Soon it will be time to start thinking about getting outside more and enjoying the warmer weather …. until it is 95 degrees Fahrenheit ( for those who still use that system, I prefer 35 degrees Celsius) with a relative humidity of about 85% then you will want to lay about in the AC and bitch. Actually I was out yesterday with my new radio and a G5RV Junior playing around. First off I was learning the foibles of tuning this set up as an inverted vee. I didn’t want to have it set up in too permanent looking a configuration as I was in a public location. Second, I was learning the menu system of the radio as so far I have not had a lot of time to use it. Third, I was fine tuning my grab and go style. Back some years ago I could have a portable QRP station up and on the air within 15 minutes of pulling into a location. Yesterday it took me over 40 minutes to get on the air not including having to return home to get my power supply (turning red with embarrassment). I am not as readiness able as I used to be, I reckon. Guess I just need to practice. My plans for the future include bringing alternate antennas to try out. One nice thing is that my wyfe is willing to assist. She enjoys coming along for the ride and likes to laugh at my mistakes. 🙂 In any event, I will keep plodding away and keep posting here. For now, namaste, y’all.
Antennas
So I lead A Boring Life
The other day my Wyfe and I took a drive to Delaware and picked up a new toy: a Yaesu FT891. This is an HF and 6M transceiver. It is a pretty cool little rig. We took it out yesterday and tried it out in a nearby park. I set it up connected to a battery power supply and worked with a Buddi-Stick antenna. I only operated for a few minutes as it was a bit windy and chilly but I worked a station in Indiana with ease considering the location I was in is down in a hollow. I have better locations in mind for the next ventures. I am going to start doing Parks On The Air activations as a way of getting outside and being more active. It is also a way of generating interest in ham radio in a public venue. “Parks on the Air® (POTA) started in early 2017 when the ARRL’s National Parks on the Air special event ended. A group of volunteers wanted to continue the fun beyond the one-year event, and thus, POTA was born.” That is a quote from the POTA webpage and I couldn’t say it better. Basically parks (State and National) parks have assigned numbers. Other entities such as State forests have numbers too. To activate an entity you set up within the boundaries of the park and work stations. The stations you work are called hunters and you are an activator. Simple and fun. Well I can hear the work bell ring so it is time I get a long. Namaste to you’uns.
Beware the Ideals of March
Here it is again, the middle of March. We went for a bit of a ride but the animals were not cooperating. It is currently 2 C outside with the winds between 10 and 26 KPH so I think the ruminants are huddled in the treeline wrapped up in squirrels and robins for warmth. Typical March weather in the Northeast.It is okay, it gives me an excuse for idleness on my day off. I can sit here drinking coffee and listening to folks on the ham radio bands. The stove is running well and keeping it nice and warm in here. I am trying to work a special event station celebrating National PI Day but not having luck so far. They are located in NJ but are right now on 20M which is a bit long to reach here. Hopefully they will QSY to 40M sooner or later. My cats are behaving which translates out to they are asleep. Overall a good day. I have an appointment tomorrow at the ophthalmologist so that I can be informed that my retinopathy has progressed and my cataracts are a bit bigger. It is a yearly ritual; almost pagan in nature. I think I will relapse into a semi-vegatative state for now and lose myself in the comforting white noise of 40M.
Namaste, kidlets.
It is a coffee and radio kinda day
Wow! I am sitting here yawning and it is only 1623 est. Even copious amounts of coffee don’t seem to help. It is -2 C outside … the kind of day you want to sit inside and do inside things. I was on the radio for a bit, chatting with a few folks after i did my due diligence on my exorcise bike. My wyfe joined me and we spent the time killing things on the video game. It is a great way to distract yourself when you are exorcising. Now I am sitting here contemplating my next course of inaction. My kittehs are all snoozing in the warmth of the stove so I can’t interact with them. My wyfe is cocooning. Well I guess I will have to get back on the radio and see if I can scare up any more people to bother. I am getting a lot better with the cootie key which is a lot easier on my arm. I think it was a good purchase.
Well enough for now. Namaste y’all
New year/ new revolutions
So … did I make any resolutions? Hardly. I never do. I don’t see the point. I am the same old me and do not foresee any changes aside from my beard going greyer. 🙂
As for radio stuff, I am currently starting to put together a special event for May. There is a lot to do and not much time to do it. This will have 2 purposes: 1, to commemorate the life of Marie Doro, a silent film star who was born in this county and is buried locally. and, B, to do a practice/shakedown for field day. I am about to start seeking volunteers to provide radios, antennae, a venue, food and operators. I am looking at the 27th of May as the date and plan to have the event run from 0800 local until 1600 local (1200 UTC until 2000 UTC). The certificate will be done via e-mail. We will fill out contact information from e-mails submitted and reply with the certificate attached as a jpg or pdf file. Hopefully I can find people interested. If enough people sign up and participate I might make a batch of chili! If anyone reading this is interested please feel free to contact me.
Anyway, it has been a good evening on the radio. I tossed my call out a few times and had several stations call me. That is always nice. The days are getting longer and I look forward to more light.
Until next time, namaste kidlets.
Hah Bumbug!
