Sleep Is For The Weak

On Halloween I ran down to IKEA with a friend.  He was in search of a bookcase, and I was at least passively interested in a new desk.  The one I had was a glass and steel corner desk that I got for around $100 several years ago.  Once I got into the Ham Radio hobby I quickly realized just how much I don’t like glass top desks.  You can’t hang anything from the bottom of them at all.  Which makes cable management a royal pain.  Anyone who’s a ham knows just how many cables I’m talking about.

I picked up a 59″ x 38″ desktop, four legs, and a monitor stand for about $115.  Added a $25 keyboard tray from Fry’s and came up with the picture above.  I think it came out pretty good.  Now I just need to add some cable management bits to the back and underside of the desk.

I’ve got to give these guys credit.  I sent my IC-746pro in for service.  I expected it to be a simple diode replacement to fix the meter problems I was having.  It turns out the Power Amplifier was shot.  The service technician replaced the PA, and also upgraded the radio with all of the Icom factory upgrades, including the display back light.

Total cost.  With shipping only $150.

Thanks Icom!

Over the weekend I acquired a new netbook.  The Acer Aspire One 751h.  It has an 11.6″ screen that does 1366×768 resolution.  The keyboard is a good 95% full size with all the keys in the right places.  The Wifi is an Atheros card so it’s well supported on operating systems not developed in Redmond, WA.  And in general, while not a barn burner, it’s sufficiently fast for how I’ll use it.

It came with Windows XP installed on it.  The very first thing I did was replaced that with a more proper operating system.  Specifically Linux Mint 7.  I’ve been awfully hard on Linux Mint in the past.  Primarily because they use a monolithic start menu product similar to the SLAB in OpenSuse linux, one of the things I hate most about Suse actually.  With the advent of gnome-do I don’t hardly have to use the start menu, so this has become less of an issue.  What Mint does for me is provides the latest Ubuntu release in something other than Poo Brown, with a lot of the “freedom hating” customizations I typically add via the ubuntu-restricted package as a first step.  Generally I could have used Ubuntu, and been quite happy with it on this machine as well, but I wanted a change.

Installing the graphics driver was a bit of a chore.  I had to go to a launchpad site and add their two repos to my sources.  Then add a handful of packages.  When I rebooted I was informed that the driver requires DRM.  A quick Google search later and I found the solution.  Apparently I needed to install Kernel Sources, which the previous instructions appeared to have left out.  Took care of that from the console, restarted and I’ve got XOrg in all it’s 1366×768 glory.  I made a couple of tweaks to the /etc/X11/xorg.conf for stability, restarted one final time, and now the system is stable too.

I plan on using this netbook for a couple of different tasks.  First I intend to use it as my primary Ham Radio computer for FLDIGI and Logging.  Neither of those tasks requires a real high horsepower machine, and this one will do the trick quite nicely.  Second I have an HF station in the car, with a second digital interface.  It might be fun to do a little PSK-31 Mobile on trips while Pami is driving, or while waiting in a parking lot.  It’ll also be nice to have my station log book in an easy to tote around format.  The Netbook is small enough I anticipate taking it with me most places, which means if I make any voice contacts while in the car I should have easy access to my logs there as well.  Finally I am on call about one out of every three weeks.  Work issues us a Dell Vostro A90 (think Mini-9 in all black) along with a Sprint MiFi.  This is a great combination for quick and dirty tasks, but the keyboard is small enough that any amount of real work becomes pretty frustrating quickly.  The larger keyboard on the AA1 is actually a joy to type on.  I’ve typed this entire post using it and don’t feel like an EMACS user yet.

All in all I have high hopes for this little machine.  As I get a few more miles on it I’ll check back and let you know how the extended road test is going.  73!

Dear Congressman:

As a voter in your district and as one of the nearly 700,000 licensees across the nation, I ask for your support of H.R. 2160, the “Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Enhancement Act of 2009.”

