Category: Digital Modes
- DMR vs C4FM vs D-STAR: How to Choose Your First Digital Voice Mode 2026-10-18 · Digital Modes
The three main amateur digital voice standards are mutually incompatible, and buying before checking what your local repeater does is the classic beginner mistake. Here is how they differ and how to choose.
- FT8 Explained: How the 15-Second Weak-Signal Mode Actually Works 2026-10-18 · Digital Modes
FT8 packs a complete contact into 15-second cycles and decodes signals about 20 dB below the noise floor. Here is how the protocol works, what it is genuinely good at, and where the criticism lands.
- Beyond FT8: A Practical Guide to PSK31, RTTY, Olivia and JS8Call 2026-10-18 · Digital Modes
FT8 dominates HF digital traffic, but it cannot hold a conversation. Here is what PSK31, RTTY, Olivia, MFSK and JS8Call each do, and how to pick the right one for what you are trying to achieve.
- How to Build an MMDVM Hotspot with Pi-Star: A Complete Setup Guide 2026-10-18 · Digital Modes
No DMR repeater in range? A Raspberry Pi, an MMDVM board and Pi-Star turn a few milliwatts into a personal gateway to the worldwide digital voice networks. Here is the full build and setup.
- WSPR Explained: Using 200-Milliwatt Beacons to Test Antennas and Map Propagation 2026-10-18 · Digital Modes
WSPR is a two-minute beacon mode that turns a few hundred milliwatts into a worldwide propagation sensor. Here is how the protocol works and how to use it to measure what your antenna is really doing.