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.
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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…
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MegaFest 2026 Comes to Monument July 25
Colorado operators looking for a summer hamfest and swap-meet day have a nearby option this Saturday. The Pikes Peak Radio Amateur Association’s MegaFest 2026 is scheduled for July 25 at Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, with doors open from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Vendors may enter at 6:00 a.m., and ticket…
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Portable Operating Lessons From a Tapley Woods Activation
A field report from Mark, KB2PIZ, at Illinois’s Tapley Woods State Natural Area is a good reminder that portable operating rewards preparation and flexibility. Before setting up, he checked the activation schedule, antenna direction, and expected propagation—then deployed a Chameleon LEFS 40 antenna with a Xiegu G90. When 20-meter SSB slowed after…