Online Tools
Home
These are all tools I use.
Chat
- ON4KST: Chat/contact site that allows amateurs to arrange contacts
on various bands from HF to SHF. Especially useful on the higher frequency bands where narrow beamwidth antennas and
range limitations make it difficult to find someone randomly. The higher frequency bands are also not very active, so
one can announce a portable operation here instead of just going out and hoping for the best. This is used a lot during
the RSGB UK Activity Contests.
In the Shack
Displays or things to run in the shack. I like eye candy but even eye candy can be useful such as HamDashboard.
- Ham Dashboard: A dashboard that can be run in the shack and shows a lot of useful information. It can be accessed from an online site such as David G0IKV's website modified for UK users or Pablo VA3HDL's test site aimed at North American users. There are also a list on the Github page of various sites modified by users for specific locations as well as a lot of helpful information including Youtube videos. Alternatively, the files can be downloaded and hosted on your local machine (or webserver if you're that fancy). Note that it of course still needs an internet connection to update the displayed information. Featured on page 49 of the Sep 2025 edition of Practical Wireless.
Location, distance
Map References
- National Grid Reference Finder
- What's My Locator: Map based site for finding Lat/Long, OS Grid Reference, WAB square, Maidenhead locator, CQ Zone and ITU Zone. I've been in the position more than once where someone asked for my Work All Britain (WAB) square and I couldn't help them. I only operate in handful of locations, so it's easy to keep a list of the various references for each location.
- NGR to Locator converter: National Grid Reference to Maidenhead Locator converter
on Practical Wireless contest site.
- Grid.Radio Amateur Radio Location: A site produced by Rose 2E0RXO that calculates various locators for a particular location. Similar functionality to the "What's My Locator" site but I find it easier to use - probably personal preference more than anything else.
- Hepburn Tropo forecast: Tropo forecast site for the world by William R. Hepburn. Select the region of interest in the dropdown box top left under the ads. Under the colour key below the map the forecast for each day of the previous week can be selected. Click on the main map or use the arrow keys to scroll through the forecast. William Hepburn is a meteorologist and radio propagation researcher. The history of this site as well as some of his early radio history can be found here.
RF Design Tools