KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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Yet another podcast idea

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I have another crazy idea for a podcast. This is one that I think I can pull off, actually.

The purpose of the podcast would be to help those of you who are using my study guides to either get our Tech license or upgrade to General Class or Extra Class by addressing a single topic or small set of related topics. It would be a discussion between me and a reader and it would address some of the questions you have about the questions on the test. I would explain why the correct answers are correct and then address related questions that you might have.

And, I would try to limit the time for each  podcast to 15 minutes or less.

So, what do you think? If you think this is a good idea and you need help with some of the questions on the test, please contact me, and we’ll do this.

QRPian set its sights low (low power, that is)

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The QRPian is a new podcast which sets it sights low (low power, that is). Hosted by Mike, KD5KXF, and Brian, KB9BVN, two dedicated and experienced QRPers, the podcast covers a variety of QRP topics for 45 minutes.

In episode #1, Mike and Brian rap for the first 15 minutes on the brotherhood of QRPers, the Bayou Jumper QRP rig, and other assorted topics. The bulk of the episode consists of an interview with Dave, NM0S, the designer of the Bayou Jumper, the Ozark Patrol regenerative receiver,  and a number of other Four States QRP projects. (In case you’re wondering, NM0S is a vanity call, which Dave says on his QRZ.Com pages is “a tribute to all the N-channel MOSFETs who have met their demise at [his] hands.”) In the interview, they talk about a number of different topics, including innovative uses of the 2N7000 MOSFET, current and future Four States QRP projects, as well as Dave’s involvement with the Boy Scouts.

Episode #1 was a great show. If you like to build stuff, this podcast is for you. Now, I’m looking forward to episode #2.

Talking about one-day Tech classes on the Everything Ham Radio Podcast

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This week, I appear on the Everything Ham Radio Podcast. In this episode, I talk with Curtis, K5CLM, about teaching one-day Tech classes. Just click on the play button below.

I also appear on the ICQPodcast this week. In this week’s episode, we discuss a beginner’s guide to satellite operating, a news story on teenager Anna, W0ANT, hams protest antenna restrictions in WY, and International Marconi Day – 22nd April 2017.

ICQ Podcast 215

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ICQ Podcast #215 is now online, and I appear on the panel. We discussed:

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The episode’s feature  is Ed, DD5LP’s report on Friedrichshafen 2016. In the feature, Ed interviews (clockwise from top left, the CDXC president, Chris Duckling, G3SVL; new RSGB president Steve Hartley, G0FUW; IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie, G3BJ, and the WRTC Organizing Officer.

ICQPodcast #213 discusses pirate radio, amateur radio parity act

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ICQPodcast #213 has just been released and includes yours truly in the roundtable discussion. In this episode, we discuss:

Appearing on this podcast has been a real blast, and if any of you listen to it, I’d love to hear your feedback.

 

Social media meeting the needs of hams

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Roy, AB8RM, BCARC president, presenting me with a certificate of appreciation and some lovely parting gifts.

Last Tuesday, I headed west on I-94, then south on I-69 to the middle of nowhere Coldwater, MI to speak to the Branch County Amateur Radio Club about ham radio and social media. There really has been an explosion in social media over the past five years or so, so I thought I’d explore that topic a little.

Below are the slides I prepared. As you can see I have a broad definition of “social media.”

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The key here is that social media should make ham radio more fun.

 

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I’ve never been a fan of Facebook, but for many, if not most, that’s their main social media outlet. Twitter is mine. I have more than 3,000 followers on Twitter.

 

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Some people don’t consider mailing lists to be social media, but they are in my book.

 

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While QRZ.Com and eHam.Net are the big dogs, the reddit forum is much more civilized. There’s a lot less ego on reddit, and the discussions are a lot more useful and interesting and tend to not devolve into silly arguments.

 

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There are lots of good blogs out there.

 

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As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m going to be appearing regularly on the ICQPodcast and may be appearing on HamRadio360 (formerly FOTime). Appearing on these podcasts is a win-win. They get a decent guest (at least I think I am), and I get to be on a podcasts without having to produce one myself.

 

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Social media should enhance, not detract, from our enjoyment of amateur radio.

