This page is currently a work-in-progress, this page aims to provide a reasonably comprehensive repository of links to software and resources which are useful to amateur radio operators. My hope is that by gathering and sharing these resources with the ham radio community I can improve the experience of radio operators and encourage young people to join our community and work to innovate and recreate the art and science of radio.
This page was last updated on... August 9th, 2024
This page is currently a work-in-progress, this page aims to provide a reasonably comprehensive repository of links to software and resources which are useful to amateur radio operators. My hope is that by gathering and sharing these resources with the ham radio community I can improve the experience of radio operators and encourage young people to join our community and work to innovate and recreate the art and science of radio.
This page was last updated on... August 9th, 2024
radio programming software: | |
CHIRP | A free-to-use and open-source tool for programming radios. CHIRP supports a wide variety of manufacturers and models and provides a way to interface with multiple data sources and formats. Allows you to find repeaters and frequencies of interest based on your location and data collected from RadioReference and/or RepeaterBook. Provides simple and user-friendly methods to program your radio to your preferences or specifications. Allows for simple and efficient storage of programming data in comma-separated value file format (.csv). |
SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO (SDR) SOFTWARE: | |
AirSpy SDR#
| An SDR software suite with a wide range of community improvements and plug-ins. Theoretically capable of supporting basically the entire RF spectrum from DC to 999 GHz. Works easily with the RTL-SDR receiver.
|
SDRplay SDRuno | An SDR software suite developed by SDRplay for their RSP line of software-defined radio receivers. Supports frequency ranges of interest to ham radio operators and some others, but depends on the hardware.Generally frequencies range from about 50kHz to 2000MHz. |
SDRangel | Open-source transmit and receive capable SDR software. Available for Windows, Mac OS and Android. |
gnuRadio | A free, open-source software devkit that provides signal processing blocks to design, program, and implement software radios. Useful for amateur radio operators, RF and electronics hobbyists, as well as industrial, scientific and commercial applications. Using gnuRadio you can program and execute nearly any conceivable function that a software radio is capable of. Very complex radio applications can be achieved (even by operators who are not familiar with programming) by using flowgraphs. The software has an extensive community of users and developers, and a substantial amount of documentation, making the software much easier to use and navigate. You can visit their wiki for more information. |
amateur radio digital modes software: | |
WSJT-X | A software suite originally developed by Joe Taylor, W1JT, though now open-source and maintained through community support. WSJT-X allows users to encode messages using digital communication protocols or "digital modes." These digital modes are much more efficient and more narrow than voice modes. The digital modes WSJT-X supports can be used for a variety of different purposes, FT4 and FT8 are common modes for ham radio contests, while WSPR or "weak signal propagation reporter" is a protocol used to test propagation between radio operators, and Echo is used commonly for sending, detecting and measuring your own radio signals reflected from the Moon back down to your station. These modes were all designed for making reliable, confirmed contacts under extreme weak-signal conditions. Designed to be used in conjunction with a radio transceiver via USB or serial port connection. |
FLdigi and FL software by W1HKJ | FLdigi is a computer program intended for transmitting and receiving amateur radio digital modes. Fldigi operates in conjunction with a conventional radio transceiver, and uses the PC sound card as the main means of input from the radio, and output to the radio. These are audio-frequency signals. The software also controls the radio by means of another connection, typically a serial port or USB connection. Fldigi is multi-mode, which means that it is able to operate many popular digital modes without switching programs, so you only have one program to learn. Fldigi includes all the popular modes, such as DominoEX, MFSK16, PSK31, and RTTY. Fldigi is available for multiple computer operating systems, including FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. |
Black Cat Systems | Black Cat Systems offers a variety of software programs and products, including many which allow operators to create a PC-to-transceiver for transmitting and receiving messages using several types of digital modes. Many of the software released by Black Cat Systems is not free-to-use, however, they do provide a demo version or a try-before-you-buy agreement for downloading their software. The following is a list of amateur radio digital mode software programs created by Black Cat Systems: |
Black Cat SSTV | Mac and Windows SSTV app with emphasis on weak signal decoding, also available as an iOS app. |
Black Cat ALE | Multi-channel ALE Automatic Link Establishment decoder, also available as an iOS app. |
Black Cat GMDSS | Multi-channel Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) decoder, also available as an iOS app. |
Black Cat HF Weather Fax | Shortwave Radio weather fax decoding software for mariners |
Black Cat ACARS | VHF ACARS decoding software, also available as an iOS app. |
MultiMode | Multi-mode digital encoder and decoder for CW, RTTY, FAX, SSTV, NAVTEX, PACKET, ACARS, and PSK31; various functions are also available as standalone iOS apps. |
Amalgamated DGPS | Decode The Entire DGPS Band, also available as an iOS app. |
Cocoa 1090 | Mode S (ADS-B) aircraft transponder decoder for macOS. |
ANTENNA MODELLING: | |
EZNEC | Professional-grade antenna modelling and analysis tools developed by W7EL. Originally priced between $100 to $675 depending on version, now the basic version is publically available and free-to-use as of January 2022. Modelling is based on the "Numerical Electromagnetics Code" or NEC.
