Ham Radio Talk links
The ham radio talk went quite well last week; the usual TLUG (and Perl Mongers) suspects plus a couple of knowledgeable hams. For some reason, LibreOffice didn’t format the links correctly, so here...
View Articleit lives!
After being used as a wall-hanging for approximately 20 years, then surviving an intercontinental trip in my luggage, the Synertek SYM-1 is running. I think a few segments of the display are iffy, but...
View ArticleK3NG Arduino Keyer
I’m pretty amazed that the above image is even vaguely readable. It’s Hellschreiber, generated by Anthony K3NG Good’s Arduino CW Keyer. What you’re seeing, though, is Hellschreiber from the keyer’s...
View ArticleCreating secure digital QSL cards with your LoTW certificate
Hams have sent out QSL cards since the hobby began. It may be less popular than it used to be, because mail seems slow now (especially when QSL bureaux are used), and there are online alternatives like...
View ArticleChirp, the universal HT programmer
CHIRP is rather good. It replaces all the horrid proprietary HT programming software with one cross-platform, cross-radio solution. It allowed me to program my new Kenwood from data from my Wouxun. It...
View ArticleQRM Cat
Was having a nice chat with Gary, WB0RUR, this morning on 40m PSK-31. His signal was clear, he’s a very experienced operator — yet he was jumping all over the waterfall with every transmission. I...
View Articlekeep it short, keep me sweet
Most of my radio communications use a text mode called PSK-31. It’s popular and survives a lot of interference, but fast it isn’t. I tested sending 1000 random characters, and it took 5′ 33″. That’s...
View ArticleFIXME: not quite right morse tree
It’s not quite right yet, but I’ve never worked with Graphviz before this evening. Strongly influenced by the graphic on learnmorsecode.com. The wikipedia one is the wrong way round. Source: morse.gv
View ArticleOntario Hamfest yesterday
Glad I went to the Ontario Hamfest yesterday — I won the Superprize! It is quite super; it’s an ICOM V80 2m HT. Built like an absolute tank; it feels heavier than my Kenwood TH-D72. Thanks to...
View ArticleAnd this, kids, is why we rig our dipoles with black Dacron …
I guess the “UV Resistant!” nylon rope I used to rig my mini-G5RV wasn’t that resistant. Two summers of Scarborough sun did for it, turning the casing into friable dust. I knew that buying that big...
View ArticleVA3PID is back on the air!
Got my radio back on the air after six months off. I’d decommissioned the ancient ThinkPad that spoke to the radio, and hadn’t worked out what I’d needed to get it running with the MacBook. All it took...
View ArticleMorse Palindromes, or CQ Christian Bök
“The longest palindrome in Morse code is “intransigence””, and it was on … First off, here’s the Morse code for the word intransigence: ·· –· – ·–· ·– –· ··· ·· ––· · –· –·–· · i n t r a n s i g e n c...
View ArticleDid it just get a little more nerdy in here?
Aw yiss! After more than two years of trying, I finally got a confirmed contact in North Dakota last night. That means I’ve now worked all of the US states using the PSK digital mode. Yay me! I’d...
View ArticleMy first FreeDV QSO
FreeDV is a fully open digital voice protocol; unlike DMR, D-STAR and the rest, there are no patents tying it down. It uses very little bandwidth for voice. I just had my first QSO (thanks K5WH in...
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