Florence Club asking for event volunteers.

Our friends in Florence are asking for some help in March.
It’s almost time for the Daybreak Racing Siuslaw Dunes Race. Saturday March 7, 2026 Central Oregon Coast Amateur Radio Club proudly assists with communications. If you are a Amateur Radio Operator would like to help with this event contact COCARC by email info@w7flo.com
Details about the race can be found at this link:
Daybreakracing.com

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

Amateur Operators Prosecuted

Hams face dire consequences in Belarus.

404Media.com posted on the arrests January 21st. Other reports surfaced that several amateur radio operators in Belarus are facing the death penalty or life imprisonment after being accused of espionage and high treason. 

404Media.com

The crackdown has targeted the ham radio community, which the Belarusian government has portrayed as a “spy network”. Key details of the situation include: 

  • Arrests and Charges: At least seven operators have been arrested, while more than 50 others have reportedly been held liable. They are being charged with High Treason and Espionage, crimes that carry the death penalty in Belarus.
  • Controversial Evidence: State media has presented standard amateur radio hobby items—such as QSL cards (confirmation postcards), logbooks, and basic $25 Baofeng handheld radios—as evidence of “clandestine reporting to NATO agents”.
  • Technical Impossibility: Experts and the amateur radio community have noted that the consumer-grade hardware confiscated is physically incapable of cracking the modern AES-256 digital encryption used by state security forces.
  • “Intellectual Ethnocide”: Exiled Belarusian operators, such as Siarhei Besarab, have described the purge as a “targeted intellectual genocide” against the country’s technical community.
  • Context of Censorship: Ham radio is historically resilient to censorship because it functions independently of the internet and cell services, making it a target for authoritarian regimes. 

IARU Region 1 posted a “Clarification” on their position saying:

“While the individuals involved in this case hold amateur radio licenses, our investigation indicates that the actions leading to their prosecution fall entirely outside the scope of the amateur radio service.“

CCRC Winter Field Day 2026 Statistics

Great job, everybody! And thanks Gary, for setting the laptops up and compiling the stats!

Thanks to all that came out in support of our club this past weekend at Powers High School. Please check out the Statistics from the event below. I’ll post the total score with multipliers once I have that information – Gary N6BLU

Contest Summary Report for WFD 2026Download

Software. Big Improvement!

Post Card From Winter Field Day operating 1O-OR.

Backlog of garden chores kept me away from Powers on Sunday. Rats.

Anyway I was able to take my gear out and get some radio playtime in the yard.

Late last week I installed the latest Xiegu X6100 OEM ‘ware on my radio. These bits for firmware and UI were released in late December 2025. I planned to power up Saturday at WFD but didn’t have the chance. So I put out the kit – radio, battery and antenna Sunday morning at home. An hour later I had to concede trying for contacts. It wasn’t working great, I had real difficulty tuning as well as hearing anyone on 20m. Though, I knew 20m be very busy with stations calling CQ for WFD.

Tailgate Kit
R1CBU waterfall
Super Antenna. Tuned below 1.5:1

This sent me back to the shack to flash a micro-sd card with the latest R1CBU boutique front end (by Georgy Dyuldin, released 1/24/26) After booting up those bits, I heard stations calling, and was heard replying. Enormous improvements. I made a bunch of contacts hunting 20M. Tuning was a breeze.

If the Linux X6100 is the SDR hardware everyone loves, R1CBU (and the recent forked versions by developers like R2RFE) is the “secret sauce” that makes it feel like a professional-grade radio.

For many owners, the R1CBU firmware isn’t just an option—it’s the reason they bought the radio. Here is why it is such a huge deal in the community.

No sales pitch, just sharing how much fun and rewarding solving issues can be. Here’s what Gemini says about the X6100…

What is R1CBU?

R1CBU is a custom, open-source Linux-based OS for the X6100. It doesn’t actually overwrite your radio’s internal memory. Instead, it lives on a MicroSD card.

  • Plug it in: The radio boots into the R1CBU interface.
  • Take it out: The radio boots back to the factory stock software.It’s “non-destructive,” meaning there’s zero risk of bricking your expensive gear.

