Zero Retries is an independent newsletter promoting technological innovation in and adjacent to Amateur Radio, and Amateur Radio as (literally) a license to experiment with and learn about radio technology. Radios are computers - with antennas! Now in its sixth year of publication, with nearly 3700 subscribers.
The most ambitious global ham radio resource ever.
Status: Alpha Test. Join now, software will change rapidly.
43 Patents Pending, 300K lines of code (100K New Open Source).
Operating
Emergency Capable: These functions work even when the internet is down.
Control the radio from any browser, host the radio on Windows, Linux, Mac, Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson Nano.
Works with any Ethernet, CAT or CI-V radio, Rigblaster-like device, 16-bit audio interface and USB serial interface. Software Winkeyer emulator uses the control lines of a cheap USB serial device, or use a real K1EL Winkeyer.
Automatic translation: see text in your language, whatever language the other operator speaks. It doesn’t talk for you yet…
Real-time logging with instant confirmation: see your log entry get a green check as the other station logs the QSO using Hams.com . Busted-log prevention matches both sides and tells you when you got a log wrong.
Voice logging: just speak, it records your log.
Translation and voice logging use compact machine-learning models that run in the browser on most modern computers and phones.
Training
Completely new ham training in the form of compelling graphic novels with follow-along breadboard labs for Technician and General (Extra soon).
Designed for young people and women. Change ham demographics!
Learn the Incident Command System, through a graphic novel, not boring and difficult like FEMA PowerPoints. ICS-100 available now, others soon.
Simulated Practice Band: Phone (only, so far) band for training, talk with other members or conversational Robots (QAI1 through QAI10)!
Morse Code training, both receive and send.
Content from Poster_2.pdf below:
Modes
All transceivers get these modes: Winlink (Pat), PSK31, FT8, RADE, M17, plus any mode supported by the transceiver. More coming.
Auto-tunes SSB, automatically detects and switches modes.
New (patent-pending) SSB noise filter.
Community
Global Event Directory works by distance from you, not state or section. Much better and more detailed data than ARRL’s event directory, extracted directly from every club web site or submitted, for free, by any verified licensed ham. Search for swap meets, contests, even monthly meetings!
The only accurate club directory, sorted by distance from you. Others have thousands of bad club listings. Long dead, formed to hold a callsign, etc.
Repeater directory by distance, writes CHIRP to directly program your radio.
Verified Licensed Ham: Upload FCC’s exact license PDF or use LoTW to verify you are licensed (uses a public-key cryptography part of LoTW’s design, passwords and private data never leave your own computer. Foreign hams may use license photos.
Global callbook with ham-submitted data for foreign hams gets around the problems of data-privacy laws, like GDPR, killing callbooks worldwide.
Emergency
Nothing is dependent on Internet.
Every transceiver gets a Winlink-compatible mode.
Any number of operators, on any browser, feed one or more transceivers, *** No more bottlenecks! ***
Real FEMA Forms: Translated to SVG/HTML, they look exactly like FEMA’s Acrobat forms, but are readable directly in email and with your browser, and their fields are compatible with the Winlink versions. NO MORE PDFs! We have the Winlink forms too.
Any team member (emergency operators, club members, make your own) can access all of the forms in an emergency operation.
Route forms to/from email.
The first SCALABLE ICS Training: All hams get a path to learning the Incident Command System online. ICS-100 today, more coming. Warning: served agencies have never heard of this, so far only FEMA’s training and tests, online or in person, will be honored by them.
Content from Poster_3.pdf below:
Internet
Web Site and Blog for every licensed ham!
Domain Names for every licensed ham! You get the callsign.hams.com domain, like k6bp.hams.com, and can point that and any sub-domains where you like, including dynamic DNS for your devices using DHCP-allocated addresses .
What’s It Cost?
$1, once! Because all web sites with communication are now required to have very strict child protection (and we’re all for that), we must charge you a $1 enrollment fee and have you e-sign a simple agreement before you can use forums, classifieds, the practice band, and post events, repeater, or club data. You may use all other facilities, like training, and remote control of your rig, without the agreement and $1.
Frequently-Asked Questions
How will you support this? Some of our patents, developed for things like SSB transceivers, apply to lucrative markets like hearing aids, and might make money for us. But the main revenue will probably be from ads on the site. We promise not to let them get too obnoxious.
Why the 43 patents pending? AI would make it possible to clone our site, without patent protection. AI has already killed software copyright. Patents are the only remaining protection.
How is this different from other social networks? You are representing ham radio to the rest of the world on Hams.com . You must maintain good conduct, and be welcoming to all people, and you sign an agreement about that. Don’t like that? Don’t post, or just don’t join.
What about anti-deplatforming laws? Unconstitutional and lost every case.
What if it goes out of business or you die? We are talking with a non-profit about granting them the site and all source code and other resources, irrevocably, if for any reason we can not continue the business.
What about security and cyber-crime? Stripe keeps your credit-card data, we never see it. The part of our software that goes in your home is source- disclosed so that anyone can inspect its security. We also maintain a minimum-privilege architecture, a disaster recovery plan, anti-ransom, and other best practices.
How did you do this? Mostly AI coding. Bruce Perens K6BP invented and patented a more powerful AI bug-hunting method. It found more than 400 bugs that Anthropic and Google’s AIs had missed.
Um… wow. This is one ambitious project / system / product / service!
The first element of my being impressed is K6BP having obtained the Hams.com domain. That’s quite the catch… or purchase. It’s short and catchy.
I’m also impressed with:
Control the radio from any browser, host the radio on Windows, Linux, Mac, Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson Nano.
This goes a long way toward my imagined Data Communications Radio Appliance.
I saw a mention of this early, and got an early invitation for an account on Hams.com and after a couple of weeks de-stressing after ZRDC 2026, I’ll let you know my impressions.
Or, perhaps sooner if I’m able to see it demo’d at Pacificon 2026 if the Hams.com booth isn’t too mobbed,
eBay Restricts Listings of Radio Equipment, but Exempts Ham-Band-Only Gear
ARRL Letter for October 15, 2026:
Online marketplace eBay has imposed new restrictions on listings of radio transmitting equipment in response to new FCC rules that took effect this week, but responded to ARRL that its new policy will not apply to gear that operates exclusively on amateur radio frequencies. The FCC’s rules are intended to use its equipment authorization program to protect against “national security threats to the communications supply chain” and cover a wide variety of products.
In its Third Report and Order issued on July 23, 2026, the Commission makes clear that online marketplaces share in the legal responsibility to assure that unauthorized RF devices are not offered for sale on their platforms. The rules took effect on October 13. Moving forward, equipment subject to FCC authorization must have its FCC ID number submitted to the marketplace and posted with its listing. There are exemptions for posts already online, “small sellers,” and used equipment, but initial messages to sellers from eBay suggested that an FCC ID would be required in order to post a listing for any equipment that transmits RF energy.
In response to a request from ARRL for a clarification relating to amateur radio equipment that does not require FCC authorization, an eBay spokesperson provided the following statement:
eBay allows the sale of devices capable of operating only on frequencies that the FCC has allocated for use by Amateur Radio Service licensees. As these devices do not require FCC equipment authorization, FCC IDs will not be required for these listings as an amateur licensee may use his or her license to operate such radios. However, two-way VHF/UHF radio equipment capable of operating outside of the amateur frequency bands cannot be imported, advertised, sold, or operated within the United States, including on eBay, without an FCC equipment certification. If eBay inadvertently takes action against listings for devices that don’t require FCC IDs and are otherwise authorized, the affected seller should inform eBay and we will assess whether to remove restrictions from the listing.
It should be emphasized that the FCC did not change its underlying equipment authorization rules. Amateur radio equipment, except for commercial HF amplifiers, continues to not require FCC authorization.
I can’t imagine what the various DC to Daylight “Amateur Radio” transceivers (that can transmit considerably outside the Amateur Radio 2 meter (144 - 148 MHz) and 70 centimeter (420 - 450 MHz) bands in the US are going to do given this requirement.
Kudos to ARRL for reaching out (from authority) to eBay and getting a definitive response regarding Amateur Radio equipment.
44Net Connect Continues to Grow!
Email from Rebecca Key KO4KVG of ARDC:
Since launching in December 2025, more than 2,200 hams have signed up for the service. We’re now expanding our infrastructure to include three additional points of presence (PoPs) in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Sydney, bringing our total to six. These additional PoPs will bring connection points closer to users in different regions, helping reduce latency and improve performance.
TL;DR: APRSBox by Polish amateur radio operator Radosław (Radek) SQ9MDD is an open source, all-in-one APRS operations platform, digipeater, and background daemon designed for Raspberry Pi and Linux hosts (Debian, Ubuntu, and Alpine Linux). Moving beyond basic web scrapers and static terminal utilities, APRSBox pairs a modern FastAPI web interface with an independent core runtime daemon. The system ingests packet traffic from TCP KISS (such as Direwolf), hardware serial TNCs, and OpenWebRX MQTT streams, passing frames through a visual, block-based Packet Routing (DIGI Flows) engine equipped with strict RF-safety filters. Beyond standard iGate and digipeater roles, APRSBox integrates directly with Home Assistant and Domoticz to broadcast local weather telemetry, calculates real-time VHF tropospheric band conditions (W0 to W5) from received RF baselines, and parses civil emergency weather alerts (CAWF and NWS-WARN). With automated single-command installers and turnkey Docker containers, APRSBox is one of the most capable shack automation platforms available.
The linked page provides a very thorough methodology of how the parsing on this system works.
Yet another Zero Retries Interesting discovery on Facebook…
I’m Erik. I write firmware, USB drivers and SDR software, mostly to find out how far cheap hardware can be pushed. The main project right now is OrcSDR: a touchscreen SDR that runs entirely on an M5Stack Tab5.
projects
OrcSDRPortable touchscreen SDR on the M5Stack Tab5 and an RTL-SDR dongle.ESP32-P4 · C++
OrcDialWireless tuning knob and dashboard remote for OrcSDR on the M5Stack Dial.ESP32-S3 · C++
esp-rtl-sdrClean-room ESP-IDF USB Host driver for RTL2832U dongles on the ESP32-P4.driver · C++
orcmapsOffline-first map engine for embedded devices.embedded · C++
OrcMeshWindows console for Meshtastic LoRa mesh radios.
Technological Innovation in Amateur Hobbyist Radio!
Jay NT0Y on Michigan RATS (Radio Amateurs Technological Society):
So what is RigControl Web?
RigControl Web is a free, open-source program that lets you control your radio from a web browser. It talks to any radio supported by Hamlib and gives you a real-time dashboard with frequency, mode, meters and controls. The same interface works on a desktop, a tablet or a phone.
For voice, your own microphone and speakers replace the ones at the radio, using two-way Opus audio. CW works from the keyboard or touch paddles through a server-side iambic keyer, and a built-in decoder shows what’s coming in on the band. For digital modes, a small helper program on your computer makes the remote radio look local to WSJT-X, JS8Call, Fldigi and other Hamlib-compatible software. There’s even a lightweight FT8 decoder for quick band checks.
You also get plenty of situational awareness built right in. Spectrum scopes work with Icom radios,, the Yaesu FT-710, and radios with an I/Q output like the Xiegu G90. Radios with HDMI or DVI output can stream their front panel. POTA, SOTA, WWFF and DX cluster spots tune the radio with one click, and solar data plus MUF maps show what the bands are doing.
Every panel can be added, removed and resized, from a small monitor right up to 4K. An admin panel lets a club give each licensed operator an individual login. Run it as a desktop app on your shack computer, or as a headless server on a Raspberry Pi or mini PC.
Which of those gaps does it fill?
Let’s go through them one at a time, using screenshots from my own FT-710.
No subscription, no middleman
…
Built for a browser and a phone
,,,
Full radio control
…
Voice, CW and digital in one place
…
Spectrum, spots and propagation together
…
Accounts for clubs and shared stations
It’s interesting how much this, at a glance, seems to overlap Hams.com.
Video - NOCT 0.9.0 Beta, the Networked Off-Grid Communications Terminal
NOCT is finally here! 🎉 NOCT 0.9.0 Beta, the Networked Off-Grid Communications Terminal, is now publicly available to members of the NOCT tiers on my Ko-Fi page.
The beta release is ready to download and try, and many of you have already joined, downloaded NOCT, and started getting it up and running. I really appreciate everyone supporting the project this early in its development!
In this video, I'll walk you through the NOCT installation and initial setup process and show you just how easy it is to get started.
NOCT is designed to bring together a variety of off-grid and amateur radio communications tools into one Raspberry Pi-based platform, including:
• APRS • Winlink • Packet Radio • JS8Call • Digital radio • GPS and mapping • And more
One of the goals with NOCT is to make these technologies easier to use, especially if you're not comfortable with Linux or the command line. NOCT includes a guided initial setup wizard that handles much of the configuration for you, so you don't have to spend your time working in a terminal.
Even though NOCT runs on Debian Linux, you don't need Linux experience to use it.
This is still a beta release, so there are a few things I'm continuing to improve. JS8Call, for example, isn't quite as automated as I'd like yet and may require manually configuring the radio in some situations.
If you're interested in trying NOCT, supporting the project, or getting access to the beta release, check out the NOCT tiers on my Ko-Fi page.
Fueled by unhealthy amounts of caffeine and gosh-knows-what-else in several cans of Diet Coke this early morning… and terror-driven adrenaline at not having my presentations completed in time… I was able to stay awake into the wee hours of the morning to push out this issue of Zero Retries, and do so early for the benefit of the attendees of Zero Retries Digital Conference 2026, so we’ll all be on the same page talking about the remarkable development of Hams.com.
It’s been years since I’ve pulled an almost all-nighter!
I also wanted to follow up on the eBay (and Amazon, and every other US retailer) now being required to list FCC certifications for any electronic item.
Tina Stroh KD7WSF for, well, everything! Jack Stroh, Late Night Assistant Editor Emeritus Fiona and Shreky Stroh, Late Night Assistant Editors In Training
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