Odocoileus virginianus: Not a very catchy name, I know. I usually refer to them as ruminants on my Instagram page. We don’t mention their common name out loud as it tends to attract them and entice them to run out in front of my car. My wyfe and I enjoy going for recons in the evening and counting the critters we see. For example, tonight we counted 23 ruminants, 27 moggies and 1 hawk. 16 of the ruminants were standing together in a field. Moggies are the only domestic animals that we count. There is no agenda to what we are doing, it is just for fun. We often bring cameras and phones to take pictures. It is amazing what can amuse a person. Back to the common name. Every time we have been driving along and casually used the common name, one jumps out in front of the car. At one time I considered buying some stickers and putting them on the driver side door. At this point, I would qualify as an ace. The proof is in the car repair bills. Other animals we count are owls. turtles, turkeys, groundhogs, squirrels, ducks, gooses and chipmunks. We don’t reveal where we see the ruminants as I believe hunters should do their own recons. I do keep my radio on in case someone calls (ham radio, not broadcast). There are a few repeaters I can reach in the areas we drive. It never hurts to be ready for anything.
#AmateurRadio
A weekend of Antenna fun!
Well we had a productive weekend, antenna-wise. First of all we moved my Fan Dipole up. We connected the center to a pulley on the tower and brought it up about 15 feet from its last position. Since nothing is ever simple, this also involved moving the legs to different positions and discovering which tree branches I had to maneuver around. It was further a matter of pushing my way through thick wild roses and blackberry canes and avoiding stepping on a luna moth caterpillar. Finally got that done and then relaxed for a bit. Today I built a 30 Meter dipole which is working great. I have this set up as a sloper coming down from my tower. I tested it and was able to work stations. This is a good thing.
Hamfest! Mmmm… ham…
What is a hamfest? Well, amateur radio operators have flea markets/swapmeets called hamfests. You can look for items of radio gear, browse for new or used equipment, eat a meal and meet up with other hams. Granted, these have been losing popularity in recent years due to the availability of anything and everything on the internet but there are still some around. I have attached a file detailing a local hamfest upcoming in October. It is hosted by Harrisburg Radio Amateurs Club.
Cross my heart: a short bit about cross band operations
So into it again. I would like to talk a bit about cross band operations. Basically, this is a feature in a lot of mobile rigs which allows you to extend the range of your hand held unit. You set up a mobile or fixed station to take an incoming signal on one frequency and re transmit the signal on another frequency. Here is an example: you are performing communications for a public event and you cannot reach a repeater with your HT. Your radio in your car, on the other hand, can easily communicate with the repeater of your choice. If the rig is capable, you can set it up for cross band. You would transmit on a simplex frequency on your HT and the mobile rig would take that signal and re transmit it on the input frequency of the repeater. When the repeater transmits, your mobile rig would re transmit that signal onto the simplex frequency that your HT is set on. This allows you to be away from your car if needed and still be in communication with the people you need to talk to (usually a command center or net control station). One thing they caution you about is not to cross band two repeaters as this would cause a loop which could lock up all radios involved. Not cool and potentially harmful to to all radios involved. You should also be aware that your radio doing the cross band is operating at 100% duty cycle and could over heat if not given a rest now and then.
After a short pause …
Well it has been 4 days since my last entry. I am glad I am not on any schedule. I worked this weekend and just did not have the time/energy to write anything.
Have you ever done something that is totally futile, knowing the futility and you do it just ’cause? I am doing that now. I am calling CQ on the 12 Meter band and it is not likely I will get a reply, though you never know. I will probably switch to another band in a few but for now I am enjoying the rhythm of sending CW. If there is only dead air out there, so be it. I can always move. I guess it is a lazy sort of attitude, though I call it relaxing. No response yet but that gave me time to do my daily weather recording. I keep records of the weather every day in a composition book. There is no purpose to it, just a thing to do. Sometimes doing something for no reason can be fun.
Time to switch bands. I wasn’t even getting spotted on any of the online spotting groups. There are sites online where people can post the frequency you are working and your call sign so that other hams can look for you and try to work you. The internet has made ham radio a lot easier. It used to be you would have to tune up and down the bands looking for signals. Now you can see who is where. I dislike crowds and that is why I avoid 20 Meters as it can get crowded. I do use it occasionally for working special event stations, though. Right now I am on 17 Meters using my christmas light dipole. I will soon be replacing it with a 30 meter dipole. I now have the pullys on the tower to handle it. I will also be raising my multiband dipole to see if It works better at a higher level.
Oh, if this reads like a journal, oh well. I make no apologies. Besides, very few peoples read this. 🙂
A day that will live in …
What a day! My friend Don got here on time, unlike the satellite tech who called and said he couldn’t make it and I had to reschedule. This is the second time. The first appointment was in June and we sat here waiting from noon until 15:45 (the scheduled maintenance window was noon to 16:00) when a robot called and informed us we just wasted 4 hours because they could not make it today. I called the company and was able to get an appointment for today. Now my appointment is on Tuesday from 08:00 until Noon. Yes, that is annoying. The work on the antenna went smoothly and we took Don to breakfast. After that I attempted to unplug a drain. Note the word “attempted”. I finally broke down and started calling around for a plumber. Several in the area told me that they are swamped. I finally got one to claim they are coming tomorrow morning. Keeping my fingers finged. So I tried out my radio that is attached to the new antenna and things seem to be working well. Now I can relax a bit.
Installing an antenna
I have a tower that has an antenna on it that has taken a lot of damage over the years due to weather. The day after tomorrow, I have a friend coming over to remove the damaged antenna and install another in its place. He will be swapping out a 2M quad beam for a 2m/400 vertical. This will go on the top of the tower and should allow me to hit some of the local repeaters. Basically, we live in a hollow which shelters our house from a lot of the worst weather but is not a good location for VHF/UHF communications. The tower will put the antenna around 40 feet above the ground level. I am also having him install some pulleys at the top which will allow me to raise the level of my dipoles and hang an american flag. I am looking forward to the project. I might even post some pics and or video on here. Stay tuned.
CQing for fun and prophet
There is a lot to be said for CW. You listen for a clear frequency and start sending. Usually it is CQ CQ CQ this is (insert callsign here twice) Over. In International Morse Code that would be -.-. –.- -.-. –.- -.-. –.- -.. . followed by call sign then .- .-. In a way it is like fishing. You cast out your call as bait and see who bites. Depending on the band and time of day it could be anybody anywhere. My cats are fascinated with the whole process. They like the tone being sent and enjoy grabbing at my hand while I am sending.
Right now I am on 40M looking for contacts with SKCC club members. SKCC is the Straight Key Century Club which is a club of CW enthusiasts who use straight keys. Sometimes that can get difficult for me as I have a mild form of Carpal Tunnel but I make do. It is relaxing to hear the sound of CW coming over the radio and it is a great way to pass time.
Morse Code was invented ~1837 and went into use ~1844. Untold miles of telegraph wire was strung up and for years it was the main means of high speed communications. When radio came along, Morse Code was the primary means of transmission and even to this day remains popular with amateur radio operators.
Nature, Radio, and Me 