This guide explains DRM basics, SDR devices, and a complete working setup using HDSDR and DREAM. Build a DRM receiver step by step while learning how digital radio works on SDR platforms.
Author: Prabakaran
Prabakaran is a seasoned author and contributor to leading electronics and communications magazines around the world, having written in publications such as Popular Communications Magazine (USA), ELEKTOR (UK), Monitoring Times (USA), Nuts & Volts (USA), and Electronics For You (India).
Building Your Own Folded Beverage Antenna for HF Bands
Discover the secrets of the Beverage antenna. We explain how to match 450-ohm impedance to your coax and how to build a termination load that survives accidental 100W transmissions.
Build a High-Precision DIY RF Current Sniffer
Tired of “RF in the shack”? This detailed guide walks you through building a DIY RF Current Sniffer using LED and Meter indicators to troubleshoot your coax cables.
DIY Double Dipole Antenna for 50 MHz Band
This 6 meter antenna gives you strong, stable performance with a simple build. It covers a wide range, holds a good match, and behaves like a compact directional array.
Small Magnetic Loop: A Guide to the Foldable 40m-17m Stealth Antenna
Struggling with limited space or high local noise? The Magnetic Loop antenna is the ultimate “stealth” solution for hams. We dive deep into the PA0WIT design, featuring a 1/5 ratio Faraday loop for a perfect 1.1 SWR and peak performance from 7MHz to 18MHz.
Super Mini Loop Antenna: A Compact Multi-Band HF Performer
The W8JI Super Mini Loop antenna is a compact full-wave loop design that delivers multi-band HF performance. Learn how it works, why it’s efficient, and how to build and optimize it for your stati
Radio Waves Weekly — Issue #009
Welcome to Issue #009 of Radio Waves Weekly! This week: CY0S has touched down on Sable Island — North Atlantic rare DX on the air right now.
Radio Waves Weekly — Issue #008
Welcome to Issue #008 of Radio Waves Weekly! This week: KrakenRF launched its plug-and-play antenna rotator on Crowd Supply just two days ago, two M.2-sized SDRs are open for orders, and a portable far-field antenna measurement system is heading to crowdfunding. Plus two wire antenna builds for this weekend, a $59 all-analog kit from VU2ESE, budget kits for new builders, CQ WPX SSB coming in two weeks, and three practical tools you should have bookmarked before Sporadic E season begins.
The Half Square Antenna: Low-Profile DX Wire for HF Bands
The Half Square has been quietly delivering low-angle DX gain to operators who know about it, while remaining invisible to everyone else — including curious neighbours. Shaped like the Greek letter π, it uses two quarter-wave verticals fed in phase through a half-wave horizontal section, matches directly to 50-ohm coax without a tuner, needs no radials, and can beat an Inverted-V by 4 dB toward the horizon. Here is everything you need to build one
Getting Started with AIS: Track Ships from Your Shack with a RTL-SDR
Every vessel larger than 300 gross tons is legally required to broadcast its identity, position, speed, and heading every few seconds on VHF radio. With a $25 RTL-SDR dongle and free software, you can receive, decode, and map those live transmissions from your living room — no licence required, no nautical background needed. This guide walks you through the AIS standard, the hardware and software stack, antenna options, and how to contribute your decoded data to global ship-tracking networks.