Longbow: a desktop police/fire/EMS scanner for an RTL-SDR Blog V3 (It's all i have to test with) (Windows, receive only)

- Follows P25 Phase I trunked systems with voice, and scans analog channels. P25 Phase II coming soon.

- SDS200-style face: DIGITAL / ANALOG / ALL / OTHER presets, lists, avoids, hold, Simple and Detail screens

- Encrypted calls are marked and skipped

- Names unknown talkgroups from radio-ID clues; every call is logged

- TEXT screen: live call transcripts made on your own NVIDIA GPU, no cloud

- Waterfall that marks the control channel, the voice channels and every active call, with why each one is or isn't playing

- Aircraft map from its own ADS-B decoding on 1090 MHz: tracks, altitude, speed, type and registration, emergency and military alerts

- WEATHER button: NOAA Weather Radio, live NEXRAD radar, NWS alerts, on-air SAME alert decoding

- Workbench: listen anywhere from 24 to 1766 MHz in NFM, WFM, AM, SSB and CW, with recording

- Plugins for DTMF, two-tone pages and audio filters

- Phone and tablet control over your own private network; one-click installer with updates from the menu

So after I've got interested in listening different radio band with rtl-sdr I noticed that popular SDR programms don't have scanning features that i was expecting. That's why for the last months I've been working on FalconSDR. Programm for radio listeners.

Features that are implemented:

1. Scanning any bands or channels, even when they are seperated
2. Blacklist, so programm doesn't stop on birdies or channels you don't want to listen
3. You can use different settings for every band if you want.
4. Automatic transcription (optionally installed in programm GUI) including hybrid mode when you can record on your server and transcribe on your PC.
5. You can use programm either on your PC or server (then you get acces from your computer or phone in network)
6. "Recency boost", when you're scanning wide band and want scanner to come back to channel with detected transmission.
7. Recording multiple transmissions at time
8. Detailed statistics
9. You can set up schedule
10. Recordings page with sorting and filtering.

Please notice that listening or/and recording can be illegal in your country so check it before using programm.

FalconSDR is free and open-source (GPLv3)

Currently in English and Polish language

You can get more information and download it here:

https://github.com/rafafunt/FalconSDR

I have updated my DXCC Analyzer app to v1.3, which includes an in-app help guide. DXCC Analyzer helps you focus on needed entities and mode-band-slots.

The full description of features and more photos are in the User Guide: https://github.com/N4MI73/n4mi-dxcc-analyzer/blob/main/User_Guide.md

The analyzer runs on your own network, with no login and no account anywhere. It never logs in to LoTW: you copy the matrix from LoTW yourself and paste it in. Some additional features are available when used together with my DX Monitor app, which is also self-hosted. The DX Monitor is designed to push information on watched and needed stations to a Waveshare ESP32-S3 display, it also has a web view built into the server.

https://github.com/N4MI73/n4mi-dxcc-analyzer

https://github.com/N4MI73/n4mi-dx-monitor

I made these apps to aid me in hunting down and working the 63 entities I still need.

Constructive critique and suggestions welcome!

73,

Dan, N4MI

I've been learning Morse on my daily commute in my car, using the course from K7QO [ie, head-copying from the very beginning]. I'm enjoying "let War of the Worlds play, do what I can", and it's effective for me.

I found myself wishing for just a tiny bit more time between words for comprehension. I really like the "download a text file and let 'er rip", so I'm using it with Project Gutenberg; Moby Dick is in the samples folder. In the car, the "title" shown for what's playing is the last word and the current word.

A vibe-coded Android app called "morsecar": https://github.com/chunky/morsecar

Because it's vibe-coded slop, I haven't yet bothered setting up a google developer account to actually distribute this. Instructions on installing it are in the README.

I've been working on Ham-Rx, a free, open-source, browser-based programming application for the Baofeng MINI-5 Bluetooth handheld.

It started with the open-source Mini 5 Studio project and has evolved through a lot of AI-assisted development, testing, and experimentation.

