Category: Software
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PotaCat and EchoCat: Remote Control Your Radio From Your Phone
Part of our Getting On The Air guide. I’ve tried a handful of remote rig control setups, and most of them made me want to throw my laptop across the shack. Port forwarding, VPN tunnels, software that only half works with your radio’s CAT protocol. So when I heard about PotaCat and its phone companion…
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Nexus: One Free Program Trying to Replace Your Whole Digital Shack
Nexus is a free, open-source program from KD9TAW that tries to fold your decoder, logger, mapper, alerter, and panadapter into one app. Here is what I found after digging into it.
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What Is ATAK (CivTAK)? Tactical Mapping and Team Awareness Explained for Hams
Part of our Emergency Communications and Preparedness guide. If you’ve spent any time in EmComm, SAR, or preparedness circles lately, you’ve probably seen the acronym ATAK thrown around next to phrases like “situational awareness” and “common operating picture.” It sounds military because it is military, but the civilian version has quietly become one of the…
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Setting Up WIRES-X on the FTX-1: Registration, Software, and Getting Connected
Getting the FTX-1 onto WIRES-X, from radio ID registration through the PC software’s confusing COM port setup, laid out start to finish.
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RT Systems Programming Software: What It’s Good For (and Where I Skip It)
RT Systems is the programming software I reach for on most of my radios, but not all of them. Here is where it earns its keep and where I switch to manufacturer software instead.
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Updating FTX-1 Firmware: Why and How
How I approach FTX-1 firmware updates, from checking release notes to the backup step I never skip.
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GridTracker and the FTX-1: Logging FT8 Contacts Automatically
How I connect GridTracker to the FTX-1 through WSJT-X so FT8 contacts get logged, mapped, and routed to QSL services without manual entry.
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Backing Up and Cloning FTX-1 Settings Between Radios
Why I back up my FTX-1 configuration regularly, and how to clone settings between a Field Head and a second unit without starting from scratch.
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FTX-1 CAT Control Setup with Ham Radio Deluxe
Getting the FTX-1 talking to Ham Radio Deluxe over CAT control, including the driver, port settings, and rig file that actually work.
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CHIRP: Free Programming Software for Your Handheld Radio
Programming a handheld one channel at a time on its tiny keypad is genuinely miserable. CHIRP is the free tool nearly everyone switches to instead, and it works across a huge range of radios.
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What Is JS8Call?
JS8Call takes the weak-signal power of FT8 and turns it into real keyboard-to-keyboard conversation and messaging. Here is what it does.