I finished a fairly large personal project today. It’s something that has occupied most of my time and attention since the first of the year. With this behind me, I can finally turn my full attention to new ventures in radio tech.

I haven’t had a radio on since March. That’s only two weeks ago, but it already feels like a turning point. I’ve come to realize just how many interesting things can be done with radio, without need of a license — ham radio adjacent, if you will. (Ham radio requires a government-issued license to transmit; these hobbies let you listen, experiment, and connect without one.)

I do intend to dive into MeshCore, where potential fellow enthusiasts far outnumber ham radio licensees. And then there’s SatNOGS, a global network for tracking and monitoring satellites. Again, radio fun, no license required.

I’ve kicked the tires (again) on APRS and packet radio too, but sadly, they no longer float my boat. Both seem ancient, redundant, and unnecessary, and in either case there’s very little local activity anyway.

I’m not sure which rabbit hole I’ll fall into first, but right now the hardware has started arriving for my home lab, and I intend to focus on that for a while. It’s not directly related to amateur radio, though it will eventually be a useful tool for future radio projects — like GNU Radio development, that sort of thing. And honestly, it’s the most tech fun I’ve had in ages!