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I have a Toshiba A300 laptop in which most of my blogging is done on. The only trouble it gave me was  for some reason the HD failed. Not a problem it was sent in for repairs and came back with a new HD and it's been fine ever since. The operating system is the 64 bit Vista. Now this is another story  I found it took forever to boot up. I am talking about 3-5 minutes to get to the point were I was able to use the laptop. It would also stop and think every so often and I would just have to sit and wait. Shutting down was no problem that was done in under 30 seconds. To remedy this problem I tried just about everything and it just did not seem to do the trick. On the home P.C I have WinXP and have had no troubles with it at all. It runs smooth and does not get hung up. These are the only two Windows operating systems I have had really any exposure too.  As for the Laptop I was either going to re-install Vista, try loading XP or do the radical and go with Linux!! I was not sure how XP was going to work out on the laptop and figured Vista was just going to act the same way.  So that idea was put  on the back burner, I noticed on the Internet that Linux Ubuntu
could be loaded on my laptop along side Windows. Kinda have two OS's on one machine. Now I am not a fan of doing this for the long term and I don't think it is meant for that. It was a way of  test driving Ubantu 11.10 and see how I liked it and how the laptop liked it. An installer called Wubi allows you to install Ubuntu on a Windows machine.  If  you don't care for Linux it can be removed also using Wubi. If you want to go ahead and install Linux Ubuntu using Wubi just follow the step by step instructions   found on the Internet. There was no need for any fancy computer whiz bong knowledge it was similar to installing any windows program. Before you know it Uantu was up and running and each time I started the laptop I was asked if I wanted to load Windows or Ubuntu?? The first thing I noticed was it sure did load  faster than Vista and that was a BIG plus. For a few days I gave Ubuntu a test drive. I had only done things the Windows way so the desktop and how programs were launched took some getting used to.  I kept reading "take time to get used to Ubuntu it's not Windows" I went to YouTube to check out some tutorials on the operating system to learn more. This was were I thought I ran into my first Ubuntu troubles. At YouTube I was greeted with the messages "Adobe flash is required to view YouTube" The flash upgrade was painless and was a matter of just clicking on a link. The needed update was downloaded and installed then YouTube was up and running.  After playing with Ubuntu for a weekend it was time to take the plunge and remove Vista and do a perminant install of Linux Ubuntu on my laptop. There are step by step instructions for this as well on the Internet.  So after a week what is my impression of Ubantu....it's loads in 20 seconds compared to Vista's 3-5 minutes. It comes complete with a word processing program, spread sheet, a power point type program, workspace switcher were you can have four windows going at once and switch between them. You can run windows programs by using a program called wine. I have not venture down this road yet. One thing I did notice was it eats up the laptop battery time but there is something out there in Linux land to help that along. As times goes on I will continue to learn more. Have not tried it yet with any ham radio programs but my laptop was never used for that.



Mike Weir, VE9KK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New Brunswick, Canada. Contact him at [email protected].

I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve needed to get caught up since the antenna-project, and whatever time I have had for ham radio I’ve spent on the air! It’s been a blast, too — lately the DX has been like low-hanging fruit. I’ve especially enjoyed DX on 40m. But my son and I started something this week that is too good to keep to myself, so here I am blogging again.

My good friend and brother in Christ, Scott Paulson, spoke highly of Radio Shack’s “Electronics Learning Lab.” As a signalman for BNSF Railway he is constantly going off to school to learn about electronics, and the Electronics Learning Lab is required for his classes. (By the way, guess what one of their textbooks is? The ARRL Handbook!) So this week I dropped by Radio Shack, took a look, and promptly bought the thing to add to my son’s homeschool curriculum.

My son and I both love the Electronics Learning Lab! I have to admit that I’m going to be learning right alongside him. All of this stuff I’ve studied, of course, or I wouldn’t have my ham radio license. But with this breadboard-work I’m applying the stuff I’ve learned, some of it for the first time. And there’s nothing like fiddling with a circuit on a breadboard, swapping out this resistor for that, this capacitor for that, etc. to get an intuitive grasp of this stuff. Flipping through the workbooks to see what’s in store for us, I began to think that maybe, just maybe, I might actually be able to design some basic circuits myself instead of just building them from kits. (For crying out loud, that’s a skill Amateur Extra’s are supposed to have!)

The Electronics Learning Lab comes with two workbooks that guide you through over 200 projects:

Just as Scott told me, “It’s like painting by number.” We only started on it yesterday, yet this morning I found my son working on the next project all by himself, so comfortable was he with the directions in the workbook. I jumped in so I could learn, too. After he finished today’s project we wanted to keep going, but exercised self-control and put it away until next time.

As a homeschooling father and as an Elmer I’d pay double what Radio Shack is asking for this kit. And no, I don’t work for Radio Shack, nor do any of my friends or relatives, nor do I get one red cent from them for lauding one of their products. Whatever your age, if you want to graduate from kit-building to circuit-design, this seems like a good way to take a step in that direction.

Todd Mitchell, NØIP, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Minnesota, USA. He can be contacted at [email protected].

I’ve posted stuff from Randy before, and it’s usually him talking about Ham Radio related stuff, and not necessarily about himself. This video turns that around as he is interviewed during his visit to the TWiT Studios when they first opened.I thought I had posted this before, but when I checked, I hadn’t, so I figured I would do that now. So here is George Thomas W5JDX, interviewing Randy Hall, K7AGE. Enjoy.

