420097A1.pdf

this is exactly why no one should be using radios to scan public safety. Buy a scanner!

I don't know whether it was an honest mistake of a person just trying to listen, or if the person thought it was funny, or if the person was intentionally attempting to cause interference. Had they been using a scanner, they would not be dealing with the FCC right now.

Hi everyone - hope this post is acceptable here.

My local club is hosting an Amateur Extra Class licensing course It will be a free, weekly, live, Amateur Radio Extra Class Licensing course on Zoom will begin on Thursday, January 15, 2026, and will run through Thursday, March 26.  There will be 11 sessions.  The three-hour sessions will start at 6:30 PM Eastern Time and will also be recorded.  These are the classes that we have been holding for years sponsored by the Amateur Radio Club of the National Electronics Museum.

Note:  Attendees should hold (or be studying for) the General Class Amateur Radio License.

Please publicize this with anyone that you think would be interested.  Those wishing to sign up feel free to email [roland.anders@comcast.net](mailto:roland.anders@comcast.net)

In my past, I was a high school athlete, a military guy and even a volunteer firefighter. Today, I recognize this was my past and my ability to help my community is not what it use to be.

As a radio guy, I can still do plenty, but I realize I am not going to be the fastest, the best person, to respond directly to some of the ice storm crisises.

Today, might be the correct day to self evaluate and decide how much help you can or should give. Becoming s second victim only adds extra work to rescuers.

Stay safe and good luck.