Playing with #JTTY is getting interesting. Think of it like an FT8, but more chat like, not sent out in 30sec time frames. halcyon.neon.jp.net/notes/ash9pv...

Just HAM things (@HAMthings)

I've been playing with #JTTY this weekend, but limited success.. Used a 20m EFHW wire antenna for the first time from my flat in Tokyo. There is as of right now almost no JTTY traffic.. the few statio...

halcyon.neon.jp.net

Playing with an own Fediverse instance, this time: #misskey . Seems nice so far! More lean than Mastodon, some nice features. My notes on setting it up with podman: blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/08/inst...

Installing Misskey Fediverse Instance

The Fediverse is quite nice! For my main account, I’ve been relying on the fantasticly run chaos.social instance. I’ve played with running gotosocial and Mastodon instances in the past, but did not ru...

blog.fluxcoil.net

I compared a 20m-wire-antenna with a 1.6m long telescope antenna, and some more scenarios. Not to scientific, but interesting how much can still be accomplished with an antenna deployed inside the house. blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/08/comp...

Comparing Antennas with WSPR

I got free time to spend with HAM gear in the middle of Germany, on a house with 3 floors and a garden behind the house. After doing some connections with FT8, a digital mode, I started to wonder: whi...

blog.fluxcoil.net

I had my first #SOTA activation now. The first POTA was in Japan, now first SOTA here in Germany - all places where I feel 'at home' covered. :) Funny enough, this summit feels more like a park! Details: blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/08/firs...

First SOTA Activation

POTA is ‘Parks On The Air’. You go to a park, deploy antenna and radio transceiver, and to ‘activate the park’ you have then exchanges with at least 10 folks over the air.\nSOTA is ‘Summits On The Air...

blog.fluxcoil.net

For the owners of RTL-SDR devices: you can use nearby GSM base stations to calibrate your RTL-SDR. Here in Germany I can use GSM stations in 900Mhz area: fluxcoil.net/wiki/hamradi...

I had a successful #POTA activation: sat down in a park, deployed radio transceiver and antenna, and had connections with >10 remote stations. This combines what I learned in the last years. Details on the used tech, scratching the ice berg though: blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/07/star... #HAM

Starting POTA and optimizing equipment

In July, I had my first POTA activation. POTA is ‘Parks On The Air’, an activity in the field of HAM radio. There are 2 roles:\nThe Activator, someone going into a park, setting up radio equipment and...

blog.fluxcoil.net

So #POTA is this activity to go to parks, and use a radio transceiver to make at least 10 radio connections. Thomas's videos (like this one www. youtube.com/watch?v=7VeWLfTRl2s ) give a nice impression - but when I do it here in Tokyo with smaller and much more busy parks, it feels quite different.

100 Milliwatts and a Random Wire — Can You Even POTA with That?

YouTube video by Thomas (K4SWL)

youtube.com

I got a used MacBook Air M1, for use as portable desktop and for HAM activities from parks and summits. Of course I'm using Fedora Asahi Remix on the system. Details on encrypting the disk: blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/05/fedo... #linuxonair #HAM

Fedora Asahi Remix With LUKS Encryption in 2026

I recently got myself an Apple MacBook Air M1, these are down to 5万円/350$ here in Japan. The CPU efficient, the screen is good - I plan to use the device as portable desktop with Fedora Asahi Remix. A...

blog.fluxcoil.net

The #cardputer is quite nice for #meshtastic and #meshcore . Details: blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/05/card...

This is great, on so many levels. #cw #hamradio #typography potacw.guide

I finally got around to write about the various rabbit holes around #HAMradio which I got aware of. And probably also forgot a few. :) blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/04/the-...

The Colours of Ham Radio

Remembering Blinry’s Fifty Things you can do with SDR, I thought that something like that for HAM Radio should exist - so here is my attempt of a collection. HAM Radio is a huge field, and most radio ...

blog.fluxcoil.net

There is not only a list of Tokyo's design manholes at www.gesui.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/pr/kouhou/de... , but also a map at ekikaramanhole.whitebeach.org/ext/manholec... . Neat!

いま"マンホール蓋"が熱い！！|広報|東京都下水道局

東京都下水道局のいま"マンホール蓋"が熱い！！(広報)のページです。

gesui.metro.tokyo.lg.jp

My German license qualifies for #HAREC, so I got now upgraded to the highest class in Japan. www.tele.soumu.go.jp/musen/Search...