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MMANA-GAL | Antenna-modelling and analysis tools based on the moment method. The programs use the MININEC-3 (same method as EZNEC) engine modified by Alexandre Schewelew, DL1PBD, and are written in C++. MMANA-GAL Basic is made freely available for personal use by amateur radio operators and radio hobbyists. MMANA-GAL Pro software licenses can be purchased through the website for commercial applications.
|
EZRNEC | EZRNEC is a modified version of the Numerical Electromagnetics Code designed to simplify describing antennas. The NEC modelling language is defined using a "card" format that is fairly strict in its structure and requires a lot of user thinking as data is fed into it. The EZRNEC input format is supposedly a simplier or more intuitive language to describe antennas in in the context of NEC antenna modelling. Created by Wes Hardaker, WS6Z. |
RF Toolbox | Antenna design and electronics/electrical tool package; made by Black Cat Systems. |
MININEC Pro | Antenna analysis program for Windows and Macintosh computers. Uses MININEC-3, made by Black Cat Systems. |
MatchMaker | RF Impedance Matching Software, made by Black Cat Systems. |
ANTENNA ANALYZER & SPECTRUM ANALYZER SOFTWARE: | |
TinySA-App | Companion software for TinySA portable spectrum analyzers. These tools allow you to analyze and generate signals for a variety of bands and frequencies. A short video outlining the main features and uses of the TinySA can be found here. These devices are relatively cheap, particularly when compared to larger bench-top style spectrum analyzers, which can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several tens of thousands of dollars. The TinySA on the other hand is about $60 for the basic version, and about $120 for the pro version. These devices are particularly useful in determining the efficiency of signal transmission and in detecting harmonics and spurious emissions in your transmitted signals. |
NanoVNA-App | Companion software for NanoVNA portable vector network analyzers. These tools allow you to analyze antennas, RF networks, and components. You can gather useful data on the characteristics of the network and determine how those characteristics change as frequency increases or decreases. These tools are by-far the most popular device among amateur radio operators for testing antennas and RF components like band-pass filters and LC circuits. NanoVNA-App allows you to capture information displayed on the NanoVNA's screen and record the data, save it for later, mark points on the graph, etc. |
NanoVNA Saver | A tool for saving touchstone files from the NanoVNA, sweep frequency spans in segments to gain more than 101 data points, and generally display and analyze the resulting data. |
Internet Radio Linking project (IRLP): | |
EchoLink | EchoLink software allows stations to communicate with one another via the Internet. The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, or from computer to station. The software is made publically available and is free-to-use. It is available for Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android, and a version which can be run from a web browser. |
ONLINE SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO (SDR) SOFTWARE: | |
KiwiKonnect | Connects to online KiwiSDR receivers, routes audio to virtual audio devices without the need for a web browser, made by Black Cat Systems. |
KiwiSDR Monitor | Continuously monitors your KiwiSDR receiver(s) and displays / notifies when a user tunes in or changes the frequency, made by Black Cat Systems. |
AMATEUR RADIO MOBILE PHONE APPS: | |
Black Cat Systems iOS and iPadOS apps | Black Cat Systems has developed a variety of mobile phone apps which cater to amateur radio operators, including apps for digital mode operation, calculators for antenna building, sweep and function generators, morse code trainers, shortwave radio broadcast schedules, and others. |
AMATEUR SATELLITE (AMSAT) SOFTWARE: | |
SatDump | Open-source general-purpose satellite data processing software. Can be made to work with many conventional software defined radio receivers or integrated into a workflow using a UFH/SHF amateur radio transceiver connected to a PC. |
Ham Radio Deluxe "SatTrack" | Part of the Ham Radio Deluxe software suite. Can track satellites, controlling rotors, automatic tuning for doppler shift and more. |
Stellarium | Free open-source virtual planetarium software. It offers realtime satellite information including many satellites of interest to amateur radio operators as well as real-time prediction, tracking, planning and simulation. It is also a very useful and informative astronomy education software in its own right. |
MISCELLANEOUS SOFTWARE: | |
signalrecord | Software for recording signal strength data from a radio receiver or transceiver with a CAT interface, made by Wes Hardaker, WS6Z. |
signalcount | Software for tabulating data from signalrecord output, made by Wes Hardaker, WS6Z. |
radio programming software: | |