Well it is the day before Christmas and currently -11 C outside which is a good argument for staying inside and drinking coffee. It is nice to be off this year. It alternates but sometimes the person who works on the opposite shift from me asks to switch. I am going to sit here in the warmth and play on the radio. I just checked the propagation data and it looks promising. https://www.hamqsl.com/solar3.html#hfprop (one of the sites I use). That site is great because it explains what all the data means. Most hams know already but there are new people out there. Learning is a good thing. My antennas are still up despite an ice storm last week which is more than I can say for my peach tree. The only issue I had with my antennas was a very high SWR on 40, 80 and 160 Meters due to the antenna being coated by ice. I knocked it off and all is well with the world. I am getting better with my cootie key and actually can be understood when sending.
My coffee cup is empty and I must go. I hope everybody has a very enjoyable holiday season
Namaste, kidlets
Look! Up In The SKY …
So … yesterday my wyfe and I were in the yard doing some outdoors type chores. I happened to glance up into the back yard and, to my horror, I did not see one leg of my big dipole! Thinking it was down to a) wind b) a falling tree branch or 3) a squirrel chewing through it (yes I have had that happen), I went to the house and grabbed some 550 cord, some crimp on connectors and other implements of repair. I made my way up the hill and through the picker bushes and started looking for the end where it fell. I found it. Up in the air where it belongs. Due to the angle of the dipole and the color of the sky/trees in the background, it is nearly invisible unless you are in close proximity. My wyfe is still laughing at me. Could be worse. She could totally ignore me.
I am going to have to prepare myself over the course of the winter. I have a suitable antenna for field work and am looking for a portable HF rig. I got a call the other day from a local fire company and I won a portable generator in a raffle. As soon as I get a rig and the weather is a bit warmer I plan to head out to some of the local state parks/ state forests and do some POTA activations.
Hope you all have a pleasant week. Namaste.
As for the weasel …
All around the mulberry bush
The monkey chased the weasel
The monkey thought ’twas all in fun…
POP! Goes the weasel
Penny for a spool of thread
Penny for a needle
That’s the way the money goes…
POP! Goes the weasel
The painter needs a ladder and brush
The artist needs an easel;
The dancers need a fiddler’s tune…
POP! Goes the weasel
I’ve no time to where to sigh
Or to tell the reason why
Kiss me quick, I’m off, good-bye…
POP! Goes the weasel
Why did I post this? Well, today I beat Satan’s Putting Green into submission. I also decided on a compromise to a contention betwixt a White Mulberry (MORUS ALBA) and myself. The thing wants to take over. I didn’t plant it and I believe it was left as a gift by a passing bird. In any event, I have been trying to get rid of the thing for a few years now. I have cut and chopped and tugged and pulled and the damn thing keeps coming back. I reached a decision today. I am not going to try fighting it, I am going to trim it. I read that they can grow up to 15 meters (50 feet for the ones who don’t do metric) tall. Uhuh. Challenge accepted! I am going to keep it trimmed to a maximum of 3 feet (1 meter). Lets see how it likes being a shrubbery. The Knights Who Say Neigh would be proud!
Another thing I do when out in the yard is check over all my antennas. There are a few limbs I need to take down but on the whole they look ok. Enough for now.
Namaste, kiddos
Carry On Lawnmowing
Well, I was able to finish taming Satan’s Putting Green prior to the commencement of the rain. It is amazing how fast it grown. Now my neighbor will have to mow his. It’s a never-ending competition. I had my car in for repairs. Now I am sorta relaxing and playing on the radio. Got a cup of coffee in hand. I am hoping that the band propagation gods smile down on me. Speaking of radio, it is almost field day. I have a suggestion for a field day antenna to try. They are simple to build and are quite effective. I am speaking, of course, of a Z-L Special. They are a mono-band antennas and are easy to put together. They consist of 2 folded dipoles spaced .1 wavelength apart and driven 135 degrees out of phase. There are a lot of web pages and Youtube videos that detail the construction and if you are reading this then I believe you can find them on any search engine. 🙂 My point is if you want a simple to construct antenna for field day or for other use, this is a good one to try. You can even build them as a rotary beam. I had a 20M one that I loaned out and it never got returned but I am planning to build another one soon for 17M.
Namaste Again
One More Lap in the Rat Race
There is currently a thunderstorm going on. It has rained 18.29 MM in the past hour. Gotta love it. I had left my windows in my car cracked open and had to venture out into a waterfall to close them. One good thing, the storm has lowered the outside temperature from 32 C to 21 C. It makes it a lot more comfortable. Unfortunately, I can’t use my radio right now as I have no desire to have my equipment fried by lightening. It might be an exciting afternoon. Here is a copy of the NWS bulletin:
Special Weather Statement issued May 22 at 2:​47​PM EDT by NWS State College
The other day, while out shopping, I was able to save a wood turtle that was crossing the road. I picked her up and carried her across while lecturing her on traffic safety. I try to save turtles as often as I can. I have a soft spot for them, and they are not good at outrunning cars.
Speaking of radio, propagation has been rising. There are more and more dx openings and the shorter wave-length bands are opening up on a daily basis. I am seeing more and more spots on 17M and 12M. It might just be a great sunspot cycle!
enuff for now. Namaste!
Nature, Radio, and Me 