Today on the Bands — Monday, August 24, 2026
Monday brings a fitting mix of old and new: a POTA outing in Marconi's own footsteps, fresh signals testing the shortwave bands from Queensland, and the quiet retirement of a longtime broadcaster. Add some clever hardware hacks, satellite news from orbit, and a QRP radio refresh, and there's plenty to chew on with your coffee.
- 01 The Casio F-91W As A Contactless Payment Device.
The humble F-91W has long been a hacker favorite, and turning this beloved cheap watch into a contactless payment device is exactly the kind of tinkering our crowd applauds.
Read at source ↗ - 02 With Marconi at the Cape: A POTA Activation at Cape Cod
Activating a park where Marconi made history is a poetic cure for POTA burnout, and Tom's camping-fueled return shows how a change of scenery reignites the spark.
Read at source ↗ - 03 4DX South Johnstone, Queensland – New station testing on shortwave!
A brand-new low-powered Australian station on the air is catnip for SWLs and DXers, offering a fresh long-haul catch worth chasing on the bands.
Read at source ↗ - 04 ANS-235 AMSAT News Service Weekly Bulletins
This week's AMSAT bulletin covers a spacewalk to remove a failed station antenna and a new ARISS education director, keeping satellite ops in the loop.
Read at source ↗ - 05 Open-Source ExpressLRS Receiver Reaches for Range
Squeezing serious range from a one-watt drone link is a masterclass in RF efficiency, and the open-source ELRS approach rewards anyone curious about pushing weak-signal limits.
Read at source ↗ - 06 ICQPodcast Episode 491 – The Science of Making Distant Contacts
The ICQ crew digs into the science behind working DX alongside the usual news roundup, a solid listen for anyone chasing distant contacts.
Read at source ↗ - 07 KM4CFT Announces the New CFT1v2 With Two New Features
Jonathan's CFT1 earned a loyal following, and the v2 with two new features gives QRP field operators a fresh reason to pay attention.
Read at source ↗ - 08 FEBC Philippines plans to close March 2027
Another shortwave broadcaster planning to go dark in March 2027 marks another quiet loss for the bands, and a reminder to log these signals while you can.
Read at source ↗
The HamDaily digest — five minutes, the whole band.