KC9JMF

Social Bookmarking

airmanopus — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:52:29 +0000

I’ve been using del.icio.us to maintain a list of bookmarks for some time now. I read a bunch of different blogs and news sites that cover a lot of different topics, many of them at least somewhat related to amateur radio, emergency communications, and/or homeland security. One of the cool functions del.icio.us offers is an RSS feed containing any combination of the tags I’ve used to “mark” bookmarks as I save them to my list. You can now see the links I tag (and save to del.icio.us) as I browse, under the heading “Reading List” on the right side of the page. It’s not quite updated in real time, but usually within a few minutes of me adding a link.

I’m using the reading list a handy way of sharing things I’m reading that you might be interested in, without having to post an article that says nothing more than “hey- go read this about -whatever”. As you’re clicking past, I hope you find it useful.

If you haven’t used del.icio.us (or any other social bookmarking site; there are several that work pretty much the same way), here’s an introduction to how it all works.

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More playing around on 6m

airmanopus — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:01:44 +0000

I admit it, I’ve given up on antenna building– it’s not that I can’t hack up a dipole, because I do know how to do that. I’ve given up because it’s just too much work. Call me a card carrying member of the internet generation if you like, I just don’t have the motivation and time anymore. So when it came down to it, I got online and ordered a MFJ 6m twinlead jpole from AES and had that puppy shipped to my QTH.

As always, antenna placement is a problem. Today, I said to heck with it and nailed the end of a spool of string to a softball, pulled out a bunch of said string, tied one end to the jpole, and threw it up into a pine tree in front of my apartment building. I probably could have placed it higher, but my front yard is apparently a breeding ground for mosquitos who think Deep Woods Off! is just yummy. I had no problem getting to the local repeater, and after scanning for a few minutes I could hear a repeater on 53.73Mhz that wasn’t on my WAR listing.

After listening a bit, I discovered that the repeater I was hearing was the KQ2H repeater system in New York. I was able to get into the repeater, but so was the eastern half of the US at the time. I also made a few calls on 52.525 simplex; although I could hear that someone else was there, I couldn’t make out who. Which is OK– now I know the antenna works and I have a means for getting it into an operational position. Next time, I’ll see if I can get the jpole into the top of the tree instead of only halfway up.

Which brings up a few thoughts I’ve had rattling around about amateur radio in general– the first being, why does “everyone” say that the first radio you buy should be a 2m(/70cm) radio? I know, there are way more repeaters on 2m and 70cm, but that doesn’t mean you talk to more people. I’ve taken my dualband HT to work and let it scan the local repeaters for days. 80% of the time there’s just nothing there. I drop my callsign out, and no one responds (even though I know there are people who scan the local machines all the time). Yes, I use 2m for ARES/RACES, and I used 70cm for storm tracking when I was doing that– so having that radio isn’t a wasted resource. But that radio (lately) is just a tool for doing something, rather than something to have fun with.

I didn’t buy a 6m radio to talk on the local repeaters. I bought a 6m rig for those days and nights when the band, due to -insert propagation type here- just freakin’ opens up. I don’t wish 6m was congested (like that’s gonna happen), but I do wish more of the techs in the world would check it out– part of the mystique of ham radio (for me) is that you can talk to people in far away places. I’m wondering if maybe we should be selling new hams on the 10m and 6m bands more, and the 2m and 70cm bands less– higher VHF and UHF are used for things like public safety because they provide reliable communications, which is a good thing– but it’s not usually all that exciting.

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Transition to Digital TV

airmanopus — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:21:42 +0000

Digital TV isn’t technically a ham radio subject, but since it involves RF I consider it related. And, I like new toys. So, I signed up for the coupons the government’s offering for upgrading analog TV’s. I received my coupon a couple of weeks ago, and this week went in search of a digital TV box. I live near a mall, so I didn’t have to go very far; I also had a couple of other consumer electronics related things to look for, and Best Buy was on the way home from work, so that’s where I went shopping.

They make it easy; in front of the department full of HD TV’s (most of which wouldn’t fit in my apartment, much less on my credit card) was a display of Insignia Coupon Eligible Digital TV Converters for $59.99. There’s only one eligible model. So no, you don’t get a lot of choices, unless you want to drive around to different stores checking out what features each retailer’s box includes. (I didn’t shop around.)

