2026-08-08 –, Ham Radio Village (W321)
You crammed, you passed, you got a callsign. And now your radio is sitting in a box while you wonder what you're actually supposed to do with it. This talk is a guided tour of the rabbit holes waiting for you on the other side of your license exam, organized by how deep you want to fall. Technician class? You can hit satellites with a handheld, track yourself on a map with APRS, or chase hidden transmitters through the woods with a directional antenna and questionable judgment. Upgrade to General and suddenly you've got the HF bands: a global playground where you can work 200 countries in a weekend via a mode a Nobel laureate invented, argue with the laws of physics via antenna wire, and wage legal warfare against your HOA.
Getting your ham radio license is the easy part. Figuring out what to do next? That's where most people get stuck. This talk is a practical, opinionated guide to the best rabbit holes in amateur radio: satellites, APRS, HF operating, digital modes, antenna experimentation, POTA, and the beautiful chaos of Field Day. Whether you got your ticket last week or you've been meaning to upgrade for years, this is an opinionated romp through the hobby.
We'll cover the stuff no one tells you after the exam: what the bands actually feel like, why FT8 will make you productive and vaguely empty inside, how much you can accomplish with $50 of wire and a willingness to climb things, and why learning to solder is basically a superpower. We'll also talk about getting off the couch comms for events and contests like POTA and ARRL Field Day are the most chaotic fun you can have with a radio legally.
It's easy to listen, but things get more interesting when you start transmitting. Ham radio is one of the last hobbies that rewards you for actually understanding how it works. This talk is the map.
Danny Quist has been a licensed amateur radio operator since he was 17, which is a really long time. Currently he is an extra class operator who gets to operate in his freetime working as CTO at Swarm Inc. He is a volunteer examiner with the ham radio village. His day job includes reverse engineering malware, forward engineering malware detonation systems, and management.