Why People Love the R1CBU Experience

1. Built-in FT8 (No Computer Required)

This is the “killer app.” Normally, you need a laptop or tablet to run FT8. With R1CBU, the radio has native FT8 decoding and encoding.

  • You can sit on a park bench, look at the radio’s screen, see the decoded callsigns, and click them to make a contact.
  • It also supports CW (Morse Code) and RTTY decoding, turning the screen into a text-scrolling terminal.

2. Massive Waterfall & UI Improvements

The stock waterfall is fine, but R1CBU’s interface is designed by hams for hams.

  • Better Contrast: The waterfall is much smoother and makes weak signals pop.
  • Band Mapping: It shows brackets for the actual ham bands (and even sub-bands like the “CW portion”), so you don’t accidentally wander out of your license privileges.
  • Custom Themes: You can change the colors and layout to suit your eyesight or lighting conditions.

3. Unlocking Full Power on Battery

Standard factory firmware often limits the X6100 to 5W when running on the internal battery. R1CBU allows users to push the radio to its full 10W capability even without an external power source—a huge plus for POTA (Parks on the Air) activators who need that extra “oomph” to break through a pileup.

4. Continuous Improvement

While official Xiegu updates can be slow, the R1CBU/R2RFE project is a community effort.

  • Bug Fixes: The community often fixes “quirks” (like clock sync issues or UI lag) months before the manufacturer does.
  • Feature Requests: If the community wants a specific feature (like a built-in logbook or better CAT control), someone usually figures out how to code it.

Comparison: Stock vs. R1CBU

FeatureStock FirmwareR1CBU / Custom Firmware
FT8 / DigitalRequires LaptopInternal (On-screen)
Max Power (Battery)5WUp to 10W
InterfaceBasic / FunctionalHighly Customizable
CW DecodingBasicAdvanced / More Accurate
InstallationPermanent FlashSD Card (Removable/Safe)

The Verdict: The X6100 hardware is a great “canvas,” but R1CBU is the “masterpiece” that fills it in. Most power users never even look at the stock screen anymore.

Winter Field Day This Weekend!

The weather is looking good, and the club will be set up at Powers High School beginning at 8am on Saturday, January 24th and continuing through midday Sunday the 25th. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come out and play on the radio with us. You do not need a General Class or higher license to play on the Ham Bands with us this weekend, as we will be using the club callsign K7CCH, and have control operators sitting with you. This is a great opportunity to get out in the field and get on the air.
We look forward to seeing you or hearing you on the airwaves!
73

Bruised Ionosphere

Conditions should improve by late tomorrow.

We are experiencing the impact of a major solar event that began on January 19, 2026.

While solar flux is high (generally good for DX), the atmosphere is extremely “noisy” and unstable due to a direct hit from a fast-moving Coronal Mass Ejection (CME).

Impact on Ham Radio Operations

HF Bands (160m – 10m): Poor to Blackout

The G4 Geomagnetic Storm is a problem. When the K-index hits 8, the ionosphere becomes “bruised.”

  • Signal Fading: Expect rapid, deep fading (QSB) and a “watery” or fluttery sound on signals.
  • Absorption: The D-region of the ionosphere is highly charged, meaning many HF signals are being absorbed rather than refracted back to Earth.
  • Polar Paths: If you are trying to work DX over the poles (e.g., North America to Central Asia), expect a total blackout due to the S4 Solar Radiation Storm currently in progress.7

Opportunities

While HF suffers, VHF enthusiasts should stay alert:

  • Aurora Propagation: With a G4 storm, the “Auroral Oval” has pushed very far south (into the mid-latitudes of the US and Europe).8
  • VHF DX: Operators on 6 meters and 2 meters may be able to bounce signals off the aurora. Point your beams North to look for “auroral buzz” on CW or SSB signals.

Noise Floors

Expect a significantly higher noise floor across all bands. The “static” you hear isn’t just local interference; it’s the Earth’s magnetic field literally ringing from the solar wind impact.

Forecast

The storm is reportedly beginning to subside, but “reverberations” will continue through the day. Conditions should improve significantly by late tomorrow.

Low Cost Satellite Internet

A look at disaster-proof internet access alternatives or…

Standby satellite service for $5/month?
The Cascadia Subduction Zone is a 700-mile fault that runs from northern California up to British Columbia and is about 70-100 miles off the Pacific coast shoreline.

