This is an update of some of our activities for the month of December, 2024.

Some of us have been studying for our Technician and General class licenses, and tinkering with Meshtastic solar nodes.

One of us had a couple of OLIVIA contacts on the 20 meter band. Olivia and other similar “keyboard-to-keyboard” modes are interesting because you see the other person’s message come in one letter at a time, and you can immediately start composing your reply while the message is still coming in, and even continue editing the latter part of your reply while the first part of your reply is still being transmitted. So it’s synchronous (e.g. IM or verbal conversation) in some ways, and asynchronous (e.g. sending a letter or an email) in others. It’s an unusual way to communicate, but really easy to get into a groove once you get used to it.

Verotelecom has released an updated firmware for the VR-N76 HT, which unlocks the Bluetooth KISS TNC and allows the use of applications like APRSdroid and Winlink instead of Verotelecom’s proprietary Android application. Relatedly, a clone of this handheld has been released by BTech for a few dollars cheaper, called the Btech UV-Pro. VGC’s (Verotelecom’s) firmware appear to be 100% compatible with this device.

Winter Field Day is coming up on January 25th, and the way it’s going, many of us may actually have winter conditions to practice in who usually don’t. We’ll see how that goes.

Other than that, it’s a new year. It’s also 107 days until May Day.

This is an update of some of our activities for the month of January, 2025.

January was a hell of a year, especially for those of us on Turtle Island, but also for those of us who cannot escape the foreign policies of the so-called “United States”.

It somehow seems old-hat to say that we’re dealing with an overt fascist takeover here. It’s almost too obvious to be meaningful anymore. But despair is what’s expected of us, so instead we must act on plans if we have them, and develop plans if we don’t. Find your people if you haven’t.

(video) The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Organizing – Anark

Steps are being taken by many to remedy the situation. Some of us know each other and some don’t, and that’s fine. There are a lot of different kinds of work that need to be done.

(podcast) It Could Happen Here: About That Nazi Salute

It seems we can barely catch a breath between crises anymore. While people in southern Appalachia will continue to struggle with the effects of Hurricane Helene for years to come, a significant chunk of occupied Tongva territory so-called “Los Angeles” has been decimated by fire.

https://www.icqpodcast.com/news/2025/1/26/ham-radio-operators-serving-during-california-firestorms

Here are a few little things we’ve done this month:

• Racked up a small handful of contacts on Winter Field Day. The 100Ah battery box handled the 24hr contest fairly well.

• One of us obtained a new ATS-20+ receiver, which is a nice little Arduino Nano-based AM/FM/SSB receiver available for about $30-$40 that seems very hackable. (No link for this, as there are a number of sellers from various websites.) Paired with a small passive magnetic loop antenna, it’s quite easy and fun to do some SWLing in the woods.