Happy October, and a fresh month means fresh contest calendars, software to tinker with, and challenges worth embracing. Today leans heavily toward the shack bench and the field, with SDR projects, logging and propagation tools, and K4SWL's return to the humbling art of the CW bug. Grab the coffee — there's plenty to patch together.

In today’s roundup

• Guide to October 2026 Ham Radio Contests: New Reference Books Edition — OnAllBands (DX Engineering)
  Your monthly roundup of October contests arrives, this time paired with a look at new reference books worth adding to the shack shelf.
• KB2PIZ: Persistence Pays Off at Saltwater State Park (US-3262) — QRPer
  Mark's annual Auburn activation shows how a TX500, T1 tuner, and an end-fed can turn persistence into POTA contacts at Saltwater State Park.
• SDR– Lets You Patch Together Your Setup — Hackaday · Radio
  Julian Haag's project treats a radio as interconnected blocks you can wire together, a tempting approach for anyone who thinks in signal-flow diagrams.
• Join Me: Second Annual Bug-Out Month Begins October 1, 2026 — QRPer
  K4SWL's second Bug-Out Month invites you to join his field practice with the CW bug, a famously humbling key that rewards steady effort.
• An Analog Touch of Class for SDRAngel: Two New Open-Source Tools for SWLs and SDR Enthusiasts — The SWLing Post
  Patrizio shares two new open-source tools for SDRAngel, proof that SWLs and hobbyists keep enriching the software side of the hobby regardless of age.
• More Pirate Radio Waterfall Images — The SWLing Post
  Perry's waterfall captures from a Michigan KiwiSDR reveal plenty of recent pirate radio activity for anyone who enjoys hunting the fringes of the dial.
• RadioLog Ham Radio Logbook for Windows — The DXZone
  RadioLog offers free Windows logging with CAT control, DX Cluster integration, and contest and portable support, a tidy option for budget-minded operators.
• EU-DX Propagation Coach - RBN Propagation Tool for Windows — The DXZone
  EU-DX Propagation Coach turns live Reverse Beacon Network data into practical DX guidance, aimed squarely at European hams chasing openings.

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