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
Friday, September 12, 2008
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.
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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
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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
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Watching Hurricane Ike
Well, the moment of truth may arrive by the weekend. Hurricane Ike is moving through Cuba and will soon head for the Gulf of Mexico, forecast to reach the Texas coast by Saturday and come up through Central Texas. Like many others, I am very concerned that this storm will be a really bad boy, likely Category 3 or more when he arrives. If you have interests along the Texas Gulf Coast, make sure that everything there is safe and secure; don't leave anything to chance.
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I've been moving things around my apartment lately, sprucing things up and getting a little bit better organized. I've had time to do this recently and I finally got things done. The next thing on my list is to try to add an accessory or two for the ham shack, and I'm going to do this piece by piece and these will be small pieces. I finally got my FT-8800R secure, and I plan to eventually use that for some crossband experimenting from the apartment. I don't know how this will work but I plan to find out...once I get my replacement DC power cord for the FT-8800R. I still have to order it, so it will be a few weeks before I can begin to play with the radio a bit and see what I can do from home. I've wanted to experiment with things for a while, things in ham radio that others just don't do and I am ready for the challenge!
Until next blog...
WR1TX
****************************************************************
I've been moving things around my apartment lately, sprucing things up and getting a little bit better organized. I've had time to do this recently and I finally got things done. The next thing on my list is to try to add an accessory or two for the ham shack, and I'm going to do this piece by piece and these will be small pieces. I finally got my FT-8800R secure, and I plan to eventually use that for some crossband experimenting from the apartment. I don't know how this will work but I plan to find out...once I get my replacement DC power cord for the FT-8800R. I still have to order it, so it will be a few weeks before I can begin to play with the radio a bit and see what I can do from home. I've wanted to experiment with things for a while, things in ham radio that others just don't do and I am ready for the challenge!
Until next blog...
WR1TX
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