Check Your Signal On The Internet!

Here's a great example of why I love amateur radio -- hams helping their fellow hams!  If you don't have a close amateur radio friend who lives across the country, wouldn't it be nice to have a distant station give you a reception report, so that you can monitor your signal strength or make adjustments to your mic gain or antenna system?  Let's say you own an older "vintage" rig, like the Yaesu FT-101B, with analog tuning.  Wouldn't you like to check your dial's frequency calibration?  Well, thanks to hams with SDR (software-defined radio) websites, you now can!  All the popular HF, VHF, and UHF bands are covered, so you can easily check out all your rigs!  Here are two of my favorites SDR websites:

WEBSDR INTERNET RADIO

WebSDR is a Software-Defined Radio receiver connected to the internet, allowing many listeners to listen and tune it simultaneously. SDR technology makes it possible for all listeners to tune independently, and thus listen to different signals.  This is in contrast to the many classical receivers that are already available via the internet.  WebSDR is located at www.websdr.org.

More background information is available HERE and frequently asked questions are answered HERE. Questions and comments can be sent to PA3FWM, the author of the WebSDR software and maintainer of this website.

WebSDR Radio Station Coverage Area

S-METER INTERNET RADIO

Welcome to the S-Meter Website  Check your signal and listen to others on remote receivers. Read thousands of pages of ham radio information. Download virus-free radio-related design programs. There is no charge for receiver usage, any of the information, or any downloaded computer programs.

Menus take you to major content sections. Thousands of other pages are buried within. Search from the bottom of any page to find what you are looking for if you don't see it in a menu. This site is updated frequently, so be sure to Bookmark or add it to your Favorites so you can return easily. (Don't lose track of this site, because some things here can be difficult to find anywhere else!)

Listen To The Dallas, Texas Receiver On Your Smartphone  The Dallas receiver audio streaming technology has been changed for compatibility with modern Smartphones. Users of Windows Smartphones have been listening to receivers at the S-Meter site for years. Now Android, iPhone, and iPad users can listen to the Dallas receiver from their mobile devices. Clicking this link will take your Smartphone or iPad to the new Dallas receiver mobile streaming page Dallas Receiver Mobile. Desktop users should LISTEN HERE instead.

Newport OR Receiver Now Online The Kenwood R-5000 receiver that was running online from a site north of Salt Lake City for many years has been moved to Newport, Oregon and is now back online.  Click HERE to check your signal.

TECH NOTE: When using your laptop computer next to your ham rig, plug headphones into the audio-out jack of the computer (to hear your own transmission) and a dummy plug into the rig's headphone jack to mute the rig's audio, in order to prevent feedback.  Enjoy!