H.R. 2160 instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security to undertake a study, and report its findings to Congress within 180 days, on the uses and capabilities of Amateur Radio communications in emergencies and disaster relief. This study should:

• Include recommendations for enhancements in the voluntary deployment of Amateur Radio licensees in disaster and emergency communications and disaster relief efforts;

• Include recommendations for improved integration of Amateur Radio operators in planning and in furtherance of the Department of Homeland Security initiatives;

• Identify unreasonable or unnecessary impediments to enhanced Amateur Radio communications, such as the effects of private land use regulations on residential antenna installations, and make recommendations regarding such impediments;

• Include an evaluation of section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-104, 110 Stat. 56 (1996); and recommend whether section 207 should be modified to prevent unreasonable private land use restrictions that impair the ability of amateurs to conduct, or prepare to conduct, emergency communications.

Amateur Radio operators across the US repeatedly demonstrate our commitment to public service and emergency communications. Through our work with Homeland Security activities, state and local Emergency Management offices, and with numerous private agencies, Amateur Radio operators make a difference. We need your support to help address the challenges facing us as we seek to improve our capabilities to serve.

Please consider becoming a cosponsor for H.R. 2160 and please support the bill as it works its way through committee and the House of Representatives.

Sincerely,

It’s been a long time coming.  In fact the radio has been sitting since Field Day 2008 waiting to be repaired and I’m finally ready to just pay Icom to do it.  You see the ALC Meter, Forward Power Meter, and SWR Meter are not working.  This likely means a single diode is bad.  Unfortunately in a radio the size of a shoebox for a pair of work boots there are a LOT of circuit boards, with almost exclusively surface mount components.  I lack the ability to actually track down the failing part, and the skill to actually replace it.

In any case I’ve heard Icom America has a great service department.  I’m about to find out.  Can’t wait to get my station put back together this fall for some operating over the cold months on PSK-31 again.

I’d just like to toss a link in the direction of a pretty good resource for hams looking to get involved in the world of Linux.  These guys [Linux In the HAM Shack] run a pretty regular podcast you can download via the iTunes Music Store.  It’s not bad actually.  I’m primarily a BSD user personally, but everything they are talking about applies to most modern Unix like operating systems.

Past topics have included: Rig Control, Digital Modes, Logging Software, and all other forms of computer related ham radio topics.  K5TUX, KB5JBV thank you for the resource.  I look forward to future pod casts.

I was asked by a member of http://ingunowners.com to teach a class on Radio Communications.  He is the organizer of a mutual support group that has the primary role of helping each other out during an disaster, natural or otherwise.  When he asked me to put together the class he explained that he sees communications as something that is almost always overlooked by these kinds of groups.  He recognizes we as a society rely far too heavily on our cell phones to communicate.  During and after 9/11 cell phone service was very unreliable in part because of the damaged infrastructure, and secondarily because of the flood of people all trying to use the system pushing towers well beyond capacity.  After Hurricane Katrina I saw a photo that will stick with me for the rest of my life.  It was a concrete slab foundation, with a large pole coming out of the ground an a large bundle of wires.  There was no debris anywhere in close proximity to that foundation.  Before that storm the building that was standing there was a multi story Telephone Company Central Office!  Even reliable POTS phone service doesn’t work so well when the entire CO has been demolished.

In preparation for the class I spent some time thinking about what other forms of radio communications could be used by a family or like minded group of geographically linked individuals.  I came up with Citizens Band Radios (CB), Family Radio Service (FRS), General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS), Business Radios, and Amateur Radio (HAM).

Below is the Keynote presentation I used during the class.

By clicking this link  you can view the presentation in it’s entirety. If you have any questions please use the comment feature.  I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks to: tidewatermuse for the image

Over the weekend my wife and I were at her grandmother’s house.  We were asked to go through some of the boxes in the basement and see if there was anything we wanted before donating it to Goodwill.  One of the things we found is a renewal from the FCC of William Williams’ General Radiotelephone Operator License. This is my wife’s grandfather.  He worked for the phone company setting up microwave towers for long distance links.  This license should have allowed him to work on those Microwave tower links.  It’s also possible this license is due to his being a pilot.  His son mentioned he had a similar license from when he was a pilot.  Either way it’s neat to find a piece of history like this when you least expect it.

