Ham Radio 360

A lifetime ham, now living in Efrat, Israel, Eric Guth (4Z1UG) wanted to give back to the hobby that had given so much to him through the years; so in July of 2014, Eric launched the QSO Today Podcast as a way to connect yesterday’s elmers with today’s amateur radio operators. The results have been spectacular! Join Eric and I as we chat Podcasting for Hams, Living as a Ham Radio Op in Israel, Allstar nodes and more in this 74th Episode of the Ham Radio 360 podcast! For more information on Eric's Podcast visit QSOToday.com! Allstar Link Network IARC QSOToday on Twitter QSOToday on Facebook TDR6100 Press Release Thanks for listening and sharing! 73 Y'all Cale/K4CDN  

A few weeks back, on our first APRS show Kenneth Finnegan (W6KWF) helped explain the APRS Protocol.  Since that time, we've asked for and received a number of listener questions.  In this episode of the Ham Radio 360 Podcast we delve into those questions to further understand this 'thing' called APRS! (4:00) Paths? What do they mean, and What do I use? 2. (28:00) My APRS won't show on aprs.fi when using my 5w HT? Why won't my APRS messaging work? RF Gate, I-Gate or both? 3rd Party Traffic Questions. SMSGTE Is APRS used on other bands? 30m Robust Packet Why does APRS only use the 144.390 frequency? 3. (49:00) How do I digipeat through the ISS? Can I use APRS to monitor my off-grid cabin conditions? What is the Next Generation of APRS-can it be like ADS-B? How is APRS developed?  Is it developed? What is the architecture of APRS-IS? What are the uses of APRS that aren't GPS tracking? Why do all APRS websites suck? Where's the documentation? Faraday RF, is it operational with

Recently a listener asked us to investigate the W.W.F.F. or Parks on the air.  I had some questions too, so off went an email to the UK which directed me back to Jason Johnston (W3AAX).  Jason came on the show to fill us in on the in's and out's of the Parks On The Air. 3,400+ National Parks, State Parks and more are available to activate or hunt in the US via WWFF/POTA.  Parks On The Air/WWFF is a World Wide Organization with an award system and more!  Interested in participating?  Visit the Parks On The Air site today! Links: Parks on the Air (KFF, WWFF in the USA):  http://parksontheair.com Global international site: http://wwff.co Active Facebook Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/parksontheair/ How to get started How to Register Rules and FAQ National KFF (USA) Awards International Global Awards RaDAR  Rapid Deployment Amateur Radio ZS6BNE Blog Zippy FlightMax 5000 Battery Bioenno Batteries Stick around following the interview to hear some feedback from you, our listeners! T

Austin Munger just wanted a C.B. Radio to give him an alternate means of communicating when out hunting or camping.  Little did he know that a random trip to HRO would turn into a full-bore hobby! When I began this podcast, it was for me, the 'new guy' and while both the show and I have grown; I still feel new-ish and love learning about someones first time experience.  Adventure radio is on my list for the upcoming Spring, and this Episode may be what pushes me up the hill! Not content with kerchunking repeaters, Austin set out to challenge himself with this new 'thing' he'd heard about called SOTA (Summits on the Air).  It didn't take to long to figure out he was a little unprepared, but a strong will goes far when determination sets in! Now a prolific Summit activator and chaser, Austin aka. dietsota on Instagram, spends his spare (and work) time playing in the SOTA activity log.  He's also gotten his new Bride involved...to the point of activating a Summit during their Honeymoon in Hawaii! SOTA SOTAw

APRS; oh the questions you've raised!  It's been about 2+ years since I decided I wanted to give APRS a go.  I purchased a Mobilinkd TNC2 and set off.  It was only a day or so later that I determined there were No Digipeater/iGates in my county, and not too many outside those bounds. I was encouraged by some fellow hams that were too interested in APRS and we lightly began to try to understand the in and outs of the mode.  None of us had any experience in Packet and what we could find online was a mish-mash of opinions and outdated blogging.  Needless to say, I've quit APRS more than once since, only to be pulled back in when I reconsider it's utility. It wasn't until a fateful evening in November 2016 that I found someone that could help me to begin to understand the whats and hows of APRS.  Kenneth Fennegan, W6KWF ( @KWF ) found me lamenting my lack of APRS understanding via Twitter and offered a hand up!  That hand up turned into a phone conversation that in turn lead to another call that became this int

