I will not mention the page where this happened, but I had a tag line up next to my name which read “Je suis devenu la mort, le destructeur des mondes” which translates into English as “I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds”. This is a famous quote from Oppenheimer referring to the first test of the atomic bomb. I was asked by a moderator (in private which I appreciated) to replace it with something more related to radio. I pointed out the origin and how it was transmitted over the radio and he said that he was aware of this but it might bring complaints from some users. I did take it down as we were conversing and I asked him if someone had complained. He said no but that they have received complaints in the past about some of my tag lines. Ok. Some little thin-skinned snowflake whined to the moderators rather than having the courtesy to say something to me directly. That is so like a grade school kid running to the teacher because someone said something that offended them. When did this world come to this? If I have a problem with someone I address the issue to them rather than whining to an authority figure. If there is no resolution reached then I bring in an outside person. Oh well, the world has turned.
ham radio
Un-royal Nonesuch
Wow. Been busy and tired. We have a person out on vacation and my work partner and I have been filling in. It makes for a long work week and I still have 4 more days to go. Enough of that. I just came in from beating Satan’s Putting Green into submission. It seems that this is the first opportunity I have had to attack it as the weather has not been co-operating. So far this month, we have had 25.40 mm of rain and last month we had over 78 mm. The weather report calls for rain tomorrow and Saturday so the mowing had to be done.
As soon as I have the time, I have a few projects to work on. I need to do some planting and then to cut some brush. After that I need to re-hang one of my antennae and finally, I have the ingredients for a batch of beer ready for brewing. I am not sure how I am going to prioritize all this.
I will leave with a parting observation: people in this country need to learn that “freedom of speech” does not mean “freedom from responsibility”. You can say anything you want but don’t whine when there are consequences to your bloviation. As always, Namaste!
Almost Tax Day
Yup, it is almost Tax Day. Mine were done ages ago but I guess a lot of people wait until the last minute to file. No matter. I file early because I don’t like things hanging over my head.
Is this entry going to be about taxes? No. Tax Day falls in the middle of April. The weather is getting better and thoughts are turning to outdoor activities. Soon it will be time to plant the garden and, more importantly it will be time to expand outdoor operating. In fact, a club I belong to, Perry County Radio Amateurs, will be activating a state park. There is a programs called Parks On The Air where hams can go to a park and operate. Parks are assigned a number and people can get certificates for working them. I know this may not sound fun but for the hams out there, it is. It is an opportunity to test your equipment under less than ideal situations and to test out new portable antennae. It will also provide other hams with a chance to work Perry County PA. Some hams (called County Hunters) like to make contacts in counties all over the US. Though our county is not extremely rare, it is sought after.
Another outdoor activity coming up is Field Day. A lot of hams see Field Day as a contest but it originally was an exercise to test out portable and emergency operating. In an emergency, knowing what works and what doesn’t ahead of time lets you concentrate on the task at hand.
Finally, there are a lot of prosigns, abbreviations and jargon in use on the radio. If you listen in on a QSO (conversation on the radio), you will hear these cryptic phrases and 3 letter codes sprinkled into the exchange. Back in the days of telegraphy, operators came up with shortcuts and abbreviations. Some of these became official. In the early 1900’s, the British Postal Service (they were in charge of wired and wireless communications at the time) came up with a series of “Q” codes. These are 3 letter codes which all start with the letter Q. Some of them have changed over the years but some are still the same as when they were first originated. Below is a list of Q codes for your enjoyment.
