Top Amateur Radio Websites – Issue 2639

This week, we’ve pulled together a few items that touch on practical antenna work and some digital modes. There’s a good look at a multi-band portable dipole, something that comes up often for field day or SOTA ops, detailing a switching arrangement for 40 through 15 meters. We also have a piece on building and testing 50 MHz traps, comparing different capacitor types—useful for anyone experimenting with 6-meter antennas. For those running APRS, a comprehensive symbol table is included, which is always handy for interpreting what you see on the map. Finally, we’ve got a mention of open-source firmware for LoRa transceivers and a popular Android application for APRS tracking, both relevant for modern portable and mobile setups.

Switching Dipole 40, 30, 20 and 15 meters

This resource details a portable four-band dipole antenna design. It covers construction for 40, 30, 20, and 15 meters, featuring a manual switching mechanism using fast-on connectors, beneficial for portable operations.

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Building and Testing 50 MHz Traps for Antenna Experiments

This article provides detailed instructions for constructing and testing 50 MHz antenna traps. It compares designs using FR-4 PCB capacitors and RG-58 coaxial cable, including tuning results, useful for 6-meter antenna builders.

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APRS Symbol Table – Primary and Alternate Icons

This PDF document presents the APRS Symbol Table (Revision H). It outlines primary and alternate icons, the GPSxyz Index, and descriptions, aiding in the interpretation of APRS map data.

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RNode Firmware: Open Firmware for Digital Radio Transceivers

This resource introduces RNode Firmware, an open-source firmware for RNode digital radio transceivers. It enables long-range data communication and various network applications, suitable for LoRa experimentation.

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aprs.fi for Android

This application, aprs.fi for Android, provides real-time APRS position data, weather, and telemetry. It supports beaconing, TNC connectivity, and KML/GeoJSON overlays, making it useful for mobile APRS users.

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That wraps up this week’s selection of resources. We hope these prove useful in your shack or out in the field. Be sure to follow us next week for more picks, and share your thoughts or comments on our social channels.