GazLabs — Radio, RC, Linux, Gaming, Drawing & Content Creation

Offline-capable tools for antenna design, modification research and fault-finding. No live data required — use these in the shack, in the field, or anywhere.

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AntennaCal

Wire antenna designer for dipoles and end-fed antennas. Calculates SWR, feed impedance, voltage and current distribution. Covers 17 wire types, 11 HF/VHF bands and multiband comparison.

Calculator · Offline

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Homebrew Antennas

Antenna advisor, hentenna calculator, dipole, loop, quad, J-pole and more, with a radiation pattern simulator showing vertical vs horizontal behaviour and compromise install advice.

Calculators · Offline

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WBMod DB

Wideband modification database for Icom, Yaesu and Kenwood transceivers. MARS/CAP TX/RX expansion guides with diode maps, photos and step-by-step instructions.

Database · Reference

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Ciro Baby Loop Fault Finder

Interactive fault-finding guide for the Ciro Baby Loop magnetic loop antenna. Step-by-step diagnostics covering capacitor, motor, controller and RF connector issues.

Fault Finder

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Ciro MK2 Enhanced

Enhanced Ciro Baby Loop MK2 diagnostics with NanoVNA guide, efficiency calculator, SWR logger with session history, and advanced fault-finding decision tree.

Fault Finder · NanoVNA

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ACOM Amplifier Parts

Genuine replacement parts for ACOM HF linear amplifiers. Covers ACOM 1200S (LDMOS), 2000A (dual-tetrode), and 1000 (single-tetrode) models.

Parts Reference

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Kenwood Parts Lookup

Genuine replacement parts for Kenwood radios sourced from official service manuals. Currently covers TS-590S HF/50MHz transceiver.

Parts Reference

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Yaesu Parts Lookup

Genuine replacement parts for Yaesu radios sourced from official technical supplements. Covers ATAS-120, FT-818ND, FT DX 10 and FTM-500DR models.

Parts Reference

Other Apps

More Apps

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ProteinPlanner

Personalised high-protein meal planner. Enter your stats, get macro targets, browse 100+ recipes, build a meal plan and generate a shopping list. All data stays on your device.

Calculator · Offline

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ARK Breeder Helper

Score your ARK dinos by weighted wild stat levels, find the best source per stat, get breeding pair recommendations, plan colour mutations, and rank your herd — all local, no server needed.

ARK · Breeding

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GitHub Projects

Free, open-source Soulmask and Enshrouded server managers: browser-based control panels with live console, settings editors, backups and updates.

Open source · MIT

About

What is GazLabs?

GazLabs is my humble corner of the internet — a UK radio amateur's self-hosted mix of ham radio tools, RC builds, Linux tinkering, gaming guides, drawing, and content creation, made for tinkerers, DX hunters, and anyone who wants real data without the noise. Every tool here is free and open, supported by ads served through Google AdSense.

No Signup Required

Every tool on GazLabs is available immediately with no account, no email, no login. Just open and use.

IARU Region 1 Focus

Band plans and frequency references are all based on IARU Region 1 allocations for UK and European operators.

Open Data Sources

News from ARRL, IARU and QRZNow.

Privacy Friendly

GazLabs itself adds no third-party trackers or tracking cookies (adverts are served by Google AdSense — see the Privacy Policy). A small first-party visit counter logs basic page-view stats — no cookies, nothing shared with anyone else, and your IP address is never stored, only a one-way daily hash used to estimate unique visitors.

RSGB Member

Built by a licensed UK radio amateur and RSGB member. Got feedback or a bug to report? Use the contact form.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about GazLabs tools, data sources, and amateur radio concepts.

What licence do I need to operate as a radio amateur in the UK? ▼

In the UK, amateur radio is licensed by Ofcom. There are three licence levels: Foundation (entry level, up to 10W), Intermediate (up to 50W), and Full (up to 400W with full HF access). All levels require passing an exam run by the RSGB (Radio Society of Great Britain). Foundation allows operation on most amateur bands including HF, VHF and UHF. The RSGB website at rsgb.org has full details on exam dates, training materials and licence conditions.

What is FT8 and why does it dominate the DX cluster? ▼

FT8 is a weak-signal digital mode developed by Joe Taylor (K1JT) and Steve Franke (K9AN) and released in 2017. It uses 15-second transmission sequences, extremely narrow bandwidth (50 Hz), and forward error correction to achieve contacts at signal levels 15–20 dB below what SSB requires. This makes it highly effective when bands are marginal or signal paths are poor. FT8 has become the dominant HF mode for DX contacts, which is why most DX spots today show FT8 activity, particularly on 20m, 17m and 15m.

What is a wideband modification (wbmod) and is it legal? ▼

Many amateur radio transceivers are manufactured with receive and/or transmit capabilities restricted by software or hardware to comply with amateur radio band limits in different countries. MARS/CAP modifications (also called wideband mods) remove these restrictions. In the United States, MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System) and CAP (Civil Air Patrol) operators are licensed to use some frequencies outside standard amateur allocations, and manufacturers support these mods for them. In the UK, any modification that enables transmission outside your licensed amateur bands is illegal. The WBMod DB on GazLabs is provided as a technical reference only. Always operate within your licence conditions.

Resources

Useful Ham Radio References

Key organisations, data sources and references used by GazLabs and the wider amateur radio community.

RSGB — Radio Society of Great Britain

The national membership organisation for UK radio amateurs. Runs the UK amateur radio licence exam programme in partnership with Ofcom. rsgb.org

IARU Region 1

The International Amateur Radio Union Region 1 coordinates frequency allocations and band plans for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. All band plans on GazLabs follow IARU R1 recommendations. iaru-r1.org

Welcome

What GazLabs is about

Hi, I'm Gary, a licensed UK radio amateur, and GazLabs is my hobby website. It's where I put the articles, tools and guides I wish I'd had when I started out: ham radio, electronics, RC cars, home-lab computing and a few favourite games. It's all written from real use. The radios have been on my desk, the cables have been built and tested, and the problems are ones I've actually had to fix. Everything is free, and there's no signup.

Ham radio, from a UK point of view

Most of the site is about ham radio. The blog has first looks at new transceivers and handhelds, side-by-side comparisons, and guides to digital modes like FT8, D-STAR and System Fusion. It also has the practical stuff: USB driver problems, firmware boot loops, amplifier PTT and band-data cables, and getting SDRs working with logging and data-mode software. Band plans, propagation notes and licensing references follow Ofcom rules and IARU Region 1, so they suit UK and European operators rather than being written for the US.

Free tools for the shack

There's a live ham radio news feed, plus calculators for antennas and frequency error (PPM). The FT8 setup hub walks you through your WSJT-X, rig and audio settings step by step. You'll also find a fault-finder for Ciro loop antennas and a database of wide-band modifications. Where I can, live data is cached on the server, so pages load quickly and your browser isn't chatting to lots of third parties.

Beyond the radio

The rest of the workbench is here too: bashing RC cars in the UK, Raspberry Pi and self-hosted home-lab builds, and network security tools. I also run community dedicated servers, so there are in-depth game guides: a multi-page Soulmask guide, an Enshrouded recipe book and an ARK breeding calculator.

Independent and kept up to date

Manufacturers and dealers don't pay me for coverage. When a review is based on early hardware or published specs, I say so. Prices are dated, and I update articles when firmware or availability changes. Hosting comes out of my own pocket. You can read more about GazLabs, or use the contact form to ask a question, report a bug or suggest a tool.