| Code | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| QRA | What is the name (or call sign) of your station? | The name (or call sign) of my station is … |
| QRB | How far are you from my station? | The distance between our stations is … nautical miles (or km). |
| QRG | Will you tell me my exact frequency (or that of …)? | Your exact frequency (or that of … ) is … kHz (or MHz). |
| QRH | Does my frequency vary? | Your frequency varies. |
| QRI | How is the tone of my transmission? | The tone of your transmission is (1: good, 2: variable 3: bad) |
| QRJ | Are you receiving me badly? | I cannot receive you, your signal is too weak. |
| QRK | What is the readability of my signals (or those of …)? | The readability of your signals (or those of …) is … (1: bad .. 5: excellent). |
| QRL | Are you busy? | I am busy. (or I am busy with … ) Please do not interfere. |
| QRM | Do you have interference? | I have interference. |
| QRN | Are you troubled by static noise? | I am troubled by static noise. |
| QRO | Shall I increase transmit power? | Please increase transmit power. |
| QRP | Shall I decrease transmit power? | Please decrease transmit power. |
| QRQ | Shall I send faster? | Please send faster (… words per minute). |
| QRS | Shall I send more slowly? | Please send more slowly (… words per minute). |
| QRT | Shall I cease or suspend operation? | I am suspending operation. |
| QRU | Have you anything for me? | I have nothing for you. |
| QRV | Are you ready? | I am ready. |
| QRW | Shall I inform ___ that you are calling? | Please inform ___ that I am calling. |
| QRX | Shall I standby? / When will you call me again? | Please standby. / I will call you again at … (hours) on … kHz (or MHz). |
| QRZ | Who is calling me? | You are being called by … (on … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSA | What is the strength of my signals (or those of … )? | The strength of your signals (or those of …) is … (1: very weak .. 5: very strong). |
| QSB | Are my signals fading? | Your signals are fading. |
| QSD | Is my keying defective? | Your keying is defective. |
| QSG | Shall I send ___ messages at a time? | Send ___ messages at a time. |
| QSK | Can you hear me between your signals (while transmitting), and if so can I break in on your transmission? | I can hear you between my signals (while transmitting); break in on my transmission. |
| QSL | Can you acknowledge receipt? | I am acknowledging receipt. |
| QSM | Shall I repeat the last telegram (message) which I sent you, or some previous telegram (message)? | Repeat the last telegram (message) which you sent me (or telegram(s) (message(s)) numbers(s) …). |
| QSN | Did you hear me (or …) on … kHz (or MHz)? | I did hear you (or …) on … kHz (or MHz). |
| QSO | Can you communicate with … direct or by relay? | I can communicate with … direct (or by relay through …). |
| QSP | Will you relay a message to …? | I will relay a message to … . |
| QSR | Do you want me to repeat my call? | Please repeat your call. |
| QSS | What working frequency will you use? | I will use … kHz (or MHz). |
| QST | – | Here is a broadcast message to all amateurs. |
| QSU | Shall I send or reply on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz))? | Please send or reply on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSV | Shall I send a series of “V” on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz))? | Please send a series of “V” on this frequency (or on … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSW | Will you send on this frequency? | I am going to send on this frequency. |
| QSX | Will you listen to … on … kHz (or MHz)? | I am listening to … on … kHz (or MHz). |
| QSY | Shall I change transmission frequency (to … kHz (or MHz))? | Please change transmission frequency (to … kHz (or MHz)). |
| QSZ | Shall I send each word or group more than once? | Send each word or group twice (or … times). |
| QTA | Shall I cancel message number ___? | Cancel message number ___. |
| QTC | How many telegrams (messages) have you to send? | I have … telegrams (messages) for you (or for …). |
| QTH | What is your position in latitude and longitude (or according to any other indication)? | My position is … latitude, … longitude. |
| QTR | What is the correct time? | The correct time is … hours. |
| QST | – | General call preceeding a message address to all amateurs and A.R.R.L. Members. This is in effect “CQ ARRL”. |
| QRRR | – | Official A.R.R.L. “land SOS.” A distress call for emergency use only. |
Coffee and Ham
I am sitting here drinking coffee and sending out calls on my radio. My wyfe and I were outside earlier but now it is time for coffee and radio. I was reading online about how the bands are dead but that doesn’t seem to be the way it is in reality. If you tuned across the bands, you would hear a lot of stations including some participating on QSO parties. My spotting software is also showing a lot of activity, especially from European stations. We are on the upswing of the sunspot cycle and the bands that are higher in frequency are opening up more. There are some special event stations out there to work also.