A free-to-use and open-source tool for programming radios. CHIRP supports a wide variety of manufacturers and models and provides a way to interface with multiple data sources and formats. Allows you to find repeaters and frequencies of interest based on your location and data collected from RadioReference and/or RepeaterBook. Provides simple and user-friendly methods to program your radio to your preferences or specifications. Allows for simple and efficient storage of programming data in comma-separated value file format (.csv). | |
SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO (SDR) SOFTWARE: | |
An SDR software suite with a wide range of community improvements and plug-ins. Theoretically capable of supporting basically the entire RF spectrum from DC to 999 GHz. Works easily with the RTL-SDR receiver. | |
An SDR software suite developed by SDRplay for their RSP line of software-defined radio receivers. Supports frequency ranges of interest to ham radio operators and some others, but depends on the hardware.Generally frequencies range from about 50kHz to 2000MHz. | |
Open-source transmit and receive capable SDR software. Available for Windows, Mac OS and Android. | |
A free, open-source software devkit that provides signal processing blocks to design, program, and implement software radios. Useful for amateur radio operators, RF and electronics hobbyists, as well as industrial, scientific and commercial applications. Using gnuRadio you can program and execute nearly any conceivable function that a software radio is capable of. Very complex radio applications can be achieved (even by operators who are not familiar with programming) by using flowgraphs. The software has an extensive community of users and developers, and a substantial amount of documentation, making the software much easier to use and navigate. You can visit their wiki for more information. | |
amateur radio digital modes software: | |
A software suite originally developed by Joe Taylor, W1JT, though now open-source and maintained through community support. WSJT-X allows users to encode messages using digital communication protocols or "digital modes." These digital modes are much more efficient and more narrow than voice modes. The digital modes WSJT-X supports can be used for a variety of different purposes, FT4 and FT8 are common modes for ham radio contests, while WSPR or "weak signal propagation reporter" is a protocol used to test propagation between radio operators, and Echo is used commonly for sending, detecting and measuring your own radio signals reflected from the Moon back down to your station. These modes were all designed for making reliable, confirmed contacts under extreme weak-signal conditions. Designed to be used in conjunction with a radio transceiver via USB or serial port connection. | |
FLdigi is a computer program intended for transmitting and receiving amateur radio digital modes. Fldigi operates in conjunction with a conventional radio transceiver, and uses the PC sound card as the main means of input from the radio, and output to the radio. These are audio-frequency signals. The software also controls the radio by means of another connection, typically a serial port or USB connection. Fldigi is multi-mode, which means that it is able to operate many popular digital modes without switching programs, so you only have one program to learn. Fldigi includes all the popular modes, such as DominoEX, MFSK16, PSK31, and RTTY. Fldigi is available for multiple computer operating systems, including FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows. | |
Black Cat Systems offers a variety of software programs and products, including many which allow operators to create a PC-to-transceiver for transmitting and receiving messages using several types of digital modes. Many of the software released by Black Cat Systems is not free-to-use, however, they do provide a demo version or a try-before-you-buy agreement for downloading their software. The following is a list of amateur radio digital mode software programs created by Black Cat Systems: | |
Mac and Windows SSTV app with emphasis on weak signal decoding, also available as an iOS app. | |
Multi-channel ALE Automatic Link Establishment decoder, also available as an iOS app. | |
Multi-channel Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) decoder, also available as an iOS app. | |
Shortwave Radio weather fax decoding software for mariners | |
VHF ACARS decoding software, also available as an iOS app. | |
Multi-mode digital encoder and decoder for CW, RTTY, FAX, SSTV, NAVTEX, PACKET, ACARS, and PSK31; various functions are also available as standalone iOS apps. | |
Decode The Entire DGPS Band, also available as an iOS app. | |
Mode S (ADS-B) aircraft transponder decoder for macOS. | |
ANTENNA MODELLING: | |