From my Twitter feed: Chinese digital modem, new ARRL CEO, FoTime becomes HamRadio360

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va2ss's avatar Digital Modem from BJ5ROJ: Part 1 va2ss.com/2016/04/18/dig… pic.twitter.com/CvOl9yCqSw
arrl's avatarNew ARRL CEO Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, Pledges World-Class Service, Openness, Inclusiveness: The ARRL’s new Chief …bit.ly/1VejeR2
hamradio360's avatar Ham Radio 360: Episode 50- Fo Time Becomes Ham Radio 360! Watch on Youtube! youtu.be/wdyGO4mq2BA via @YouTube

Operating Notes: Contesting, DXing Africa, ICQPodcast

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Yesterday, I headed down to WA2HOM, our club station at the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum to meet a gentleman from Toledo, OH who’s thinking about approaching a museum down there. While I was waiting for him, I fired up the rig and made a few contacts in the ARRL DX Contest.

I first pointed the beam south and tuned to 10m. The band was open enough to work a bunch of stations in the Caribbean and the northern rim of South America. I then QSYed to 15m and pointed the beam at Europe. After working a couple of stations, my man showed up, and we had a nice conversation about the ins and outs of a museum station.

Later in the evening at home, not wanting to get into the fray, I tuned to 7.115 MHz, the slow-speed portion of the band. For whatever reason, contesters seem to leave the subband 7.100 MHz – 7.125 MHz open, which makes it a good spot to look for contacts if you don’t want to get into a contest.

Yesterday evening, I connected with Tom, WD0HBR. When I joked that he mustn’t be a contester, he replied, “No, I’m not. It’s too much like work.”

DXing Africa

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been fortunate enough to work the 7P8C and the 3XY1T DXpeditions, both on the 30m bands. The good news is that, for whatever reason, I seem to be able to put a decent signal into Africa. The bad news is that there aren’t that many hams in Africa!

I worked 7P8C on February 10, 2016. Fortunately, I caught them when the pileup wasn’t too big, and it only took me about ten minutes to work them.

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Working 3XY1T on Friday night was another story. While not huge, the pileup for 3XY1T was considerably larger than the 7P8C pileup. I got down to the shack just after 9pm (0200Z), and when I heard 3XY1T, I jumped in.

Normally, I lose interest in working a pileup after about ten or fifteen minutes, but for some reason, I decided to stick with this one. I called for a little more than an hour with no success, when I decided to give up. I tuned up the band a bit and called CQ a few times, but when I got no replies to my CQ, I decided to give the pileup another try. I had much better success, working them on the fourth call!

When the 7P8C and 3XY1T logs get entered into Logbook of the World, I’ll have 149 total DXCC entities, 148 on CW, and 108 on 30m.

ICQPodcast

I’ve joined the roster of commentators on the ICQPodcast, becoming, I think, their first U.S. commentator. My first episode, #205, is now online for your listening enjoyment. The topics we discuss include:

  • Google’s tests on the 71 – 76 GHZ and 81 – 86 GHz bands
  • ARRL partnering with RFinder to provide more up-to-date repeater info
  • U.K. version of the ICOM comic, Alex Discovers Amateur Radio

Usenet? Really?

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All of the Usenet newsgroups fit into one of these top-level hierarchies.
All of the Usenet newsgroups fit into one of these top-level hierarchies.

Back in the day (1980, to be exact), before we even had the Internet, there was Usenet. Users read and posted to various “newsgroups,” and the discussions were passed around using the UUCP protocol. It really was pretty cool if you had access to a computer that was able to get a “news feed.”

Oddly enough, Usenet is still with us. I’m not exactly sure why, seeing as how we now have much better ways of discussing amateur radio, including web-based forums, such as Reddit. Heck, I even think eHam.Net forums might be preferable to participating the amateur radio newsgroups.

A lot of the newsgroups now exist as Google Groups. This has expanded access to the groups, but even so, I don’t think that there is a lot of participation.

One of the problems with newsgroups is that they tended to turn into “flame wars.” Another was that the spammers would get hold of them and flood a newsgroup with spam. To combat that, many newsgroups became moderated newsgroups. In a moderated newsgroup, only posts that a moderator approved would appear on the newsgroup.

The reason I bring all this up is that I was asked a couple of months ago if I would allow my blog posts to appear on the newsgroup rec.radio.amateur. I gave my permission, and it’s been appearing there ever since.

Recently, the same fellow asked if I would post about the formation of uk.radio.amateur.moderated, a moderated newsgroup for hams in the U.K. Before the group can actually go live, there has to be some discussion about the purpose of the new group and why it should be formed. You can read the request for discussion (RFD) here.

Frankly, I’m already overloaded. I should be cutting down on what I already subscribe to, so I won’t be joining this group. If you’re in the U.K., though, you might find the group interesting and useful.