N7WDZ

This is where I share the radio and electronics projects I've been working on, mostly around packet radio and digital modes. Each project has its own page with photos, how it works and links to the designs and software. Click a card to open a project, or use the Projects menu at the top of any page.

Pocket Pico TNC A Raspberry Pi Pico that brings the 1980s Heathkit HK-21 Pocket Packet back to life. ★ Featured on Hackaday

LoRa APRS iGate N7WDZ-25: a small solar-powered LoRa APRS iGate and digipeater on 433 MHz.

LoRa APRS Tracker N7WDZ-21: a LoRa APRS tracker in a waterproof case, with a plug-in solar panel.

Solar Meshtastic Node A Station G2 on a backyard pole, on solar power, with its battery voltage sent over the mesh.

DIY Power Station A 50 Ah LiFePO4 power station with solar charging, upgraded in 2026 to power a Starlink Mini.

Fused Powerpole Block A 3D-printed 7-position Anderson Powerpole block: one input and six fused outputs for ham radio gear.

220 MHz J-Pole A homebrew 1.25 m antenna from Ed Fong's design: 300-ohm twin lead in a capped PVC pipe.

Realistic DX-160 Receiver A vintage Radio Shack shortwave receiver, aligned by hand and given a proper BNC antenna jack, plus a gifted Heathkit VTVM.

B&K 1601 Power Supply Repair A dead bench supply that kept blowing its fuse: a bad rectifier, a bad capacitor and a clean scope trace at the end.

Heathkit IT-1 Meter Repair A vintage isolation transformer whose panel meter always pegged, and the replacement meter that fixed it.

Vintage computer

Tandy Color Computer 3 A 1986 home computer with an SD card drive, a 512K memory upgrade and a packet radio connection.

Coax Length with a Scope Measuring a 100 foot coil of RG-8X without unrolling it, by timing the echo of a pulse on an oscilloscope.

Vacuum Fluorescent Display Repair A 1986 two-line display module with a bent-up stack of pins, fixed with new pin headers and a lot of soldering.

Eico 320 Signal Generator A vacuum tube signal generator with its old wax paper capacitors replaced, new BNC connectors and a clean signal again.

Kenwood TS-600 LED Panel Lights A 1970s 6 meter transceiver with every panel light burned out, relit with white LEDs in an afternoon.