Focus on VHF

Summary

The program was pre-recorded because the presenter was on HAMNET duty at the Dis-Chem Retina SA Ride for Sight cycling event at Boksburg Stadium on 15 February, with setup starting the day before and early-morning operations on race day.

It reports on several pico balloons currently circumnavigating the Southern Hemisphere:

ZS1ERZ-12 travelled south of Australia, crossed near Melbourne, exited near Brisbane, and was last heard west of Vanuatu. It showed unusual altitude changes, dropping to about 5 940 m before climbing again to around 10 940 m ASL. [
ZS1AFB-1
ZS6SRC-34 was over Madagascar after looping around the Mozambique Channel.

A major focus is on radio noise problems, particularly noise affecting VHF transmissions. A real‑world example is discussed where the source was traced to a power supply with loose connections and the absence of a proper grounding system. The recommended solution was to install a ground spike and connect all equipment to a common earth bus bar.

The article then broadens into general guidance on identifying and reducing RF noise, especially when high noise levels are present on HF. It describes using the SARL Noise Monitoring Project with a Raspberry Pi to visually identify noise across the HF spectrum.

Practical mitigation steps are highlighted, including installing multiple interconnected earth spikes in moist ground and adding ferrite chokes to coax cables, both of which significantly reduced received noise.

Finally, readers are directed to several YouTube resources and online links for further learning about RF noise hunting, and are encouraged to share their own VHF and above achievements or projects with the VHF News team to help promote activity above 30 MHz.

Summary

It opens with an update on Pico balloons currently circumnavigating the Southern Hemisphere, including ZS1ERZ‑12, ZS1AFB‑1, and the newly launched ZS6SRC‑34, noting their routes, performance, and reception reports.

The article then discusses the future of HamClock following the passing of its original maintainer. An open‑source replacement backend is being developed to preserve HamClock functionality using publicly available data sources, allowing users to self‑host and continue using existing devices without modification. Links to the backend and the browser‑based OpenHamClock are provided. [

Attention shifts to improving handheld radio performance, referencing past experiments with rat‑tail antennas and introducing a lightweight 2‑element MOXON antenna that can be built using a 3D‑printed frame.

The latter part of the document reflects on the generational gap in amateur radio, arguing that the hobby risks stagnation if it does not embrace younger operators and modern technologies. It highlights EmergencyHam.net as an example of combining traditional amateur radio strengths with IoT, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and modern digital systems to create resilient, infrastructure‑independent communications. The article concludes with a call to action, encouraging amateurs to share VHF‑and‑above activities and projects, promote experimentation, and actively work to grow the hobby by engaging younger generations.

Summary
This document recounts recent events and activities within HAMNET, including VHF/UHF equipment maintenance for cycling events and deployment preparations for flood assistance in Limpopo and Mozambique. It also highlights updates on Pico Balloons circumnavigating the Southern Hemisphere, discusses the challenges faced by the Mauritian balloon launch, and explores advances in SDR dongle technology and open-source radio experimentation, emphasizing the rapid evolution of radio capabilities.

Summary
Three Pico Balloons are currently airborne, each at different stages of their journeys around the Southern Hemisphere, with ZS1ERZ-12 now over Argentina, ZS6SRC-32 nearing its first circumnavigation, and ZS1AFB-1 overcoming launch setbacks but progressing well. The document also highlights the achievements of young radio amateur Rulhof ZS4RM, who has built an AllStar Portable/Mobile node, and introduces the experimental, Linux-based LinHT handheld radio, capable of supporting multiple digital voice modes. The spirit of innovation and youth engagement in radio amateur activities is celebrated throughout.

Summary
Focus on VHF and Above 4 January 2026 provides an update on the current status of Pico Balloons, highlighting that two are active: ZS1ERZ-12, which has impressively circumnavigated the Southern Hemisphere twelve times and is now over the Southern Ocean between South Africa and Australia, and ZS6SRC-32, which is successfully transmitting over Western Australia. ZS6SRC-83 has not been heard from since late December 2025, and ZS6SRC-33 appears to have crashed shortly after launch. The section also notes achievements by balloon teams and references an interesting post about ants nesting in electronic equipment, as well as mentioning the RFBitBanger, an emergency HF radio developed in 2023

Summary
This week's update focuses on VHF activity and pico balloon launches, including recent and upcoming flights with details on their trajectories and transmission modes. It also highlights Johan ZS1I's ongoing 6m Magic Band Project in Mossel Bay and Jason KM4ACK's contributions to amateur radio software for Linux platforms, emphasizing the importance of caution when updating firmware or software before major events due to the risk of unforeseen issues.

