Welcome to Radio Waves Weekly — Issue #014! This week the focus shifts to the bench and the junk box. Four homebrew and shack project archives worth bookmarking, two dual-band Yagi builds you can start this weekend, a compact balcony SDR station for under €150, and a practical beginner guide to getting your first signals on screen. Plus a Raspberry Pi radiosonde receiver that runs unattended, and a Baofeng-plus-Pi digital data rig that keeps the total under $100. Something to build for every skill level this week.
1. Ham Radio Homebrew Projects — DXR Electronics Bits
PROJECT ARCHIVE
Curated collection of homebrew builds from vu3dxr.in — experimental circuits, simple shack accessories, and complete radio projects. Proven, buildable ideas tested by the author rather than theory-only articles. A useful starting point for any weekend build session.
Tag archive → vu3dxr.in/tag/ham-radio-homebrew-project/
2. WB3GCK QRP Projects Archive — Portable Antennas, Accessories and Field Builds
PROJECT ARCHIVE
Craig WB3GCK’s long-running blog of practical QRP field projects — speaker wire antennas, loading coils, ununs, mag-mount modifications, and more. All built, tested on POTA activations, and described with photos and field results. Updated April 2026.
Project category → wb3gck.com/category/projects/
3. ZL2PD — Homebrew RF and Test Gear from New Zealand
PROJECT ARCHIVE
Andrew ZL2PD’s archive of documented homebrew builds: Si5351 VFOs, QRP ATUs, SWR meters, CTCSS encoders, signal generators, and transceiver modifications. Schematics, PCB files, and firmware included. Published in Silicon Chip and Practical Wireless. Excellent reproducibility.
Main index → zl2pd.com
4. QRPKits 40m EZRcvr Build Notes — W0VLZ
KIT BUILD
W0VLZ’s build notes for the QRPKits/Pacific Antenna 40m EZRcvr direct-conversion receiver kit. Covers assembly sequence, alignment tips, and audio quality observations, with photos and links to official documentation — a concise companion for anyone building this simple 40m receiver.
Build notes → w0vlz.blogspot.com/2024/01/qrpkits-pacific-antenna-40-mtr-ezrcvr.html
5. DIY Dual-Band VHF/UHF Yagi — Copper Pipe and PVC Hardware Store Build
ANTENNA BUILD
3-element dual-band Yagi built from ½-inch copper pipe and PVC fittings. EZNEC simulation shows 12 dBi forward gain; NanoVNA plots confirm VSWR under 1.5:1 across the full 2m band. Light enough for handheld satellite tracking. Full dimensions and construction photos included.
Build article → ipgeneral.com/~renegade/blog/diy-dual-band-vhf-uhf-yagi-antenna/
6. DIY 9-Element VHF/UHF Dual-Band Yagi — DK7ZB Design, Built by VU27UT
ANTENNA BUILD
Step-by-step build of a DK7ZB-based 9-element dual-band Yagi using aluminium tubing and a square boom. Covers the full element table, balun construction with RG58, SWR tuning for both bands, and materials sourcing from Indian suppliers. Built and tested in Surat by VU27UT.
Full guide → umeshkumar.org/diy-9-element-vhf-uhf-dual-yagi.html
7. Balcony SDR Station and Antenna Farm for Under €150 — SWLing Post
SDR BUILD
Compact SDR setup designed for balcony or restricted-space operation. Combines an RTL-SDR dongle with several simple antennas, explaining cable routing, feed-line switching, and band coverage so apartment operators can get genuinely useful results without a roof or tower.
Full article → swling.com/blog/2020/05/build-an-sdr-station-and-balcony-antenna-farm-for-less-than-150-euros/
8. Getting Started with SDR — Beginner’s Tutorial by Austin’s Nerdy Things
SDR GUIDE
Straightforward introduction covering what SDR is, which RTL-SDR dongle to buy, Windows driver installation, and basic SDR# configuration. Walks through tuning real signals on the first session so newcomers actually hear something rather than just reading about it.
Tutorial → austinsnerdythings.com/2021/09/11/getting-started-with-sdr-software-defined-radio-a-tutorial/
9. Raspberry Pi Radiosonde Receiver Station — rpi-sdr (GitHub)
SDR PROJECT
Open-source project that turns a Raspberry Pi and cheap RTL-SDR into an automatic, unattended weather-balloon receiver. Installation scripts, configuration notes, and guidance for continuous operation included. Logs radiosonde position and telemetry data from local balloon launches.
GitHub repository → github.com/tkerr/rpi-sdr
10. Cheap Ham Radio Data Transceiver — Baofeng UV-5R and Raspberry Pi Zero 2W
DIGITAL BUILD
Compact digital data station built for under $100. Baofeng UV-5R handheld drives a Raspberry Pi Zero 2W via the All-In-One-Cable interface running DigiPi — supports APRS, Winlink email, FT8, and other modes through a browser-based web interface. No soldering beyond the cable.
Hackaday article → hackaday.com/2025/10/03/building-a-ham-radio-data-transceiver-on-the-cheap/
Want to contribute? Found an interesting circuit, a new SDR software, a helpful radio blog, or breaking ham radio news? Email me or leave a comment below. Your link might be featured in next week’s digest!
