This page covers the current state of the WZ4JM station as of 2026. The shack is built around a mix of base station, handheld, and software-defined radio gear with a strong focus on digital modes and infrastructure.
Base Station
Icom ID-880H — Primary base station radio. A dual-band (VHF/UHF) D-STAR capable transceiver handling local repeater work, voice operations, and D-STAR digital voice and data. Covers 2m and 70cm with full cross-band repeat capability.
Icom IC-718 — Primary HF transceiver. A capable 100W all-band HF radio covering 160-10 meters. Used for FT8, JS8Call, WSPR, and SSB voice on the HF bands, fed by the end-fed wire, 20m dipole, and MFJ-1796 depending on band and operating mode.
Handheld Radios
Baofeng BF-F9V2+ — Primary HT for portable and backup operations. Programmed for local repeaters and simplex frequencies across the Marion County area.
Baofeng UV-32 — Newer addition to the lineup. Configured with APRS/GPS frequencies and NOAA weather channels for the Ocala area.
Baofeng DR-1801 — Configured for DMR and Pi-Star DMR hotspot
Antennas
MFJ-1796 Vertical Dipole — HF vertical dipole covering multiple bands. A compact solution for HF work without a large antenna footprint.
80-6m End-Fed Wire with 9:1 UNUN — Multiband end-fed wire antenna covering 80 through 6 meters. The 9:1 UNUN provides impedance transformation for use across the HF spectrum with an antenna tuner.
20 Meter Dipole — Dedicated cut dipole for 20m operations. Provides a resonant, balanced antenna for FT8, JS8Call, and WSPR on the 20m band.
Tram 1481 Dual Band Vertical (VHF/UHF) — Primary base antenna for 2m and 70cm. Used with the ID-880H for local repeater work, D-STAR, and general VHF/UHF operations.
Dual Band J-Pole 144/440 MHz — Secondary VHF/UHF antenna. Useful as a backup or for dedicated use on a second radio.
Firestik 2m Antenna — Mobile-style 2m antenna used with the IC-2300H for the AllStarLink node.
Digital Modes
Signalink Sound Interface — Bridges IC-718 to the PC for digital mode operations. Handles audio in/out and PTT switching for HF digital modes on the IC-718.
CM108AH USB Sound Interface — Bridges the IC-2300H to the PC for AllStarLink node.
RTL-SDR Dongle — Used for wideband receive and spectrum monitoring via OpenWebRX+, passed through to a dedicated LXC container on the homelab for 24/7 operation.
WSJT-X — Primary software for FT8 and WSPR via the IC-718. Integrated with Wavelog for automatic log uploads via API.
PAT / Winlink — Winlink email client running on the homelab and providing VHF winlink node capability via the VV-898S on 145.030 on the Winlink network.
JS8Call — Keyboard-to-keyboard HF communication and store-and-forward messaging via the IC-718.
Supporting Infrastructure
The shack ties into a self-hosted Proxmox homelab running on a ThinkCentre Micro (i7-4785T, 16GB DDR3L). Key services supporting ham radio operations include OpenWebRX+ for SDR access, Grafana and InfluxDB for WSPR and station monitoring, Wavelog for logging, and PAT for Winlink. All nodes connect via dedicated Cat6 wired backhaul for reliable low-latency connectivity.