WB3CQK
WB3CQK

#digital

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All aprs aredn digital emcomm emerging field-day ft8 js8call mesh meta portable sdr weak-signal winlink
Jun 18, 2026 14.074 MHz / 20m FT8

Why FT8 changed how I think about digital modes

What makes FT8 different from older digital modes like PSK31 and RTTY, and why it's become the default for weak-signal HF work.

Jun 12, 2026 7.078 MHz / 40m JS8Call

JS8Call: keyboard-to-keyboard messaging built on FT8

FT8's modem is great for contacts, but JS8Call adds free-text messaging, relay, and store-and-forward — which matters a lot for emergency traffic.

Jun 5, 2026 Winlink / VARA HF

Winlink: radio email and formal message handling

How Winlink moves email and formal traffic over HF and VHF/UHF radio links when the internet is down, and what a real activation actually looks like.

May 29, 2026 144.390 MHz / 2m APRS

APRS is more than position tracking

APRS gets reduced to 'that thing that shows your car on a map,' but the underlying packet network carries messaging, weather telemetry, and net check-ins too.

May 8, 2026 SDR

Getting started with RTL-SDR: a $30 way into software-defined radio

An RTL-SDR dongle is the cheapest real entry point into software-defined radio, and it's a genuinely useful tool well beyond just listening.

Apr 25, 2026 147.030 MHz / 2m FM / Fusion

Phil-Mont’s DENn net: a weekly digital education net worth checking into

The Phil-Mont Mobile Radio Club runs a standing weekly net specifically focused on digital modes — exactly the kind of regular practice that makes a difference when it actually matters.