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JS8 QSO Party August 8th ...
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Indian Falls Aug 6th
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Bruce's Caves
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Local POTA Locations (Upd...
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HANOVER HAM HAUL SAT 8 AU...
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Hitch based mast holder
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CW PRACTICE
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The JS8 QSO Party is a chance to get on the air with JS8 and make some contacts every month. Whether you like a quick exchange or a long rag-chew, this event is for you. We have a lot of great, patient operators in the group, so the environment should be very welcoming!
The party is an all-day event held monthly on the Second Saturday of the month (unless the schedule is modified for a particular event). Each month will have a theme or goal.
Monthly Theme: Get on the air and chat with JS8!When: 24 hours starting at 19:00 UTC on Saturday and ending at 19:00 UTC on Sunday
Participation: Global
Bands: All Amateur Bands
Remember, by default JS8 QSO Party events are not contests, so all amateur bands are open for use. Now might be the time to break out your 30m delta loop or 17m hamstick or 12m bed springs!
Sticking to the theme is nice, but remember that with JS8 we have the freedom of free-text. So, feel free to QSY toward a clear frequency and talk about anything you want.
I hope to see some of y'all on the air. Let me know if I can help in the meantime!
Cheers!
Best,
Jordan / KN4CRD
Date and Time
Saturday, August 8, 2026 through
Sunday, August 9, 2026 (UTC+00:00) UTC
I will attempt Indian Falls this afternoon, hopefully the weather will co-operate...details on the homepage
This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with
this week's bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. Inside the WRTC 2026 Multiplier Investigation
Public log analysis has raised serious questions about suspected pirate
callsigns, disputed multipliers, and how the world’s premier radiosport
competition should respond.
The discussion began with observations from Alex Avramov LZ4AX who
published an analysis of ten callsigns that appeared throughout the WRTC
logs under circumstances he believed were sufficiently unusual to warrant
closer examination. Those callsigns were YV1LBB, 4F3OM, 4S7KM, HZ1TT,
4K6FO, TI1W, HC5AI, HL2CFY, 9M8YY and 9M2LAN. Examining publicly available
contest logs, LZ4AX noted several characteristics they appeared to share.
All operated CW only. None submitted a log to the IARU HF World Championship.
None appeared to establish and hold a running frequency. Instead, they seemed
to move through the WRTC field making relatively few contacts, and providing
somewhat rare multipliers. Two more callsigns ZP5KO and ZS6WAR were
subsequently identified as being troublesome.
Full article at:
https://q5hamradio.substack.com/p/the-integrity-question-inside-the
-- via amateurradio.com (and Q5 magazine)
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
ITEMS OF INTEREST
2. FIRESATS LAUNCHED TO TRACK WILDFIRES FROM THE SKY
A trio of microsatellites described as "fire towers in the sky" have been
launched. As planned, Firesat-1, -2 and -3 were launched on the 7th of July.
The project is supported by the Earth Fire Alliance and its goal is to track
various types of wildfires across five continents. As reported earlier on
Newsline, the satellites have received support from a $26 million grant from
the Bezos Earth Fund and have the support of Google. The nonprofit Earth Fire
Alliance is hoping to have enough satellites in place eventually so that every
point on the planet will be seen every 20 minutes.
-- via (AMSAT NEWS SERVICE)
3. UK'S LEADING OBSERVATORY EARMARKED FOR SHUTDOWN
The Jodrell Bank Observatory, which gathers data about the galaxy from seven
radio telescopes across England, has lost government funding for the project
and faces closure. The network, known as e-Merlin, is earmarked for shutdown
following an announcement by UK Research and Innovation that it was ending
financial support for the research and that all scientific work at Jodrell
will be halted on the 1st of April 2028.
The observatory in Cheshire has also been home for seven decades to the massive
76-metre Lovell radio telescope. Jodrell Bank has been a foremost figure among
astronomy centres worldwide and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
-- Jeremy Boot G4NJH. (via amateur radio newsline)
4. INTERNATIONAL DOG DAY AND CAT DAY TEAM UP
Ham radio teams in Latvia, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, India and Germany
will be calling CQ on behalf of abandoned, abused and homeless pets around the
world and to advocate for adoption and humane treatment. In the spirit of
friendship and the shared love of animals, they will be looking to raise
awareness and hear one another’s stories.