He was also a ham.  My call sign “W9ZEB” was originally his.  Hopefully we’ll find an actual Amateur Radio License from her grandfather W9ZEB.  I would love to have a copy of his original FCC Amateur Radio License from 1951.  I would happily frame that and put it next to my current license.

The Yaesu VX-7R is the handheld to end all handhelds.  Where else can you get the 6m band, 2m band, 1.25m band, and 70cm band all in one hand sized package.  Add to that the fact the radio is water resistant up to three feet for an operating time of thirty minutes and you’ve got a serious radio for hiking, backpacking, kayaking, or emergency communications.

The VX-7R has two receivers that operate independantly of one another.  This allowed you to monitor two frequencies at the same time, and toggle between them for transmitting at the touch of either the Main or Sub button.  The Receiver in the VX-7R does not desense as easily as the VX-5R did which is a huge improvement.  It is a wide band receiver, working from 1MHz -> 999MHz but is cellular blocked.

There is a quick toggle to the National Weather Service band, with the standard NOAA weather radio frequencies pre-programmed.  This allows you to hit a key combination, and turn the knob at the top of the radio to tune the closest NOAA weather radio station and then toggle back to your previous two frequencies quickly.  Ther is also a high intensity multi-color LED on the front of the radio.  This displays whether you are transmitting on Main, or Sub, receiving on Main, Sub, or Both.  Which is good if the radio is across the room you can tell which receiver is active at a glance.  Also when the radio is put into “Emergency” mode the LED flashes intense white light.  This acts as a beacon.  Highly useful if you are on the side of the road to alert cars coming at you, or if you find yourself wounded somewhere and have called for help to assist rescue workers in locating you.

All in all I’d say the VX-7R is one of the Ham Radio purchases I have made that has far exceded my expectations.  It not only does a LOT of things, but it does most of them well.

First off….  I’d like to say that operating the FT-817, FT-857, and FT-897 is almost identical across all three platforms.  All three Radios are 160M –> 10M, 6M, 2M, and 70CM all Mode transceivers.

The FT-817 is QRP (5w max output) and contains internal batteries offering portable use in a package about the size of a soft cover book.  Pretty cool stuff.

The FT-857 is a 100w Mobile rig.  It competes directly with the Icom IC-706 Mk.II G.   Because of it’s price new (around $650) this makes a fantastic first radio.  It’s much more advanced technologically than the Icom IC-718 and a little bit less expensive.  I stand by the thought that this radio is something every new ham should own.  As you determine what you like/dislike in terms of operating you can move into a more specialized piece of equipment with some first hand knowledge about the hobby.  Also you didn’t waste that $650 as you can now put your FT-857 in your car and go HF Mobile.

The FT-897 is the model I’m most familiar with as I own one.  This radio operates IDENTICALLY to the FT-857 with the exception of a single rocker switch on the top.  This switch is used to choose which of two optional internal battery packs is being used.  If no internal batteries are installed the switch obviously does nothing.  Like the FT-857 the FT-897 is a 100w all band/mode Hf transceiver.   The exception to this would be while running on battery power.  While powered on the internal batteries the FT-897 has a max power output of 20w making it 4 times more powerful than the much smaller FT-817, but still not as powerful as it would be on external power (a car battery, powersupply, etc.)  The format of the FT-897 is much larger than either of the other two.  It isn’t as large as a full desktop set radio like the FT-950 or Icom IC-746pro  But it’s not nowhere near as small as the mobile radios like the FT-857, IC-706, or IC-7000.  The place the FT-897 excels is camping, and possibly backpacking.  Field day with my FT-897 in 2007 was a blast!  It’s nice to be able to easily carry the radio to a location,  toss your antenna into a tree or hook up a buddipole and you’re ready to call CQ.

I’d have a hard time suggesting the FT-817 to anyone who’s new to the hobby.  5w is awfully crippling, and the cost of the radio isn’t much better than the FT-857.

I’m sure I’ll add more to this in follow up posts.  PLEASE feel free to post questions about any of the above models.  I have access to an FT-817 and an FT-857 at a moments notice.