Included with the box was a power adapter, an RF cable, an audio/video cable, a remote with battery, and a short & sweet instruction manual. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t need to buy anything else to make DTV work. (I will need to do some additional cabling to get my analog DVD player to coexist with the DTV box, as my TV only has a single coax RF input.) Channel programming was automatic, and simple; I did have to set my local time zone using the setup menus. With DTV, I have an onscreen channel guide that shows what’s on now and what’s on next, closed captioning, text, the ability to change the aspect ratio, access to the second audio program, and content access controls.

My antenna (if you want to call it that) is a 4-foot length of speaker wire alligator clipped to my window blinds—so if you have an antenna that barely works now, you may be surprised at what DTV does for you. Using analog, my local channels were generally pretty clear except for channel 3 (which was usually quite snowy). I often had ghosts, and got an occasional burst of audio static. With DTV, I get all of my local channels with no snow and no ghosts.

I also have some extra channels now. Instead of analog 3, 15, 21, 27, 47, and 57, I now have 3-1, 3-2, 15-1, 15-2, 21-1,21-2,21-3,21-4,21-5,47-1,and 57-1. Each broadcaster has slightly different programming available; your mileage here will vary. NBC 15-2 has weather, and WHA (PBS) has different programming on –2, -3, and –4 depending on the time of day. WHA also simulcasts Wisconsin Public Radio (including HD radio) when they’re not showing TV programming on each of those channels. DTV 3-2 carries My Madison TV14, which on broadcast is only available on DTV. As they say, check your local listings.

So, what’s the verdict? Yes, making the change is worth the effort. The sound and picture are better, even on my old TV. There are still times when there’s nothing on—TV is still TV—but by adding one small set top box I was able to increase my options and make my TV useful for a while longer. If only upgrading amateur radio equipment was so easy.

Coupons are available online at https://www.dtv2009.gov/ .

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Nationwide alerts for cell phones

airmanopus — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:23:31 +0000

From InformationWeek;
link to original CNN article here.

The FCC has approved a new nationwide alert system that will send text messages to cell phones to alert Americans when an emergency, disaster, or attack occurs…

Sounds like this will take some time, since according to CNN the agency that will issue the messages hasn’t been created/decided on yet. I like the idea; I’ve been using Google Alerts and Yahoo! Alerts for some time now for severe weather related messages on my phone. More ways to receive information are always a good thing.

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Upcoming events

KC9JMF — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 01:46:22 +0000

Here are some upcoming events that I plan on attending; if you’re going to be there and happen to see me, stop and say hi.

March
- 20: Dane County ARES/RACES meeting, UW Space Place, 7:00pm
- 25: NWS Storm Spotter Training, Fitchburg Community Center, 6:30pm
- 28, 29: AES Superfest, Milwaukee WI (Not sure which day I’m going, depends on work.)
April
- 26: Crazylegs Classic (running, not helping with comm support)
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Add another band to the list– 6 Meters

airmanopus — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:10:47 +0000

Okay, so I don’t have a microphone working for my IC-735 yet, and I have all but given up on the code for now.
I’ve had my eye on the Alinco DR-M06 6 meter rig for a while now, Okay, so it’s not Alinco’s newest model, I like it anyway– it was also slightly cheaper. Since I don’t have a base antenna up yet (here we go with getting antennas airborne again), it’s going to live life as a mobile for a while. I did some Googling about 6 meters, and discovered that WBAY-TV 2 in Green Bay WI has a well written FAQ article about how propagation affects their low VHF signal (they transmit on 55.26mhz). Also found a list of modifications for 6 meter rigs, including the extended receive unlock for the DR-M06T. Didn’t even have to void the warranty.

Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff I could have bought that would be a lot more practical in an emergency. Oh well, this radio’s about fun.

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Fun is not obsolete

airmanopus — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:53:45 +0000

I have (as usual) been rather busy with work and school, so I have not had much time to actually operate (vs listen to while I’m studying) the radios. I do occasionally have time to consider that I still haven’t learned the code, and I still don’t think I’ll ever find the time. I’m more interested in rewiring the microphone that arrived from MFJ so it works with my IC-735.

Side note: My experience with buying online direct from MFJ was great, and I have zero complaints. I wasn’t sure when I ordered it if the mike I bought would definitely work, but it’s much easier to rewire one that’s already got the right connector than have no mike in the first place. And, just as important, it gives me an excuse to get out the soldering iron.

Anyway, I came across this description of Morse Code skills on obsoleteskills.com:

Now that Morse skills are optional, the Code is increasingly popular on the Amateur Bands simply for relaxation and enjoyment.

