Moving back in time

After several years hosting my own ham radio related domain, I have decided to start using this blog again for my ham radio hobby.  My main ham radio website is at https://www.qsl.net/kd5col if you would like to visit that.

New website

I am no longer updating this blog.

Please visit my new website at http://kd5col.us.

Connecting the rig to the computer

I decided to try out grig on my little ASUS EeePC 900 that I am using temporarily until I get another computer.  I have Slackware 14.1 installed.  It's actually very, very easy to do!  Read on for more.

Lotsa DX

The bands have been good for me lately.  Worked a station in St. Lucia and heard Benin again but didn't try to work him.  I've partially constructed the new G5RV Junior but now I just have to get my dad to cut out a piece of polycarbonate for me to use for the center piece.  I forgot how easy it was to build the antenna.  Once I get that done, I'll wind up putting the G5RV Junior where the 20 meter dipole is.  At least I'll be able to work 40 meter on it now.  I've heard you can't tune a G5RV Jr. to work on 30 meter but it doesn't bother me since I don't do data anyhow.

Bands open today

I've been trying to work TY2CD in Benin and D4D in Cape Verde but unfortunately, due to the boorish behavior by amateur radio operators with amplifiers and people shouting their callsign four times in a row, I decided to go do something else.  I did, however, work VK2015TDF in Perth, Australia, Friday evening which was 10,125 miles away from me.  That was a new personal record for a QSO for me.  I'm kinda tickled about it.  Now to get a job so I can afford to start sending off all of these QSL cards!

More follows...

Keeping busy

The bands are terrible today.  I heard a station from Chile calling on 12 meters so I called him back.  He heard me, but between the lousy conditions, the new S9+ line noise that recently popped up, and some seriously strong QSB (signal fading), we both gave up.  I was kinda irritated because that would have been my first Chilean contact!

Just the same, I've kept busy in the shack...

Antenna buildin' time again

So it looks like it's a go to build that G5RV Junior.  I discovered I had enough 450-ohm ladder line to build the antenna.  Dad is letting me get about 52' of his 16-gauge wire to create the dipole part of the antenna.  He's checking to see if he has a silver-plated board-mount SO-239 for me to use with the coax.