hpr-knowledge-base/hpr_transcripts/hpr4502.txt

Episode: 4502
Title: HPR4502: Cheap Yellow Display Project Part 3: Reverse beacon network 
Source: https://hub.hackerpublicradio.org/ccdn.php?filename=/eps/hpr4502/hpr4502.mp3
Transcribed: 2025-11-22 15:07:29

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This is Hacker Public Radio Episode 4,502 for Tuesday 4 November 2025.
Today's show is entitled, GPLO Display Project Part 3, Reverse Beacon Network.
It is hosted by Trey and is about 8 minutes long.
It carries a clean flag.
The summary is, learn about the Reverse Beacon Network and how it might be used with
the GPLO Display.
Hello again, this is Trey.
Welcome to Part 3 in my GPLO Display Project series.
You can find Part 1 in Episode 4472 and Part 2 in Episode 4488.
We previously left our handy hero searching for a solution to an amateur radio signal propagation
dilemma while he is trying to become proficient with Morse code.
The GPLO Display technology is simmering in the back of his brain and the answer in search
of a problem.
I love trying to create the feel of a vintage radio or television series with the intro
and outro of these episodes.
But I am by no means the hero.
I am simply Trey, a grumpy old man and a tinkerer.
Instead the real hero in this episode is Keith, V-E-S-V-Q, the shaky key on YouTube.
There's a link in the show notes.
So let's see, where were we?
Oh yes, I have been trying to learn Morse code.
That was me, tapping out CQ, CQ, and Morse code using the practice set I keep on my desk.
This consists of a set of code paddles connected to an Arduino Nano, which I built several
years ago based on what I learned watching Code Practice Oscillator, aka the three Arduino's.
On J.M. Harvey1947's YouTube channel.
And based on the code from his GitHub repository, and I'll post a link to that in the show notes.
I did need to make modifications both to support the Arduino Nano on which I chose to run
it and for my own sanity as the way that I learned to write code for Arduino is very different.
I focus on readability and flexibility.
You can see these changes on my own GitHub repository, and I'll post a link to that also
in the show notes.
Anyway, I have been studying, and I have been watching videos.
I have been practicing Morse code.
I might actually be learning some of this stuff.
If you are interested in more details about the resources I'm using, leave a comment for
this episode or drop me an email using the address in my profile, and I may record
an episode about it.
The result is that I have been learning, but also the Google and YouTube algorithms
have been learning about me.
They have started to feed me more videos about Morse code.
It is both helpful and super creepy at the same time.
So one day, when I opened YouTube, a title in my feed caught my eye.
News, CWop, use the reverse beacon network to improve your code.
A link is in the show notes.
I said to myself, self, this could be interesting.
I watched Keith's video and learned about the reverse beacon network.
Again, there's a link in the show notes.
According to their website, the reverse beacon network is a revolutionary new idea.
Instead of beacons actively transmitting signals, the reverse beacon network is a network
of stations listening to the bands and reporting what stations they hear, when, and how
well.
Let's pause for a second and discuss amateur radio beacons.
These are stations which repeatedly broadcast their identity on dedicated frequencies.
Other operators around the world who hear a beacon can evaluate the signal propagation
between their stations and the beacon location.
The reverse beacon network is just the opposite.
Here the station operator can transmit a test signal with their own call sign using
CW or other digital modes.
Then they can look at the reverse beacon network website to see which reverse beacon network
listening stations received their transmission and even get a signal report.
On the main page of the reverse beacon network, one can observe a world map with paths showing
where signals are received, where they originated based on the registered grid square of the
originating call sign.
The table displayed below the map reveals the sending and receiving call signs, their distance
apart in miles or kilometers, the frequency, the mode, the type of transmission, the signal
to noise ratio, the speed of the transmission, and the date and time using UTC.
I'm posting a picture of that page in the show notes.
This information is collected by a network of volunteer reverse beacon receiving stations
all over the world, which monitor various radio bands, decode transmissions of CW,
Morse code, RTTY, that's radio teletype, and PSK31 or PSK63.
These are digital modes.
These are digital modes of operation that use phase shift keying.
These receiving stations report what they receive as well as the signal strength back
into the reverse beacon network to be recorded and published over the internet.
Dave Kassler discussed the reverse beacon network back in 2016 on his YouTube video, the
ham radio reverse beacon network, an Ask Dave episode number 32, a link is in the show
notes.
This gives very good detail of how the network works.
This sounds like exactly what I've been looking for.
All I need to do is come up with a way to reliably, accurately, and consistently transmit
CQ, CQ, CQ, test, DE, followed by my call sign, three times at a consistent 20 words
per minute.
If I can do this a few times, I can then check the reverse beacon network to see where
I was received.
By including the test string, recipients know that I do not wish to start a conversation.
I can get accurate reporting of where my signal is going and how strong it is.
But remember, my Morris code skills are still inadequate.
And my radios do not have keyer memories like those which can be found in higher end transceivers
like the ICOM 7300.
to be programmed to be sent at the touch of a button.
But there is a fairly inexpensive solution to this problem, one which has been nagging
at the back of my mind for weeks.
Maybe, just maybe, I could use the cheap yellow display to effectively add keyer memory
to any of my radios by simply plugging it into the code key input port.
These stored messages could be transmitted by simply touching their specific ICOM on
the touch screen.
Now we have a plan.
But how will we do it?
What else will we need to learn?
Will it even work?
Well, tune in to the next episode in the series to find out the answers to some of these
questions and more.
Bye now.
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