Which is an answer to a lot of things that deal with amateur radio; there are a lot of reasons to buy certain types of equipment. You need emergency power so you can pass ARES/RACES traffic during a widespread power outage. You need a TNC so you can send and receive digital traffic; but these types of things are tools. A lumberjack needs a saw. A radio operator volunteering his/her services to an emergency management agency needs a VHF/UHF radio. No one needs to operate CW. Honestly, if an emergency situation is bad enough that CW is your only option, you probably should have bugged out 24 hours ago. People hang onto CW because they enjoy using it. And maybe that’s just the answer… Morse Code is just one of those things that some people like to do, because it’s unique and they enjoy it. I don’t need to learn Morse Code, but it’s there if I ever want to play with it.

I have made some purchases because I feel I need certain items; to be at all effective in ARES/RACES, you honestly need a certain amount of communications gear (and what that level is exactly, is a tough thing to pin down). Lately, I’m considering that I should make some purchases of equipment that’s meant to be used for fun. Specifically, I’m looking at 6 meter gear. No practical purpose for ARES/RACES, not useful for Skywarn, just a radio and band that’s there to play with when I do have time.

Cause yeah, it’s supposed to be fun.

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Snow day and 10 meters

airmanopus — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:39:13 +0000

Current weather conditions here in Madison, WI:

Heavy Snow Blowing Snow and Breezy

Yep, that about covers it. Madison Area Technical College is even closed today, which (I’m told) does not happen very often. A picture says a thousand words… see if you can see my street. So much for antenna work today… heh… that will have to wait a few months, I think.

Speaking of antennas… well, not specifically… let’s say speaking of 10 meters, and then we’ll get to the antennas part in a minute. I keep saying I’m going to find a way to learn morse code enough to actually be able to operate with it, but it just never happens. I might as well admit that I always have something else going on. So I’m looking at the chart of what bands I can operate SSB on as a Technician, and I’m looking at 10 meters– 28.3-28.5mhz. Which probably doesn’t generate much excitement for many people, because it’s the very beginning of a solar cycle and 10 meters tends to be kinda quiet these days (from what I’m hearing out of the speaker).

However, I can reasonably expect to fit a 1/4 wave 10 meter dipole inside my apartment (or on my patio, weather permitting). I’ve also found a reasonably priced replacement microphone for my IC-735; the MFJ-290I, which I just ordered. So once it arrives, I’ll be playing around on 10 meters a bit, when there’s time between classes and work.

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Membership changes and weather

airmanopus — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:26:02 +0000

I am no longer a member of Midwest SSTRC Inc.

There was a lot of internal discussion between myself, and members of the Board of Directors of Midwest after I announced I was leaving. There was also discussion between members of the organization in response to my leaving. These discussions were private, and as such I will not repeat them here—I will say that we nearly reached an agreement on my returning as a member, but remained apart on two important questions. Ultimately, I decided that Midwest isn’t the organization for me. I’m not leaving with any ill feelings towards Midwest, and I hope there are no ill feelings towards me.

I still intend to go out into the field to check out severe weather occasionally next summer. It’s something I like to do as a hobby—I’m not a hardcore storm tracker, but I do enjoy seeing nature up close. Hopefully, this year will be a little more interesting without being more dangerous, and I’ll have more to write about. I will be also be taking the NWS storm spotter class again this year, but I’m not sure yet which session I’ll be attending.

If you live in Madison and you’re interested in coming along and checking out the weather at some point this summer, please leave a comment and we’ll see what we can work out.

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Think you’re prepared?

airmanopus — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:06:46 +0000

Long power outage a wake-up call to be better prepared (cnet)

I’ve just emerged from a brief visit to the 19th-century (via a storm-driven 36-hour power outage) and among all my other experiences and impressions during this odd weekend, none was more powerful than an extremely visceral understanding of just how fragile our modern infrastructures are.

Oddly, there was no Internet connection, and after a cursory check to see why, I realized that our power was out, a condition that had taken my Internet service and home phone–which comes in via Comcast cable–down.

…once home, my cell reception was extremely intermittent, far worse than usual, a condition that made it impossible for me to get online via Verizon’s EV-DO…

Hmm. No power, no cell phone, no internet connection, not safe to drive… but that’s California, you say. They have bad stuff happen out there all the time. (Which seems to be true, if you watch the evening news.)

However, in the past two days in my neighborhood (Wisconsin) we’ve had unusually high temperatures leading to fog… which led to the pileups described here More than 100 vehicles involved in I-90 pileups; two dead, 50 injured. We also had thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes associated with the same weather weirdness that brought the fog.

I’ll admit to slacking a little lately, due to being busy with school and the holidays. I think now might be a good time to make sure I have my gear in ready mode. Tornadoes in January? This could be an interesting year….

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