73.

Rich also writes a Tech blog and posts stories every Tuesday and Thursday on Q103, Albany’s #1 Rock Station website, as well as Amateur Radio stories every Monday thru Friday on AmiZed Studios and hosts a podcast called The Kim & Rich Show with his fiance’ Kim Dunne.

Rich Gattie, KB2MOB, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New York, USA. Contact him at [email protected].

Dr. Bob Heil, K9EID, is the founder of Heil Sound and host of TWiT.tv's Ham Nation which streams live each Tuesday at 6:00pm PT (9:00pm ET) at http://live.twit.tv. Contact him at [email protected].

Date:            19 November 2011
Time:           Approx.    1700 UTC – 2000 UTC
Region:        CO-Front Range
Elevation:    2757 m / 9045 ft – 4 Points
Call Sign:     KD0BIK/qrp
Frequencies:     14.315-ssb +/-  146.52-fm

Equipment: FT-817ND / Buddipole versatee vertical

APRS Track: On Road / On Trail

So here it is!  My first SOTA activation alert.  I selected Mt. Herman as my first activation summit for a couple of reasons.  First, I’ve watched a few Youtube videos from Steve Galchutt, wG0AT operating from Mt. Herman and I’ve chased this particular summit as well.   While it may not be the easiest summit, it’s also not the most difficult.  Second, as I’m still learning the ins and outs of SOTA activations, I’m still also unclear to the private land versus public land access.  Since Mt. Herman is on public land and it’s been activated a few times before, I figure the only thing stopping me from this being a success is my ability to make it to the summit, HF propagation and how well my batteries hold out. 

Speaking of batteries.  as I write the activation alert I’m not 100% certain what battery setup will accompany me on my trip.  As I blogged recently about my first SOTA QSO, I had been researching the nanophosphate technology battery packs from Buddipole.  The research all pointed to these packs being very well built with exceptional life and performance.  While expensive (compared to SLA types) the lighter weight and longer life ended up selling me on the concept.  I placed an order for one of the packs and charger from Buddipole.  Just not sure if it will arrive in time.

So having said that, plan “B” will be to carry along a single sealed lead acid battery along with my fully charged FNB-85 battery pack installed in the FT-817.  As a safety net, I will also carry along a rollup solar panel.  The extra weight is minimal and may come in handy if I have a nice sunny day. 

I have changed my mind a few dozen times (or what seems like it) on whether to leave the FT-817 behind and instead take the FT-857.  After all, I can always turn the power on the 857 down, but can’t increase the power on the 817.  However, I’m going to stick with my 817 and 5w of power. 

As I make out my gear lists (which will eventually be posted on this site) I feel like Santa (making his list, checking it twice) I can only hope in the end it proves I’ve been nice and not naughty.  Having said that, I’ve setup my buddipole versatee vertical several times when operating portable.  I’ve also setup everything outside just to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.  So it should all go together fairly quickly once I get to the top.

If I feel I have a weak link, it will surely be around my power setup.  If I have to go with “plan B” (the 5+ pound SLA) it is an older battery.  But I’ve tested it here in the shack and it charges, holds a charge and has powered my 817 for over 3 hours operating WSPR.   

What else will be in my pack?  When I’ve operated portable in the field, I’ve only been no greater than 100 feet from my truck.  Forgot a pen?  No problem…run to the truck.  Need to carry a deep cycle marine battery?  No problem.  All this changes with a SOTA activation.  If I reach the summit and realize I’ve forgotten a pen or the cold zaps the battery, I’m stuck.  So my first SOTA activation might include a few things I may or may not need.  On my checklist, I have a place to check that I have the gear in my pack, used the gear on the summit etc.  I’ll review this have versus used to see what needs to come off the list. 

One other point and I’ll close this activation notice.  This is not my first hiking trip, nor is it my first mountaineering adventure.  However, it is my first hiking/mountaineering adventure where I’ve combined amateur radio on this scale.  How I view my post success/failure results might differ from others who activate SOTA stations.  Of course, I’ll leave this for the after trip report.

Until next time….

73 de KD0BIK

Jerry Taylor, KD0BIK, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from Colorado, USA. He is the host of the Practical Amateur Radio Podcast. Contact him at [email protected].

Welcome to Handiham World.

 

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

Yeah I know, I was dying to throw out a Star Trek reference all last week and couldn’t. Now I got one. But it looks like there are a couple of intruding signals on 24 and 28 MHz as a video on YouTube from New Zealand shows. Aliens? Covert Government experiments designed to make us more docile to the idea of one world order? Um, I’m thinking no.But they are a bit of a nuisance. Here are the videos so you can see for yourself.

28 MHz

24 MHz

73.

Rich also writes a Tech blog and posts stories every Tuesday and Thursday on Q103, Albany’s #1 Rock Station website, as well as Amateur Radio stories every Monday thru Friday on AmiZed Studios and hosts a podcast called The Kim & Rich Show with his fiance’ Kim Dunne.

Rich Gattie, KB2MOB, is a regular contributor to AmateurRadio.com and writes from New York, USA. Contact him at [email protected].