2026-08-08 –, Ham Radio Village (W321)
Modern amateur radio is no longer just voice communication. Today, radios routinely exchange digital data, text messages, telemetry, and even machine-learning encoded voice signals.
This talk introduces the world of amateur radio digital modes and explains how computers and radios work together to communicate using sound. We’ll explore some of the most popular digital modes used by operators today, including FT8, JS8Call, WSPR, APRS, and several emerging digital voice technologies.
Attendees will learn what digital modes are, how they differ from traditional analog radio, and why they have become so popular. The session will also highlight new developments in the digital radio ecosystem, including open-source digital voice systems and long-range LoRa APRS experimentation.
If you've ever wondered what those strange buzzing sounds coming from a radio actually mean—or how to start experimenting with digital radio yourself—this talk will show you how to get started.
Digital communication has become one of the fastest-growing areas of amateur radio. By combining traditional radio equipment with computers and software, operators can send text messages, telemetry, position data, and even digitally encoded voice across the airwaves.
This presentation introduces the fundamentals of amateur radio digital modes and how they work. We’ll begin by explaining the difference between analog and digital signals and how computers convert data into audio that radios can transmit.
The talk then explores several widely used digital modes, including FT8 and WSPR for weak-signal communication, JS8Call for keyboard-to-keyboard messaging, and APRS for real-time position tracking and messaging. We’ll also look at newer developments such as LoRa-based APRS experimentation and open-source digital voice technologies like FreeDV and M17.
Finally, we’ll discuss practical ways to get started with digital radio using affordable hardware, including simple USB radio interfaces, beginner-friendly radios, and lightweight portable setups.
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how digital radio works and several easy paths to begin experimenting with digital modes themselves.
Jon Marler is a cybersecurity product director, hacker, and RF experimenter who enjoys building strange things that connect computers, radios, and networks together. By day he leads security products at VikingCloud focused on protecting global payment infrastructure. By night he experiments with mesh radio networks, hardware hacking, and unconventional communication systems. Jon is particularly interested in how radio and decentralized networks can complement modern security and resilience strategies.