DXR Electronics Bits And Resources

Welcome to Radio Waves Weekly — Issue #013! TX9W went on the air from the Marquesas this weekend — pile-ups are open and 15m conditions are co-operating. Yesterday, April 18, marked World Amateur Radio Day, observed every year on the anniversary of the IARU’s founding in Paris. The Pebble HF is the most talked-about QRP kit of the spring. BrowSDR turns any browser into a full SDR receiver. A homebrew FRI-Match tuner, a proven four-band half-loop, and a live DX-cluster display on a ₹800 ESP32 board round out this week’s ten.

Meshtastic vs. MeshCore for Ham Radio featured image1

Digital modes Guide VHF/UHF

The New Digital Frontier: Meshtastic vs MeshCore for HAM radio

April 17, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

While Meshtastic has long dominated the LoRa scene, MeshCore has emerged as a serious contender for structured, infrastructure-based communication. Here is how they stack up for the modern ham.

Articles Guide radio Reception VHF/UHF

The Silent Revolution: DRM+ Radio in the FM Bands

April 17, 2026April 17, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

Analog FM is hitting its limits. Enter DRM+, the open-standard digital revolution that brings CD-quality audio, multimedia data, and emergency alerts to the 88–108 MHz band. Explore the technology and global adoption of 2026.

Articles Digital modes Guide

Meshcore for Ham Radio: A Simple Start

April 13, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

Imagine a digital network where every radio node talks to others, passing messages automatically without the internet. That’s Meshcore. This post explains how ham operators can use cheap LoRa boards to build resilient, local data links for texting and telemetry.

Digital modes Articles HF

The Ultimate Guide to HF Digital Dominance: FT8 vs FT4 vs FT2

April 11, 2026April 11, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

The amateur radio landscape is shifting rapidly with the rise of the “FT” digital modes. While FT8 remains the king of weak signals, the faster FT4 and the experimental FT2 are challenging its dominance. This guide breaks down the technical differences, performance trade-offs, and best use cases for each mode to help you master the HF bands.

News Radio Waves Weekly

Radio Waves Weekly — Issue #012

April 11, 2026April 11, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

Welcome to Issue #012 of Radio Waves Weekly! This week the JIDX CW contest is running right now — one of the best chances all year to fill your log with Japanese prefectures. Sporadic E season is knocking at the door, the 10-metre band is wide open, and MeshCore is quietly becoming the off-grid mesh network that actually works at scale.

Meshtastic Ham radio guide-featured image

Digital modes Articles Guide

Meshtastic Ham Radio Guide: LoRa Mesh Networking for Emergency and Everyday Use

April 11, 2026April 13, 2026G.SelvakumarComment(1)

Meshtastic is an open-source LoRa mesh networking platform that lets ham radio operators build off-grid text messaging and GPS tracking networks with no infrastructure. Whether you are an experimenter, an emergency communications volunteer, or simply curious about where digital modes are heading, this guide covers everything you need to know to get started with Meshtastic ham radio.

featured image-FT2 Digital mode comparision

Articles Digital modes HF

FT2 Digital Mode in 2026 — The Fastest Thing on HF and What the Community Really Thinks

April 10, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

FT2 promises to clear a pile-up in the time FT8 takes to finish a single exchange. But speed always costs something — here is what the global ham community has actually discovered after months of real-world use.

UA4HAZ 20 Meter Folded Dipole Antenna featured image

Antenna HF

UA4HAZ 20 Meter Folded Dipole Antenna : A Space-Saving HF Design

April 10, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

The UA4HAZ 20-meter antenna is a clever modification of the classic half-wave dipole, designed specifically for radio amateurs struggling with limited horizontal space. By utilizing a “folded” or inverted-U geometry, this antenna maintains a resonant length for the 14 MHz band while significantly reducing its physical footprint. This guide covers the theory, construction, and proper coaxial feed techniques required to get this efficient radiator on the air.

Antenna HF

Low Height Loop Antenna : A 40-6 Meter Powerhouse for Modern Hams

April 9, 2026April 9, 2026PrabakaranComment(0)

Height is often the biggest hurdle for Hams, but what if you could trade verticality for horizontal real estate? This detailed guide explores the 21.3m-per-side hexagonal loop—a low-profile powerhouse that offers multi-band performance with minimal visual impact.