Telecommunications systems of the early 1900s used shortwave for long-distance connections and understanding the behavior of the ionosphere was very important for transoceanic communications. With the arrival of satellite technologies, the study of the ionosphere has decreased to become a small research area. The Helios system, thanks to the use of modern low-cost digital technology, allows amateur associations to undertake the journey to discover the ionosphere again, to study how it reacts to the influence of the Sun and more generally to ionizing radiation arriving from space.