Tonight was nuts – and I loved it! I’ve been listening to amateur radio nets since before I was a licensed ham radio operator, and participate in every nearby net that I am aware of. They’re a great way to…
Radio
Rebuilding the Hamtop
I’ve been meaning to write an article on how I set up my Hamtop; my Linux laptop with free amateur radio applications and tools. The trouble was, I already had it all set up, so I’d have had to go…
International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend or ILLW was a lot of fun. The goal is to try and make contact with as many other lighthouses and ships as we can, all over the world. It was the first time…
Red Cross Shelter Exercise
Once I joined the Wireless Society of Southern Maine, I quickly learned that there was more to amateur radio than the rag chew (chatting) and just staying connected. I learned that public service is a huge part of the hobby,…
VHF Propagation measured by APRS
Reading up on 2-meter or VHF propagation, I recently stumbled across a website that displays APRS propagation, overlayed on a map of the USA. APRS is a digital broadcast over VHF 144.39 MHz, and is picked up by digipeaters and…
Learn Morse Code with Google!
Pawing through news stories over supper, I came across a news article from Verge that says Google updated their keyboard software for Android and iOS to accept Morse code input. What’s more, they built a web based Morse Typing Trainer…
Trek Across Maine Comms
Driving into work today, I hit scan on my ham radio and picked up the American Lung Association’s Trek Across Maine, who are using amateur radio operators on the KQ1L repeater system (146.880 MHz) to coordinate check points and patrols…
My First QSL Card!
I received my first QSL card today, from Worldwide Amateur Radio Day. I made contact with the net controller during my lunch break at work, and sent him a stamped return envelope, for the card. Please follow and like…
APRS Packet Radio on the Ed Fong
Following up on my Ed Fong Antenna post, I don’t yet have a long enough cable to mount it to the house and use a base radio inside, so I borrowed Jordan’s – tree house. He was a good sport,…
Ed Fong Antenna Arrived, Updated
Edison Fong’s DBJ-1 ham antenna arrived in the mail today, 3 days before the estimated delivery, and I’m excited to finally start building a base station! I’ll be posting more on the construction and mounting once I go shopping for…