AmateurRadio.com

Only 2 hours worth of snow so far

 For the past few days the weather folks have been talking about a storm that's on it's way.....largest one in over 5 years!! In the past we have had similar forecasts and nothing has materialized. This time they were right and overnight the snow started and is still going strong. Yesterday I was able to book Friday off, the drive to work for me is 1 hour (one way) on the highway. We live out in the boonies and the roads can be very bad. I am not one to get into a car crash and  possibly ending up in the hospital to just get to work. 

Hey another crazy on the road!

Julie is not so lucky she does not work to far from home and her work is not so forgiving about taking the day off. I was up at the crack dawn to drive her to work. At this time it had only been snowing for a few hours and it seemed to be at the 6 inch mark already. The storm is supposed to continue all day so we will see what we end up with!
Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

The “Freeze Your Buns Off” contest was held last Saturday.  And no, I did not get a chance to operate.  Well, actually I did try. I went out at about 3:00 PM local time and set up the portable station in the back of the Jeep in the driveway.  KX3 to Buddistick mounted on the magmount of the car, 7 Ah SLA battery that had been charged via solar panel.

I turned on the KX3 only to find 20 Meters had S9 noise all across the band.  That, and the fact that it was 30F with a wind chill caused me to just say “Nuts!” and forget about it for 2013.

So, instead I live vicariously through K6BBQ:

Thanks, Rem!

Oh, and by the way ……. they say it’s a sign of good mental health when you can laugh and joke about yourself.  Take a gander at this (fake) news story about QRPers from The NoiseBlankers Website. Hopefully, it will make you smile – just a little bit!

72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!

Larry Makoski, W2LJ, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Jersey, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

We are one episode away from the century mark. It’s with a great deal of pride that we, the hosts of Linux in the Ham Shack, present to you our 99tieth episode. We would love to have some audio feedback from as many of our listeners as we can get that we can air on our 100th Episode Extravaganza. If you have the time and inclination, please submit a sound bite telling us how much you love the show, or hate it, or whether a weasel stole your chickens. It doesn’t matter; we just want to hear from you! In the meantime, since Russ actually sat down and did some research for the episode, please take a listen and try to glean from it whatever nuggets of wisdom you might find. We’re not saying they’re in there, but the journey to discovery has been fun so far.

73 de The LHS Guys

Russ Woodman, K5TUX, co-hosts the Linux in the Ham Shack podcast which is available for download in both MP3 and OGG audio format. Contact him at [email protected].

I was poking around on 40 meters last night with the Atlas 210X and my random wire.  I spent some time listening to the end

of the Brothers Net, and a bunch of Hams from the middle of the country, and caught someone with a heavy accent using a recorded CQ.  The accent was not familiar, and the callsign was CU7AA, which according to QRZ.com is in the Azores.  Looking at the picture, I’m guessing that many of you have probably talked to this station, but it’s still a thrill for me, and my bargain-basement setup.  I threw my callsign out, and snagged a QSO with him.  I love this.  Why is it so addicting?

Neil Goldstein, W2NDG, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New York, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Last week, I had lunch with an old friend, Bdale Garbee (KB0G). Bdale and I had both worked at HP for a number of years and we have been involved in some common ham radio clubs and activities. I followed the test and measurement path with Agilent Technologies when that company was formed, while Bdale stayed with the HP computer business. He is a recognized industry expert in Unix, Linux and all things open source. It is always cool to catch up with him and find out what he has been doing. He recently took early retirement from HP…I am not sure what “retirement” means for Bdale but its not playing shuffleboard at the retirement home!

Coincidentally, a few days later, I came across this video from HamRadioNow of Bdale talking at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference. In this talk, Bdale discusses the general theme of making stuff and the satisfaction that is derived from that activity. It is about an hour long so grab a cup of your favorite beverage and take a seat.

 

By the way, check out the other HamRadioNow videos, especially the videos of the DCC technical talks. Good stuff!

73, Bob K0NR

Bob Witte, KØNR, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

My son is beginning to take a real interest in electronic circuits. As a ham, I should feel uniquely qualified to show him the world of radio and electronics.

But I never really learned how to solder. Not well, at least. Sure, I can solder a PL259 onto the end of some coax and it works OK, but the connector usually hides the sloppiness of my handiwork. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not scared of a soldering iron — I just am not as practiced with it as some of the QRP kit builders that frequent this blog.

I searched online for an interesting kit to build and stumbled upon Elenco’s AmeriKit AK-100 Learn to Solder Kit (about $15). What better opportunity to teach myself teach my son how to solder!

The kit includes a 25-watt soldering iron (Elenco SR-1N), a pair of diagonal cutters (Elenco ST-1), a spool of lead-free solder, and a solder practice kit containing a printed circuit board and various components. Also included is a nice 15-page guide to soldering and very detailed instructions about how to assemble the practice project. (I’ve yet to be disappointed in anything from Elenco. If you have kids or grandkids and they don’t have Elenco’s Snap Circuits Jr. Kit, it’s the best $20 gift you can buy them!)

This kit was a huge hit with my son. He had a great time placing each component in its clearly labeled place. After doing a few of the practice exercises, I was amazed at how proficient he became! I learned so many tips from the instruction manual about how to create good solder joints and electrical connections. The manual itself is well worth the price — the soldering iron and practice kit are a great bonus!

The included soldering instruction booklet covers general electronics basics like determining resistor and capacitor values, paying attention to polarity, and safety precautions. It also covers specific soldering (and desoldering) techniques for different types of work. There is an in-depth look at the different types of solder (when you would or wouldn’t use them) and many tips and tricks to making your job look more professional. You’ll have to excuse our solder joints in the pictures, however — there was a lot of learning and practicing going on! 🙂

After about an hour and a half, the project was done! We had a working siren with flashing red LEDs.  My son couldn’t have been more proud of his work! Although we have done quite a few “tech” projects together, this was the first time we’d really gotten into circuit fabrication. It was time very well spent and I’m very excited to be creating a solid foundation of good habits.  It’s always better to learn the right way instead of trying to erase bad habits later!

If you have a son or daughter (or grandchild!) interested in electronics, don’t hesitate to check out Elenco’s Learn To Solder Kit. Like Elenco’s other educational kits, it was well worth its modest price.

Matt Thomas, W1MST, is the managing editor of AmateurRadio.com. Contact him at [email protected].

Pat Tice, WA0TDA, is the manager of HANDI-HAM and a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com. Contact him at [email protected].