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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Spectrum IEEE reports [ieee.org]:

The RS-UV3 [hobbypcb.com] is a shot in the arm for amateur radio. Mobile phones and the Internet have made the basic act of talking to a faraway person an everyday experience. This means that much of the appeal of ham radio is now in things like emergency response; technically challenging exercises such as bouncing signals off satellites or ultralow-power long-distance contacts; and exploring a host of digital communications modes.

In some ways, trying out such digital modes has never been easier. Free desktop programs like Fldigi [w1hkj.com] can work with the audio tones used in a smorgasbord of communications schemes, from the 1930s-era radio-fax Hellschreiber [google.com] protocol to today’s complete bulletin-board systems. But linking the computers running such software to radios is often surprisingly fiddly in the age of painless USB and Bluetooth. Except for high-end rigs, connecting a computer to a ham radio typically involves navigating legacy interfaces and connectors [qsl.net] and can call for specialized additional equipment, [wikipedia.org] a turnoff for makers who might otherwise be interested in the possibilities of radio.

But the US $90 RS-UV3 radio shield from HobbyPCB is an FM transceiver that’s welcoming by design and built for makers from the ground up. It’s not the only radio [kickstarter.com] shield available [argentdata.com] for the Arduino that works in the UHF/VHF frequency bands, but the RS-UV3 is the most flexible one I’ve spotted when it comes to interfaces. As well as a legacy ham radio interface, the shield provides multiple ways to connect it to an Arduino, PC, or Raspberry Pi—and to two of those at once if required. By itself, the RS-UV3 can transmit with only 0.25 watt, but HobbyPCB plans to sell an add-on amplifier for more powerful transmissions.

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