My cats are all snoozing so I don’t have the fun of shooing them away from my key as I am trying to send. They enjoy hand motion and have to stick their noses into things. They also seem to be attracted to my computer keyboard and can find some really great key combinations to push. I have had to look up combos to get my screen back vertical, etc. Cats are wonderful critters but sometimes do no mix well with radios and computers. TTFN
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Gotta love the ads you get online: wildforkfoods.com/products/fully-cooked-octopus-tentacles
Not quite the Ides
Well, it seems that we are living in interesting times. Folks are sitting on the edges of their seats, drinking in all that they are being told about current events. No matter. The important thing is that band conditions are getting better every day. We are on the upswing of the solar cycle. You can find openings day and night and can always find someone to talk to. I am currently on 17M looking for SKCC and FISTS contacts but will work anyone. There is a sorta zen thing about morse code. The rhythm is relaxing and soothes the spirit. Hearing a reply from a distant station is still thrilling, even with the passage of strange eons. I sit here enjoying my coffee as the remnants of the weather event moves away. It is warm and comfortable and I am thankful for that. My cats are crashed out on the sofa which faces the pellet stove. They are sucking up the heat. My hermit crabs are in the tank behind me and they are moving about, doing hermit crab things. I don’t have to work tonight so I can relax. I think I will leave the radio on for a while to see how many contacts I can make tonight. As I said, the rhythm is soothing. My antennas have lasted the winter in good shape and though Spring is near, don’t need a lot of maintenance. I do need a couple of tree branches cut but that is not critical. I see that I am being spotted on the reflectors and soon someone may be calling me. Again, life is good. TTFN
The end of February
Well here we are, another month of this year gone. Spring is almost here. I wonder sometimes when the Gov’t is going to make Easter, Christmas and New Years Day Monday holidays. I wouldn’t put it past them. We got a new stationary bike the other day. This one is a recumbent bike and is very comfortable. Our former bike was a bike/stair climber/eliptical but my wyfe did not find it comfortable to use. Sh ehas short legs. She scoured the interwebs and found one that is adjustable an seems to work for her well. The only problems is that it required assembly. Don’t get me wrong, I have no problems with projects ike that if the instructions are comprehensible and the assorted parts are easy to access. That was not the case. If it weren’t for the pictures, I would have not been able to follow the assembly manual. I believe the original language of the person who wrote it was an obscure dialect of a long-forgotten language. It was then translated into a succession of 6 other languages before settling on English. The screws and washers were packed neatly on a plastic bubble pack mounted on cardboard. They were very organized and attractive before trying to get to them. I sliced open the compartment where one set of washers was and the whole thing separated from the card backing and it became a jumbled mess of screws and washers. We were able to sort things out and my wonderful and long suffering wyfe kept me sane even though she could not curb my lengthy obscene diatribes about the designer’s parentage. 🙂 Other than that, we had to take one of our cats, Marley, to the vet where he had 7 teeth removed. He is recovering well and seems more comfortable and quite happy. I am off for the next few days and plan on doing a few projects around the place and playing on the radio. For now, peace out!
Extrospective Poem
Since the election
Everybody is in a tizzy
No one seems to focus
Depending on rumors
Needing no verification
Using social media
Defaming others opinions
Ending all true conversation
Seems like the end of civility
Unexpected Vote of Confidence
Hi all. I was approached the other day by someone who admits to reading my blog and said that they like it and look forward to reading it. Feedback is always nice.
As usual, on my commute to work, I put out my call on 146.520 MHz. I got no response at first and changed over to the 146.460 repeater. No one answered me there and I went back to 146.520. After a few more miles of silence I called on 145.110 and got a reply. We had a good chat for a few miles before I get to my exit. We discussed the G4FON Morse Trainer software and that steered our conversation to classic literature. I even made the observation that I recently read The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and I found all the characters in the book to be despicable. Now I am working through To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. At least the characters are likable.
If anyone actually readss this blog and wants to leave a comment, feel free.
Some Thoughts
Here are some thoughts: It pays to be prepared. You might laugh at people who prep but what if they are right and you are wrong? Would it hurt for you to have some basic skills and supplies? Skills to include knowing how to sharpen a knife, how to fire a gun, how to forage for food, how to identify which local plants are edible, how to preserve and can food, how to live without electricity. This is by far an incomplete list. There are a lot of good books and resources online to help. Never be afraid to learn. Another useful skill is map reading to include land navigation. Some good things to have: a high-quality knife or 2, canning supplies, battery and solar powered radios, “survival” food, gardening supplies, a rifle and a hand gun, bow and arrows, fishing supplies, water filters, a good quality backpack, good quality walking/hiking shoes. Again, not a comprehensive list, just some things to get your brain engaged. It would also be useful to have some ham radio gear and a license so that you would know how to operate this gear. You could even go as far as to learn basic radio repair. I am sure you could come up with some method of producing electricity to supply modest needs such as solar panels, wind turbines and or water turbines. An additional skill that could be valuable is producing alcohol. Learn to make beer and wine as these would make great trading commodities.
Nature, Radio, and Me 