Well, it seems like I've run into a bit of bad luck. My home computer booted up yesterday morning showing the infamous "blue screen." Not good now when I'm trying to get my blog going continuously and my website better with adding more content to it. Hopefully Sunday afternoon I will be able to get the computer going again with a little help from my friend Rob, KD5FJF. He has the necessary software to make things right. Until Sunday at least I can't access anything.
Eventually I will either get the current computer upgraded (necessary) or buy a new computer (possible). What I will likely do is do both. The current computer, once I get everything done to it that it needs, will be the ham computer most likely. The other computer will be my everyday computer for which everything else will go on it. But I haven't ruled out the possibility that I could get special add-ons for the current one by maybe adding an external hard drive (160 GB at least) and an external DVD/CD +/- rewriteable drive. I will also eventually purchase the West Mountain Radio RigBlaster Pro for it and buy some computer stereo speakers for it also. Trust me, on this cabinet I have about 6 or 7 USB ports built in, and I have a total of 7 slots for adding whatever cards I want! So the sky is truly the limit with the original computer, and I really can't fathom getting rid of it for any reason. It needs to have extra memory added and the OS upgraded to Windows XP, which I will do for sure. Between now and December I should know what I will eventually do for sure, and it should be some kind of combination of all I've mentioned in this paragraph.
Meanwhile, I have ordered the DC cord for my Yaesu FT-8800R from AES and am having it shipped by USPS Priority Express. My guess is that it will arrive either Saturday or Monday, and then I get to begin my personal croosband repeater experiments! I'm ready to play, and as I have said before I am ready to experiment and do things that not many other people (if anyone at all) are doing around in my neck of the woods.
I also realize that I haven't been on 2m simplex lately, for I've had a lot to do this week. Starting this evening after work I plan to be back on 146.520 and I will likely keep it there. I have been on the local repeaters only to talk with my best friend Randy, KA5IIA, of Magnolia as he drives back and forth between there and Temple. His area got hit hard by Hurricane Ike, but he's told me that it was miuch worse in the Houston/Galveston area. After seeing a lot of video and a lot of pictures I have to agree with him.
The Texas QSO Party is the weekend of Sept 27-28. I hope to be on the air for that event, if anything to see how my portable setup does. Possible plans for that weekend include throwing a wire antenna out the south window of the apartment and use it as a sloper and see what it does. Anything I can do to add to my score with the limited setup will help. I should be in the category of TX Single Op Phone, but I won't rule out a Mixed entry since I may use some CW also.
Finally, I will be on vacation next week. I have not had any time off for serious R&R in a long time (over a year) and I plan to enjoy myself. Most likely I will be playing with the ham and scanner gear, and maybe a little philately as well. So I may not be on the blog quite as much as I have lately, and that will depend on when I get my immediate computer problems solved. I'll be around on the air however, so you can catch me there on HF or on simplex around here locally in Central Texas.
Stay tuned...
WR1TX
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Weak-Signal Work from an Apartment? Maybe...
My computer did the dreaded "blue screen" thing this morning. Now I'm really chapped, and I'm about to start my vacation too! I have to find something else to do besides sleep in and play online a fair amount of the day. With my resources limited at this point I'll have to try to figure something out, i.e. use someone else's computer for a while. I have things to check that I can't check from home or work since a lot of this stuff is blocked at either place...grrrrrrrrrr...
Anyway, here's another part of my ham radio revival that I'm looking at here: weak-signal work from my apartment. Think I'm crazy? I'm not, really. I'm simply looking to see what I can do and what I can't do. With a small Yagi or quad antenna for either 2 meters or 70 cm I might be able to do a little something, but 2m is more likely. I'm looking into it anyway.
In the short-term, I'm about to order my replacement DC power cord for my Yaesu FT-8800R. Once I get that taken care of then I can begin the process of working toward the start of my crossband repeat experiment and have a little bit of fun! It's only the beginning, and I am now looking toward bigger and better things down the line in Amateur Radio...especially after some conversation with a good friend of mine that has yielded some opportunites that I may likely go for! More to come when that is all ready...
Stay tuned...
WR1TX
Anyway, here's another part of my ham radio revival that I'm looking at here: weak-signal work from my apartment. Think I'm crazy? I'm not, really. I'm simply looking to see what I can do and what I can't do. With a small Yagi or quad antenna for either 2 meters or 70 cm I might be able to do a little something, but 2m is more likely. I'm looking into it anyway.
