APRS services, sometimes called bots, provide useful capabilities to operators via APRS messages.
I've been keeping my own personal list of useful bots and what their commands are. I'm throwing away my list.
Craig KM6LYW introduced me to the APRS Service Registry. The registry is much larger than my list, and has the benefit of being a resource for the entire community.
I have a proposal for a new APRS activity and supporting software called APRS On The Air. It brings the activator-and-chaser game of Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air to APRS.
Read the proposal at https://aprsota.org. I'm looking for feedback before I build the software.
The mad lads working on LinHT have posted a major update on their accomplishments with Rev B. These boards added:
With Rev B boards they have succesfully transmitted M17 over RF.
They are on to Rev C with work on GNSS antenna improvements, audio codec changes, and more.
This is amazing work from a core team of only 3 people:
See also my earlier post on Rev A progress.
This elaborate description of what it took to replace the transparent LCD cover on a Elecraft KX2 is the funniest ham radio thing I've ever read.
I just created and released a new piece of open source software called kiss-tnc-bridge. This daemon bridges Bluetooth KISS TNC clients to TCP KISS TNC servers. Here's why I created it, how it works, and how you can use it.
Read MoreIf you don't have a ham radio license, or if you want to upgrade the license you have, there are many tools and study helps avaialble.
I recently saw a new one called MyHamRadioStudy. It's free and helps you study the questions from the current FCC question pools for the Technician, General, and Extra exams. Here's some additional free alternatives:
And a couple of paid options:
If you want to get your Technician license, a few hours of reading and studying using any of these tools can get you there.
Each spring, the Salty Lizard gravel bike race brings hundreds of bikers to Utah's west desert. Most of the course has no cell service, so amateur radio operators provide communication support for the 3 aid stations and drive the SAG vehicles which roam the course. I volunteered to help out at this years event. Here's how it went and what I learned.
Read MoreLast year Cobra released the Trailblazer series of GMRS radios. Gratefully, they continued to use the same privacy codes as they have previously used. That means the mappings between brands of radios that I describe in my FRS/GMRS Privacy Codes Demystified deep dive work great with the Cobra Trailblazer 250, 450, and 500.
Update: April 5, 2026: Zero Retries is back on substack at zeroretries.org.
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Continuing the momentum from last year, Steve and Tina Stroh are planning the second annual Zero Retries Digital Conference on October 16, 2026 in San Ramon, CA. ZRDC will be held in the same city, and on the same day as the first day of Pacificon 2026. You can attend two great conferences in a single trip.
Tina is putting together the speakers and presentations, I can't wait what she comes up with.
Save the date, registration will be open soon, and they expect tickets to go quickly.
There are many digital modes in amater radio. The ones popular on handheld VHF/UHF radios include:
To use these modes you typically need two things:
There are many options for handheld radios. These repeaters are usually connected to the internet which enables communications with others around the world using that same mode. If there isn't a repeater in your area that offers the digital mode you want to use, you are out of luck. Unless you have a hotspot.
A hotspot is a pocket sized low power repeater that connects to the internet and can communicate with your handheld using various digital modes. You can buy commercial devices, or build your own with a Raspberry Pi, radio boards, and open source software.
The Hamspot 5 by Collin K0NNK is a new option which gives you the flexibility and upgradability of your own Raspberry Pi based solution, without you having to do all the tinkering to get something that works.
This looks like a great device, with full duplex operation and a nice looking case. Runs from USB-C power, and connects to the internet via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
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