Cloudlog is an open-source, PHP and MySQL based amateur radio logging application that lets you log contacts through a web browser on any device and platform.
It's an ideal general-purpose logging application with support from HF to Microwave. It can interface with your radio via CAT, sync logs from WSJT-X, and if you're a satellite operator it integrates with SatPC32.
Thankfully there is a slick website that generates a comma-separated value (CSV) file you can load onto your radio and — lo and behold — every D-STAR repeater in the world is correctly programmed in.
I'm not really sure why, but when I was first learning about ham radio I always thought sending an email over Winlink was the coolest thing. I remember reading about sailors circumnavigating the globe who used their onboard VHF radio to send email and let family and friends know they were okay. No Starlink, just packet radio!
New callsign registration is a two-step process. Here are the steps to get your callsign registered for D-STAR.
I've become quite a fan of old Motorola VHF and UHF radios, largely thanks to Kenneth Finnegan, aka The Life of Kenneth. He showed me that all it takes is a little software and a USB to RJ-45 adapter to program them, and you've got an inexpensive 2-meter VHF radio ready for tinkering.
The most important piece of equipment for a high-altitude balloon launch is the Trackuino. This is a quick walkthrough on building the Trackuino and taking it for a test drive on APRS.
For my high-altitude balloon launch, I wanted to send up something a little cheaper than a $400 GoPro camera, in the event I can't locate the balloon when it comes back to earth!
I found a used Maxtrac 300 radio on eBay that I wanted to repurpose as an APRS tracker, which meant I needed to program in the APRS frequency. Here is how to use DOSBox to program your radio.
I went camping with a friend in Rustic, Colorado and strung up a dipole antenna to operate HF for the weekend. Made a few contacts and had a lot of fun!
