Author Archives: Bob Beatty

Nice day with Scouts working satellites during JOTA

Posted on October 20, 2018 by Bob Beatty

Today was the sixth JOTA (Jamboree On The Air) that I’ve had the privilege of working at, along with other Newport County Radio Club members.  While the weather was dicy yesterday (poor scouts trying to sleep during some rather strong … Continue reading →

Posted in AMSAT, AO-7, AO-91, AO-92, CAS-4B, IOTA, Satellite, SO-50 | 4 Comments

License Renewed

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Bob Beatty

I guess I am good for another decade.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it VERY easy to renew online in the FCC ULS system.  Even more surprised that I could find my password, which I haven’t used in about … Continue reading →

Posted in From the OM, History | Leave a comment

WB4SON.com now Secure

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Bob Beatty

I have completed the migration of WB4SON.com to a secured https:// system on HostGator.  So far working VERY well, and about 1/8 the cost of GoDaddy

Posted in From the OM | Leave a comment

Tried WSJT-X in Hound Mode for the first time

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Bob Beatty

Today I heard SO1WS in Western Sahara on 17-meters.  I noticed a very raspy FT-8 signal, and after checking the time offset, it turned out to be So1WS — however upon further review it was apparent that they were running … Continue reading →

Posted in From the OM, FT8 | Leave a comment

Six Meters IS the Magic Band

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Bob Beatty

If one were to take a look at the WSJT-X screen cap below, perhaps it wouldn’t seem too unusual.  Operating 6 meters, a few signals on.  It shows I was calling CQ around 141715 UTC, and was answered by N7BD.  … Continue reading →

Posted in 6-Meters | 3 Comments

Someone Trying To Tell Me Something?

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Bob Beatty

My Inverted L antenna begins its journey skyward at the base of an old oak tree.  A 600 watt remote tuner is installed there, along with multiple radials into the woods and yard.  The “L” wire comes down from a … Continue reading →

Posted in Antennas, Computers, Operating | Leave a comment

Musings on PC Clock Accuracy

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Bob Beatty

As a digital mode and satellite operator, accurate time is essential.  The internet is a wonderful step forward in that Network Time Protocol (NTP) services give the potential for every PC to be accurate to within milliseconds.  Windows recognizes this … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, NTP, Time | 1 Comment

Shack PC Up and Running

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Bob Beatty

After the fire last Sunday, I did some testing, and found a good hunk of my 10-year old PC was gone.  The cost to repair was going to be significant, and I’d be left with the guts of an old … Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, LotW, WSJT-X | Leave a comment