Sunday, January 25, 2026
Welcome to the first issue of Radio Waves Weekly! This is a curated digest of the most interesting news, DIY projects, and tools from the world of Amateur Radio, SDR, and RF electronics.
Top Links of the Week
- RTL-SDR Blog Community Forum Launched. The popular RTL-SDR blog has officially launched a new Discourse-based forum. It’s a great place to discuss SDRsharp plugins, troubleshooting, and new hardware like the HydraSDR. https://rtl-sdr.discourse.group/
- Build a Networked P25 Digital Scanner with RTL-SDR. A comprehensive guide using an RTL-SDR V3 and a ZimaBoard to decode digital P25 police/public safety traffic and stream it across your home network. https://www.rtl-sdr.com/building-a-p25-police-scanner-with-an-rtl-sdr-blog-v3-and-zimaboard-2/
- SDR Project Archive: December Round-Up. If you missed the end-of-year updates, this archive covers everything from hydrogen line radio astronomy to “seeing through walls” with WiFi signals and SDR. https://www.rtl-sdr.com/2025/12/
- DXHeat – Live DX Cluster with WebSDR Audio. A modern, responsive DX cluster that integrates PA3FWM’s WebSDR technology, allowing you to listen to the DX spot directly in your browser. https://www.dxheat.com/
- HamAlert – Smart DX & Digital Mode Notifications. Never miss a rare station again. HamAlert sends push notifications to your phone when a specific callsign, DXCC, or band activity is spotted on the network. https://hamalert.org/
- WebSDR – Global Remote Receiver Directory. The classic directory for tuning into HF and VHF bands worldwide. Ideal for checking your own signal propagation or listening when you are away from your shack. https://www.websdr.org/
- VOACAP Online – HF Propagation Prediction. A professional-grade tool for forecasting band openings. Very useful for planning your DXing sessions based on current solar indices. https://www.voacap.com/
- Hackaday: DIY Magnetic Loop Antenna Controller. A great resource for apartment dwellers. This tag explores various builds for small, high-Q magnetic loops, including Arduino-based auto-tuners. https://hackaday.com/tag/magnetic-loop-antenna/
- GitHub: Open-Source Ham Radio Software. A massive collection of community-driven tools for everything from FT8 decoding to satellite tracking and DSP filtering. https://github.com/topics/ham-radio
Want to contribute? If you found an interesting circuit, a new SDR software, or a helpful radio blog, please email me or leave a comment below. Your link might be featured in next Sunday’s digest!
📥 Submit a Link
Have an interesting item related to:
- Ham Radio & DXing
- SDR & WebSDR
- Homebrew Circuits
- Antennas & Propagation
- Digital Modes & Software
Send your suggestions to: vu3dxr@gmail.com
73, VU3DXR