Amateur Radio Digital Modes Primer

In this comprehensive tutorial at the DEF CON 29 Ham Radio Village, Jon Marler (K4CHN) delivers an introductory guide to amateur radio digital communication modes, exploring the hardware, software, and protocols used for text and image transmissions. He opens at 09:00 by contrasting soundcard-based digital modes with digital voice repeaters and hotspots, explaining the distinct equipment requirements for each operating style.

Jon demonstrates keyboard-to-keyboard conversational modes like PSK31 and continuous wave (CW) at 18:00, highlighting their spectral efficiency and weak-signal resilience under poor atmospheric conditions. At 27:00, he examines Slow Scan Television (SSTV), demonstrating automated reception and image decoding workflows for terrestrial and satellite image broadcasts.

Diving into low-cost station building at 36:00, Jon explains how to build custom audio interfaces using inexpensive USB soundcards and Anderson Powerpole connectors to link transceivers to computers. He demonstrates portable decoding setups using iOS and Android devices at 45:00, before discussing WSJT-X configuration for weak-signal modes like FT8. He concludes at 56:00 by welcoming attendees to connect in person at the Ham Radio Village to test their digital rigs. (AI summary — Gemini Flash)