The hams calling CQ are animal-lovers themselves who know the power of rescue
because many have been deeply involved in organized animal-welfare efforts or
have included a rescued dog or cat in their family.
All operators will be on the HF bands using CW and SSB to encourage conversational
exchanges. Dog-station callsigns will include YL1DOG, GB4DOG, VU2MGS, DLØDOG,
PDØØDOG and KØDOG. Cat stations will be calling CQ as DLØCAT, GB4CAT and DAØCAT.
For operating details and information about award certificates, you can
check out QRZ.com YL1DOG.
-- Randy Sly W4XJ (via amateur radio newsline)
This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or
clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
![[Image: arw-header-700.gif]](https://s3.amazonaws.com/emma-assets/b3h3/eb034ed72fd9f0ea240405f6861b43b1/arw-header-700.gif)
Family of KY student says deputy seized child’s radios without warrant. They’re suing
A Somerset family has filed a lawsuit against the county’s school board and local law enforcement, alleging a deputy wrongly seized two-way radios from a student without a warrant.
Lexington Herald Leader
The integrity question: Inside the WRTC 2026 Multiplier Investigation
Public log analysis has raised serious questions about suspected pirate callsigns, disputed multipliers, and how the world’s premier radiosport competition should respond.
Q5 Magazine
MODEM73
An open source software modem that works with any HF, VHF, or UHF radio capable of 2400 Hz of bandwidth.
MODEM73
Expanding Technician privileges: The fix needs a push
There’s a real, already-written fix for one of Technician licensees’ most common complaints — and it’s been sitting in an FCC docket since 2018.
EtherHam
What’s new at Digital Library of Amateur Radio & Communications — July 2026
DLARC has significantly expanded the AMSAT Symposium archive, adding about 250 new items from AMSAT Space Symposium events. Newly archived material includes audio recordings of the 2007-2008 presentations.
Zero Retries
SDRoxide: Software-defined transceiver
A powerful SDR transceiver client with a GPU panadapter, dual VFOs, neural noise reduction, built-in skimmers, a full stack of digital modes and a live 3D space-weather globe — wrapped in a cyberpunk interface and running native on Linux, macOS & Windows, or streamed to any browser.
SDRoxide
Reticulum
The appeal of reticulum is that it seems to extend the LoRa thing to include mini web pages and a different way of interacting. A cross between packet, the general internet, and normal messaging.
G7KSE
Zero Retries Digital Conference 2026 call for papers
A typical technical paper for ZRDC is a short (typically 5-10 pages) but in-depth explanation of a project, experiment, or new technique.
Zero Retries
I made an AFSK RTTY encoder for the Sony PSP
The PSP is acting purely as an encoder, generating the RTTY audio tones which are then received and decoded externally.
TunerScope: A browser app to help optimize HDTV antenna positioning with an RTL-SDR
TunerScope has a few interesting features, including the use of spectrum stitching to visualize the full 6 MHz + wide ATSC signals as the RTL-SDR only provides 2.56 MSPS max.
RTL-SDR
Olivia spotting
View live on-air station spots, filter by mode/band, and spot station activity in real-time.
OliviaDigitalMode.org
Feds hunting for German spy found a 12-year-old radio genius instead
Francis “Frank” Ryder, whose remarkable talent for radio led federal agents to his Brooklyn home during World War I before he went on to found the Suffolk County Radio Club.
South Shore Press
A visit to Nashville’s WSM AM
Photos from the transmitter site of the station that birthed the Grand Ole Opry.
RadioWorld
Upcoming Events
Tour de France Special Event Challenge 2026
July 4, 2026 — August 9, 2026
Colorado 14er Event 2026
August 1, 2026 — August 2, 2026
International Dog Day and International Cat Day Special Event
August 1, 2026 — August 31, 2026
SSTV Special Event from QMR-KWT-2 Satellite
August 1, 2026 — August 2, 2026
See more events
Video
This 3D printed trailer hitch antenna mast mount is awesome
Printed on Bambu P1S with Bambu PETG, 10 walls, 40% infill.
Ham Radio Tube
40M V Dipole vs 130' EFHW
The results are not what you expect.
Hounds and ham
Editor's Corner
Hi, my name is Cale (K4HCK) and I'm the editor of Amateur Radio Weekly.
The most-clicked link from last week's newsletter was KE9V's FT8 commentary.
