FOSDEM (Free and Open Source Developer’s Meeting) is a yearly conference that this year will take place in Brussels, Belgium on 3 - 4 February 2024. This conference will also feature a track on FOSS-powered radio, and there will be a combined Amateur Radio and SDR Devroom.

FOSDEM have issued a call for participation and have noted that slots are still open, so please submit any proposals for talks now if you are interested in presenting. The recommended topics include:

Topics discussed in the devroom include, but are not limited to:

  • SDR frameworks and the tools that make them useful
  • New SDR-based developments in ham radio modes
  • Cellular/telecom software
  • Amateur radio operator software tooling
  • Free / Open radio hardware
  • Wireless security research
  • Entertaining wireless hacks
  • SDR & ham radio in mass and higher education
  • Satellite, spacecraft and interplanetary communication

Software-Defined Radio is the technology of enabling radio signals to be processed and generated algorithmically, typically within general purpose processors, but also within FPGAs and GPUs; Free and Open Source (FOSS) Software Radio allows these algorithms to be inspectable and improvable. With the advent of ubiquitous IoT, sky-filling satellite megaconstellations and 5G/6G as standards designed with commercial Software Radios in mind, wireless is an exploding field of interest in the FOSS realm.

Ham Radio, also known as amateur radio, is more than just a hobby orbiting the usage of radio communication – it’s a passion that merges the realms of electronics, human interaction, and communication. At its core, ham radio is about establishing connections: with people, with technology, and with the world at large. It is a free and open community effort at heart!