Today on the Bands — Thursday, August 20, 2026
Thursday's lineup leans hands-on: a five-watt pedestrian-mobile stroll along the Scottish coast, a mission to convert hackers into hams, and workbench wisdom for the contest-minded. We've also got a housekeeping nudge from ARRL and an open-source project that scans for life signs — no starship required.
- 01 St Abb’s Head Travelogue: A Five-Watt Pedestrian-Mobile POTA Activation
K4SWL proves you don't need a big signal or a fixed station — just five watts, comfortable shoes, and a scenic headland — to work a satisfying POTA activation.
Read at source ↗ - 02 Making hams of hackers
KB6NU's ARDC-funded one-day Tech classes at cybersecurity conferences show how the hacker crowd is a natural recruiting ground for fresh licensees.
Read at source ↗ - 03 Contesting 101: Building a Workbench & Basic Ham Radio Troubleshooting Techniques
K4RO kicks off a contesting series with the unglamorous but essential foundation — a proper workbench and troubleshooting skills to keep your station on the air.
Read at source ↗ - 04 Club Update Reminder
If your club wants to keep its ARRL affiliation in good standing, now's the time to knock out that required annual review.
Read at source ↗ - 05 Scanning for Lifesigns with ESP32 and Raspberry Pi
An ESP32-and-Raspberry-Pi build turns the sci-fi 'scan for life signs' trope into an open-source reality that homebrewers can tinker with.
Read at source ↗
The HamDaily digest — five minutes, the whole band.