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AREDN moves from OLSR to Babel — what it means for the five-county mesh
AREDN's 2025 transition from the OLSR routing protocol to Babel is the biggest change to the network in years — and it matters for how the JFMDNA mesh grows.
What you can actually run on an AREDN mesh node
AREDN is sold as "IP over amateur radio" — but what does that mean in practice? A rundown of the services worth deploying on a mesh during an EmComm activation.
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.
JFMDNA and the five-county AREDN mesh buildout
The Jim Fisher Memorial Digital Network Association is building out a regional AREDN mesh network centered on Montgomery County — here's what they're doing and why it matters for EmComm.
Where Meshtastic fits for hams (and where it doesn’t)
Meshtastic is cheap, easy, and increasingly popular — but it's not amateur radio by default, and knowing the distinction matters before you build it into an EmComm plan.
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.
Getting your first AREDN node on the air — a practical checklist
From picking hardware to joining the JFMDNA mesh — a practical walkthrough for getting your first AREDN node configured and connected.
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.
Parks on the Air as low-stakes EmComm practice
POTA looks like a casual operating award program, but every activation is also a rehearsal for deploying a portable station fast, under real-world conditions.