Welcome to the fifth edition of Radio Waves Weekly! This week’s digest brings you fresh developments from the SDR world — including a networked receiver making waves at Hamcation — alongside exciting digital mode innovations, a new real-time DX spotting platform, citizen science workshops, rare DXpeditions, and a community effort to keep a beloved ham radio clock ticking. Plus links to antenna projects and circuits from right here on the site. There’s something for every RF enthusiast this week!
1. QRP Labs QDX — A $60 Five-Band Digital Transceiver Worth Building KIT BUILDFive-band (80–20m) 5W digital transceiver kit for under $60 — all SMD pre-populated. Connects to PC as a USB sound card, works natively with WSJT-X, JS8Call, and RTTY. Uses an Si5351 synthesiser for pure FSK output with zero spurious sidebands. The perfect first build for any ham curious about digital modes.
QDX specifications → QDX-M monoband variant → Builder’s review (N1UGK) →
2. RadioBerry + Raspberry Pi 4 = A Full HF SDR Transceiver in Your Hand SDR PROJECTA Raspberry Pi HAT delivering a full 0–30 MHz HF SDR transceiver using the AD9866 front-end and HPSDR/Hermes-Lite protocol. SparkSDR, Quisk, and openHPSDR work immediately. The entire station — radio, processing, and logging — fits on the Pi. The most educational SDR transceiver build available today.
3. Build a Noise-Nulling Receive Loop with the W6LVP Experimenter’s Kit ANTENNA PROJECTUrban RFI burying your 40m signals? A small amplified receive loop cuts noise by 20–30 dB. The kit supplies the broadband preamp (135 kHz–30 MHz, no tuning) and bias-T — you form the 1-metre loop from hardware store wire. The figure-8 pattern lets you rotate to null interference sources. Pairs perfectly with any RTL-SDR dongle.
4. Meshtastic + LoRa: Build Your Own Off-Grid Mesh Communicator for Under ₹2,500 DIY BUILDTransforms a $20–35 ESP32+LoRa board into a node in a decentralised, AES-256 encrypted mesh network — no SIM, no Wi-Fi needed. Achieves 2–10 km hops with weeks of battery life. Flash firmware from a browser, pair via Bluetooth, and you have independent comms for SOTA, field day, or emergency use.
Official Meshtastic docs → Technical deep-dive → Hardware guide →
5. 🔥 FT2 — A New Digital Mode That Completes a QSO in Under 11 Seconds NEW MODEItalian developer Martino Merola (IU8LMC) has unveiled FT2 — a digital mode completing a full QSO in just 7–11 seconds, versus FT8’s 60 seconds. First on-air contacts were made February 16, 2026 on 40m and 80m, decoding down to −12 dB SNR. It uses the same LDPC(174,91) encoding as FT8 but compresses the TX cycle to 3.8 seconds for 240+ QSOs per hour — four times FT8’s throughput. Designed for contest pile-ups, not weak-signal DX. Runs under the Decodium 3 fork of WSJT-X. Beta testers actively sought.
Official FT2 site → FT2: The Fastest Digital Mode in Amateur Radio →
6. KiwiSDR 2 — The Best Networked HF Receiver You Can Build a Station Around SDRStandalone 0–30 MHz SDR with built-in BeagleBone computer, GPS-disciplined clock, and a browser UI requiring zero software installation. Four simultaneous users, integrated decoders for FT8, WSPR, SSTV, NAVTEX, CW, and DRM. Over 700 public units on rx.kiwisdr.com. Radio World calls it the most accessible HF SDR available.
KiwiSDR 2 product page → Radio World review → Tune 700+ live KiwiSDRs →
7. Antenna Theory: Why Your Feedline Radiates — Common Mode Current ExplainedCommon-mode current on coax shields is one of the most underestimated performance killers in any shack — it turns your feedline into a third antenna element and pumps noise into your own receiver. W8JI’s definitive technical notes explain the mechanism and show exactly how a choke balun fixes it. Essential reading before your next antenna build.
8. Build Your Own 6m Delta Loop — A Simple Weekend Project ANTENNA PROJECTFull-size 6m delta loop built in a single weekend from inexpensive materials. Covers gain and polarisation advantages, 50 MHz dimensions, feed-point matching, and real-world test results. With cycle 25 keeping the Magic Band open, there is no better time to put up a dedicated 6m antenna.
9. Beginner’s Guide to HF SSTV Setup with SSB Transceivers GUIDEComplete setup guide for SSTV on an HF SSB transceiver. Covers audio interface wiring, software options (MMSSTV, QSSTV), mode selection, and receiving live images from the ISS. A rewarding project for operators looking beyond voice and CW.
10. open-hamclock-backend — Community Rallies to Keep HamClock AliveFollowing the passing of HamClock creator Elwood Downey (WB0OEW), a community project is rebuilding the live data backend — space weather, propagation indices, DX news — from public sources including NOAA and PSK Reporter, requiring no changes on existing HamClock devices. Runs on any small Linux system and is close to replicating every original feed.
11. HamSCI 2026 Workshop — March 14–15, Registration OpenThe 9th annual HamSCI Workshop at Central Connecticut University features 50+ presentations on Personal Space Weather Stations, WSPR propagation sensing, meteor scatter, and a tribute to VLF pioneer Paul Nicholson (G8LMD). Tours of ARRL HQ and operation of W1AW are on the programme.
12. Kenya Joins ARISS — Africa’s First Member NationKenya has officially joined the Amateur Radio on the ISS programme, opening the door for Kenyan schools to conduct live voice contacts with astronauts using amateur radio — the first African country to achieve this.
13. Yaesu Wholesale Price Increase — Effective March 1, 2026Yaesu has notified distributors of a price increase effective March 1, citing tariffs and logistics costs. If a Yaesu radio is on your list, it may be worth acting before retail prices follow.
14. J51A Active — Bijagos Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau (IOTA AF-020)A rare activation is underway from the sought-after Bijagos Archipelago through early March 2026. Watch 17m and 20m SSB for the best propagation windows from South Asia. Check the DX cluster for live spots.
15. Special Event Station EG1912T — Honouring the Titanic’s Silent KeysA special event station commemorates the heroism of Jack Phillips and Harold Bride, the Marconi operators who transmitted distress calls from RMS Titanic in April 1912. Operating on CW and digital modes across HF bands, EG1912T is a moving reminder of how radio shaped maritime safety law.
Want to contribute? If you found an interesting circuit, a new SDR software, a helpful radio blog, or breaking ham radio news, please email me or leave a comment below. Your link might be featured in next Sunday’s digest!
