Kb5avy Repeater Service

04/27/2026

A front-row seat to the mysteries of the airwaves.

See that tiny dot in the Louisiana map? That’s NOVA (formerly PhantomSDR)—a free, open-source radio project on GitHub that is changing the game. It completely breaks the rules of traditional listening, with a super smooth experience, even with hundreds of people tuned in at once. It covers an incredible range.
We are the only one in the US listed there right now but are many more to come.
Whether you're a Linux devotee or a radio hobbyist, this project is a must-try.
From Listening to signals that have been bounced off the Moon or a radio station from Ukraine, Russia, Italy, or Argentina—even those cryptic Cuban "numbers stations"—all legally and over the air. While the setup for the providers takes some effort, the payoff is a front-row seat to the mysteries of the airwaves.
NOVA runs directly in your browser.
Special thanks to Steven (Magicint)

04/26/2025

A new way to listen live to the Jazz fest!... A Software Defined Radio experience (SDR)

03/30/2024

How to observe the next solar eclipse 2024 with an old cardboard box

I drew this illustration in preparations for our last solar eclipse. This method has its roots in the camera obcura. A device invented in 1682. Many artists used it to trace the projected images.
It has been around for years. NASA likes the solar projection technique, because it's one of the safest way to watch the eclipse.
This is an interesting project for the kids and to make good use of those empty Amazon boxes.

La cámara obcura fue inventada en 1682.
Una fácil construcción para qué los niños puedan ver el Eclipse Solar. Hice este dibujo para explicar un poco la construcción.

08/14/2023

IS THE EARTH CHANGING?...DO WE NEED DIFFERENT TOOLS TO COMMUNICATE DURING EMERGENCIES?

Looking at the terrible fire in Maui takes you back to the sad days we've experienced during hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
How our analog radios played an important role with our search and rescue operations.
--A Lesson to be Learned

When electricity fails, the Internet also fails. Digital communication takes a lot of computing power that also
translate into a large amount of electricity.
One single powerful analog transmitter, or a repeater on a mountaintop, or a high building, can deliver distress radio signals to handheld radios of analog beepers miles away. What we've learned during Katrina, when our repeater was taken over by the Emergency command center in Baton Rouge. Many police radios were ineffective because of interoperability issues. Some digital, other analog.

Apparently the residents of Maui didn’t have a chance. They've never received any emergency messages telling about the impending disaster.
Everything happened so quickly "like from zero to 100" some residents said.
We need to rethink the way we do things during emergencies.

06/24/2023

Radar-Acoustic Technology

Radio signals do great on the air but sadly they perform badly in the water. Then came
TARF, a system developed at MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It shows that it is possible to receive underwater acoustic transmissions that are airborne using radar.
The investigators demostrated how their system, system that it's now being used can effectively receive signals at a radio station installed in a drone, or an airplane. Decoding the sonar signals across the water surface can be a great tool to detect activity under the ocean.
Radio enthusiasts and Hams can also experiment with this technology.

05/12/2023

Untarnished and adorned by a majestic facade of oaks.
This Radio Shack store stands proudly in Abbeville Louisiana. Perhaps one of the few physical radio stores left in the country that's still going strong.
Abbeville, is picture-perfect little town, south west of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Hey, It makes you want to forget about all the radios and start using your black and white film camera again.

02/06/2023

09/30/2022

Listening to the Hurricane Ian ham radio rescue operation with a tiny battery transceiver from Lafayette Louisiana.
Ian had a devastating impact in Florida and the death toll continues to rise.
There are many trapped people in flooded homes in need of help.
Tune to
14.325 Khz and the FL SARNET net.
A tiny all-band transceiver such as this one, can be used to call for help when everything else fails.
You can search directly from your browser our "New Orleans WebSDR" site, --don't need a ham license to listen and to relate messages.

09/28/2022

Go to the Watch Net 14325 Khz up along with FL SARNET
1500z. Information provided by Doug : WX4NXE. Prayers for West Fl, & stay safe
Go to the New Orleans WebSDR
And click on the 14.325 link.
Ready to help and serve our friends in West Florida.

11/11/2021

Some of the storm damages a few houses down the street from the author's home