Last evening, I heard a fellow in Kennebunk asking for a radio signal check. He and his 11 year-old son had built a tapemeasure yagi for their handheld, to pick up an early morning SSTV transmission (slow-scan TV images) from…
Wicked Maine Outdoor Fest
For a great start to a beautiful Father’s Day weekend, I coaxed my old man and my brother out to the Cumberland Fair Grounds for the Wicked Maine Outdoor Fest. I carpooled with Dad, and we met my brother and…
New “birds” in the sky
Listening to the Maine 12-County net on the KQ1L linked repeater system this morning, our ARRL section manager read off the usual announcements. Club meetings, Field Day locations… but something new caught my attention. Asian organizations are releasing three new…
WS1EC UHF Repeater
The Wireless Society of Southern Maine held another work detail for the UHF repeater we’re putting up for the Cumberland County EMA on Wednesday. I’ve been attending these to lend a hand and learn, and it has been educational! It’s…
Images from the International Space Station
There’s been a flurry of rumors and discussion that the International Space Station would be transmitting pictures to Earth using Slow Scan TV or SSTV over the amateur radio service this weekend. I learned later that it was an event,…
My first HF contact!
I don’t make it to the mailboxes as often as I should, the HOA having moved them from down the road to a few miles out of my way. When I eventually do get a Round Tuit, I’ll occasionally find…
First Winter Hike
While I’ve done some early Spring hikes, this is the first Winter hike I’ve done since I was a teenager. The Summit Seekers had done some other Winter hikes, but it was much too cold for my gear, comprised of…
The FCC is Back in Business, UPDATED
From a bulletin posted by the ARRL: “The ARRL VEC now is awaiting word that it can transmit the some 2,300 pending Amateur Radio applications it has in the queue, many of them from 325 ARRL VEC examination sessions that…
Winter Field Day
Winter Field Day is a fun way to practice emergency preparedness. The Wireless Society of Southern Maine used it as an exercise to familiarize ourselves with the Cumberland County EMA’s equipment and put it through its paces. I learned how…
uBitx Firmware and Speakers, and the Canada Winter Contest
Today, in keeping with my winter vacation goal of spending more time on my hobby and doing what makes me feel fulfilled, I’m catching up on my blog posts, and working on my uBitx HF kit. It’s still not in…