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Messages - cockpitbob

#1111
 
Quote from: gil on October 07, 2012, 06:14:49 PM
The problem with these satellites is that you just have enough time to exchange call signs, and what's the use of that...?

Gil.
From a practical standpoint, you are right.  The longest ragchew I ever had was maybe 2 sentenses late at night when the bird wasn't busy.  From an emotional stanpoint, if your are a space junkie it is wicked cool knowing that I'm talking off a repeater several hundred miles up in space, wizzing along at 14,000mph.  And I'm doing it with 5W and aiming the antenna with my hand.
#1112
I'm glad to see more birds flying.  However I do wish they would put some more FM repeater birds.  Several have died in the past few years and I believe there's only 2 left that can be worked with an HT and hand held antenna.  These telemetry sats are cute but won't spark too much activity.
#1113
Quote from: k1oik on October 06, 2012, 07:12:15 AM
I have no interest in being part of a board that the owner thinks he is a God and needs to censor and also needs to require a verification on each  message. This is not a bank. Even QRZ does not have excessive security. Luck did attack me but was not indecent
Thank you for posting my video
His board.  His rules.  There are those of us who like a well moderated board.
BTW, nice video.
#1114
Quote from: fastback65 on September 20, 2012, 09:16:10 AM
The frequency I tune to will depend on the time of day.  After 1800 hours it would be 3.862  during daylight hours it would be 7.970.   For VHF, I would try the local repeaters and then go to 146.540.  The HF frequencies are the frequencies the state EOC operates on and the VHF frequency is a frequency a small group of friends have decided on.  I also have a "Private" frequency that may just be out of the HAM band, that my wife's radio and mine will be tuned to.
There it is in a nutshell!
Use your rigs.  Develop friends around the country and world.  When the SHTF you'll know what frequency to go to.  It will be one you and your friends  have always used.

Remember, when things suddenly get bad, you don't rise to the occasion.  You fall back to your level of trianing and prepardness.

Use your rigs.  You can call it fun, socializing, prepping, contesting or whatever.  A SHTF situation is not the time to be figuring things out.  You want it all to be reflex.
#1115
Nice work!  There are those that ride in the wagon and those that pull it.  You certainly did your share of pulling there!
#1116
Hiking.  Usually with boots and ankle weights.  I love being out in the hills and I'm lucky that there are some 5 minutes away.  After years away from the weights I dug them out of the basement and have start that again.  I'm past 50 so I'm taking it real slow so I don't piss off any joints.
#1117
New To Radio / Re: Go Small, Go Now!
October 04, 2012, 01:16:41 AM
I'm going to get an MFJ-94xx for my 14 year old son.  This little rig gets great reviews, does 10W and will do voice as well as CW while drawing only 0.1A in receive.  The voice operation will hold my boy's attention while he gets better at CW (hes at about 3wpm right now).  My delima is, which band?  He's in the Scouts and will take it camping.  A 20M antenna is much easier to deal with than a 65' long 40M antenna.  But isn't the 40M band is open more than 20? 
For mono-band QRP rigs, what do most people get?
#1118
Quote from: gil on October 03, 2012, 04:57:03 PM
I received my first QSL card today! Didn't ask for it, but it was nice. I don't have one to send back  :-[

Gil.
Keep it in a safe place.  It doesn't seem like much today, but when you are old and grey your 1st QSL card will be pretty special.  And your grandkids will look at it the same way we look at our grandparent's quill pens and ink bottles.
#1119
Quote from: gil on October 03, 2012, 10:54:17 PM
What do you guys think about eQSL?

Gil.
I like it.  You can upload a picture and make your own (e) QSL card that the recipient can print.  It's much more user friendly than LoTW.  The only down side is it doesn't have the prestige or gravitas that the ARRL's LoTW has.  There are people that only do LoTW and there are people that can't stand LoTW's over the top security and will only do eQSL.
I try to be a good member of the Ham community so I do both LoTW and eQSL and for non-international contacts I'll usually mail one of my home printed cards.
#1120
No one really uses email for QSLing.  There are 2 broadly accepted web based QSL services for QSLing.  They are ARRL's Logbook Of The World (LoTW) and eQSL.com.  With either you enter the QSO information and if the other person uses that service and enters the same QSO info then that QSO is confirmed.  You can get all the usual certificates from either:  Worked All States, DXCC, etc.  Neither sends paper cards.  It is all on the web.

The 2 services are aren't linked in any way, so if a contact confirms a QSO in eQSLbut not in LoTW then it is like it never happened to LOTW.
eQSL.com is easy to use but doesn't carry the prestige of the ARRL's LoTW.  On the other hand, LoTW's security and password system is rediculously complex and worse than any bank I've delt with, so there are a lot of people who won't use it just because of that.

If you rack-up a lot of contacts these web based QSL servises are great.  You log your contacts in your logging software (Ham Radio Deluxe, or whatever) and in one upload you can enter a months worth of contacts into LoTW or eQSL.  (you can also hand enter your contacts directly into either service without logging software)
#1121
New To Radio / Re: Antenna's and accessories, oh my!
October 01, 2012, 04:52:50 PM
Instead of the flexable solar panel you might look at some of the thermoelectric options talked about in this thread here on radiopreppers.  One is a cook pot that generates electricty while you boil your coffee water.  The other is a tiny wood stove you can use to heat stuff while it generates electricity. 
#1122
Technical Corner / Re: The Power Pot
October 01, 2012, 11:04:25 AM
I design cooling systems using thermoelectric coolers.  The PowerPot is just using a cooler backwards, and it should work just fine.  My only concern would be the life expectancy of the cooler.  On one side it will have 100degC (boiling water) and the other side will be even hotter.  I don't like to get them hotter than 80degC, but I'm not using the ones design for high temperature work like the PowerPot must have.  I would say it looks OK. Just don't boil it dry.  And don't drop it since most of the thermoelectric coolers are made on a cereamic base that is very brittle.

For the next Field Day I plan on putting one together powered by a candle.  What makes thermoelectric generators work is a temperature difference, so on the cool side I'll have a CPU heatsink with small fan, and I need to make sure the candle is far enough away to not overheat the hot side.  I expect to get at least 5-10W out of it which will be more than enough to keep up with my little MFJ-9420 which draws 0.1A listening and 1.5A transmitting 10W.

ETA:  Someone is making a backpacking size wood stove with a thermoelectric generator in it.
http://biolitestove.com/
#1123
I measured the non-transmitting power on my FT-857D.  It was 0.66A.  It has power saving setups like automatically turning off the display backlight after a pre-programmed time.  I'm not convinced its filters are as good as some other radio's, but the overall balance of compromises is really good.  I really like having the option to dial the Tx power back and operate off a 7AH lead acid battery for a few hours.
#1124
Antennas / Re: What antenna do you use for backpack QRP?
September 17, 2012, 12:16:49 PM
Mitch,
Thanks for the great reply.  One question.  If I read between the lines it sounds like you thing the Buddystick pulls in stations better than the endfeds.  True?
#1125
Antennas / Re: What antenna do you use for backpack QRP?
September 17, 2012, 07:05:10 AM
Nice collection of antennas!  I like the idea of an end fed 1/2wave antenna.  Only one end to get up in the air instead of 2 ends and a middle, plus the feed line will be much shorter.

Thanks,
--Bob