Professional-grade antenna modelling and analysis tools developed by W7EL. Originally priced between $100 to $675 depending on version, now the basic version is publically available and free-to-use as of January 2022. Modelling is based on the "Numerical Electromagnetics Code" or NEC. With a NEC based antenna modelling program it is possible to design antennas by modelling their geometry and connections, and then simulating parameters like radiation pattern gain and SWR. You can also determine the effects of height, roof angles, nearby objects, etc. | |
Antenna-modelling and analysis tools based on the moment method. The programs use the MININEC-3 (same method as EZNEC) engine modified by Alexandre Schewelew, DL1PBD, and are written in C++. MMANA-GAL Basic is made freely available for personal use by amateur radio operators and radio hobbyists. MMANA-GAL Pro software licenses can be purchased through the website for commercial applications. | |
EZRNEC is a modified version of the Numerical Electromagnetics Code designed to simplify describing antennas. The NEC modelling language is defined using a "card" format that is fairly strict in its structure and requires far too much user thinking as data is fed into it. The EZRNEC input format is supposedly a simplier or more intuitive language to describe antennas in in the context of NEC antenna modelling. Created by Wes Hardaker, WS6Z. | |
Antenna design and electronics/electrical tool package; made by Black Cat Systems. | |
Antenna analysis program for Windows and Macintosh computers. Uses MININEC-3, made by Black Cat Systems. | |
RF Impedance Matching Software, made by Black Cat Systems. | |
ANTENNA ANALYZER & SPECTRUM ANALYZER SOFTWARE: | |
Companion software for TinySA portable spectrum analyzers. These tools allow you to analyze and generate signals for a variety of bands and frequencies. A short video outlining the main features and uses of the TinySA can be found here. These devices are relatively cheap, particularly when compared to larger bench-top style spectrum analyzers, which can cost anywhere from a few hundred to several tens of thousands of dollars. The TinySA on the other hand is about $60 for the basic version, and about $120 for the pro version. These devices are particularly useful in determining the efficiency of signal transmission and in detecting harmonics and spurious emissions in your transmitted signals. | |
Companion software for NanoVNA portable vector network analyzers. These tools allow you to analyze antennas, RF networks, and components. You can gather useful data on the characteristics of the network and determine how those characteristics change as frequency increases or decreases. These tools are by-far the most popular device among amateur radio operators for testing antennas and RF components like band-pass filters and LC circuits. NanoVNA-App allows you to capture information displayed on the NanoVNA's screen and record the data, save it for later, mark points on the graph, etc. | |
A tool for saving touchstone files from the NanoVNA, sweep frequency spans in segments to gain more than 101 data points, and generally display and analyze the resulting data. | |
Internet Radio Linking project (IRLP): | |
EchoLink software allows stations to communicate with one another via the Internet. The program allows worldwide connections to be made between stations, or from computer to station. The software is made publically available and is free-to-use. It is available for Windows, iOS, Mac, and Android, and a version which can be run from a web browser. | |
ONLINE SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO (SDR) SOFTWARE: | |
Connects to online KiwiSDR receivers, routes audio to virtual audio devices without the need for a web browser, made by Black Cat Systems. | |
Continuously monitors your KiwiSDR receiver(s) and displays / notifies when a user tunes in or changes the frequency, made by Black Cat Systems. | |
AMATEUR RADIO MOBILE PHONE APPS: | |
Black Cat Systems has developed a variety of mobile phone apps which cater to amateur radio operators, including apps for digital mode operation, calculators for antenna building, sweep and function generators, morse code trainers, shortwave radio broadcast schedules, and others. | |
AMATEUR SATELLITE (AMSAT) SOFTWARE: | |
Open-source general-purpose satellite data processing software. Can be made to work with many conventional software defined radio receivers or integrated into a workflow using a UFH/SHF amateur radio transceiver connected to a PC. | |
Part of the Ham Radio Deluxe software suite. Can track satellites, controlling rotors, automatic tuning for doppler shift and more. | |
Free open-source virtual planetarium software. It offers realtime satellite information including many satellites of interest to amateur radio operators as well as real-time prediction, tracking, planning and simulation. It is also a very useful and informative astronomy education software in its own right. | |
MISCELLANEOUS SOFTWARE: | |
Software for recording signal strength data from a radio receiver or transceiver with a CAT interface, made by Wes Hardaker, WS6Z. | |
Software for tabulating data from signalrecord output, made by Wes Hardaker, WS6Z. | |
© Joseph Lee McLaughlin, WO7X 2022-2024