Merry Christmas!!!
The semester is finally over, so I’ve had some time to do some ham related stuff that I had to put off in favor of classes.
I moved my dipole inside, mainly because I don’t have a way to get the feedline (coax) outside without leaving my patio door open. This being Wisconsin, leaving one’s patio door open presents some heating problems. So the dipole is now hanging inside my patio door, partially hidden by my blinds. It’s not perfect, but in a first floor apartment you take what you can get. I’ve been experimenting with CW and RTTY decoding software on my Ubuntu Linux box now that the antenna’s inside.
Patience and persistence paid off; I found an original Apple Airport card on ebay for $50, which is $30-$60 less than everyone else was asking. So now my iBook can do wifi, which is incredibly handy for getting schoolwork done. I’ll also be able to take the iBook out storm tracking next season (which is less than six months away), meaning I’ll have access to radar out in the field.
And it’s Christmas Eve… so I’m going to spend the rest of the evening with the St. Olaf Choir on PBS in one ear, and the HF rig in the other. Wherever you are, best wishes for a Merry Christmas!
