Published April 2025

At a high level, ARDC’s vision and strategy focuses on encouraging more people to learn, experiment, and deploy/do with amateur radio (AR) and digital communications (DC). This supports our broader goal of promoting the freedom to tinker, build, communicate, and openly share information.

Within this framework, we’ve identified the following priority areas for funding:

• Research & Development (R&D)
• Space-Based Communications
• Open Source Education

Details on each area and associated example projects are listed below.

Please note that these are not the only project areas that we wish to fund, and they do not replace our open call for projects. However, projects that align with these areas may receive priority in our grantmaking decisions.

Research & Development (R&D)

These kinds of projects focus on developing open hardware and software components and systems that support learning and experimentation. Broad adoption is often enabled by low cost, flexible designs, so we look for projects that consider both.

Examples include:

• Open and legal codec technology compatible with, or as replacements for, existing proprietary codecs.
• Development of low-cost, hackable software-defined radio (SDR) transmitter technology that enables experimentation and operating on a wide range of amateur bands.
• Development of new, improved modulation techniques, which could lead to improved performance in weak signal conditions, reduced power consumption, and/or enhanced DC.

Space-Based Communications

These kinds of projects aim to introduce new space-based communications technologies and resources, or enhance the use of existing ones, advancing the field and creating capabilities it might not have had before. They offer strong potential for increasing spectrum utilization, connecting distant communities, and encouraging the adoption of new technology. Importantly, they also support the development of skills that will be relevant for generations to come.

Examples include:

• Geostationary (or Highly Elliptical Orbit (HEO)) satellite programs. These can support higher bandwidth, have greater availability, and provide a broader footprint than existing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.
• Projects that leverage existing, underutilized commercial satellite capacity by repurposing it for AR or DC applications and/or encourage the inclusion of AR or DC payloads on future commercial launches.
• Projects that use space-based communications to engage new people and communities in experimenting with wireless technology.

Open Source Education

These kinds of projects focus on providing easily adoptable educational tools and materials for topics related to AR and DC, and fill a clearly identified gap in existing open source materials.

Examples include:

• Open Source curriculum: incorporating amateur radio into computer networking and computer programming, ideally integrating the utilization of 44Net address space.
• Projects that include the development of educational videos covering wireless and digital communications (i.e. the modern DC equivalent of The Mechanical Universe videos that introduce university-level physics concepts).
• Projects that support analog-oriented hams and experimenters moving to a digital and networked communications environment.
• Scalable, hands-on projects to help radio clubs and maker organizations engage their communities and attract new members. This approach is based on the notion that these groups are effective vehicles for reaching and inspiring people.