Here are some web resources that I have found to be useful. These links will take you to a new page or tab.
If you have any favorites you’d like me to consider adding, please get in touch.
Directories
- qrz.com – Look up any ham anywhere
Spotting networks
- dxheat.com – Customizable, graphically pleasing site for displaying spots and analysis. Can also look up spots by callsign.
Propagation
- dxmaps.com – Maps showing paths of spotted QSOs worldwide (most often used for tracking 6 meters). dxmaps will send you e-mail warnings when propagation may exist in your area. Membership in the site is recommended.
- NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center – Summary of space weather conditions, news stories and more resources. Of particular interest is the Radio Communications Dashboard.
- spaceweather.com – Summary of current solar conditions and space weather
- DX Info Centre – William Hepburn’s resource pages for broadcast radio & TV propagation including tropo forecasts that can be of value to hams operating on VHF
- voacap.com – The Voice of America Coverage Analysis Program, a sophisticated HF propagation modeling tool developed by the US NTIA to predict transmission paths for the VOA. Available for free use by the public, it can provide predictions for point-to-point paths, upcoming DXpeditions, and coverage maps.
Operating and Contesting
- Michigan QSO Party which takes place each year on the third Saturday of April
- County records updated through 2019
- Bruce Horn (WA7BNM)’s Contest Calendar – A weekly grid of contests worldwide and a 14-month summary. (Note the new domain name – contestcalendar.com – as of September 2017
- 3830 Scores – Submit your contest scores and check to see other stations’ claimed scores. Note: This is not a substitute for submitting your log to the contest sponsors.
- DX World – Latest news about worldwide operating, a DXpedition calendar and some gorgeous island photography.
- Contesting 101 – A series of articles written by Kirk, K4RO, for the Tennessee Contest Group, covering a variety of topics aimed at the newer contester.
- NAQCC – The North American QRP CW Club
Service and Repair
- VE3AB‘s Vintage Solid State Ham Radio Manuals – PDFs of manuals for many older solid-state rigs and equipment
- mods.dk – Repository for modification and repair instructions for a wide range of ham gear. Registration required to download.
Tools
- Ham Stuff – Tom NS6T’s collection of utilities including an azimuth (great circle) map generator and one that maps your QSOs from an ADIF file.
- Signal Identification WIKI – A catalog of digital and analog signals, what they look and sound like, and how to figure out how to decode them.
- Reverse Beacon Network – Part tool (for judging how far you’re getting out) and part spotting aid (shows who else is being spotted), this is a worldwide network of software-defined receivers which “skim” CW traffic, sort out those who are calling CQ or sending TEST, and posts it to the database.
Technical Papers
- W0BTU’s Beverage Receiving Antennas – An exhaustive article that discusses technical and construction details of long-wire HF/MF receiving antennas.