Some years ago, G4ZFE wrote and made freely available a handy Java-based log search applet. It was (and is) put to good use by DXpeditions so that those who’ve worked them can confirm that they made it into the log. This avoids unnecessary “insurance QSOs” allowing others to more easily work the DX station.
Non-DX stations also use it for a variety of reasons including as a way of accessing the logbook from a remote location. Continue reading 'Have we met?'»
While researching the various QRSS “grabbers” that are online as I tinker with my 100 mW beacon, I happened across Murray ZL1BPU’s website and read quite a bit of info that I don’t believe is available elsewhere – at least not in one place.
Of particular interest (to me) is CMSK described as “sophisticated high performance narrow-band DX system”. Continue reading 'Unique operating modes from ZL1BPU'»
Back in The Day, RCA put out a short series of articles called Ham Tips which, unsurprisingly, made use of RCA products.
Original issues turn up on eBay and at hamfests from time to time but N4TRB Continue reading '“Ham Tips” from RCA; “Ham News” from GE'»
Larry W2LJ recently wrote about his – here’s mine, short & sweet.
Mainly, I want to wrap up some loose ends. Finish things that have been too long on the back burner.
- Completing 5B-WAS on CW. Missing band/states are on their own page here, (under the “Various” tab, above)- I’ll update it & keep it current as various states make it into the log.
- I’d also like to operate one of the big DX contests from a DX location that’s just a little rare. Nothing extravagant or too expensive…I’m thinking Guyana (8R). A few ideas of places elsewhere are here.
- I’d also like to be a guest op at a super station. You know – one of those with a full size 4-element Yagi on 160 meters. Well, okay – a 4-square. And a kilowatt or three. W0UN is moving to Texas – maybe he’ll invite me over for CQWW…
And, as Bubba said to Forest, “That…that…that’s about iyut.”
.
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Les Kerr, developer of MorseKOB
I tend toward nostalgia anyway, but put an interesting book in front of me of a topic to which I can relate and its easy to get caught up in the moment.
In this case, the moment occurred a century ago and the book was my recently-reviewed “The Victorian Internet”. Thanks to that book and the ponder-worthy images & anecdotes described within its pages, I find myself seeking further info on such myriad topics as gutta percha, Cyrus Field, the Great Eastern and others.
This post simply serves as a method to share the info I’ve found that is most interesting to me and may be with others as well. Continue reading 'Modern opportunities with yesteryear’s Morse'»
As I type this, a fairly strong station has been sending numbers in groups of 5 on 10.115 kHz.
A Google search of “numbers stations” yields more info than I care to sort through but confirms what I already thought – that most Cuban numbers stations, whether in voice or Morse, take place between 5 and 6 MHz. I’ve heard them before, periodically, but never in a ham band. Continue reading 'A Cuban “numbers” station?'»
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I’ve never really been interested in scanner monitoring though I appreciate the technology behind it and I have dabbled with them a bit in the distant past. Up until 15 or so years ago it was a simple matter of plugging in frequencies for your local area in order to hear what’s out there.
Then municipalities started using trunked systems to allow sharing of frequencies among various users. Scanners were designed that could follow the various trunked system types, and their difficulty of programming ramped up progressively. Newer & more complex trunking systems were developed, PL and CTCSS tones were required – and the fun factor faded among many. It just wasn’t worth the effort required.
And if you travel to another area, all that programming has to be re-done.
A soon-to-be-released (October 1) new scanner from Uniden changes all that in a major way. Continue reading 'Revolutionary new scanner from Uniden'»
Larry Baysinger W4EJA
I had a landline QSO today with a gentleman in Louisville, Kentucky who is as friendly as he is interesting. Forty-one years ago this week, Larry Baysinger W4EJA accomplished an amazing feat and I wanted to ask him more details about it than exist online. My email to him bounced, so I picked up the phone and was rewarded with one heck of an interesting story.
In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were walking on the lunar surface as Michael Collins orbited above them in the Command Module. As the rest of the country – and the world – watched this historic event on television, Larry was receiving their communications directly, independently of NASA or the media networks. Continue reading '41 years ago this week – Apollo 11 and W4EJA'»
Of course that’d be this one from Harbor Freight.
I’ve always been a proponent of buying a well-made product rather than a cheap version with the idea that the better product will last longer and not need replacement after a short period of usage as an inferior product would. Experience has proven the truth of that theory.
However, I was tempted to buy this generator at first.
A google search will yield, as with any product, reviews of mixed results but none of them address the longevity of the product. Continue reading '800-watt generator for $99'»
A posting on Dave AA7EE’s blog on the topic of community radio got me to thinking of my own days when I dabbled in an illegal variant of Dave’s legal Part 15 endeavor. Besides not getting caught, the main issue was content. My cohort took care of all that; I was simply the tech advisor…building the transmitter, antennas, etc. He/we transmitted from a hilltop location in Montclair, New Jersey with 15 watts of stereo-fied RF that could be easily heard in the surrounding towns of Clifton, Nutley, etc.
My friend, DG, had quite a following. For a while. The proverbial “knock on the door” eventually came, although in a thankfully benign manner and Radio Montclair left the airwaves.
As Forrest said, “That’s all I have to say about that.”
So back to content and community radio…
Not only are Part 15 stations suited to local-type stations in communities that lend themselves to that genre but low power FM stations are now being granted licenses to broadcast at the 10 and 100-watt level. Continue reading 'Radio drama – everything old is new again…'»
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