Daniel – DA6IT.
Amateur radio is still a fairly new hobby for me – but it hooked me right away. Professionally, I come from IT with a focus on networking and security. In my shack, radio, computers, logging, hotspots and my own software naturally come together.
I especially enjoy FT8 and FT4. In the meantime, SSB has caught me as well – and it is exactly this mix of digital modes, classic radio and all the technology around it that makes the hobby so interesting to me.
Radio, digital voice & a bit of a playground.
The station grows with whatever I am currently interested in trying. Not every mode has to become a favourite – as long as experimenting with the technology is fun.
My shack
Several radios are available for HF, 2 m / 70 cm and experiments.
- Icom IC-7300 MK2 as the main HF station
- Yaesu FTX-1 for club activities and portable use
- Yaesu FTM-510 for VHF/UHF
- various handheld radios
Hotspots & Digital Voice
Digital Voice is part of my technical playground – although not every system automatically becomes a favourite.
- MMDVM Gateway by Euronode
- OpenSpot4 for portable use
- my own Shari hotspot for the FM radio network
- DMR works – but so far it has not really won me over 😉
Logging & software
This is where the IT side comes in. My radio activity is closely connected to software and services that I run myself.
- Wavelog as my online logbook
- On-Air status and QSO map
- PSK Reporter for digital activity
- DX cluster, APIs and my own projects
What is happening on the bands right now.
No demo data: these sections are loaded directly from my Wavelog instance – from the On-Air status to my latest radio contacts.
Radio is simply better together.
I am a member of the DARC local chapter Geldern L17. Our club is currently developing quickly and is already very active. One particularly nice thing is that we have our own clubhouse – a permanent place for radio operation, technology, training, projects and events.
What I especially like is that we do not just talk about amateur radio: we try things out, build equipment, get on the air together and develop ideas for new activities.