Stuart Thomas, KB1HQS,  joined me back in February to chat about the NPOTA (National Parks on the Air) ARRL Event.  This time he's back to share with us an entire years worth of Portable Operation from NPOTA.  Hear Stuarts Lessons Learned, Funny Stories, Favorite Parks and more in this episode of Ham Radio 360. Additionally this event brought Stuart to the forefront of US Ham Portable Operations.  ARRL Calendar inserts, QST Reviews near viral tweets and more were just a taste of the fame the Tall One achieved this year! To learn more about the NPOTA event head over to the ARRL website.  Congratulations to everyone involved!  What an Amazing Event! .When you look around the net at the NPOTA activators photos, you may discover a very common theme: Elecraft KX3! Thanks Stuart for coming back on and for helping make NPOTA a success! 73 Y'all K4CDN KB1HQS in Print! Click for more info

The annual Winter Field Day event is held the last full weekend of January (28-29 2017).  Much like it's Summer-time cousin, Winter Field Day (WFD) is focused on ham radio operations in less than ideal emergent conditions.  Emergencies happen everyday, and usually when the weather isn't cooperating!  WFD like the ARRL Field Day gives Amateur Radio Operators a chance to hone their skills in those challenging environments while enjoying the camaraderie of the hobby. Open to ALL Amateur Radio Operators around the Globe, WFD continues to see growth every year!  Tom Phelps, WD8MBE, and WFD Association looks forward to the event and encourages anyone with questions or comments to please visit their WFD website at www.winterfieldday.com . It doesn't have to be snowy in your neighborhood to participate, the key is to Get On The Air for Winter Field Day!  It's a World-Wide Event open to All Amateurs who wish to join in the fun! Winter Field Day Association (WFDA) is a dedicated group of Amateur Radio Operators who b

*6/28/18    New AREDN Website: https://www.arednmesh.org/ Ham Radio Mesh Networking has been one of those things that I've wanted to learn about.  After a quick peek around and a few questions asked, I stumbled into AREDN (Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network). Join me as I learn about Mesh Networking over Ham Radio with Randy (WU2S) and Darryl (K5DLQ) in this latest installment of the Ham Radio 360 Podcast. We also announce the Winners of our Annual Christmas Prize Giveaway. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ *6/28/18    New AREDN Website: https://www.arednmesh.org/ What is an AREDN Network? (video by K6AH) RF Path Planning Using Ubiquiti AirLink (video by K5DLQ) AREDN on Twitter @arednmesh Equipment links listed at the bottom of the page Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas! '73 Cale/K4CDN ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Equipment Links via amazon U

What is N.V.I.S? I hear it all the time; but for whatever reason, like most, I have a hard time putting it to words.  So I found us someone that could explain the theory behind the propagation, and his name is Edison (Ed) Fong-WB6IQN. Ed helps lay out the theory of N.V.I.S in ways that even I can understand!  We discuss N.V.I.S and it's practical applications for everyday use as well as in an EMCOMM Situ. As we continue our antenna chat with Ed we begin to learn about his wildly popular J-Pole antennas.  From Dual-Band roll-ups to Tri-Band verticals, Ed and his students have been helping hams get on the air for years! You can find Eds' contact info here: Ed's Antennas You can purchase his antennae here: antennas_iqn Ebay Store Article from QST: ARRL /DBJ-1 John Miklor: Review To Learn More about N.V.I.S check into some of the following articles: Patricia Gibbons - WA6UBE WHAT IS NVIS? Wikipedia - Near Vertical Incidence Skywave DX Engineering - Practical Guide to Emer or Temp Comm (PDF) ARRL.org

It's that time of year again!  With Black Friday in sight and our mailboxes full of catalogs, it's time to talk Ham Radio Shopping! George and Jeremy join us to discuss New(er) Ham Radio items you may be considering for your Shack this year. We cover the entire spectrum, from High-End HF rigs to SDR Dongles.  If you are looking to find that new rig for the upcoming years operating, this show is for you! Links to our previous Shopping Shows Episode #21 Episode #39   As mentioned in the show: Elecraft KX2 FDIM Interview Stuart KB1HQS Mr. NPOTA ELAD-Duo WOUXUN 2m/6m HT Wouxun Tri-Band HT Out of Stock Wouxun Dual Band HT CrossBand Repeat TYT MD-380 DV-Mega Single Band DV-Mega Dual Band Blue-Stack Micro Hotspot Board DV4Mini Alinco DMR HT DJ-MD40 RTL-SDR Dongle with Antennas AirSpy Mini & Spyverter SMA Adapter Cable Set ARRL Ham Radio Handbook 2017 ARRL Op Manual Anderson Crimper (Tool) Anderson Crimper (Sets) Packtenna In this season of Thanks; I want to, again, say Thank You fo

ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) seems to be a topic that keeps coming up in listener correspondences.  I had some ideas to share, but not being an active participant in the service, I knew I needed to get someone who was involved to help us define and understand it. Reaching all the way back to the beginning, I enlisted Cecil Higgins (AC0HA) who is now the ARES Section Manager for Missouri.  In Episode 1 we discussed the Joplin Tornado disaster and ARES response.  This time through, it's an Introduction to ARES. ARRL.org/ARES @ARES_ARES Following, we bring in John Jacobs (W7DBO) of Site Sponsor, CommsToGo.com. CommsToGo:  Builders of Portable Power, Radio and Computing Systems, John and his Ham Radio Family manufacture some fine equipment! YourCallSignHere.com   Thanks for Listening! 73, Y'all K4CDN

I get asked all the time why Ham Radio and How-to Ham Radio.  In this program I go through the steps of jumping in the water.  One of the most popular pages on our site is the Start Here Page that has all the links mentioned here in the show (with a few more links and opinions too) ARRL.org Club Locator Test Locator KB6NU No Non-Sense Study Guides Ham Test Online Link to Recommended Study Materials You Passed! Congrats, Now Let's Go Shopping! Shopping Show #2 (give this a listen!) Shopping with the HR360 Affiliate Links Hand-Held Radio and Accessories Kit (Level1) Base/Mobile Radio and Accessories to get you on the air Kit (Level1) Got a Rig? Now Get On The Air! Kevin has some great videos about getting on the air! New Ham Radio Op Video Tutorial Ham Radio 360 History Lessons! Fo Time Becomes Ham Radio 360 Jeremy- KF7IJZ @KF7IJZ Episode 2 Field Day and Solar for Hams ARRL Field Day George-KJ6VU Sierra Radio Systems Repeater Controls & Packtenna Portable Antennas KJ6VU.com @kj6

In Episode 62 of Ham Radio 360, we learn more about the annual On-air Event known as Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), and the Up-coming K0D Special Event Station. Rick DeWeese, KJ4WHO, drops back in to refresh our memory on the upcoming JOTA.  Rick is a Ham, Scout-Master & fellow Podcaster!  He joined me on Episode 31 to discuss Ham Radio and Scouting in great depth. The 2016 Jamboree On The Air is scheduled for the 3rd weekend in October (14-16).  You can learn more about JOTA on the ARRL site. JOTA/JOTI During that same weekend, there is a Special Event Station scheduled in Houston, Texas. Camp Hope will be hosting their 5th Annual BBQ Weekend, and Local Amateur Bob Hawkins (KD5AT) will be spearheading the On-Air event K0D!  This year, the radio clubs from Texas U and Texas A&M will be on-site competing for the most contacts to help raise PTSD awareness. Listen on 20m and 40m to work the Special Event K0D and School Clubs N5XU & W5AC! K0D Special Event Site Camp Hope ARC FB Page Thanks, again, for

In an effort to keep up to date with what the Big 3 are producing we've invited them on to tell us about what is happening in their camp.  In Episode 61, George (@kj6vu) catches up with Will from ICOM.   Following that, Gerald, (Kf5JNU) tells us about his trip to the GNURadio Conference he recently attended.  SDR, Satellite Ops and more were discussed-and we get a taste of the event from our Man Behind the Curtain!       Ham2mon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXptQFSV8E4 https://github.com/madengr/ham2mon RTL_power http://www.rtl-sdr.com/rtl_power-instructions/ http://kmkeen.com/rtl-power/ Iridium-toolkit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5N0o8gShtE https://github.com/muccc/iridium-toolkit rtf_power scanner/close call from Seek2 http://www.rtl-sdr.com/creating-an-rf-proximity-alarm-with-an-rtl-sdr/ KD9EZO talk on geo sync sat https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6ccrJyAZaq3RzFGR1ZXSzVRa2s/view OP25 http://op25.osmocom.org/trac/wiki

I've often wondered about Ham Radio Satellite Operations.  I knew where to look and what to read, but I kept myself from it, because I wanted to learn about it with you here on the show!   I became acquainted with Andrew Glasbrenner KO4MA through our FB page, and watched from afar his dealings with Ham Radio Satellite Ops, and AMSAT.  Andrew and I began conversing about having him on the show, and what follows is what we were finally able to bring together!   In addition to his family duties, Andrew also serves the AMAST organization as the VP  Director of Operations.  Andrew grew up like most of us-with a 'Walkie-Talkie' in his hand and a desire to communicate via Radio with whomever he could! Eventually he got the ticket to get on the air, and has been active there since!  A big thanks to Andrew for coming on, I ask a load of questions and we cover it all here on Episode 60.  From Build, Launch and Contact-it's all about Amateur Radio Satellite Ops on HR360!     thanks for listening!   73 y'all!

