On the Air as W0FFS

Back on the Air

I first held an amateur radio licence in the UK in the 1980s. I gave up the hobby when I joined the Royal Air Force in 1986, and that licence has long since lapsed. In November 2024, having rediscovered the appeal of radio, I became licensed in the United States. I now operate as W0FFS with a General class licence.

I’m also a member of ARRL and the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB), keeping a connection with the amateur radio community on both sides of the Atlantic. I’m also an ARES/RACES member, with an interest in amateur radio’s role in emergency communications.

The digital side of the hobby particularly interests me: the point where radios, networks and software meet. It gives my IT background somewhere useful to go outside working hours, and provides a fairly convincing excuse for the software projects elsewhere on this site.

At Tampa Amateur Radio Club

I’m a member of Tampa Amateur Radio Club (TARC), where the board has co-opted me to manage the club’s network. It is a practical way to contribute to the hobby and put my experience to use.

At the clubhouse, I have upgraded the network and implemented a VPN for remote access. I have also built a Koha library server to help the club digitise its library catalogue, and introduced LibreNMS for network monitoring.

These projects are about making the club’s resources easier to use and maintain, whether someone is in the clubhouse or connecting remotely.

Software Born at the Clubhouse

SmartUnlinkPro began as a way to make the club’s FlexRadios discoverable across its VPN. The network connection was there; the software helped the radios appear where users expected to find them.

Station Control began with another practical requirement: using the club’s Green Heron server from macOS without Java. It grew into a native application for station controls. The macOS version is available for Apple Silicon only, with Linux versions available for AMD64 and ARM64. Windows versions are coming soon.

CW Keyer takes the tinkering from the computer to the operating desk: a standalone Morse keyer for the Arduino GIGA R1 WiFi and GIGA Display Shield, with touchscreen and browser controls. It builds on Anthony Good’s Arduino CW keyer, and a plug-in interface shield is in development to simplify the external hardware connections.

DigiHub brings digital-mode station tools together on Debian and Raspberry Pi, with callsign lookup, GPS, rig control and a browser interface.

CallSeeker brings compatible RSGB CALLSEEKER PLUS data to macOS, combining callsign lookup, magazine references, documents, maps, address printing and Morse playback in one app. Users supply their own licensed data; no RSGB data is included.

Ham Study supports the learning side of amateur radio, with Technician, General and Amateur Extra question pools, diagrams and practice exams. Profiles and progress stay on the Mac.

I’m also developing a WaveNode bridge to make the club’s WN-2d accessible remotely. That project is still in progress. Apparently, finishing one useful thing is an excellent way to discover the next one.

The Radios I Admit to Owning

• FlexRadio 8600
• Icom IC-705, IC-7100 and IC-7300MK2
• Kenwood TH-75A
• A couple of Baofeng handhelds

A perfectly reasonable collection. I have decided not to invite a second opinion.

Radio, Code and Curiosity

For me, amateur radio is a chance to keep learning and make things work together. Sometimes that means getting on the air. Sometimes it means a network change, a new piece of software or finding out why something that worked yesterday has developed an opinion.

If you share an interest in digital radio, remote operation or the projects here, I’d be pleased to hear from you.

Useful Radio Links

My selection of logging tools, maps, projects and other resources for the radio shack.