I am trying out a new twitter ap called DestroyTwitter. There are many to choose from, so as I reloaded my PC I decided to give this one a try. So far it seems to be good, which means compact, not too fancy and easy-to-use.
John C. Dvorak wrote that Twitter is the New CB Radio. I think he is right. My enthusiasm for twitter drops about 1 dB per week.
The VHF/UHF crowd is excited about the new ICOM IC-9100 that was shown recently at a Japanese ham radio show. This is basically an HF + 6 Meters + 2 Meters + 70 cm transceiver set up for satellite and (optional) D-STAR. Kind of does everything.
I am very much in favor of a Cash for Clunkers program for amateur radio gear and computer gear more than 5 years old. It seems like the gubment is handing out money to everyone else (without much logic applied), so why can’t we get a piece of that?
Interesting piece from the ARRL about power line companies and their responsibilities concerning radiated interference. Despite all of the concern about Broadband Over Powerline messing up the ham bands, there are far more incidents of good old power line noise causing trouble for ham radio operators. I have been involved in several of these cases and it is generally a real mess….especially if the utility is incompetent.
AMSAT has rejiggered its Suitsat program to fly without the spacesuit. I always wondered why they needed a spacesuit to make this work anyway. It turns out they don’t. The new suitless name is ARISSat-1.
There has been plenty of bickering on the AMSAT-bb email list as various people have complained about this project or that project AMSAT is pursuing. For some reason Suitsat-2 has become a target for complaints. My philosophy? Anything that involves amateur radio in space that works is OK by me.
I continue to play around with D-STAR now that the repeater is up and running in Monument. I was sitting there last night fiddling with the radio when VK2LOB from Sydney, Australia comes on the frequency looking to demonstrate D-STAR. We had a nice, short chat — what a pleasant surprise!
73, Bob K0NR
Ugh, thats all I can say when I think of dealing with the power companies and their power line noise. Having dealth with the noise, the rfi investigator who couldnt care a less and the FCC, thats all I can say.
I walked the guy right up to the pole and explained and then begged, just tighten the screws on this old wood pole and he never would do it. Finally a new investigator got his job and it was fixed in one day.
Hey, not so fast on the cash-for-boat-anchors. If the Gubmint gets them, they are gonna require the application of high voltage to render them useless. Then what will people use to heat their shacks in the winter? 50kw CB amps?
Just think of the environmental catastrophe caused by letting the smoke out of a million boat anchors!
73 de w4kaz
The noise that you ‘hear’ on AMSAT-BB is now a death rattle. I really don’t expect AMSAT-NA to survive the coming decade. It might maintain some presence, like TAPR, but the days of it being a vibrant technical community are solidly in the rear view mirror.
And that makes me very sad…
73 de Jeff, KE9V
W4KAZ, oops I had not considered that!
I’d hate to destroy the environment by letting all of the smoke out.
KE9V, I hope you are wrong but I fear you are right.
Bob K0NR