It seems everywhere we turn, there is a discussion on how to bring the youth into the Ham Radio Hobby.  We act as though young people all over the Earth are devoid of any desire to operate an Amateur Radio.  While there may be what some would consider a downturn in today's youths public participation in Ham Radio-the number of licensed Ham Radio Operators continues to climb. Don't fret y'all, Youngsters are still getting on the air! Sterling Coffey and I met at Hamvention 2016.  I recognized his call, N0SSC, from Twitter long before I knew his name.  We had a nice chat, and over the course of the weekend he came by the booth to drop in and say hello a few times. Upon returning home, I noticed on the every busy Twitter, that Sterling was taking a trip-a Ham Radio Excursion.  It appeared to be quite a surprise trip so I followed along.  It didn't take long to learn that he was headed to Austria to attend the YOTA Summit!  No little short green aliens here-this was the real deal-Sterling had just become an off

I've long wanted to do a show featuring the 1.25 Meter band (220MHz).  Ron and Tim from Bridgecom stop in to tell us about what is happening in their world and prime us for a conversation with others about using the 220 band in the real world.  Is it the forgotten band?  Is it under-utilized? Let's talk about it! Link to Bridgecom Youtube Videos   (40:00) Brian, K5IN, from Olympia, Washington is our next guest.  Brian is die-hard 220 user, and multi-site repeater owner.  He tells us how 220 is used in his area for a linked repeater system that runs from one end of the state to the other. W7WRG is the call of the Repeater Group.     (58:00) Kent, KL5T, From Anchorage Alaska is up next to fill in the blanks regarding 220 and Packet along with how his local club KL7AA utilizes the band! Make sure to visit the club's site www.KL7AA.net   iOS App Now Available! HR360 app Provided by Pignology LLC!   Thanks for Listening, Sharing and Supporting the Show! 73 Y'all   K4CDN

One of my Favorite Ham Radio Podcast's is Linux in the Ham Shack!  Not that I'm a Linux guy-but I like to be challenged-entertained and taught.  That's what I get each time I tune into the LHS Podcast-I laugh, I scratch my head and usually walk away with something new! *insert missing Picture of Russ and Cale from Dayton* Russ (@K5TUX) and I caught up with one another at Dayton, and decided then-the time had come for a LHS/HR360 show.  Little did he know just how little I know about Linux-even after listening to his show all this time! Linux is an Amazing Free Tool for Ham Radio Hobbyist to utilize in their shack-aided by the advent of the Micro-Computer (ex: Raspberry Pi) it seems to be popping up everywhere!  Even on some of my old machines. Like the Pros they are, Russ and Bill are ever-patient with my questions throughout the show! Debian HamRadio Pure Blend is a great place to start if your looking to get started with Linux in your shack! Cheryl and Bill (@NE4RD) are also in the Mix to help me get

Field Day 2016 is in the books and we're back with a follow-up show detailing our experiences from the event. We also have a one on one with Wayne (N6KR) of Elecraft to get even more detailed information on the KX2-from the inside out! Additionally, we have a Listener Call-in from Singapore regarding the Workbench Podcast and toss in some bloopers at the end to wind things up. 73 y'all   Cale/K4CDN     KB1HQS in Print! Click for more info

Ham Radio at the Bay Area Maker Faire:  The Bay-Net Group has attended the last 4 years in hopes of spurring interest in the Hobby with the attendees of the Maker Faire and it appears to be working!  George, David and Beric fill in the blanks for those of us not able to attend. Raspberry Pi, SDR, APRS and Micro Controllers; it was all about Hands on Ham Radio!  A yearly event of Ham Radio Outreach that can be used as a model for all of us as we look for more ways to share our hobby with those yet to come in! In addition to Maker Faire, George also takes us into the IEEE Int'l Microwave Symposium forums with a recording detailing how University Professors are using Ham Radio in the classroom. Forum Presentations Linked Here I also announce the Brand Spanking New Workbench Podcast with George and Jeremy! the Workbench -New Show to release Next Week to compliment our Bi-Weekly show!  That's right, a Weekly Dose of HR360 is on the way! Stay Tuned.....   13 Colonies Special Event happens this Weekend!