This weekend is ARRL Field Day, and for the first time since picking up the amateur radio hobby, I’m just not feeling it. I don’t think I’ll be charging up any batteries and raising temporary antennas at my home just so I can struggle to get on the air and be heard. Not this year. …
Category Archives: Amateur Radio
Architecture is Fate
Some part of me can’t wait to return to the office. It sounds strange, yes, but if you consider that my work-from-home desk is in my bedroom, it makes sense. During the weekdays, I spend something like 80% of my day in my bedroom, between sleeping, working, eating during breaks, and playing with radios. Most …
CW, But For Real
A few years ago, I made an attempt to learn CW (Morse Code). I made an honest-to-god attempt. But I didn’t stick with it. Got frustrated with the apps I used, and never got fluent enough at copying symbols to rise above the frustration. Well, I was chatting with my buddy Michael KG5RXG. I had …
Service Civility
As a member of the ARRL, I get lots of email about radio (most of it sales material for their books and swag), but this afternoon I got a letter reiterating the core values of Amateur Radio. The most telling is the last paragraph: Amateur Radio is about development of communications and responsible public service. …
Beaters
Is it a sin to hate your hobbies? I just got my car back from the shop. 13 fucking weeks. Thirt. Teen. Anyway, I took all my ham radios out beforehand to minimize risk. But now that my car’s back, I should reinstall them, right? Yes, I’ll reinstall them. It would be a fucking waste …