tag: Radio

In my previous post I noted that I was getting back into Ham Radio. For those not familiar, Ham offers a ton of opportunities for experimentation, learning, and exploring new ideas and concepts. Part of what brought me back to radio was messing around with Meshtastic, a technology that allows for unlicensed communication between devices. It is commonly used for IoT type scenarios, but can also be used for messages ala SMS. Unlike SMS, though, Meshtastic and similar “LoRa” technologies don’t rely on an intact infrastructure. That means that it can be used for areas that don’t have cellular access and for those times when the cellular network may be down. ...

Way back in 2017 I obtained my Ham Radio License. I spent a bunch of money on all the ’toys’ that go along with that hobby and actually spent a good bit of time working some of the digital modes over the HF frequencies. I routinely hit South Africa as well as a bunch of places in Europe. Then we moved. After we moved I had so many irons in the fire that I didn’t set up my ham gear again. In fact, I actually sold my HF rig because, to be honest, I didn’t feel like I was getting enough out of the hobby to continue it. Not to mention that it is expensive. ...