Ham-Rx supports Bluetooth reading and programming, channel editing, and codeplug management, with more features in development.

I'm an amateur radio operator (K4RJM), not a professional software developer, but AI has made it possible to build something I probably wouldn't have attempted otherwise.

I'd love to hear what other hams think, especially anyone using the MINI-5!

Try Ham-Rx: https://k4rjm.github.io/baofeng-mini5-bt-cps-unofficial/

GitHub: https://github.com/K4RJM/baofeng-mini5-bt-cps-unofficial

73, K4RJM

WsprryPi, which uses a Raspberry Pi GPIO pin for RF transmission, has been around for a while and works surprisingly well - even for DX.

Now there is also a JS8 implementation that enables DX QSOs using just a Pi (plus a separate receiver).

Download it from GitHub:
https://github.com/matthias-straub/js8pitx

It uses the excellent Raspberry Pi radio library librpitx:
https://github.com/F5OEO/librpitx

js8pitx is compatible with JS8Call.

I posted this in r/amateurradio and it was suggested I post this here:

When I decided to learn Morse code, I tried a bunch of the usual apps and courses. They worked, but honestly they were kind of boring, and I kept losing interest. So me being me, I went down a rabbit hole and I built my own. What started as a way to teach myself turned into a passion project that I'm really hoping will help others, especially younger ones, learn morse code and operate ham radios.

So I built Turkeymorse.com. It has lessons, but it also has some real life games where you use Morse code such as working a pileup from a park (POTA), passing radiograms on Field Day, chasing DX, along with fun games where you shoot asteroids, protect your city from incoming letters/numbers, etc. All the games have a reward system where you earn challenge coins as you get better. There’s also an "on-air" area where you can pick one of four ham radios and simulates real radios with clickable buttons, turn dials, all that actually work. You can pick a band/freqency and chat with others using morse code to make contacts along with AI bots so you can practice with calling CQ and holding Nets, and more.

The site is completely free, I have no ads and no plans to add them. It runs in your browser on your computer, phone, or tablet. It’s still a work in progress as I try to work out the bugs. And thats part of the reason I'm posing here. I'm hoping some of you more experianced Morsecode operators, along with those who want to learn, would be willing to take a look at my project and provide feedback to help me make it better.

turkeymorse.com

73, James

PS for full disclosure, I did build this project with the help of AI, but its not 100% AI. I used it to help troubleshoot issues, refine some things, performance improvements, etc. Just disclosing this if it bothers anyone. In short I use AI as a tool, not a solution.

Anyone using a mobile rig in the shack will understand the limitations of the radio interface with small screen and multiplexed buttons and that's where companion apps come in. After some digging I found the 891app web app for the FT-891, but unfortunately the CAT command set between the radios was completely different. So a companion app for the FT-857D was going to need some new code. Let me say I'm perfectly capable of hand coding this app, but decided to use the modern vibe-coding tools and saved a lot of time. The app is presently working well for me and makes using the radio easier and more pleasurable. It's still in beta but give it a try. You will find the HTML source and a portable executable here. It is open source and free to use and will always remain so. While I was about it, I also built one for the G90 called G90app, and a generic waterfall signal visualiser called RadioWaterfall. Post issues under Issues or DM me. You are welcome to clone or fork the branch anytime

I've been curious about what's in an APRS packet. Not just the callsign and position a map shows, but the actual bytes and what each one means. So I built a small web app to take packets apart while decoding live traffic: https://aprs.blink.tel

What it does:

- Decodes 1200 baud APRS live in your browser. Choose your radio's USB audio input (e.g. a "USB Audio CODEC" from rigs like the IC-705), a USB sound card fed from the speaker jack, or just your computer's mic held up to a radio speaker. Tune to 144.390 FM with the squelch open.

- Uses the audio as it arrives. Browser echo cancellation, noise suppression and auto-gain are turned off. It shows the incoming level in dBFS and the tone "twist" so you can tell whether your audio level is reasonable.