In the short-term, I'm about to order my replacement DC power cord for my Yaesu FT-8800R. Once I get that taken care of then I can begin the process of working toward the start of my crossband repeat experiment and have a little bit of fun! It's only the beginning, and I am now looking toward bigger and better things down the line in Amateur Radio...especially after some conversation with a good friend of mine that has yielded some opportunites that I may likely go for! More to come when that is all ready...
Stay tuned...
WR1TX
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Crossband Repeater Operation, Anyone?
Well, I am now in the process of planning for a little ham radio activity. A big "to-do" on my list is get a new DC power cord for my Yaesu FT-8800R, and then the fun for me begins. You see, I am and have been a supporter of crossband repeater operation from home or in any portable situation. It has its uses, especially in an emergency situation, and I intend to experiment with this.
The plan is to get the FT-8800R set up to run crossband repeat much of the time, over 50%. For a local repeater or a repeater that covers a wide swath I plan to use lower power, likely in the 5 to 10 watt range. For more distant repeaters I will likely go to higher power. Then, I will move around my neighborhood with my Icom T90A HT and see how far I can move from my apartment without losing the coverage I'm trying to get. I'm sure I'll have dead spots here and there but this is an experiment that I think is worth the effort. 2 meters and 70cm will be the bands of choice obviously, and I plan to utilize both bands often. 70cm will be the input simplex band most of the time but I do intend to use 2 meters in the same capacity on occasion. I may even crossband repeat between 2 simplex frequencies. There are a lot of possibilities here and I intend to explore them.
I have more ideas coming, including weak-signal VHF/UHF (6 meters, 2 meters, and 70cm) work from my apartment. I just need to do the research on this idea. Ham radio is definitely a hobby where you can explore and learn what you can do and what you can't, and now I have a chance to do exactly that!
More to come...
WR1TX
The plan is to get the FT-8800R set up to run crossband repeat much of the time, over 50%. For a local repeater or a repeater that covers a wide swath I plan to use lower power, likely in the 5 to 10 watt range. For more distant repeaters I will likely go to higher power. Then, I will move around my neighborhood with my Icom T90A HT and see how far I can move from my apartment without losing the coverage I'm trying to get. I'm sure I'll have dead spots here and there but this is an experiment that I think is worth the effort. 2 meters and 70cm will be the bands of choice obviously, and I plan to utilize both bands often. 70cm will be the input simplex band most of the time but I do intend to use 2 meters in the same capacity on occasion. I may even crossband repeat between 2 simplex frequencies. There are a lot of possibilities here and I intend to explore them.
I have more ideas coming, including weak-signal VHF/UHF (6 meters, 2 meters, and 70cm) work from my apartment. I just need to do the research on this idea. Ham radio is definitely a hobby where you can explore and learn what you can do and what you can't, and now I have a chance to do exactly that!
More to come...
WR1TX
Friday, September 12, 2008
Pray For Galveston
If you're paying attention to what is happening on the Texas Gulf Coast you know what is about to happen. Hurricane Ike is about to make landfall near Galveston late tonight or early Saturday morning.
Say a special prayer for Galveston as the city may very likely be inundated tonight and tomorrow. The area needs it.
WR1TX
Say a special prayer for Galveston as the city may very likely be inundated tonight and tomorrow. The area needs it.
WR1TX
Watching For Ike...and Finally Getting on the Air on HF??
Well, now we're watching and waiting for Ike as he continues to move toward Galveston and Houston. If you haven't secured anything of importance along the upper Texas Gulf Coast by now you had better hurry, for the storm arrives overnight tonight. Even here in Bell County, people are at the ready just in case. We were forecast to get hit hard here, but things changed at the last minute and we will now be spared the worst; that will now happen in East Texas, but due to the mammoth size of the hurricane we will definitely get some serious wind and rain. We shall see what happens within the next 24 hours.
****************************************************************
In the meantime, it looks like I'm not going anywhere and I will be at home at my apartment this weekend. Beginning with later this afternoon, I will finally begin work to get my ham station set up the way I want it, and that will even include getting my portable HF antenna configured and facing north when I use it and my VHF/UHF antenna moved to the north end of the apartment, along with possibly constructing a wire antenna that I will most likely drape out the window facing south and thrown on the roof that is just below the window and goes out about 30 feet. This wire antenna will be set up in a sloper configuration I believe. I will definitely have my low-pass filter in line, probably between my Yaesu FT-857D and my MFJ-949E antenna tuner which has two SO239 antenna connections. I may eventually set up a twin-lead antenna as well, but I have only begun looking at that idea.
