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Messages - BlinkyBill

#1
Someone did once tell me I was a plant on these forums by the government to monitor you actions.  But he left, and I don't engage as much as I used to on social media, because like you said, there's something about AR and online discussions. 

This forum continues to be a breath of fresh air though.
#2
Morse Code / Re: My CW journey
May 14, 2015, 05:12:32 AM
Thanks for checking in KG7OVN.

My progress came to a screeching halt due to some terrible personal circumstances that hit the day after my last post.  Things are back on the level again, so will get back into it. 

Again, thanks for the nudge!

BB
#3
Tactical Corner / Re: JadeHelm 15
March 24, 2015, 04:53:07 PM
Quote from: Jim Boswell on March 24, 2015, 11:12:33 AM
I wonder why Texas was considered a "hostile state"?

It wouldn't make for much of a training exercise if all regions were classed "friendly" now would it?   :D

In Australia our military has/used to have the country broken into several smaller countries, some friendly, some enemy, and some neutral.  It's a natural part of tactical training and exercise.

Heck, every couple of years a large US military contingent lands on our shores as the "enemy".  They practice their offence, we do defence.  Just like football.  It's not really a cover for an invasion, though that doesn't stop the nutters every time saying "this is it, it's for real this time"  :-\
#4
General Discussion / Re: Forum yesterday
March 20, 2015, 11:55:15 PM
I had just made a post, and saw the message.  I was trying to remember for the life of me what it was that I could have written that got my account suspended.   :D

Did a Google search of the error and realised it was the whole forum, not just me.  Phew!
#5
Morse Code / Re: My CW journey
March 18, 2015, 06:05:51 PM
Last night during dinner I was telling the kids about my journey, and they were most excited.  My eldest daughter (15) wanted to see, so after dinner I ran the 5 minute test.  I sprouted off the letters for the first several groups, and then stopped, expecting a "WOW dad, you're amazing", instead she kept going, missing about half bit still rather impressive.  I asked if she remembered them from months ago when we did some during afternoon tea one day.  Her response... "No, but you just told me what the sounds were".  Now she is a very smart girl, but I wasn't expecting that.

Anyway, the letter E was added to the group today.  Found it totally mucked me up, as all the letters to date have some sort of melody to them.  E is just a dit, and breaks the "music", making me loose my concentration.  Had to spend a little longer to get comfortable with that in the group.

I'm finding when I get flustered I can muddle K (daa dit daa) and R (dit daa dit) up despite their different melody.  I assume this will be resolved with practice.

Letters in the test group: K M U R E
5 minute test: 230 chars, 15 errors, 93.5%

An in honour of cockpitbob's SOS comments...
#6
Morse Code / Re: My CW journey
March 17, 2015, 06:13:30 PM
OK, so having completed my second day, I've learned a few things.

1.  Don't try it while the kids are at home.  Doing the 5 minute continuous test with the slightest noise in the background totally distracts me and I need to start again.

2.  Trying really hard to focus on the feel/sound/groove/melody of each letter, rather than the dits and dah's.  Seems to make it easier and faster to recognise.

3.  I am astonished at the level of concentration required for a 5 minute test.  Like hard physical exercise, it leaves me exhausted, yet elated at the end.

4.  I'm doing letters at 20wpm, but with a bigger spacing between letters, otherwise I can't type fast enough.  The Koch method suggests that's fine, as once the letters are intuitive, you can reduce the spacing with little effort.

So, as of today, I have K M U R in the test group. 

Today's 5 minute test of 220 chars, I only got 18 errors.

#7
Morse Code / Re: My CW journey
March 16, 2015, 05:35:50 PM
Yes Bob, I had used http://morsecode.scphillips.com/translator.html, and was playing poems from Kipling in the background.  Pretty hard to code though with CW in the ears :D .  I need to find another time to listen as I don't have a commute.
#8
Morse Code / Re: Intro, CW newbie and Building K-1
March 16, 2015, 05:23:16 PM
Hi Joe,

I was just wondering what your rationale behind getting the K1 is when you have a TS-590s, which by all accounts are great for CW.  Is it more related to portable operation?

Just interested as the 590 is the HF rig I am considering
#9
Morse Code / Re: CW Academy
March 16, 2015, 05:02:40 PM
Hey madball, you've shamed/inspired/convinced me to get serious about my CW too.  Have started my own thread, but will be following your journey with interest.  :)
#10
Morse Code / My CW journey
March 16, 2015, 05:01:17 PM
In response to madball's posts ragarding CW academy, I decided to get serious and create a thread where I could progress my learning.  Accountability is an amazing thing.  So if you don't hear from me for several days, feel free to post here and give me a kick up the backside.

I've been using lcwo.net, but haven't been back in a couple of weeks, so starting today, I'm going to do 15 min's a day, and see how I go.  Weekends may not happen (I try to stay away from the computer), but will see how I go.

I'm starting at 20WPM characters, with bigger spacing between them for an effective 10WPM.

#11
Technical Corner / Re: Sky hooks
March 12, 2015, 05:55:45 PM
Fair question ciphercomms.

When I said high gain, it was relative to a rubber duck antenna.  In this instance it was a 6dB (on UHF) co-linear antenna.

Don't forget that while a beam etc concentrates radiated power in a single direction, an omnidirectional vertical still concentrates radiated power by flattening the lobe, giving greater range.

Here's a graphical explanation.



Hope that clears things up.
#12
Morse Code / Re: CW Academy
March 12, 2015, 04:26:25 PM
Just looked at their website, and thought that could help my CW journey, till I saw this...

"All CW Academy classes for the  September-October 2015  sessions are now filled.
All signups received now will be assigned to the  January-February 2016  sessions."

WOW!  Kudos to them for managing to generate that level of interest.

#13
Technical Corner / Re: Sky hooks
March 11, 2015, 01:12:33 AM
Quote from: gil on March 11, 2015, 01:06:56 AM
Of course you are right.. I just assume the rest of the world is as flat as Florida ::)

To be fair, the rest of Australia *is* probably as flat as Florida :P
#14
Technical Corner / Re: Sky hooks
March 11, 2015, 01:01:45 AM
Quote from: gil on March 10, 2015, 11:48:06 PM
Well, if you didn't have line-of-sight, then you could not hear the repeater :o
Not really.  I've had lots of cases where reflections off of mountains have enabled a path with no line of sight.  Below is a path I regularly TX over with a HT as there are massive cliff faces off to the west of the path, despite the big hill blocking line of sight.



Quote from: gil on March 10, 2015, 11:48:06 PM
That's a pretty long distance for an HT, but I have used my little UV-5R as far.
As I said, I was using a 50W mobile into a high gain vertical on the car.  Not a HT in that instance. :)
#15
Technical Corner / Re: Sky hooks
March 10, 2015, 05:37:05 PM
Thanks for the thoughts Gil,

I was going to show you that you were wrong, and that I definitely didn't have line of sight.  Only my proof showed that I *DID* have line of sight!  :-[

So yes, power or directional antenna would have made a difference in this scenario.  I still like the idea of an repeater HT on a sky hook, and may still pursue playing with the idea.  ;D