The Cascadia Earthquake mega disaster will disrupt broad areas of the Oregon coast for weeks at least and perhaps many months. Nobody knows when, only that it may happen soon.

For preparedness purposes, imagine operating from an isolated location with no internet service or cellular coverage. Amateur Radio is one fall-back. Another radio communications solution is satellite internet access. There are several to compare, one that’s genuinely affordable.


Starlink’s official Service Plans page promotes “personal” accounts for $50 to $165 per month and “business” accounts for $65 to $2,150 per month.

Starlink service plans
Source: Starlink Service Plans page

Starlink, a division of SpaceX, which has more than 9,000 orbiting satellites. The company has 8 million Internet-access subscribers in 150 countries.

Illustration of Starlink satellite positions in space

Figure 2. Starlink currently operates over 9,000 satellites that provide Internet access to much of the world’s population. In this illustration, each dot is an orbiting spacecraft. In low-Earth orbits, they are in constant motion relative to the surface. Source: satellitemap-dot-space Starlink animation
Starlink changed it’s no cost “Pause” mode into a $5/month service in the second half of 2025 calling it “Standby.”

**Starlink Standby mode is available only on “Personal” service plans.

  • Standby service permanently replaces Starlink’s “pause” feature. Until late 2025, users of the company’s personal plans were able to pause their satellite service for free. Such users paid nothing — $0/month — during periods when they needed no service.
  • Starlink “Standby Mode” is a $5/month service “minimal mode.” The downstream/upstream speed is slow. But it runs 24/7 and you can consume unlimited data all day long.
  • $5/month supplies 500Kbps (kilobits per second). Which is sufficient to keep your computer or smartphone online with email, VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol), texting, and most Web surfing.

Starlink “Standy by mode” is an affordable “emergency backup system” providing email, VoIP, texting, and Web access.

For instance, in a countywide electricity outage, subscribers would still have Internet access via satellite as long as power on site had sufficient battery life to run the gear.

How to get $5 satellite service working…

Some expense is required to get the equipment for Starlink service. The primary cost is for the satellite antenna.

Starlink Mini satellite dish
The Mini is the smallest satellite antenna (dish) Starlink offers. Larger versions offer greater speeds and are intended for business or enterprise use. Source: Starlink Roam page


  • The Starlink Mini is the smallest satellite dish available. At about 10 by 12 inches and only 1.5 inches thick, it fits into a backpack. It’s designed for the Roam and Roam Unlimited plans, which work in any of the 150 countries Starlink serves. The Mini also supports use in motion, as in a recreational vehicle.
    • The mini runs on 12v to 48v DC input, allowing it to be powered by a vehicle battery or a USB-C power bank.
    • The Mini is designed for the Roam or Roam Unlimited plans. A Roam account ($50/month) is limited to 100Mbps downstream speeds and 50GB of data per month, but you can purchase additional gigabytes. A Roam Unlimited account ($165/month) can support up to 400 Mbps downstream speeds and has no data cap. You can also pay for Ocean Mode, which allows operation farther than 12 nautical miles away from your country’s shoreline.
  • The Starlink Standard Kit is intended for fixed use at a registered service address. The dish is larger than the Mini at about 23 by 15 by 1.5 inches. It’s designed for Starlink’s Residential ($120/month) or Residential Lite ($80/month) accounts. Both plans support up to 400Mbps downstream speeds, but Residential Lite customers will receive slower downloads when the service is busy. The Standard Kit includes a Gen 3 Wi-Fi router and requires AC input with a supplied power adapter.
  • Business customers buy Local Priority or Global Priority plans, which operate in a single country or multiple countries, respectively, at higher prices than the consumer plans.
  • Standby Mode ($5/month for 500 Kbps) is available under any Roam, Residential, or Priority plan. Business customers can pause their accounts, receiving no service and paying no monthly fee.
How to get Starlink’s $5/month Standby Mode

If you manage to get through all of the above, and your new Starlink satellite dish is in hand, the steps to activate Standby Mode are as follows:

  • At the Starlink website or mobile app, activate your satellite dish.
  • Sign up for a full-service plan, such as the Roam plan. You will be charged $50 for the first month of service. That makes the first year actually cost an average of $8.75 per month. (It’s $50 for the first month plus $5 x 11 months.)
  • Log into your account and navigate to “Subscriptions” in the main menu.
  • Select “Manage” and then select “Pause Current Service.”
  • Choose “Standby Mode” from the list of options and confirm your selection.

