Wednesday, July 22, 2020

On-Call

Being on-call has been part of the job for as long as I can remember... first carrying pagers then alpha-numeric pagers then Nextels then Blackberries. However, I'm not sure I would have any interest in a recent job posting that included this:

"Be available as needed to rectify IT emergencies. Must answer all forms of communication immediately."

Friday, July 17, 2020

Intellectual Discourse - Ham Radio Reddit

First - Baofeng Bucks:
"Chinese communist party takes your Baofeng bucks and puts them right in the 'turn America into one big concentration camp' fund. They don't want you dead, they want your whole life. Call me crazy, see what happens.

EDIT: Changed 'Baofeng dollars' to 'Baofeng bucks' because it's funnier."

"Japanese anime porn artists take your Yaesu Yen and put them right into the "get Americans addicted to tentacle hentai" fund. They don't want you dead, they want your whole life. Call me crazy, see what happens."

The Screwtape Letters

C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters is on sale for $1.99 as a Kindle ebook. It's an easy, but thought provoking read. 

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

International Space Station

We watched the ISS go overhead last night. I was surprised by how bright it was.

You can track it here and find times when you might be able to see it.

"The crew can operate the 2-meter packet radio in unattended mode, and hams can make contacts with the ISS station when the crew members are working. Hams can also communicate with each other using the ISS packet (computer) radio mode, or receive slow scan television mode images. It all depends on what equipment is in service in space. 
A typical ground station for contacting the ISS station includes a 2-meter FM transceiver and 25-100 watts of output power. A circularly polarized crossed-Yagi antenna capable of being pointed in both azimuth (North-South-East-West) and elevation (degrees above the horizon) is desirable. But successful contacts have even been made with vertical and ground plane antennas."

Knoxville Utility Board Considers Offering Broadband

Chattanooga's EPB has done a great job with providing municipal broadband. I'd love for KUB to follow suit.

They own all the poles and I'm sure there are lots of SmartGrid advantages, too.

Monday, July 13, 2020

Eclectic Tech Podcost

I'm gonna give the ARRL's Eclectic Tech Podcast a try. The episodes aren't very long and it comes out biweekly.

Ham Radio is Dead, Long Live Ham Radio

From the "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters" set, a discussion on the future of ham radio.

Since I've been working form home, I've been at the desk with my radios. I've not been spinning the dials on any HF bands, but scanning the local repeaters on 2m has turned up very little rag chewing. I thought folks might be talking more if they are stuck at home.

Saturday, July 11, 2020

On-Line Streaming Costs

LOL


Friday, July 10, 2020

ABP - Always Be Performing

I've heard people suggest C-SPAN, cable news, and the internet have lead to too much transparency. Compromises don't happen because politicians are always performing for their base. If they don't maintain their extreme positions, the mob attacks. That's how you get this...


via Gfycat