The Richardson Wireless Klub > QRV Tech – Education Series

QRV Tech – Education Series

Shawn KI5PXG is kicking off an new Education Series for RWK – We’re calling it “QRV Tech” (h/t to Don KG5CK). It will be (mostly) monthly, usually on the third week of the month (check the calendar). We will start out on Zoom but we have plans to get together in person when there is a “build” type project.

The goal for this series is primarily education – teaching something new to those that are interested – but we plan on building things too (as part of the learning). We realize that not everyone will be interested in each subject (which is why we’re not making them presentations for General Meetings) – we’re aiming for 10-20 people or so each session.

Our topics will range from test equipment to microcontrollers to SDRs to antennas. This series is something that we’ve wanted to do for a long time. We hope that you enjoy and learn! QRV Tech?

  • QRV Tech – January 2026 – Understanding ADS-B

    In tonight’s edition of QRV, we’re going to look at Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast, the technology that allows airplanes to automatically communicate their position to ground stations and other planes.  We’ll talk briefly about the history of ADS-B, how it works, and how you can easily build an ADS-B skimmer using a spare Raspberry Pi, SDR dongle, and whatever 2m/70cm antenna you have on top of your house.  We’ll show how this skimmer can display what airplanes are flying overhead, laid out on a nice map with you at the center.  You will be able to click on planes and get more detailed information about the aircraft, including its tail number and perhaps a picture of the plane that a planespotter has previously snapped of the aircraft.  Join us this evening at 7 pm for a look into this fascinating technology!

    We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

    Event Details:

    Join Zoom Meeting

    Topic: QRV Tech

    Time: 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

    https://zoom.us/j/93467541992?pwd=RjJqWkFPd0VjeSt2U21QL2hKc0QwZz09

    Meeting Recording

    Session Resources

  • QRV Tech – December 2025 – FreeDV Digital Voice for the HF bands

    Tomorrow night, our very own Don Weeks (N5SKT) will be talking about FreeDV and running a demonstration on how it works.  He will be discussing the basics of its operation, the different modes (and which ones are best suited to various band conditions), and how to get started with FreeDV.  We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

    We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

    Event Details:

    Join Zoom Meeting

    Topic: QRV Tech

    Time: 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

    https://zoom.us/j/93467541992?pwd=RjJqWkFPd0VjeSt2U21QL2hKc0QwZz09

    Meeting Recording

    Session Resources

  • QRV Tech – November 2025 – Solar Weather Events and Propagation

    Solar weather events—such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and geomagnetic storms—significantly influence HF radio propagation by altering Earth’s ionosphere, often affecting signal reach and reliability for amateur radio operators. Recent activity allowed the northern lights to become visible as far south as Illinois, coinciding with solar storms that impacted radio and GPS communications. This presentation explores the science behind these phenomena, their direct effects on HF bands, and practical tips for hams to interpret solar indices and adapt to changing conditions.

    We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

    Event Details:

    Join Zoom Meeting

    Topic: QRV Tech

    Time: 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

    https://zoom.us/j/93467541992?pwd=RjJqWkFPd0VjeSt2U21QL2hKc0QwZz09

    Meeting Recording

    Session Resources

  • QRV Tech – October 2025 – Amateur Radio meets amateur rocketry

    This month’s QRV presentation will be hosted by Joe Jaison from the University of Ottawa’s Rocketry team.  Joe will explain how they use radio in rocketry for telemetry using a mix of commercial and designed technologies.  He will additionally talk about some of their antenna design work to do beam-forming.  We hope that you can attend live, but we will also have a recording available after the presentation. 

    We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!

    Event Details:

    Join Zoom Meeting

    Topic: QRV Tech

    Time: 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

    https://zoom.us/j/93467541992?pwd=RjJqWkFPd0VjeSt2U21QL2hKc0QwZz09

    Meeting Recording

    Session Resources

  • QRV Tech – September 2025 – JS8Call

    One of the biggest complaints about the popular FT-8/FT-4 digital modes is that the exchange is short and fixed, and there’s no way to add to the QSO. What if I told you that there was a mode that used the same weak-signal technology as FT-8/4 but you could send whatever you want to the other party? For as long as you want? Well, join us tonight to learn about JS8Call!

    Meeting Recording

    Click the image to view the recording

    Session Resources

    JS8Call software: http://js8call.com/

  • QRV Tech – August 2025 – GOES Satellite Reception and Decoding

    During tomorrow night’s QRV session, we will learn about NOAA’s GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) satellite system and how you can decode its transmissions for yourself.  We will talk about what GOES is, how the data is channelized and transmitted, how you can setup your own ground station for receiving the data, and the software needed to parse the data into beautiful pictures of planet Earth.  I’ll be focusing primarily on my setup, but there will be others on the call who have made their own ground stations who can also share tips and tricks on how they setup their systems.

    We look forward to seeing you on Zoom tomorrow evening!

    Meeting Recording

    Click the image to view the recording

    Session Resources

    Link to my Google Drive with presentation, demo video, text file with links, and the images I collected during the 2 hours I had the system hooked up (directory structure is what comes directly from the satellite).

QRV Tech Meeting Location

These sessions will primarily be on Zoom, but we will have physical meetings for hands-on or build projects. Please check each session for details on the location.

Upcoming Events

Past Meetings

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