Resource library

Matching resources

• Practitioner or communityToolFree

  Meshtastic (opens in a new tab)

  Meshtastic

  Open source LoRa mesh messaging on cheap hardware, no licence needed. Range claims vary wildly with terrain, so test yours before you plan around it.

• Practitioner or communityDataFree

  RepeaterBook (opens in a new tab)

  RepeaterBook

  Directory of amateur and GMRS repeaters by location, with tones and offsets. Print the page for your county and put it in the radio bag, because you will not have internet when you need it.

• Practitioner or communityDataFree tier

  RadioReference (opens in a new tab)

  RadioReference

  Frequency database for public safety, aviation, rail and business bands. The scanner community's reference, and the fastest way to find out what your local agencies actually use.

• Practitioner or communityTrainingFree

  HamStudy.org (opens in a new tab)

  HamStudy

  Free practice exams built on the real question pools, with a study tracker. Combined with a local exam session, most people get a Technician licence in two or three weeks of evenings.

• Practitioner or communityToolFree

  Winlink Global Radio Email (opens in a new tab)

  Winlink

  Email over radio when the internet is gone, used heavily in real disaster response. It requires a licence and some setup patience, and it is the closest thing to normal messaging without infrastructure.

• Practitioner or communityCommunityFree

  r/amateurradio (opens in a new tab)

  Reddit

  Active and welcoming to beginners, provided you have read the rules first. Good place to sanity check a first radio purchase before you spend money on the wrong band.

• Practitioner or communityCommunityFree

  r/meshtastic (opens in a new tab)

  Reddit

  Where regional mesh networks get organised and where honest range reports show up. Search your metro area name before assuming there is no local mesh.

• Practitioner or communityCommunityFree

  r/gmrs (opens in a new tab)

  Reddit

  Licence questions, repeater etiquette and radio recommendations for family use. The most useful forum for people who want radio without an exam.

• Practitioner or communityDataFree tier

  myGMRS (opens in a new tab)

  myGMRS

  GMRS repeater directory with access requests, plus an active forum. Many GMRS repeaters need permission before use, and this is where you ask.

• Practitioner or communityCommunityFree

  QRZ forums (opens in a new tab)

  QRZ

  Long-running amateur radio discussion with deep archives. Search before posting: most antenna questions have been answered at length, more than once, by people who measured.

• Practitioner or communityTrainingFreeOurs

  CallSignReady (opens in a new tab)

  CallSignReady

  A free study game for the United States amateur radio Technician exam, built on the current question pool. One of our own projects. HamStudy is the established alternative and it is also free.

• Practitioner or communityTrainingFreeOurs

  Ditdah (opens in a new tab)

  Ditdah

  Learn the Morse alphabet with sound and picture mnemonics, one letter at a time. One of our own projects, adapted from Ace Centre's open source Morse Learn.