The details in a Starlink FAQ titled “How does pausing service work?”

Business and enterprise accounts cannot use the $5/month Standby Mode. Only consumer accounts on a Roam, Roam Unlimited, Residential, or Priority plan can choose this mode.

If you switch to Standby Mode on a Residential account, there’s no guarantee that you can switch back to a higher-speed Residential service if Starlink hits capacity in your area. By contrast, Roam and Priority plans that you switch to Standby Mode can activate a faster mode, regardless of capacity. And activating a higher-paid plan from Standby Mode avoids any demand surcharge.

The $50/month Roam account placed in Standby mode could be a huge advantage in a disaster.

In Standby Mode with only 500Kbps downstream speeds, you’ll never be able to stream high-definition videos or hold group Zoom meetings. But if you just need basic email, VoIP, text, and Web surfing, Standby Mode may be the biggest Internet-access bargain you’ll ever find.

What alternatives to Starlink are available?

At the moment, there are other satellite-based Internet access providers. But they may not yet be widely available or happen to be much more expensive than Starlink:

  • Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper). The e-tail giant has launched into low-Earth orbit more than 150 of a planned 3,200 satellites that will compete with Starlink. Amazon plans to begin service in 2026 in five countries: the US, Canada, the UK, France, and Germany. As many as 26 countries may be served by 2027. The monthly fee is expected to cost around $83 per month. But no one can enroll yet. See Amazon’s November 13, 2025, announcement.
  • OneWeb. This subsidiary of Eutelsat, a French satellite operator, has launched 634 satellites — also in low-Earth orbit — but aims to serve primarily business and governmental customers, not consumers. OneWeb’s plans range in cost from $395 to $39,500 monthly. See the Eutelsat website.
  • Hughesnet. This is the satellite Internet provider with the longest record, the company having been established 50 years ago. Unfortunately, all of Hughesnet’s satellites are in high, geostationary orbits. That means a latency (delay) of 0.6 to 0.7 second is required for signals to travel from the Earth to the spacecraft and back. (Starlink’s low-Earth orbit enables a round trip to consume only 0.02 to 0.04 second.) Monthly fees range from $40 to $120, with data caps of 100 to 200 GB, per month. See Hughesnet’s plans and pricing page.
  • Viasat. Hughesnet competitor. Its consumer plans range from $70 to $300 per month. But its satellites, too, are in high, geostationary orbits. So its service suffers from the same relatively long delays as Hughesnet’s offerings. See Viasat’s plans page.

Portions of this text and photos adapted from or excerpted from an article by Brian Livingston in Ask Woody.

PS — I ordered a Mini system today, and plan to give it a whirl at Winter Field Day if it arrives in time. …dgg.

POTA hunters needed.

Starting at 4pm local time Saturday Jan 10 John KK6GUK and my self will be attempting a 24 hour 30 park activation.
We will be starting in Reedsport and working our way south down into Curry County.
We will post parks and frequencies as we move from park to park on the clubs FB messenger group and by email as we have time.
For those of you who do not have hf and want to help us get our activations, especially on Saturday night, we will be calling cq on 146.52 simplex occasionally. We will resort to UHF 446.000 as well if it gets hard to get the required 10 contacts per park.
We will be monitoring the SWORA linked VHF repeater system as well.
The best way to follow us is by using the HamAlert app on your smartphone using my call N6BLU or John’s call KK6GUK as triggers or on the Parks on the Air website.
This will be a fast paced attempt and band conditions may not be ideal due to some solar activity so if you have some time to try and hunt us.
We plan on starting on 20 meters and moving to 40 meters in the evening but will try other bands like 15 or 17 meters if 20 meters isn’t cooperating. If 10 meters is open on Sunday we’ll try that too at some point.
Hope to hear you on the air.
Gary N6BLU

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone