Steve VK2ZSW is offering his Yaesu FT-757GX II Transceiver for sale. Steve writes:
The radio in excellent condition, comes with original manual, power cable and hand microphone, plus computer programming/control cable. Never used mobile or portable.
Here’s 2 exciting pieces of hardware worth watching for the project minded amongst us (and that would be all of us Amateurs, right?) – both are open source and both promise to let us do amazing things for a very little cost.
HamShield for Arduino (VHF/UHF Transceiver)
The HamShield project was launched on Kickstarter on June 30th 2015 and raised $117,000 of their $25,000 goal! From their Kickstarter webpage, here’s a brief overview of what their hardware will do:
HamShield lets your Arduino talk to far away people and things using powerful amateur radio bands! Best of all, the hardware and software is open source!
With the power of Arduino, you can use the HamShield to build and invent amazing things in minutes! Here are some examples, right out of our sketch toolbox:
Packet Radio
Long range mesh networks
Emergency communication networks
High altitude ballooning
Talk to repeaters
Tracking devices (APRS)
Interface the HamShield to your computer!
Beacons
Weather stations
Repeaters
Remote controlled robots
Automated satellite tracking and reception
Weather satellites
Scanning police, fire, business, FRS, GMRS, and MURS frequencies
Logging and recording radio traffic
Touchscreen handhelds
Bulletin board systems
New inventions!
The HamShield supports a wide range of VHF and UHF frequencies, covering 3 amateur bands. This includes the 1.25 meter or “220” band (220 MHz to 225 MHz), which is notoriously hard to find equipment for! It also can transmit on MARS bands.
The HamShield supports both voice and packet radio modes. You could even invent your own digital modes with enough skill. It is compact, lightweight, and works great with any Arduino or Arduino compatible that supports Uno-style shields.
With the HamShield, you no longer need a dedicated radio or piece of equipment for each type of operating mode. There is also no need for complicated radio interface cables. The radio is now under your complete control!
Practically no experience is needed to use the HamShield. Unlike other complicated, software defined radio boards, the transceiver core is a proven, commercial grade radio transceiver. There are a growing number of ready-to-use Arduino sketches we are actively developing. They are all ready to be uploaded to your Arduino!
Read more about the device here, including its full specs and more videos on how to use the device.
MMDVM – Multi-Mode Digital Voice Modem
Jonathan Naylor G4KLX needs no introduction to many people thanks to his fantastic and ever popular software packages for running Analog and Digital repeater systems and hotspots.
Jonathan’s latest project began in December 2015 and aims to create an open source modem that will (initially) support D-STAR, System Fusion, DMR and P25 via the Arduino Due.
Whilst the project doesn’t include an integrated transceiver like the HamShield, the fact that it will (presumably) be natively supported by Jonathan’s software makes this project very enticing to the repeater and hotspot communities who would currently be using single mode devices such as the DV-RPTR.
At the time of writing Jonathan is working on getting the various supported modes functioning with the hardware. Technical information on the modem and project progress is available on the MMDVM blog here, and Jonathan tweets updates regularly here.
The Weak Signal Propagation Reporter or WSPR mode has achieved the first VK3-KL7, 475 kHz contact – a distance of more than 12,000 kilometres. Phil Dwyer VK3ELV of Mount Bruno in northwest Victoria Australia on Tuesday (February 9) had an opening with Laurence Howell KL7L, who uses the FCC experimental callsign WE2XPQ, in Wasilla, south west central Alaska.
Laurence KL7L says 600m Transpacific conditions were good at the time with openings from VK-JA and KH6-JA-VK. But given the K indices had rises abruptly to 5 in Alaska, which Laurence says normally sucks the life out of the ionosphere, he was surprised to see the VK3ELV callsign appear on screen.
There was also a 137 kHz opening from KL7 to JA with multiple WSPR 15 decodes at JA5FP from WE2XPQ. Laurence used a Eprobe and Icom R75 to receive, using Joe Taylor’s WSJT-X software to decode – fed by a small one metre long receive antennae 10 metres up a Birch tree in the lee of the Talkeetna mountains on a glacial plain.
To gain the distance Phil VK3ELV has made a few improvements to his antenna system and now runs close to the 5 watts EIRP. This varies a bit depending on the soil moisture (conductivity) from day to day. He says exploring propagation quite regular, VK3ELV and Berndt Wulf VK5ABN reports now come from Japan, and also regularly WH2XCR in Hawaii.
Phil says: “An added bonus is WH2XCR in now also transmitting about 1 Watt EIRP and regularly received on the VK2 coast by John Simon VK2XGJ and also at VK3ELV, that makes a 2-way path from VK3 to Hawaii. “It was a surprise to receive a report from Alaska at 12,333 km. This may be very surprising to some, it may a first from VK3 to KL7, but it is no distance record.
“Dale Hughes VK1DSH had his signal spotted once in France in 2013. Last Spring both Canadian and main land US stations were received in VK5, VK7, VK3 and VK2. If someone was listening on the north-west coast of VK6, I’m sure they will receive European stations.”
The new frontier of 472-479 kHz is being explored by radio amateurs who were granted a secondary allocation at the World Radiocommunication Conference in 2012.
Date : 13 / 02 / 2016
Author :Roger Harrison – VK2ZRH
The Wireless Institute of Australia continues to seek recruits to Amateur Radio and its diverse activities across a broad range of ages and backgrounds. Recently, the ‘Bring them Back’ concept was raised by the WIA in response to the fact that lapsed radio amateurs, with a little encouragement, may return to the modern Amateur Radio, which offers so much more diversity than in the past. This follows a small avalanche of callsign recommendations being sought from the WIA over recent months by former licensees returning to the hobby.
These already-qualified people are an important part of the recruitment mix. The revival of ‘lapsed’ radio amateurs is an activity to keep in mind whenever the opportunity exists. However, the WIA and all those concerned with growing the ranks of radio amateurs, seek recruits across a very wide age range. This includes young people, adults, the employed or retirees, all of whom could make good, new radio amateurs.
Some recent examples include publicity across the Men’s Shed movement, in RSL newsletters, through community groups like Rotary and Lions, among the Grey Nomads touring their bucket list destinations, as well as through schools and professional associations.
The Japan Amateur Radio League JARL is marking its 90th birthday with a range of events including the ‘JARL 90th Anniversary Award’. The JARL, a proud active member society in the IARU, began in 1926 and encourages the world to be involved through this special operating award that ends December 31, 2016. Among the qualifying special event stations that may count as nine points each, are more than 25 callsigns all with the prefix 8J – some only on air to celebrate JARL 90. The others involved include the Japan-US Reciprocal agreement (8J1JAUS), the Keymen’s Club of Japan (several suffixed KCJ), UNESCO World Heritage (8J6IR), Japan Award Hunters Group (8J1JAG), and the Western Japan Ham Fair (8J6HAM).
The HamShield supports a wide range of VHF and UHF frequencies, covering 3 amateur bands. This includes the 1.25 meter or “220” band (220 MHz to 225 MHz), which is notoriously hard to find equipment for! It also can transmit on MARS bands.
Whilst the project doesn’t include an integrated transceiver like the HamShield, the fact that it will (presumably) be natively supported by Jonathan’s software makes this project very enticing to the repeater and hotspot communities who would currently be using single mode devices such as the 
From 
