Notes from the shack & workbench.
An amateur radio notebook documenting HF DXing, VHF/UHF repeater operating, antenna builds, digital modes (FT8, APRS, Packet), and FCC Part 97 rules. Practical operating guides, frequency references, and technical workbench experiments.
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APRS: Packet Radio for Real-Time Tactical Awareness
How APRS uses AX.25 UI frames for positions, objects, weather and messages; how WIDEn-N digipeating and the ALOHA circle limit a shared 144.39 MHz channel; and what IGates do.
What Packet Radio Is Used For: A Map of the Applications
An overview of what runs on amateur packet radio, from APRS and BBS mail to chat, Winlink, file transfer, telemetry and IP, sorted by how each uses AX.25, plus the digipeater, node and TARPN networks underneath.
Packet Radio: What It Is and What It Isn't
How amateur packet radio actually works: AX.25 frames, 1200 and 9600 bit/s modems, TNCs and KISS, shared-channel access, digipeaters, and the current FCC Part 97 limits.
From 160 meters through 70 centimeters: frequencies, mode boundaries, power limits, and license tier privileges under FCC Part 97.
Station identification, bandwidth limitations, third-party traffic, repeaters, beacon rules, and operating courtesies.
Dipoles, end-feds, verticals, and Yagis. Coaxial cable loss, baluns, ununs, and NanoVNA Smith chart diagnostics.
Transceivers, power supplies, battery systems for portable field operations, and soundcard digital interfaces.
Searchable definitions for Q-codes, RST signal reporting, SWR, spurious emissions, ERP, and operating shorthand.
Core Amateur Allocations
Amateur radio privileges span from 137 kHz up through the gigahertz microwave bands. The most active voice, CW, and digital traffic concentrates across these workhorse VHF, UHF, and HF allocations.
Full frequency chart| Band | Frequency Range | Primary Modes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Meters (VHF) | 144.0 – 148.0 MHz | FM Simplex / Repeater, SSB, APRS (144.390), CW, FT8 |
| 70 Centimeters (UHF) | 420.0 – 450.0 MHz | FM Repeater, DMR, D-STAR, Fusion (C4FM), Satellite |
| 6 Meters (VHF) | 50.0 – 54.0 MHz | SSB, CW, FT8 (50.313), FM Simplex |
| 10 Meters (HF) | 28.0 – 29.7 MHz | CW, Data (28.0–28.3), SSB Phone (28.3–28.5), FM |
| 20 Meters (HF) | 14.000 – 14.350 MHz | CW, FT8 (14.074), USB Phone (14.150–14.350) |
| 40 Meters (HF) | 7.000 – 7.300 MHz | CW (7.000–7.125), LSB Phone (7.125–7.300), FT8 (7.074) |