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. …
Tag Archives: QSO
Natural Log
Today I played Radio and won. Since I have a new laptop for work, I’ve been occasionally moving it from my office desk to the ham bench to mess with digital modes like FT8 and Winlink. But I’ve been waffling on getting logging software and keeping shitty paper logs of my radio contacts to manually …
Confirmation
I feel like this is a milestone: I got my first QSL card! In the days before computerized logs and log matching services, amateur radio enthusiasts exchanged these postcards confirming contact. Older and more experienced hams have stacks of these from all over. This is the first in my own collection. I guess it’s time …
First QSO, First DX
So today was a crap day, but what happened when I left work and raised my antenna was a soothing balm that made everything alright. The good news is that today I made my very first HF contact (called a QSO) on the 20-meter band with my good radio. That’s a first. Also, on the …