A radio can be a great tool in an emergency. The problem, however, comes when we actually need it and the only channels programmed into our radio are the repeaters we use every day. That is why it is worth spending a few minutes and setting up a separate group of channels that may come in handy when something goes wrong. Of course, the idea is not to program everything that has ever appeared on one of the countless “emergency frequencies” lists found online. Many of those lists contain historical frequencies, outdated information, or descriptions that can be very misleading today. It is much better to have a dozen or so verified channels than a hundred random frequencies.

The 27th annual Route 66 On the Air event begins on September 12 at 00:00 UTC and runs through September 20 at 23:59 UTC. This year, 23 amateur radio stations will be active along historic Route 66, stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, California.

Access to cellular networks is so obvious to us today that we usually only notice their absence when we really need them. All it takes, however, is leaving the cities and major roads to realize how quickly that certainty disappears. This experience was, in a way, my excuse to try Starlink and have a little fun with it. Another motivation was my friend Tomek, K9RCZ, who has been complaining more and more often about gaps in cellular coverage. Since he drives thousands of miles every week through sparsely populated parts of the United States, I wanted to see whether Starlink could be a kind of golden middle ground for him.

DX Marathon is not a traditional radio contest, but a year-long challenge for every amateur radio operator. Instead of a demanding race against the clock, it provides a great reason to regularly check the bands and hunt for new stations. The main goal of the program is to collect as many entities from the DXCC list and as many CQ Zones as possible over the course of the year.

Imagine it is two o’clock in the morning. Your phone suddenly makes that familiar alert sound, rudely waking you from sleep. Half-awake, you reach for the phone and see another notification about a missing child. Your first thought might be somewhat cynical: “At two in the morning? Who is going to drive around the streets looking for a missing child?” And yet, the answer might be surprisingly simple: maybe we are.