Shortwave radio enthusiasts are sure to know the problem: You're trying to tune in to your favorite global broadcast only to find that the signal is fuzzy. Is it you? Your equipment? It might just be the conditions in the ionosphere, which you'd know if you built this DIY device.

As detailed in a YouTube video and project writeup on Hackster, North Macedonian maker Mirko Pavleski built himself a wee machine that measures ambient RF energy across the shortwave band, using it as a rough proxy for propagation conditions.

Youtube Video

For those not in the know about shortwave radio frequencies between ~1 and 30 MHz, their ability to travel around the world is thanks to the ionosphere.…