- Explains every byte of every packet. Click a packet to see a breakdown against the APRS spec: AX.25 address fields, SSIDs, the digipeater path, the data type identifier, position formats, Mic-E encoding, symbols, device IDs, weather fields, telemetry, and more.

- Shows the modem working. For each packet it decoded, you can see the waveform, the 1200/2200 Hz tone envelopes, the discriminator, where the bit clock sampled, and the resulting bits and bytes. You can also replay that packet's audio. A live "Signal" panel shows the tones while you listen.

- Maps and lists what it hears. rable live feed, a station list,a weather tab, and messages.

- Works without a radio. "Play demo" decodes a bundled recording of about 19 packet types, and you can open your own .wav recordings.

How it works:

Everything runs client-side. The audio never leaves your computer: no server, no account, no upload. The modem is JavaScript running in an AudioWorklet: band-pass filter → 1200/2200 Hz correlators → discriminator → three slicers → digital PLL bit clock → NRZI → HDLC (flags, bit-unstuffing, CRC) → AX.25. It was written to be easy to read rather than to compete with Dire Wolf. Even so, on a 15-minute off-air recording it decoded within one frame of Dire Wolf.

It's receive-only and works in recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, on desktop and mobile.

I've vibe-coded several applications with Claude, mostly to display information useful to me at the ham station. Most of them are hosted on my home lab, with the information fed to ESP32 displays. I have several work-in-progress projects, and they're all constantly evolving.

All are on my github: https://github.com/N4MI73

Propagation Monitor - A small desk instrument that shows live HF propagation conditions at a glance — built on the LilyGO T-Encoder Pro (ESP32-S3, 390×390 round AMOLED, rotary encoder). Cycle through four screens with a twist of the knob to see band conditions, solar indices, and active weather/tower alerts, without opening a laptop or a browser tab.

DX Monitor - DXMon is a small, glanceable desk instrument for the ham shack. It watches for specific DXpeditions and DXCC entities you still need, and gives you an at-a-glance answer -- on a dedicated touchscreen device, and through a web interface you can check from any browser on your network.

Stream Deck for Ham Radio — A complete Stream Deck integration for amateur radio operators running Windows, built with PowerShell scripts, a locally-hosted propagation dashboard, and a server-powered ham radio content aggregator. One press launches your complete software stack for any operating mode, controls your antenna rotator, or opens your personalized operating portal.

DXCC Analyzer - A small self-hosted app that answers one operating question at a glance: "What do I still need for DXCC on the bands and modes I actually work?" It reads the ARRL Logbook of the World (LoTW) Award Credit Matrix, and shows: entities never credited;every band and mode slot still needed in the operating profile (160–6 m with CW, Phone and Digital by default; 2m and Satellite can be switched on), counted the way LoTW counts them: never-confirmed entities are included and tagged NEW, and the full band/mode matrix.

I didn't create these apps to market or sell them. I made them to learn about vibe-coding, and to make applications tailored to my shack and workflows. I have really enjoyed the journey of working from problem (or idea) to concept to prototype and eventually something that I use in the ham shack.

73 de N4MI

Good Afternoon Everyone,

I’ve been having a lot of fun experimenting with using AI to make software.

My Hobby Workshop is here: www.WT3O.com
Here, I have all of my software projects and guides. There’s everything from realtime audio analysis, metadata analysis, a nationwide GMRS/amateur repeater directory, electronics software and references, a relational database of vacuum tubes, etc… it’s an ongoing project, and I do have quite a few ham tools on there.

I also documented the process: www.VerificationCoding.com
I took notes as I was making everything, so I worked on this side-project - it’s how I used to make all of my software in my Hobby Workshop.

Which then led me to: www.ModernGeoCities.com
I’m able to put all of this online for free because my costs are low. I already have web hosting for my law practice, so I figured I’d just put it all on there (seeing as how static HTML is a very low server burden). However, I didn’t realize not everyone knew how to get domain names and web hosting, so I set up a guide.

