Category Archives: From the OM

Pactor Modem Arrives

Posted on December 3, 2015 by robert

I had ordered a P4 Dragon Pactor modem which finally arrived a few days ago.  My intent was to hook it up to my IC-9100 so I can use either Pactor III on HF (P4 is not legal in the … Continue reading →

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K1 Filter Board Completed

Posted on December 2, 2015 by robert

I’d say this is about 1/6 of the work (2/6 for the Front Panel, and 3/6 for the RF board remaining).  It took a total of 255 minutes to complete the installation of 64 component, or about 4 minutes per part … Continue reading →

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K1 Assembly Burp #1

Posted on November 30, 2015 by robert

Things were going swimmingly with the K1 Filter Board assembly, still at a rate of 1 component per 3 minutes (I follow a 7-step process:  check value, check value, install, check value, solder, check value, check solder).  Then I hit a … Continue reading →

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Scratching the Itch…

Posted on November 29, 2015 by robert

Putting together a Doppler antenna switch for fox hunting (Handi-Finder) reminded me how fun making things can be.  It’s been many years since I’ve built a radio kit, and I’ve been itching to feel that “glow” you get when you … Continue reading →

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Knot Good

Posted on October 19, 2015 by robert

Speaking of JOTA… When putting a dipole up in the air (thank you Willy, W1LY), its a good idea to have two spools of cord — one per end.  During Field Day, we killed off one of my 1000 foot … Continue reading →

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Teaching a large Technician Class in Foster RI

Posted on September 17, 2015 by robert

I’ve been teaching Technician classes for about four years now as a way of paying back the ham Elmers who started me on this path 46 years ago.  My usual class size is typically about a dozen, and I’ve been doing … Continue reading →

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Speaking of FUNcube-1: Certificate and QSL Now Available

Posted on July 29, 2015 by robert

AMSAT-UK announced that a ‘Certificate of Achievement’ and/or a amateur radio style ‘QSL’ card for FUNcube-1 are now available online.  Assuming that you’ve entered at least one telemetry report into the data warehouse, then you can print them yourself here: http://amsatuk.me.uk/on/funcube_qsl.php  

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Satellite Uplink Calibration

Posted on June 25, 2015 by robert

I finally had some time to ensure that my SatPC32 program was correctly calibrated to my Icom IC-9100 when using any of the three available linear transponder satellites.  While SatPC32 deals with doppler corrections (assuming the PC Clock is accurately set … Continue reading →

Posted in Contests, From the OM, Satellite | 2 Comments

Momento for W1AW/1 RI Operation

Posted on June 12, 2015 by robert

When I checked the mail today, I was pleasantly surprised to find a small desk plaque commemorating my participation this past year as a W1AW/1 – RI station.  They mounted a centennial and W1AW challenge coin into an engraved case … Continue reading →

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Worked All W1AW Plaque Arrives

Posted on June 11, 2015 by robert

Yesterday a box that was about a cubic foot showed up on my doorstep.  Expecting something heavy I almost tossed it over the roof when I picked it up — it weighed less than 2 pounds.  I didn’t recognize the … Continue reading →

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