I know I've said this a million times, but it now looks like I will finally be able to get things going concerning Amateur Radio from the apartment. In the future, once I get a replacement DC cord for my Yaesu FT-8800R I plan to begin experimenting with crossband-repeat functions. (I finally got the radio out of the truck my eventual ex-wife has now and will soon give back to the dealership; I had to give up the antenna mount and the DC cord I had in there, just didn't have the time to get those out for it would have taken a lot of trouble to do the job right.)
I want to see how well such an idea of crossband repeating will work around my apartment complex and a little further out, and I may finally get to find out how well this will work. Carrying my Icom T90A HT with me, I can talk back into my FT8800R via simplex and then out to whatever repeater I have set up using crossband repeat functions. It's going to be fun, and I can't wait to see how it all works out. Don't be surprised to hear me on the air and say that I am operating using this type of operating; I do plan to try this often!
Stay tuned, and stay safe this weekend!
WR1TX
****************************************************************
In the meantime, it looks like I'm not going anywhere and I will be at home at my apartment this weekend. Beginning with later this afternoon, I will finally begin work to get my ham station set up the way I want it, and that will even include getting my portable HF antenna configured and facing north when I use it and my VHF/UHF antenna moved to the north end of the apartment, along with possibly constructing a wire antenna that I will most likely drape out the window facing south and thrown on the roof that is just below the window and goes out about 30 feet. This wire antenna will be set up in a sloper configuration I believe. I will definitely have my low-pass filter in line, probably between my Yaesu FT-857D and my MFJ-949E antenna tuner which has two SO239 antenna connections. I may eventually set up a twin-lead antenna as well, but I have only begun looking at that idea.
I know I've said this a million times, but it now looks like I will finally be able to get things going concerning Amateur Radio from the apartment. In the future, once I get a replacement DC cord for my Yaesu FT-8800R I plan to begin experimenting with crossband-repeat functions. (I finally got the radio out of the truck my eventual ex-wife has now and will soon give back to the dealership; I had to give up the antenna mount and the DC cord I had in there, just didn't have the time to get those out for it would have taken a lot of trouble to do the job right.)
I want to see how well such an idea of crossband repeating will work around my apartment complex and a little further out, and I may finally get to find out how well this will work. Carrying my Icom T90A HT with me, I can talk back into my FT8800R via simplex and then out to whatever repeater I have set up using crossband repeat functions. It's going to be fun, and I can't wait to see how it all works out. Don't be surprised to hear me on the air and say that I am operating using this type of operating; I do plan to try this often!
Stay tuned, and stay safe this weekend!
WR1TX
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Remembering 9/11
A bit off topic, but considering what today is I feel compelled to comment:
The 7th anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks is here. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing that morning? I for one certainly do...sitting in a barber shop getting a haircut in Florence, TX when the announcement was made concerning what had happened. It made my blood run cold hearing the news, then it got me really angry.
Right after the announcement, I got a call from Bell County Emergency Management requesting that I bring some ham radio gear to their offices and monitor the situation to see if we could be of assistance. It wasn't necessary for us to offer our help after listening to the various nets in operation, since everything was getting covered in pretty short order. Right after I got the call from BCEM, my wife called me from her job in Austin; she was petrified and needed to talk to me and find out what was up. I told her about the BCEM phone call and we realized that a whole new world had dawned. No one was safe anymore. We were scared, but we would move forward and we did.
The next day after the event, I was playing around on HF a bit calling CQ...and I began to get calls from all over Europe, South America and the Carribbean. Every single station I talked to asked if I was OK and if my family was OK, and each ham I talked to said that he would stand with us and that we had support from the Amateur Radio community. I truly appreciated the kind words and encouragement from everyone in the DX world I talked to that day, and I told everyone that the US would fight back and find who was responsible for what happened. I made sure to thank each person I talked to for their support and caring. Ham radio is a special fraternity; we MUST make sure to keep it that way for future hams!
Today's political environment has caused a lot of us in the USA to forget somewhat what happened that fateful day in 2001. But I haven't forgotten, and neither should you. Our government should be mindful of that day and continue the efforts to find those responsible for what happened on 9/11/2001. We should support our troops that are in far-flung lands finding those who are involved in terrorism and other illegal activities and bringing them to justice. It doesn't matter what political party you belong to, and it doesn't matter who you support for public office at all levels. We must stand up for our country and defend it to the very end if we must. Those airline passengers on Flight 93 did; why in the hell can't we??
