KC3JXQ 📻 @KC3JXQ@mastodon.radio

Finished getting my uBitx kit together. I have to say, getting the universal case added a significant % to the cost of the total kit, but it was totally worth it. Not having to fiddle with enclosures is something I'm happy to pay for at this point.

And hey, it works! Hoping to get into the field this weekend and make a few contacts.

Oh yeah. Just put the Amateur Radio vanity plate on my vehicle.

Looking good.

I've got a Win10 netbook. It's small, light, has a touch interface and is grossly underpowered. I can do FT8 and logging and FLDIGI and other useful stuff, but it's painful.

Is there a lightweight Win10 laptop that is fairly decent in terms of cost? I'd prefer new.

Any Ham Thoughts(tm) out there?

Anybody out there using WSJT-X on a Mac, please note that the Catalina update breaks WSJT-X. Looks from the dev list like it's a known issue, but I installed first and looked later.

Don't be like me.

My uBitx arrives tomorrow. I'm excited, but not sure when I'll have time to start. Like everything else hobby related, when the school year kicks in, everything not on the calendar takes a backseat.

Maybe I need to put hobby time on the calendar? Smells like a cheap life hack to me..

OK. Let's get serious.

uBitx in a Harbor Freight waterproof case with a Raspberry Pi and 7" touchscreen also built into he same box.

FT4/FT8 in a lunchbox is what I'm thinking.

Getting that project list fired up for when the kids get back to school.

#HamGoals

Just finished my battery box project. Complete with USB, PowerPoles, volt meter, and a kill switch.

Only ALMOST burned something down with a bad component.

Pretty sweet, all in all.

Still kind of frustrated that keyboard shortcuts don't work AT ALL on WSJT-X on the Mac. Updated to the latest and everything. Added friction like that gets in the way sometimes.

Maybe next rev?

Not going to get into the field today. But I’ll be on the air and trying to make contacts. Maybe today is the day I get Hawaii.

OK. I give!

WinLink has beaten me. I thought I understood it. But I just don't know what my expectations should be. Am I sending a message to a repeater that will push it to the internet? Or is it only for local traffic?

These are the kinds of things that I can't seem to find docs to cover. And the actual WinLink site doesn't really get into the details I'd like to see. There are assumptions everywhere.

I've written a lot of documentation, so this kinda gets my goat, ya know?

/end rant

Started messing around with APRS on my TH-D64A this weekend. Well, now people can see where I am as I motor around in the Jeep. Haven't found anyone to talk to just yet. Still learning.

Switched it up today. I'm running WSJT-X on my Mac now. The new logging software was easy enough to set up. Mostly, I'm eliminating a third computer for my desk.

More radio!

Ya know what? The weekly net on 2m is still a lot of fun.

Does everyone have at least a weekly net they join?

I've been doing a lot of FT8 over the last year. Is it just me or has it dropped off significantly of late? Is propagation really that bad at this point? I know I rarely hear anyone on SSB in my home QTH, but did everything go down the drain?

FT8 was dead today on 20m and 40m. Dead like I've not seen in a while. And yet, I got several Texas contacts. Just one of those days.

Here’s a link to my hometown club’s newsletter.

http://www.portcars.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/PCARS-MARCH-19.pdf

PCARS is a great club. Proud to be a long distance member!

Just spent an hour with CQ and QST magazines in print. It's nice to be offline now and again. Some good articles and plenty of simple radio nerd fun.

Why does everything lead to the Raspberry Pi or Arduino and then DIRECTLY to 3D printers? It's a conspiracy.

Echolink is really pretty cool. I get to check in with the club "back home" every week. It's nice.

Anybody out there with an IC-7100 running RTTY? I'm trying to setup MMTTY and internet searches are failing me.

Well, that and my lack of time to try out 1,000 different combinations of settings to figure out which one works.

In the meantime, back to FT8 and trying to get JS8Call to work.