Part of the enjoyment, for me, in my various hobbies is seeing just what I can accomplish with a restricted budget. To be fair, I’ve made my choices in consequence. Hence, no daysailer or glider, no personal rail car. The satisfaction, in large part is a corollary of knowing my limits.
posted in ham radio | Comments Off on A jury rigged mast | 260 words
Some reminders are best taken seriously. I’m referring to that sudden flurry, outside, while we were enjoying breakfast in town. Not enough to leave traces, but we are dangerously close to the start of another winter. I decided to detour, on my way home from the second hardware store visit of the afternoon and go see the man with the big blue tractor. Following the briefest of negotiations, I now am under contract for snow removal throughout the winter. Payment will follow when the season changes, again.
posted in ham radio | Comments Off on Watching transiting vessels | 254 words
My recent decision to add AIS and ADS-B capabilities took an interesting turn this month. I had figured on dedicating a Raspberry Pi to the tasks, but a little nudge from a friend pointed out that the industry likes to involve volunteers; I asked, and I received.
posted in ham radio | Comments Off on Emphatically undecided | 251 words
Seems like a long time ago, now, when we used to share the unused CPU cycles with others to get jobs done. That whole SETI thing, for example; while the screen saver did whatever it was required to do, your office computer also crunched numbers for a crowd-sourced project. Not sure if they ever found anything…
posted in ham radio, technology | Comments Off on A flight data stream | 261 words
Want to learn about having a “tiny voice”? Try ham radio on low power, with a vertical antenna. This is Field Day weekend, and the bands are active. I’m doing my part, in large, by listening a lot and periodically shouting out to the world. Problem seems to be that very few hear me, well.
posted in ham radio | Comments Off on A tiny voice | 256 words
Couldn’t figure out why the code wouldn’t flow… for some reason, my efforts to connect a trio of Morse keys was getting me nowhere. Tested the connections, and all seemed sound, except that there was no sound. Downloaded and read the relevant pages in the manual. Tweaked menu settings. Changed cables. And then, after lifting one key and setting it down again, everything clicked. Just one of those mysteries.
posted in food, ham radio, sports | Comments Off on Cool, dimly lit; everything it should be | 268 words
We like to think that we have a thoroughly modern household. Tasks are shared, albeit not always equally. Think of it as an evolution, or a learning process. There are so many individual responsibilities in keeping a house “up” as they used to say, particularly in the absence of servants (a Downton flashback, triggered by theme music from another TV series, sharing the same composer).
posted in environment, ham radio | Comments Off on Newer fields and forests | 259 words
Despite the chilly weather, it’s that time of the year when everybody loves a parade. I knew this, and went along. The regional Santa walk, where every spare emergency vehicle from within a forty-five minute circle is found in the queue. OK, half that; the ocean provides one side of things.
posted in ham radio, travel | Comments Off on Everybody loves a parade | 306 words
A restless night? No big deal. You’re awake, and the doorbell will ring. And the dog will bark. And you’ll put on your welcome face and get on with the task at hand. A visit from your insurance agent? With a reduction in costs? Told you it was worth staying awake for just a bit longer.
posted in economy, ham radio | Comments Off on The house is radio active | 261 words
Coming up on three weeks since the tone of the country changed. Less than a week since the actual “power” changed hands, but there’s a real difference. The fear game is less apparent. Some of the minions from the last cabinet have already started to speak on their own, without scripts. The comment pages on social media are very busy; so many people wanting to wave and let the rest of us know that they survived. Rather cool!
posted in ham radio, Wx | Comments Off on Free seeds say the birds | 261 words