We as ham radio operators have a unique opportunity that others do not have. We can monitor communications all over the country and the world as conditions permit. We should provide a special public service to our country and listen into what may be going on. If we hear something that concerns us, we need to report it. You never know: you may foil the next terrorist plot! I'm not asking for us to become heroes; I'm asking that we use our skills and capabilities to serve our country...I don't think that's politically incorrect to say that, nor do I think that I am out of line offering my assistance regardless of political thinking or affiliation.
We have a lot to be thankful for here in the USA; we need to give back, in my view. Stand up and ask what you can do to help.
Stay tuned...
WR1TX
The 7th anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks is here. Do you remember where you were and what you were doing that morning? I for one certainly do...sitting in a barber shop getting a haircut in Florence, TX when the announcement was made concerning what had happened. It made my blood run cold hearing the news, then it got me really angry.
Right after the announcement, I got a call from Bell County Emergency Management requesting that I bring some ham radio gear to their offices and monitor the situation to see if we could be of assistance. It wasn't necessary for us to offer our help after listening to the various nets in operation, since everything was getting covered in pretty short order. Right after I got the call from BCEM, my wife called me from her job in Austin; she was petrified and needed to talk to me and find out what was up. I told her about the BCEM phone call and we realized that a whole new world had dawned. No one was safe anymore. We were scared, but we would move forward and we did.
The next day after the event, I was playing around on HF a bit calling CQ...and I began to get calls from all over Europe, South America and the Carribbean. Every single station I talked to asked if I was OK and if my family was OK, and each ham I talked to said that he would stand with us and that we had support from the Amateur Radio community. I truly appreciated the kind words and encouragement from everyone in the DX world I talked to that day, and I told everyone that the US would fight back and find who was responsible for what happened. I made sure to thank each person I talked to for their support and caring. Ham radio is a special fraternity; we MUST make sure to keep it that way for future hams!
Today's political environment has caused a lot of us in the USA to forget somewhat what happened that fateful day in 2001. But I haven't forgotten, and neither should you. Our government should be mindful of that day and continue the efforts to find those responsible for what happened on 9/11/2001. We should support our troops that are in far-flung lands finding those who are involved in terrorism and other illegal activities and bringing them to justice. It doesn't matter what political party you belong to, and it doesn't matter who you support for public office at all levels. We must stand up for our country and defend it to the very end if we must. Those airline passengers on Flight 93 did; why in the hell can't we??
We as ham radio operators have a unique opportunity that others do not have. We can monitor communications all over the country and the world as conditions permit. We should provide a special public service to our country and listen into what may be going on. If we hear something that concerns us, we need to report it. You never know: you may foil the next terrorist plot! I'm not asking for us to become heroes; I'm asking that we use our skills and capabilities to serve our country...I don't think that's politically incorrect to say that, nor do I think that I am out of line offering my assistance regardless of political thinking or affiliation.
We have a lot to be thankful for here in the USA; we need to give back, in my view. Stand up and ask what you can do to help.
Stay tuned...
WR1TX
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Monitoring the Airwaves During Ike
This weekend will sure be interesting, thanks to Hurricane Ike coming ashore along the Texas Gulf Coast this weekend and moving into Central Texas. For us radio enthusiasts, there will be plenty to listen to and I plan to try to listen to it all. From HF to the local public service frequencies there will be a lot to take in! I'm also prepared to activate my ham station if needed; I just need to ensure within the next day or so that everything is in working order, and I know that it is to be totally honest with you. For us here the biggest threats would be heavy rain/flooding and strong winds, with an isolated tornado not out of the question.
Now if you have interests along the Gulf Coast, you had better insure that all is secure down there for it will not stay in one place if Ike comes ashore as a Category 2 or more. It's very possible he could come ashore as a Cat 4, but the current projections show Ike as a Cat 3 at this time. Nevertheless, get everything tied down and boarded up and get the hell out of there.
Stay tuned for more...
WR1TX
Now if you have interests along the Gulf Coast, you had better insure that all is secure down there for it will not stay in one place if Ike comes ashore as a Category 2 or more. It's very possible he could come ashore as a Cat 4, but the current projections show Ike as a Cat 3 at this time. Nevertheless, get everything tied down and boarded up and get the hell out of there.
Stay tuned for more...
WR1TX
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