ROTA-Radio

Why ROTA?

The 1980s (Part 1) — Setting Up Shop

The Transitional Years: From Teenager to “Family Man” If the 1970s were about getting my foot…
The Ghost in the Tunnel: When Virtual Plumbing Breaks Local Reality

We’ve all heard the phrase “it’s always DNS,” but in the world of advanced ham networking,…
The 1970s: A Novice’s Journey from Detroit to the Frozen North

The Spark: 1970 and the “Sixth Grade Bug” The journey into amateur radio often starts with…
The WireGuard Tunnel—A “Day 001” Linux Victory

Editor’s Note (April 21, 2026): This post remains a valid technical guide for installing WireGuard on…
My First “Laptop”: The Macintosh Portable

During the 1994-1995 school year I hooked up my first “laptop” to a VHF mobile rig…
Recliners on the Air: Operating the Icom IC-7300 Over WiFi using SDR-Control and RS-BA1

I’ll be honest: Sometimes, the best operating position isn’t in front of the rig. Sometimes, it’s…
When I = 0 and O = 0

Today while working through my morning Checklist to get the Dell laptop set up for a digital modes session,…
The ROTA Philosophy: Presence, Service, and the Long Skip

We’ve covered the “plumbing” of the LAN, the “Mission-First” software suite on the Dell, and the…
The Mark in Texas Connection: Training with a Purpose

A radio station is only as good as the operator on the other end of the…
The Caregiver Command Center: The Dell and the “Windows Tax”

If you’ve followed the story this far, you know I’m a Mac guy at heart. My…