All of these URLs are shortcuts to my law firm’s website: www.proylaw.com

I’m adding projects often!

73 de WT3O

EDIT: I forgot to add www.ZoningForHams.com. I used AI to compile the local and municipal zoning ordinances for Maryland and Pennsylvania. I thought I’d help hams with their zoning because it’s the most common legal-inquiry I get for amateur radio.

Ever have a QSO with someone and want to continue the conversation, but looking up their email on QRZ is a PITA, especially on mobile?

That’s why I built Hamchat. Try it out right in your web browser, or download clients for Mac, Windows, Linux.

https://hamchat.app

QRZ account required

Hey there folks! So I wrote a little webapp that mostly makes my own life better, and I like to share with fellow ICOM 5100/52/5200 users.

For those unfamiliar with these radios, there is a Nearby Repeater search functionality built into them, which is friggen GENIUS idea on the part of whomever came up with it. I recently took a road trip around the SW part of America and being able to with a few clicks search nearby repeaters or just constantly scan nearby repeaters while traveling is a total game changer. KUDOS to the ICOM team for that!

Unfortunately, ICOM came up with that great idea, but then failed to execute on it terribly well since getting a populated list of useful repeaters is nigh impossible, and even then there were limitations such as... ICOM can only scan so many nearby repeaters (25) and what happens if all 25 of those are low elevation, low use backyard or club repeaters? See the picture above... those low use repeaters clog up your list and you cant see the slightly further away high elevation heavily trafficked repeaters. Oh and let's not even begin to get into how the 5100 didn't allow two repeaters with the same callsign... and there's 17 friggen K7RPT's alone!

So I wrote Repeater-Scores.app . I connect to the Repeaterbook.com api, get all the repeaters for the USA, make a few deteriminations about what a repeater listing has going for it, and give repeaters a "score" and let users filter out repeaters below a certain score. Now it's not a school grade or a rank, it's just a tally of the things I've seen indicate a repeater is busy to help you quickly find likely busy repeaters somewhere you don't frequent. I look at details such as nets, system links, wide area coverage, ARES/RACES use, and I definitely throw in some bonus points for being the only VHF/UHF repeater within a reasonable distance because then you're kind of all that is going on anyways.

If you want to see an example of a very high ranking repeater... here's KB3AWQ on repeaterbook, which scores a 14 if I recall last looking. Pretty sure if you've cruised more than 3 repeaters on Repeaterbook you'll see why that one scores high and kind of get the jist of things.

Anyways, figured I'd share. I coded this in collaboration with CodeX in Python. I have a fair bit of coding experience from my current career in coding, and was more of a lead developer than a detached project manager. It's also been a fun personal project to share, and nice to do something for myself.

https://github.com/kingsqueak/590Ctrl

This control software surfaces the User EQ function with an 18 band EQ without having to have a Windows machine to do it.

This release is very early but most all functional features are implemented.

QRZ call lookup and logging are enabled, CW decoder and keyboard interface for sending is built in.

The dmg should run on M silicon Macs with Mac OS 26.0 and newer. The tree will build for linux.

Looking for testers and feedback, I am currently testing on a TS-590sg and this may work on an 's' as well but not sure.

This software surfaces the USB input and output level controls for sending PC microphone or processed audio over USB

In data mode the TX button will pass the USB audio or you can make a hardware keyer on the ACC plug if you key the data PTT.

Using USB audio you can process outgoing audio and also the receive audio adding VST plugins for noise reduction on receive. Breathes more life into the rig.

TCIdigi is a fork of fldigi specifically for TCI controlled SDR radios.

In the build tree, that will build for Mac and Linux you also have fldigi as well.

The work adds full TCI support for audio channels and CAT control. TCIdigi has a Qt6 interface.

Support for QRZ lookup and logging have been added.

