Lessons Learned After Trying MeshCore for Off-grid Text Messaging https://hackaday.com/2025/12/06/lessons-learned-after-trying-meshcore-for-off-grid-text-messaging/
#RadioHacks #LoRa #Meshcore #Meshtastic #Radio

Stop struggling with weak FM signals! 😩📡
Learn how to build the legendary Faulkner FM Loop Antenna—a simple, 30-inch (78cm) square design that's famous for superior reception and eliminating local interference. It’s the ultimate DIY upgrade for any radio enthusiast or DXer.
Ready to boost your FM listening? Click the link for the full guide! 👇
https://vu3dxr.in/faulkner-fm-loop-antenna-for-superior-fm-reception/
#FMAntenna #DIYRadio #DXing #HamRadio #RadioHacks #FaulknerLoop #TechDIY

Custom Firmware Adds Capabilities to Handie Talkie https://hackaday.com/2025/01/03/custom-firmware-adds-capabilities-to-handie-talkie/ #customfirmware #handietalkie #radiohacks #firmware #hamradio #handheld #spectrum #tidradio #radio #td-h3 #td-h8 #usb #ht

Ferrites Versus Ethernet in the Ham Shack https://hackaday.com/2024/09/17/ferrites-versus-ethernet-in-the-ham-shack/ #suppression #RadioHacks #ethernet #hamradio #amateur #ferrite #nanovna #QRM #RFI #RF

Repairing a Hallicrafters S-120 https://hackaday.com/2024/09/08/repairing-a-hallicrafters-s-120/ #Hallicrafters #vintageradio #RepairHacks #RadioHacks #Teardown

How Sony Mastered the Transistor https://hackaday.com/2024/09/04/how-sony-mastered-the-transistor/ #transistorradio #RadioHacks #history #sony

Portable Multi-SDR Rig Keeps Your Radios Cool https://hackaday.com/2024/09/03/portable-multi-sdr-rig-keeps-your-radios-cool/ #software-definedradio #3Dprintedenclosure #RadioHacks #aircooling #airflow #RTL-SDR

Is That Antenna Allowed? The Real Deal on the FCCs OTARD Rule https://hackaday.com/2024/08/30/is-that-antenna-allowed-the-real-deal-on-the-fccs-otard-rule/ #federalcommunicationscommission #amateurradio #RadioHacks #wireless #antenna #Rants #OTARD #video #fcc #ham #HOA #tv

Adding Human Detection to Home Automation https://hackaday.com/2024/08/29/adding-human-detection-to-home-automation/ #homeautomation #RadioHacks #millimeter #LD2410B #mmwave #radar #radio

Hidden Gutter Antenna Keeps HOA Happy https://hackaday.com/2024/08/27/hidden-gutter-antenna-keeps-hoa-happy/ #RadioHacks #hamradio #stealth #gutter #radio #tuner #HOA

Pi Pico SDR on a Breadboard https://hackaday.com/2024/08/12/pi-pico-sdr-on-a-breadboard/ #RaspberryPi #raspberrypi #RadioHacks #pipico #sdr

The First New Long Wave Radio Station Of This Millennium https://hackaday.com/2024/08/11/the-first-new-long-wave-radio-station-of-this-millennium/ #broadcastradio #RadioHacks #long-wave #radio

Be your own DJ with QN8066 and an Arduino Library https://hackaday.com/2024/08/10/be-your-own-dj-with-qn8066-and-an-arduino-library/ #FMbroadcast #transmitter #RadioHacks #AM/FM #radio #fm

The Waveguide Explanation You Wish You’d Had At School https://hackaday.com/2024/08/09/the-waveguide-explanation-you-wish-youd-had-at-school/ #transmissionline #RadioHacks #microwave #waveguide

Vintage Crystal Radio Draws the Waves https://hackaday.com/2024/08/07/vintage-crystal-radio-draws-the-waves/ #germaniumdiode #crystalradio #RadioHacks #amradio

An Antenna to Throw You for a Loop https://hackaday.com/2024/07/29/an-antenna-to-throw-you-for-a-loop/ #loopantenna #RadioHacks #shortwave #Featured #Reviews #antenna

You’ve Got The Portable Radio, Now What About The Antenna? https://hackaday.com/2024/07/28/youve-got-the-portable-radio-now-what-about-the-antenna/ #endfedhalfwave #RadioHacks #antenna #QRP

Ask Hackaday: Is Shortwave on Life Support? https://hackaday.com/2024/07/26/ask-hackaday-is-shortwave-on-life-support/ #RadioHacks #shortwave #Featured #Rants

Ask Hackaday: Is Shortwave on Life Support?

A QSL Card from Radio Moscow probably got many 14-year-olds on government watch lists. (Public domain)

Between World War II and Y2K, shortwave listening was quite an education. With a simple receiver, you could listen to the world. Some of it, of course, was entertainment, and much of it was propaganda of one sort or another. But you could learn a lot. Kids with shortwave radios always did great in geography. Getting the news from a different perspective is often illuminating, too. Learning about other cultures and people in such a direct way is priceless. Getting a QSL card in the mail from a faraway land seemed very exciting back then.

Today, the shortwave landscape is a mere shadow of itself. According to a Wikipedia page, there are 235 active shortwave broadcasters from a list of 414, so nearly half are defunct. Not only are there many "dead" shortwave outlets, but many of the ones that are left are either not aimed at the world market or serve a niche group of listeners.

You can argue that with the Internet, you don't need radio, and that's probably correct in some ways but misses a few important points. Indeed, many broadcasters still exist as streaming stations or a mix of radio and streaming. I have to admit I listen to the BBC often but rarely on the air. My computer or phone plays it in crystal clarity 24 hours a day.

A future Hackaday author in front of an Eico shortwave radio

So, while a 14-year-old in 1975 might be hunched over a radio wearing headphones, straining to hear NHK World Radio, these days, they are likely surfing the popular social media site of the week. You could easily argue that content on YouTube, Instagram, and the like can come from all over the world, so what's the problem?

The problem is information overload. Faced with a shortwave radio, there were a limited number of options available. What's more, only a small part of the band might be "open" at any given time. It isn't like the radio could play games or -- unless you were a ham -- allow you to chat with your friends. So you found radio stations from Germany to South Africa. From China and Russia, to Canada and Mexico. You knew the capital of Albania. You learned a little Dutch from Radio Nederlands.

Is there an answer? Probably not. Radio isn't coming back, barring an apocalyptic event. Sure, you can listen to the BBC on your computer, but you probably won't. You can even listen to a radio over the network, but that isn't going to draw in people who aren't already interested in radio, even if it really looks like a radio.

If you made a website with radio stations of the world, would people use it? Something like a software version of this globe or a "world service" version of RadioGarden. Probably not.

Do you listen to shortwave radio? If so, what are you listening to? Do you listen to "world services" at all? Tell us in the comments. Many careers were launched by finding a shortwave radio under the Christmas tree at just the right age. When Internet access is compromised, there's still no substitute for real radios. If you want to listen to some of those vintage programs, they are -- unsurprisingly -- on the Internet.

#featured #radiohacks #rants #shortwave

CW Not Hard Enough? Try This Tiny Paddle https://hackaday.com/2024/07/22/cw-not-hard-enough-try-this-tiny-paddle/ #summitsontheair #continuouswave #RadioHacks #portable #paddle #morse #radio #small #pota #SOTA #tiny #ham #cw