Amateur radio news from around Colorado and the broader ham world — new gear, rule changes, contests, and what’s happening on the bands. Curated for the club; every item links to the original source.
Curated with the help of an AI news assistant. Links go to the original reporting — support the outlets that do the work.
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Colorado QSO Party Returns September 12
Colorado hams are invited to get on the air for the 2026 Colorado QSO Party on Saturday, September 12. The statewide operating event runs from 8:00 a.m. to 9:59 p.m. MDT (1400 UTC Saturday through 0359 UTC Sunday). Operators can work one station or chase all 64 Colorado counties using CW, phone,…
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Colorado ARES schedules October APRS training
Colorado ARES has announced a two-hour APRS training session for Saturday, October 17, at 9:00 a.m. The program will cover how the Automatic Packet Reporting System works, the equipment and software needed to participate, and its use for tracking spotters, sweeps, and other event assets. The session will also feature PinPoint, Frank…
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RMHAM restores Sunlight–Grand Mesa microwave-network link
Rocky Mountain Ham Radio reports that volunteer teams repaired and upgraded the microwave-network link between Sunlight and Grand Mesa on August 8. The work included replacing the Grand Mesa site router, converter, injector, radio at the dish, and an Ethernet cable; the organization says testing then confirmed good signal strength and data…
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HAARP Announces August PARS 2026 Transmission Windows
The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) has posted transmission windows for its PARS 2026 research campaign, giving shortwave listeners and amateur operators a chance to monitor activity from the Gakona, Alaska facility. The official notice lists operations on August 12 from 0000–0515 UTC; August 13 from 0115–0630 UTC and 2200–2400 UTC;…
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IP400 Mesh-Radio Project Enters Beta of Its Third Phase
The Alberta Digital Radio Communications Society says its IP400 project has entered beta testing for phase three, a new stage in its work on amateur-oriented mesh networking over the 400 MHz band. Its August 7 status update says phase three introduces the Advanced Mesh Network Controller (AMNC), designed to connect with off-the-shelf…
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Demod Brings Remote SDR Listening and Signal Tools to iPhone and iPad
Demod, a new iPhone and iPad app by Alphonse Romero, puts remote software-defined-radio listening tools in a mobile interface aimed at shortwave listeners and amateur operators. Apple’s current listing says version 1.3 supports KiwiSDR, SpyServer, and rtl_tcp receivers, along with a waterfall display, recording, station identification, and beta decoders for CW, RTTY,…
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BARCfest Hamfest set for October 4 in Longmont
Boulder Amateur Radio Club’s BARCfest Hamfest is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Boulder County Fairgrounds Exhibit Building, 9595 Nelson Road in Longmont. The club’s official 2026 flyer says general admission is $5, with attendees under 18 admitted free with a paid adult. The event…
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Denver Radio Club’s August Round Table spotlights HamSCI program and digital modes
The Denver Radio Club’s newly posted Round Table newsletter identifies its August 19 club meeting program as a presentation by Bob, WB0VGD, on HamSCI’s HF Channel Sounding work. The August issue also notes that DRC’s BrandMeister repeater is experiencing intermittent network connectivity while local RF-to-RF communication remains available. For operators following digital-mode…
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Rocky Mountain Ham Radio Summer SwapFest set for Aug. 23 in Brighton
Rocky Mountain Ham Radio’s Summer SwapFest is scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 2026, at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Brighton. The organizer lists vendor setup beginning at 7:15 a.m. and general admission beginning at 9:00 a.m. The event offers a regional opportunity for Colorado amateurs to meet fellow operators, browse radio and…
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HF Contesting: A Refresher on Propagation Basics
HF contest results often hinge on knowing when a band is likely to support a particular path. In a new OnAllBands Contesting 101 article, contester Kirk Pickering, K4RO, outlines how daylight, ionospheric conditions, skip distance, and maximum usable frequency can help operators decide which bands and directions deserve attention. The article is…
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Young Ham’s WRTC Reflections Offer a Welcome Lesson for Clubs
In a new OnAllBands reflection from the World Radiosport Team Championship, a young amateur describes the mix of excitement and self-doubt that can come with joining a room full of experienced contesters. The central message is reassuring: being new to a group does not mean an operator does not belong there. The…
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FCC Proposal Puts 2.4 GHz Satellite Links in Focus
A proposed FCC rulemaking highlighted by SatNews could broaden the discussion around how the already-crowded 2.4 GHz ISM band is used. The report says the proposal would establish a framework for non-geostationary satellite operators to receive certain direct-to-satellite Bluetooth Low Energy and Wi-Fi signals using unlicensed spectrum, rather than relying solely on…
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WCARC Hamfest & Swapmeet Set for August 8 in Grand Junction
The Western Colorado Amateur Radio Club’s 2026 Hamfest & Swapmeet is set for Saturday, August 8, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at First Christian Church, 1326 N. 1st Street in Grand Junction. The club lists an admission charge, vendor tables and tailgate spaces, door prizes, QSL card checking, license exams, food,…
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Low-Cost SDR Design Offers Ideas for Radio Experimenters
Hackaday’s report from Hackaday Europe 2026 follows Anders Nielsen’s effort to build a transparent, low-cost software-defined radio rather than rely entirely on a closed off-the-shelf platform. The project progressed from soundcard tests to a dual-ADC design, and the live demonstration received the full FM broadcast band at once. For experimenters, the useful…
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Limon DMR Site Restored to Full Network Service
Rocky Mountain Ham Radio reports that its Limon DMR site is back at full operation after volunteers replaced a Cat5 run with fiber, restoring the microwave link into the network. The site also retains backup connectivity through Bijou Telephone ISP service, an encouraging bit of infrastructure news for operators who use the…