grand_rapids

Home Hero

Welcome to my ham radio site. Explore HF bands, equipment, and more.

Contact Me
Click to get in touch or schedule a QSO

Live Station

Current operating snapshot

Station statusLoading

Checking current operating conditions

Live data is loading from the station dashboard.

  • Recent contact sample: waiting on logbook data
  • Propagation read: loading current solar data
  • Primary focus: FM, digital voice, repeaters, hotspot work, and practical station projects.
On-air stateLoading

Realtime cues are pulled into the dashboard so visitors can tell whether the page reflects an active station.

Recent contacts

Latest QSOs, logbook data, and station context keep the home page tied to actual operating activity.

Primary modesFM / DMR / D-STAR

The site stays focused on practical local radio, digital voice, and project-driven station improvements.

Live

Clock & Status

Propagation

Solar / K-index

K-index
F10.7
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Recent QSOs

Latest contacts

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Station Notes

What this site is centered on

Operating Focus

Current conditions are good enough to split time between local activity, digital voice, and checking for useful HF windows.

Station Rhythm

The home page is wired to show recent activity as soon as fresh logbook data is available.

Bench Work

The site stays tied to actual radio work by keeping projects, contact flow, credentials, and propagation surfaces connected to the station itself.

Band Activity

Live color map from current propagation

Live Outlook

Loading live band outlook

Pulling live propagation data so the band map can settle into its current color pattern.

Best band
Best window
Solar readLoading
Band
00Z
06Z
12Z
18Z
2mLocal FM
70cmUHF links
20mDaylight HF
40mEvening HF
Low
Fair
Good
Strong
Peak
Loading sourceLoading live propagation data
2m
Local FM
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Repeaters, simplex checks, and dependable local coverage.

Best around 00Z
70cm
UHF links
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Hotspot work, short-hop paths, and cleaner urban coverage.

Best around 00Z
20m
Daylight HF
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Regional and DX windows when solar flux is doing the heavy lifting.

Best around 00Z
40m
Evening HF
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Regional nets, late-day ragchew, and steadier after-sunset work.

Best around 00Z

Nets & Contests

Upcoming

  • Monday 20:00 — Local VHF Net (W8IRA)
  • Sat 14:00 — Club Contest Practice
  • Mar 3 — Statewide Net (MI)

Equipment

Quick snapshot

Icom ID-52A PLUS
Baofeng DM-32UV
Raspberry Pi 4 — MMDVM

Bands

Primary VHF / UHF bands I operate

  • 2m (144–148 MHz)
  • 70cm (420–450 MHz)

Modes

Common digital and analog modes I use