A club presentation by Simon MW0NWM
While amateur radio is, at its core, a hobby centred around communication via radio waves, there’s a whole world of helpful websites out there.
On Monday the 2nd June 2025 Simon MW0NWM gave a talk at the Dragon Amateur Radio Club highlighting some of the best websites that he had found useful or interesting ad then asked club members for other suggestions. A lively discussion followed and some members left our meeting place in Gaerwen with new resources to explore online!
Below, and on our Links page you will find many such websites offering advice and activity guides to handy tools and technical explanations. We are sure that if you trawl through the internet that you’ll find plenty of online resources to support, inspire, and occasionally confuse you — in the best possible way.
Of course it goes without saying that if you know of any useful amateur radio websites please email our webmaster with the website details so that it can be added to our ever growing links page.
Summits on the Air (SOTA)
Summits on the Air is an award scheme for radio amateurs that encourages portable operation in mountainous areas. This site gives an introduction to this popular mountain topping scheme.
https://www.sota.org.uk
SOTAWatch
The SOTAWatch website lists all those SOTA spots highlighting who is on air at any time, plus it includes a list of alerts for those planned activations, helping you to chase down an operator on a mountain you have never worked before.
https://sotawatch.sota.org.uk/en/
Sotadata3
The Sotadata website lists all the qualifying mountains in each association area, helping you to locate who you are talking to.
https://www.sotadata.org.uk/en/
HEMA
If you enjoy your walking and operating, but don’t always want to go up the highest of mountains and hills, then this website and award scheme opens up literally hundreds of alternative summits for you.
http://www.hema.org.uk
UKBOTA
Another opportunity to operate portable, from a historical site many of which are accessible with little or no walking. The UKBOTA scheme is a relative newcomer that is proving popular.
https://bunkersontheair.org/site/
WWFF (World Wide Flora and Fauna)
Over 36,000 areas of the world with valuable Flora and Fauna are already registered in this scheme which is very popular in mainland Europe. I suspect many of you have heard someone on 14MHz calling CQ WWFF!
https://wwff.co
World Castles Award
Don’t fancy hill walking, but do enjoy portable operating? What better than setting up at or near a castle or castle ruin?
https://wcagroup.org
POTA (Parks on the Air)
Another scheme which has taken the amateur radio portable operators world by storm, there are literally hundreds of parks registered in the UK and thousands around the world. Will you be calling CQ POTA on 28MHz?
https://parksontheair.com/index.html
Portable Operating Mapping Resource (UK Portable Ham Map)
Zoom in on your location and it will give you your current Maidenhead locator. Various layers of information can be added including nearby SOTA Summits, BOTA locations, Triangulation pillars, repeaters and far more which is useful to the portable or visiting operator. Do take a look!
https://kwirk.github.io/pota-gb-map/
Real Time Lightning Map
Does the weather forecast predict thunder and lightning? Perhaps you have heard static crashes on HF and you want to see where the storm may be, then either of the sites listed above will prove useful.
https://www.blitzortung.org/en/live_lightning_maps.php
Cluster (DX Summit)
What is a cluster? Quite simply you can see who has been heard on the bands. You can search by band or just look at the full list. Calling CQ and getting no reply, then perhaps spot yourself on the cluster to let people know you are there! Some people consider it cheating, but I believe that anything that helps you make a contact is a very useful tool indeed.
http://www.dxsummit.fi
Propagation
Have a look at various bands and map areas to see the kind of contacts being made and the suggested mode of propagation. Propquest is the really useful propagation prediction website created and authored by well known amateur and former BBC continuity announcer Jim Bacon G3YLA. It contains very useful forecasts for the various propagation modes.
https://www.propquest.co.uk/
Hack Green Web SDR (Software Defined Radio)
HF online receiver located at the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker in Cheshire. Very useful if you have high noise at home and cannot hear weaker stations, plus listen to your own signals!
https://hackgreensdr.org
Weston Kiwi’s On Air SDR (Software Defined Radio)
Another useful SDR receiver based in Weston Super Mare.
http://kiwisdr.com/.public/
G3CWI’s Amazing Online Flea Market
Second Hand Amateur Radio Equipment Sales
https://pub29.bravenet.com/classified/show.php?usernum=2477864602
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