This week's newsletter is action-packed. I would immediately try out MODEM73 if I had the time. The WSM transmitter photos are worth a view. Living in the Nashville area, I drive by the old Blaw-Knox tower regularly and it's always a sight to behold. Photos can't capture how elegant the tower design is in person.
General feedback regarding this newsletter or the content within is always welcome. Got a link to share? Simply hit reply.
73
Cale
K4HCK
![[Image: net-finder.jpg]](https://hamweekly.com/images/net-finder.jpg)
Thank you for reading.
73
Bobby, Dan (Ange) and I attended Bruce's Caves yesterday. In all 31 contacts which puts us as the park leaders
There is a large quantity of donated gear at Frank's (VA3GUF) house, to be taken to Hanover for sale as a club fundraiser. It won't happen without member participation.
What's needed:
- Someone with a truck or trailer to collect the gear and transport it to Hanover, AND remove the unsold stuff.
- Two portable tables.
- At least two people to staff the sale. More would be better, to allow people to take a break and browse.
- A cash float for making change.
I'm a bit under the weather right now, but am planning to attend and can help staff the sale. I can bring a table. Hopefully other members will step up and do the other things needing to be done.
Event Details
location: Hanover Drive-In, 033277 Grey County Road #28, Hanover, Ontario
opening time: 8:30 am for vendors, 9:30 am for general public
closing time: 1:00 pm
admission: $5.00 + $5.00 per vendor space
73
Dave, VE3WI
This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with
this week's bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
1. 2026 Ontario QSO Party Results now Posted
The results of the 2026 OQP have now been posted.
Head over to https://www.va3cco.com/oqp
Two new records were set, one in Algoma District, and one in the
state of AZ.
Thanks to all those who participated, and submitted logs.
-- OQP Committee
2. Parry Sound Hamfest (Parry Sound ARC)
Date :Saturday, August 15, 2026
Location:Foley Community Hall, 60 Rankin Lake Road, Seguin Ontario
Times :Vendors 7:00am, Public 8:30am
Cost :General admission $5.00 (Children under 12 Free)
Talk-in :VE3RPL 145.49- pl 156.7
Info 
ARRY SOUND 2026 HAMFEST
Indoor air conditioned event
**** FREE COFFEE ****
!! etransfer option available !!
Email SARC @ VE3RPL.COM
Webpage :https://www.ve3rpl.com
-- RAC Events Page
ITEMS OF INTEREST
3. HAMgpt (Say what?)
Your purpose built personal advisor on what to do with your ham radio
equipment. If you need fresh ideas give it a try.
HAMgpt was also featured in Hackaday this week.
It requires a free account to personalize the recommendations.
Try it out at: https://hamgpt.co/
-- amateur radio weekly
4. Introduction to DMR Radio
Confused by the DMR jargon? Here is a quick introduction to DMR,
explaining the difference between it and an analog FM radio.
The author explains Codeplugs, Timeslots, Talkgroups and Networks.
The article can be found at https://www.etherham.com
-- Tom Salzer K7JT (via amateur radio weekly)
This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or
clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
APRS On the Air
Let's create a new Amateur Radio activity and supporting software that brings the activator-and-chaser game of Parks on the Air and Summits on the Air to APRS.
K0TFU
China is using Ham Radio in its territorial claim over the South China Sea
An article goes into great depths to use decisions by the ARRL in the 1990’s and a multi-national DX-petitions to give legitimacy to its claim.
Andrew Woodward
FT8 on CB Channel 26
FT8 has taken over Channel 26 USB (27.265 MHz) as an incredibly efficient way to rack up 11-metre DX contacts on the CB band.
EA5IYL
FT8 Is a fad, and other heresies
People are growing weary of too much tech. Digital detox is trending in the non-radio world.
KE9V
Contact the ISS
Some ISS crew members make random, unscheduled, Amateur Radio voice contacts with earth-bound Radio Amateurs.
ARISS
VHF for Parks On The Air?
Don’t overlook the VHF bands, especially 2m FM.
K0NR
School students successfully launch high-altitude balloon into the atmosphere
The Hutt Valley Amateur Radio Club helped with the transmitters inside the payload.
RNZ
Move Meshtastic up on your list
The worst kept secret in communications.
Off Grid Ham
A look at DXpedition funding
Let’s go over these different funding sources, why each is important, and how they come together to make a DXpedition go.
OnAllBands
ARRL June 2025 VHF Contest replay
Video map version.
K5ND
How Amateur Radio built the Indonesian Internet
PaguyubanNet, packet radio and the pioneers of 1986-1994.
HamRaio.my
Upcoming Events
Tour de France Special Event Challenge 2026
July 4, 2026 — August 9, 2026
Colorado 14er Event 2026
August 1, 2026 — August 2, 2026
Cat Pix on the Air CPOTA 2026
August 8, 2026
On-Air Event Celebrates Railroad's 50th Anniversary
August 15, 2026
See more events
Video
SOTA by bicycle in Puerto Rico
Elecraft KX2 + AX1.
WP4TZ
RV Ham Shack
My complete RV Ham Radio setup explained.
KM4ACK
Editor's Corner
Hi, my name is Cale (K4HCK) and I'm the editor of Amateur Radio Weekly.
The most-clicked link from last week's newsletter was HAMgpt. This was one of the most-clicked links in the history of Amateur Radio Weekly with well over 500 recipients checking it out. HAMgpt was also picked up by Hack A Day this week. Kudos to HAMgpt for the level of interest!
Several interesting references to FT8 this issue. What makes FT8 so interesting to me? It's less about contacts and more about the technology and what's possible. I can communicate digitally without the internet? That's been my main draw to Amateur radio since day one. At the same time, tech can touch too much of our lives. But like most things, it's being conscious of the dichotomy of technology, good and bad.
General feedback regarding this newsletter or the content within is always welcome. Got a link to share? Simply hit reply.
73
Cale
K4HCK
Thank you for reading.
73
This is V_3___, Official Bulletin Station for Radio Amateurs of Canada with
this week's bulletin.
NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS
1. Radiosport Team Champions - 2026 CHAMPS REPEAT THEIR 2022 VICTORY
In England, it's all over but the celebrating now that the World Radiosport
Team Championship has wrapped up. Yuri VE3DZ and teammate Yarik UW7LL savoured
victory again as Gold Medalists, as they did at WRTC 2022, (held in 2023).
Silver went to Manfred DJ5MW and Uli DM5EE, with the Bronze going to Emir E77DX
and Sven DJ4MX. Congratulations to the organizers for a successful event and,
of course, to the top three teams who are feeling like Olympians at the moment.
-- WRTC announcement.
ONTARIO SECTION NEWS
ITEMS OF INTEREST
2. Positioning Without Satellites Or Base Stations
We’re all used to satellite navigation systems such as GPS or GLONASS, sheer
magic in which the combination of a set of reference transmitters and
super-accurate timing information can be used to calculate a position to an
astounding precision. They had land based predecessors such as LORAN and Decca
Navigator which worked in a similar fashion but with fixed land-based reference
transmitters. Terra is an attempt to do the same thing without a network of
dedicated transmitters, instead using FM broadcast transmitters as its fixed points.
This might seem like an impossible task without access to the transmitters, but
they have a workaround using the Internet as a backhaul. Instead of transmitting
their timing information like the systems mentioned above, they rely on a set of
reference receivers sharing it online to the client’s receiver software.
So far they have a demo running in Denver.
The interesting thing about this system is that it’s open-source, and requires only
a relatively inexpensive software defined radio receiver and a computer to operate.
Now anyone with a group of internet-connected friends to set up reference receivers
can have their own positioning system, it’s no longer the exclusive preserve of
governments. We like this idea and we look forward to seeing it being tested more
widely.
https://hackaday.com/2026/07/01/positioning-without-satellites-or-base-stations/
-- via Hackaday.com
3. Free, Modern Live APRS Map in 11 Languages
aprs.world is a free, modern web map of the worldwide APRS network, a fresh
alternative to the classic trackers. Live APRS-IS firehose, station pages for
every callsign, weather and telemetry graphs, and two-way APRS messaging straight
from the browser. The interface is available in 11 languages, no login required.
There's also an Android companion app that goes beyond viewing: paired with a
Bluetooth KISS TNC, it transmits real APRS packets over RF from your phone.
-- from TA4OHN via aprs.world
4. BUNKERFEST EVENT BRINGS HISTORY TO HAM RADIO
Organisers are calling the event three days of history over ham radio. It's the
annual Bunkers on the Air Bunkerfest, bringing hams and shortwave listeners closer
to the national defence heritage of 23 nations around the world. Hams will be
activating bunkers from 0000 UTC on the 24th of July through to 2359 on the 26th
of July in the hopes of calling attention to fortifications and bunkers that have
been used in more troubled times throughout various nations' history. Much of the
operation will be done QRP. To encourage growth of the activity in new countries,
radio operators will be encouraged to call CQ from bunker sites in countries that
may not have joined the WWBOTA programme yet. WorldWide BOTA's continued growth
enabled it to add the US among its participating countries earlier this year.
Bunkerfest is also an educational opportunity for everyone. As noted on the event
website "Every activation is an act of historical engagement. We invite you to join
us and to know a little about the bunker you visit, not just its reference number."
There are awards and other certificates of recognition but this is not a contest.
For more details about Bunkerfest, or to register and see the rules, visit
https://wwbota.net/bunkerfest26/
-- Dave Lee M9TLB.(via amateur radio newsline)
This concludes this week's bulletin. Does anyone require repeats or
clarifications?
Hearing none, This is V_3___ returning the frequency to net control.
Bulletin sent from Official Bulletin Manager VA3PC
HAMgpt
New platform combines an operator’s license, station, location and live band conditions to answer a practical question: "What can I do with my radio today?"
HAMgpt
In-depth series: Ham Radio
A podcast series on a wide range of Ham Radio topics.
Hacker Public Radio
What does a Ham Radio antenna look like on the International Space Station?
Here's a peek at part of the gear that helps keep us running in space.
ARISS
APRSMap - Cross platform APRS client
Messaging, offline maps, and ADS-B support.
DC6AP
Paper logging
If anyone would like to use my template, they can download it from my server.
RZ01
Jamoncito FX: My Casio FX870P Logbook software
Logging QSO’s on a calculator. Does it add up?
EI3LH
Exploring the art and science of spectral painting with SDR
Spectral painting is the art of drawing pictures directly on the spectrum waterfall.
RTL-SDR.com
Introduction to DMR: The four wheels on the car
Get all four wheels turning and you’re on the air.
EtherHam
The original social media: Ham Radio connects Rhode Island to the world
The group is composed of Amateur Radio operators ranging from ages 16 to 92, who meet weekly to practice and develop their radio expertise together.
Warwick Beacon
16-year-old ARRL member wins 2026 student coding competition
He designed a mobile application to help users prepare for their Amateur Radio license examinations.
ARRL
Upcoming Events
'Football on the Air' Comes to North America
June 11, 2026 — July 19, 2026
Tour de France Special Event Challenge 2026
July 4, 2026 — August 9, 2026
Special Event Station will Activate Barra Lighthouse
July 18, 2026
Colorado 14er Event 2026
August 1, 2026 — August 2, 2026
See more events
Video
DIY folding antenna for military satcom made from trash
I wanted to copy the Trivec style of portable Satcom antennas used by Western militaries. Usually the commercial version costs $1,500 or more.
saveitforparts
Wow that’s a tall vertical antenna
Portable Ham Radio with a vertical dipole for 20 meters.
Coastal Waves & Wires
This is why every Ham Radio operator should attend a Hamfest
Join me as I take you on a complete walkthrough of the 2026 Greater Nashville & Middle Tennessee HamQuest.
KM4ACK
Editor's Corner
Hi, my name is Cale (K4HCK) and I'm the editor of Amateur Radio Weekly.
The most-clicked link from last week's newsletter was the plea from MeshCore to provide financial support in their effort to avoid a potential trademark claim that could further split the project.
The top story in today's issue points readers to HAMgpt, an AI interface to all things Ham Radio. If you haven't jumped into any AI based tools, this is an easy one to get familiar with. The dashboard is exceptionally helpful. I've shared with Rodrigo (AK6FP / LU6ERV) a feed of nets from Net Finder, which allows HAMgpt users to ask questions like “Are there any radio nets on the air right now?” or “Tell me about the Maritime Net.” This was a fun collaboration and I encourage you to check it out. Rodrigo also maintains DXLook, an excellent live map of Amateur Radio activity and propagation.
General feedback regarding this newsletter or the content within is always welcome. Got a link to share? Simply hit reply.
73
Cale
K4HCK
Thank you for reading.
73