"The 52 week ham radio challenge" deserves to be know much more widely. Fantastic list of things to do in #HAM : www.hamchallenge.org

What's best to measure your computers power consumption: a Smartplug? The sensor in the comupter itself? Some extra measure device? I bought a Power-Z device: it's not cheap, but has a native Linux driver for measurements. blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/03/comp...

Comparing Power Measurement Methods for computers

I got this Power-Z measurement device the other day.. what is it, and how does it fare against the other measure methods? My last comparison was in 2022.\nThe contenders I have some sources for measur...

blog.fluxcoil.net

After months, I got an issue with my radio transceiver setup debugged. This article is a recap, my attempt to understand what I could have done better.. Might be an interesting read for people who are curious how much is involved to send radio signals. #HAMradio blog.fluxcoil.net/2026/03/debu...

Why is noone hearing it? Basics of sending radio waves.

At the middle of last year, I got all the hardware together to do radio transmissions here from my room in the West of Tokyo. It just did not work, and took half a year to debug. This here is a small ...

blog.fluxcoil.net

Are you looking for an introduction into "Software Defined Radio", especially together with Linux? I'm introducing the basic concepts, and software gprx and OpenWebRX+. Might contain segways into #HAMradio . 😃 Slides: fluxcoil.net/files/presen...

Tokyo Linux Users Group@tlug.jp · 9mo ago

An introduction into the fascinating world of Software Defined Radio on Linux - Christian Horn (@globalc.bsky.social) www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvnh... From the 2026-01-24 Technical Meeting

At #39c3 , HAMs presented about their radio contact with Fram2, a spaceX mission. We will discuss this on Friday, January the 16th, in #Tokyo ( 7pm, room #202 at Jiyugaoka Juku Center ) at the local club - come over if you are in the area! Recording in German: media.ccc.de/v/39c3-amate...

Amateurfunk im All – Kontakt mit Fram2

Wir geben Einblicke in zwei intensive Wochen Planung, Koordination und Aufbau, den Betrieb einer (improvisierten) Bodenstation, sprechen ...

media.ccc.de

My steps to emulate the #Amiga 1000 keyboard with the Raspberry Pi: blog.fluxcoil.net/posts/2025/1...

Emulating the Amiga 1000 Keyboard

TL’DNR: My steps towards emulating an Amiga 1000 keyboard, using the GPIO (input/output) pins of a Raspberry Pi, and implementing parts of the keyboard protocol in Python.\nBackground Around 1997 I go...

blog.fluxcoil.net

I finally found the time to connect my Morse key to the computer, worked out as simple as I hoped - the Morse key is simply shortening a circuit, which is the same as mouse button switches are doing. So now I can also practise to give CW. Details: blog.fluxcoil.net/post/2025/12... #HAMradio

Connecting a Morse Key to the computer

Since spring of this year I’m learning to pick up morse code, so to hear sequences of dits and dahs/long and short sounds, and interpret the characters they represent.\nThat’s progressing.. but it’s j...

blog.fluxcoil.net

Tokyo at night, near the emperors palace

We do an evening around #LoRa devices and #Meshtastic on Friday. - What are Lora, how does Lora relate to WiFi - What's Meshtastic, will bring in some devices - I'll explain this BBS use case idea, how it works Location: Nov 21st, 7pm, Meeting room 202 at Jiyugaoka juku Center, Tokyo

It is November, and that means "Butt Sumo" (尻つみ祭り) time again at the local shrine here in Ito, #Japan. Contestants stand back-to-back on a raised dais and, at the signal, attempt to bump their opponent off. The winners are sometimes surprising.

Drop by the Tokyo Linux User’s Group booth at OSPN OSC and convert your PC to Linux today!

Tried to replicate an old style BBS connection over #meshtastic devices, like we had over phone lines in the past. Not just simple message push/pull, all the blinkenlights! Details: blog.fluxcoil.net/posts/2025/1... #lora #meshtastic #ham

Lora Meshtastic BBS Testing

Terms Details on some terms I will use:\nLoRa (“Long Range”) is a technology for transmitting data via radio signals. It’s designed for much longer distances than Wifi: the record for LoRa is around 3...

blog.fluxcoil.net