Ham Radio Blog

My experiences, experiments, and adventures in amateur radio.

Why Isn't the Skywarn Operators Console Open Source?

WX8ILN | September 12, 2026

One of the biggest arguments for open-sourcing a project is continuity — if the developer disappears, the community can keep the software alive. We get it, and we respect it. But that's not a concern here. Wilmington Skywarn has no plans to step away from this project, and there's no "hit by a bus" clause we're trying to write into the software's future. We're actively developing, releasing, and supporting the Console, and that's not changing.

Skywarn Operators Console - Opensource

Adding the Transcription Functionality

WX8ILN | August 31, 2026

If you run Skywarn Operators Console alongside a local Boondock Edge server, you may have noticed that the Transcriptions tab doesn't appear until the two are linked together. That link lives in a small plain-text file called `Boondock.dat`, and editing it by hand is the only way to point the console at your Edge server. Here's how the file works and how to change it safely.

Transcriptions

Transcriptions Added to the Skywarn Operators Console

WX8ILN | August 01, 2026

New in the Skywarn Operators Console: Audio Transcriptions We're excited to roll out a new Transcriptions tab in the Skywarn Operators Console, built on an integration with Boondock's transcription service. If your setup includes a Boondock Echo or Boondock Tango recording your channels, backed by a Boondock Edge Server, you can now search, read, and manage those transcriptions right alongside the rest of your operations — no more scrubbing through recordings to find the moment you need.

Skywarn Operators Console - Transcriptions

Running Skywarn Operators Console on Linux

WX8ILN | July 29, 2026

The honest answer is "not natively, but Wine gets you most of the way there." I finally sat down, ran through a clean install on Ubuntu, and wanted to write up exactly what works, what doesn't, and what the plan is going forward.

Skywarn Operators Console Linux

WCH Connect, Washington Court House, Ohio GMRS Network

K8DEG | July 26, 2026

WCH Connect is a volunteer community radio effort organized by Dr. John Nestor, with support from radio specialist Jim Scott, aimed at giving Washington Court House residents a reliable way to communicate when cell service goes down

GMRS Connections

Skywarn Regional, Sectional, County and ground truth Spotters, Why?

WX8ILN | July 25, 2026

If you're new to Skywarn, the layers of nets can look confusing at first. Why does a single severe weather event sometimes involve a county net, a sectional net, *and* a regional net all at once? It's not bureaucracy for its own sake.

Spotters

Well, I am not perfect. Far, far from it. I'll keep trying

K8DEG | July 16, 2026

More versions coming.. Very Sorry

Skywarn Operators Console

Why We Do Not Accept Cash Donations For the Skywarn Operators Console

WX8ILN | July 11, 2026

# Why We Don't Accept Cash Donations. Every so often, someone kindly asks how they can donate to support the Skywarn Operators Console. We're genuinely grateful for the thought — but the answer is, and always will be, that we don't accept cash donations. We'd like to explain why.

Skywarn Operators Console - No Charge Ever

Skywarn Operators Console Ver. 1.2.8 Full installer and auto-update

K8DEG | July 11, 2026

# Skywarn Operators Console v1.2.8 Released — New Installer and Automatic Updates! We're excited to announce version 1.2.8 of the Skywarn Operators Console, and this release is a big one under the hood. While you won't see dramatic changes on the screen, the way the program is installed and kept up to date has been completely modernized.

Skywarn Operators Console - An Idea

The Cost of Keeping Informed During Weather Emergencies

WX8ILN | June 15, 2026

Two of the most effective options are GMRS and Amateur (Ham) Radio. Both offer powerful advantages, but they come with different capabilities, responsibilities, and costs. The good news: you don’t need to spend a fortune to build a dependable emergency‑communication setup.

Costs

Ham Radio First!, but GMRS can save lives

WX8ILN | June 15, 2026

Using GMRS for Weather Emergencies — And Why Amateur Radio Still Leads the Way When severe weather hits, communication becomes critical. Tornado warnings, flash flooding, downed power lines, and widespread outages can leave families and neighborhoods without a reliable way to share information. While cell networks often become overloaded or fail entirely, radio communication continues to shine.

GMRS

Creating the Skywarn Operators Console App

WX8ILN | May 14, 2026

For years, we used a simple Word document to log our activities inside the NWS office. You had to click in certain areas, there were limits on what you could enter, and it never really fit the way we worked. It served as our redundant recordkeeping, but it wasn’t ideal.

Console