On a regular Saturday-morning Zoom meeting of hams a few months ago, a participant in Los Angeles asked the group, “Why can’t I activate one of my local parks and have it count in POTA?” Some of those in attendance echoed the sentiment. Based on that question, I asked myself what does POTA as a program look like? I recently published a snapshot of POTA sites, activations, and activators on this blog. There were several findings that we did not know before I published these results.
Read MoreADRCS Collaborates with TARPN on IP400 Project
/The Alberta Digital Radio Communications Society (ADRCS) have announced that it is collaborating with the Terrestrial Amateur Radio Packet Network group (TARPN) to implement an audio band version of its OFDM technology in their Terminal Node Controller (TNC).
“Adding the TNC rounds out the vision of the supernode that we presented at the Zero Retries Digital Conference last September and extends the functionality of the IP400 network to conventional radios on the 2M, 220 and 450 MHz bands, without any modifications”
“Adding OFDM to our TNC gives us a higher speed mode than previously implemented and practical experience with OFDM”
“... in addition it will give us access to proven KISS mode technology that will greatly enhance the utility of our existing nodes in delivering higher data rates for conventional packet radio applications on existing terrestrial networks”
SpottedHam.com Adds DX Cluster Integration and Customizable Club Widgets
/
Following its successful launch earlier this month, the spotting and alert platform SpottedHam.com has released a major feature update driven by community feedback. In addition to its signature POTA and SOTA real-time email alerts, the platform now integrates a global DX Cluster feed.
This allows operators to filter for rare DX alongside portable activations, all within the same lightweight, mobile-first interface. Users can still set custom watchlists for specific callsigns, ensuring they never miss a "need" on the bands.
Perhaps the most significant addition is the new SpottedHam Club Widget. Radio clubs can now generate a custom HTML snippet to embed a live member activity table on their own club websites.
Read More