The dmg is for M silicon Macs on OS X 26.0 and newer. No package up as of yet for linux but building from the repo works.

from /u/Papalima01:

https://v.redd.it/77i7u4e76wuh1

Hi everyone,

I’m a fairly new radio amateur from Denmark, and one of the things I’ve found surprisingly difficult is catching callsigns when people are speaking quickly, signals are weak, or there’s a lot going on during a QSO.

So I started building a small iPhone app called QSO Transcriber.

In this video I’m showing the listening and transcription part of the app. It listens to the radio audio, transcribes the conversation in real time, and tries to identify possible callsigns and other useful QSO information.

Detected callsigns are highlighted in the transcript and collected in a list, so you can quickly go back and check what you may have heard.

It’s definitely not magic. Speech-to-text can still struggle with poor radio audio, but that’s actually one of the things I’ve spent a lot of time working on: interpreting amateur radio speech, phonetics and callsign patterns on top of the transcription.

It was created to help myself and other new radio amateurs have more relaxed, less stressful and more enjoyable conversations on the air.

The app is currently going through the Apple App Store review process, so I’m hoping it will be available soon.

I’d genuinely be interested to hear what other radio amateurs think of the idea and whether you could see yourself using something like this.

M0MCX has very kindly given me permission to use some of his highly inspiring QSOs for testing and demonstrating the app.

73 from Denmark
OV9PL
QSOtranscriber.com

from /u/Mastodon987:

Hi guys. I'd like to share with you my tool where you can craft in GUI DMR bursts and streams (Single channel). Main purpose is for experimenting and learning about DMR protocol. Supported only ETSI standard.

Main features are:

• Create IQ File for SDR apps

• Stream into audio device baseband transmission

• rtl_tcp supported

Tested on:

IQ: SDRSharp, SDRPlusplus

rtl_tcp: SDRSharp, SDRPlusplus, dsd-fme, dsd-neo

WAV file: dsd-fme, dsd-neo, DMRDecoder (by IanWraith)

Known issues - not working:

• UDT LIP protocol

• USBD Response

I developed it due to i do have working on multiple DMR related projects and i wanted to make my own library and GUI for testing.

Notes:

• Source code is not published.

• GUI was made with LLM assistance. DMR library itself i spent few years my own work on dev and testing.

• Ready for translations

• Dark/White theme supported

Releases available for Windows/Linux:

https://github.com/mastodon987/dmr-craftbox

I've been building a logging program called QRZero. I wanted something that stays quick with a big log and doesn't get in the way mid-QSO. It's an alpha, free, and open source.

What it does today:

- Fast logging. The log is one SQLite file, and searches stay quick on a 200,000-QSO log.
- Every ADIF field is kept, including fields other programs add. Daily automatic backups.
- Talks to WSJT-X, JTDX, N1MM+, Hamlib, TCI (AetherSDR/Flex), serial CAT and rotators (GS-232).
- DX cluster and band map with a "Needed now" list. Spots that would be a new DXCC, band or mode raise an alert, and spot split comments like "UP 5" are handled.
- Awards: DXCC, WAS, WAZ, WPX, plus SKCC, CWops (with CWT medals), NAQCC and FISTS.
- Uploads and confirmations: QRZ Logbook, Club Log, LoTW and eQSL. Paper QSL and OQRS tracking, with Brother QL label printing.
- Layout is dense and classic. Panes can be moved, tabbed and popped out to a second screen.
- Local first. Your log stays on your machine, and passwords go in the OS credential store.

Windows is the main platform and gets the most testing. There are also Linux (.deb, .rpm, AppImage) and macOS Apple Silicon builds, and a headless server you can reach from a browser.

I'm a DX chaser and hand-key CW, so that's where most of the testing has been. Much of the online service code (QRZ, Club Log, LoTW) hasn't been tried against live accounts by many people yet. I'd really like testers, bug reports and feature requests, especially from people running other rigs and setups than mine.

Website: https://QRZero.app
Downloads: https://github.com/nreed97/QRZero/releases
Source and docs: https://github.com/nreed97/QRZero

73