Ham Radio Community · SAINTCON 26

The Ham Radio Community returns to SAINTCON 26! Whether you’ve never touched a radio or you’re already licensed and looking to branch out, we’ve got hands-on demos and people who love answering questions.

From your first transmission to hacking radio and antenna hardware, there’s something here for every level of curiosity. The skills carry over, too: the RF fundamentals behind ham radio show up again in RFID, Wi-Fi, and other wireless security work.

Have questions about ham radio? Come ask them. We're an open space for anyone curious, from first-timers to seasoned operators. Topics with a high barrier to entry get a lot more approachable when you can just walk up and ask someone.

Come do something

SSTV Selfie Station

Strike a pose and we'll beam your photo over the air as a slow-scan TV image. Watch incoming pictures decode line by line.

APRS and Meshtastic

Watch live position reports, messages, and mesh traffic from around Utah on screen, and learn how off-grid networks hold together.

Morse code key

Tap out your name and watch it decode.

Test gear on the table

Poke at a NanoVNA, a TinySA, and antennas and radios from our volunteers' own benches.

The demo table changes day to day, so swing back more than once.

Not licensed yet? You can still get on the air at our stations with a licensed operator at your side.

Build an antenna

Antenna Building Class

Tuesday, October 27 · 4:00 to 5:00 PM

Community Classroom 1 (Expo Hall by LPC)

Look inside most antennas and you’ll find a dipole. It’s the driven element in a Yagi, the thing at the focus of a dish feed, and the simplest antenna that actually works. We’ll build one out of junk, measure it, and figure out what’s worth spending money on.

Get licensed

Free license exams for Technician, General, and Amateur Extra, in Hyatt Place Hotel Conference Room 4:

Tue2:00 to 3:00 PM
Wed10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Thu2:00 to 4:00 PM

Times don’t work for you? Stop by the Ham Radio Community and we’ll see what we can do.

Ham Radio Exams: registration, what to bring, study tips

Frequencies

Bring a radio and tune in. Here’s where to find us:

Use	Frequency	Mode
Talk-in / simplex	146.580 MHz	FM
APRS	144.390 MHz	APRS
SSTV	447.800 MHz	SSTV

Your frequency cheat sheet ConHam ↗ The go-to frequency guide for hacker and infosec conferences, built by the ham community. The SAINTCON 26 page has everything in one place, including Meshtastic channels for the Utah mesh. Bookmark it on your phone before you start scanning, then check it at DEF CON and other cons too.

Hunt the fox

Chasing rogue signals is a contest of its own. Try the Foxhunt while you’re here.

Who’s running it

The Ham Radio Community is run by volunteers from Ham Radio Village, the same crew behind Ham Radio Village at DEF CON.

The fun doesn't stop when SAINTCON ends. Join us year-round for nets, projects, study help, and plenty of radio nerdery.

discord.gg/hrv