Summary
This update covers recent activities in the VHF and above radio amateur community, including the launch and tracking status of several pico balloons, upcoming launches, and the involvement of Mauritian Radio Amateurs. It also shares results from the HamSCI Meteor Scatter QSO Party during the Perseid meteor shower, noting increased participation by newcomers. The report highlights efforts by the HAMNET Gauteng team to build portable dualband radio boxes for event support, as well as the preparation of an agreement with the Gauteng Provincial Disaster Management Centre. The overall tone reflects ongoing innovation and collaboration within the community.

ZS1ERZ-12:: channel 24 transmitting a 10m WSPR beacon launched 16/08/2025. Last heard 25/10/2025 over the South West tip of Australia on it’s seventh round the world trip. Also interesting this balloon has twice passed by South Africa in the Roaring Forties. Once just north of the Prince Edward Island group and once directly over Prince Edward Island.

ZS6SRC-29 :: channel 87, launched 01/10/2025. Last heard on 25/10/2025 over Argentina just West of Buenos Aires. This balloon is on it’s third round the world trip.

ZS6SRC-30 :: channel 252, with a 10m beacon and launched just before the BACAR balloon on 11/10/2025. Last heard on 25/10/2025 halfway between South Africa and Australia on it’s second round the world trip. Interesting this balloon passed South Africa in the Roaring Forties close the Prince Edward Island group, which is Prince Edward Island and Marion Island.

Gert ZS6GC has sent out the packages that he was fulfilling and there will be a lot more Pico Balloons being launched over the next couple of months.

There are also 4 balloons being prepared on Mauritius and we hope to be reporting on all the new balloons and that they will also fly multiple times around the world.

Stewart ZR1WT posted a very nice link to a video of a series of images that he compiled from the camera that was on-board his payload on the BACAR-13 balloon. Take a look at the video on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA5V76uXpig

Thanks Stewart for the remarkable video and your explanations of the images captured. Very interesting indeed.

OpenMesh Voice Network

I have come across another very interesting website explaining another new and exciting open source project being developed. It is called OpenMesh Voice Network. The website explains what OpenMesh Voice Network is all about “OpenMesh Voice Network grew out of a simple observation: daily amateur radio life revolves around voice repeaters, yet those single points of failure require significant maintenance and professional resources. They often collapse when operators most need them—during storms, wildfires, and other disasters. Our team of volunteer hams and digital-comms researchers set out to remove that vulnerability by marrying low-cost software-defined radios with a modern, AI-powered voice codec. The result is a fully open-source mesh system that carries clear voice and lightweight data over battery-friendly VHF/UHF links. Hence, daily conversations and emergency traffic flow even when towers or internet back hauls go dark.”

The developers go onto to say “Traditional repeaters demand expensive sites and constant upkeep; whole communities fall silent when they fail. By contrast, a self-healing mesh of small nodes lets operators in remote villages, search-and-rescue teams, and emergency coordinators drop in coverage wherever it’s needed, with no cranes or leases required. Beyond crisis use, the same network keeps daily rag-chews, club nets, and technical round-tables alive, sustaining the social glue of amateur radio.

And the best of all is that their intention is to have everything open source as well. You can read more about this at https://opencollective.com/openmesh

How about telling us about that exciting long distance contact that you have made on the VHF and above bands or about that project that you are working on in the VHF and above bands? Send me a consolidated report of your activity or project with any additional photos, audio or video clips to bjacobsza@gmail.com

Remember by sharing your activities with us at VHF News allows us to tell the rest of the amateur community about your achievements and the more we promote the activity on the VHF and above bands the better chance we have of encouraging more amateurs to explore the world above 30 MHz.MHz.