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. …
Tag 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 …
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 …
With Prayer and Bailing Wire
So I consulted my handyman oracles and solved my broken antenna problem. We discussed using Lock-Tite, lock washers, even going so far as to drill and tap setscrews in the side of the receiving bolts. Ultimately, the best solution offered is to drill holes through the base of the hamsticks and use lockwire to prevent …