V44KF

We are days to the end of the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season. This was such a busy year for everything else that some of us may have hardly noticed when the bad weather prevailed. No bad weather came at V4 land this year. Our name was not on any storm or hurricane, so we have to be careful and watch out for next year as that could be our time. Ham radio in V4 is alive and well, maybe not doing as well as some of us would wish, but I am an optimist, so for me ham radio is doing well. I have had the distinct pleasure of being around ham radio in V4 for over 40-years and consider myself qualified to make that assessment. Ham activity is high, despite the viewpoint and feelings of some hams. I have seen in some years gone by where only a handful of hams not exceeding 5 of us kept the ham radio fire alight for some years. Hams not privy to our history could feel that the ham radio activity is low, and we are in trouble, but in reality we are floating, but some of us would wish that

I missed another month, but it is not like anything ham radio did not happen, for there is always ham activity at this QTH. Every day 7.195 MHz, the Talk Shop Network, is monitored from sunrise, and most days after 7.30 am, it is 7.188 MHz for the friendly net. I don't think I have ever checked into that net but will do so when the time is appropriate. This is our friendly Caribbean home to ham radio fragmentation in the face of cooperation and unity, but that is a different story for another time. The last month saw many decisions and changes. I did in depth analysis on the rigs which can possibly make it onto my ham radio station's operating table shortly, and after all the agonizing with emails, queries and downloading, I have to conclude that my operating table could be graced with the presence of a commercial [marine] radio with ham radio capability. It is a hard decision to make but one that is logical to me, considering the cost, efficiency and other factors. Ham radio

This must be my ham radio month, and maybe I should really look out for and expect great things to happen, for me. It may sound like I am getting old but surely not selfish. Aging brings a certain level of realization for some people, and maybe it has something to do with conscience and the softening "in the head" and/or brain. As to whether there is any scientific correlation and truth I have no idea. The old people are known for saying things like this, and maybe it is some sort of wisdom that I am not yet privy too, so I leave that right there. I am cleaning up my computer, evaluating and deleting old files in my ham radio folders. Yes, my computer is home to ham radio software, photography software, and other software programs, and I try to keep them in some logical order, just like emails, a different email account for different hobbies and interests, not one email account for everything. From my limited experience it is only in a wok you can cook everything together a

Another month has gone by from the last post and it is not that there is nothing in ham radio to blog about, but I do not wish to say anything about certain aspects of ham radio that some might say has caused them to become reactive. You know how some people are, and can get, when they are looking for an excuse to escape from the scrutiny. I think enough time have gone by and I can talk freely and without favor again, and do not expect to upset anyone. I am not planning to muddy any waters, but some people does watch the crystal clear water and say it look muddy to them. Let us hope that by now they have 'clear eyes' and do not seek to retard, hinder or slow down any forward mobility that exist, as we all try to break free from the depressive grasp that seeks to encourage most of us to  call it quits. If you think you are dead, you are dead. Some of us tolerate and endure a lot of bull crap every day. I have developed a certain immunity to the crap. I just ignore it, irresp

It is hard to believe that I missed a whole month worth of blogging. With 28 days to a month it is almost two months between blogs. Is this a sign that the end of the world is close? I see ads on Facebook pointing to an end time just months away. Now if this for real what should we be doing about ham radio? I guess the uncomplicated response is simply, nothing. Nothing we can do or say will change anything, so I am not complicating my life any further, so nature will just have to run its course and we will see what is left back the day after. Mark you, I did not say who, because, if they are correct, some of us reading this today will not be here ... and that would be something else, but that is not the subject of this blog, so I will leave that alone for my blog at http://v44kf.wordpress.com. I am seriously dropping behind with the experimental antenna, half wave vertical over another half wave vertical. Everything was assembled on the ground but I  was not happy with the stability o

The move began in 2010 before the old year closed. The move is to install and experiment with a half wave vertical over another half wave vertical, a collinear vertical. This is supposed to be almost an impossibility at HF, and more so at 40-meters.  One half wave on 40-meters is about 66-feet, so that length placed over another looks like 132-feet of vertical antenna standing up in the air. Well I have devised a way to simulate this and we will test the performance very soon. I have not found any information on Google about 1/2 wave over 1/2 wave vertical antennas yet, so I am sorta working in the dark, but we have some ideas about the direction that we should take. The biggest challenge here is how to mount and connect the two verticals end to end with an insulator. In the last high winds of the 2010 hurricane season the 31-foot vertical came down in pieces, with guy wires still attached. That vertical was repaired and is up again, making way for the new antenna which is a rebuild

Tempus Fugit. It was only like yesterday I sat down to pencil an update, so we may really be into the last days. Some time ago I read a book by Og Mandino, maybe it was 'the greatest salesman", and I vaguely recall one of the the things that we should seek to do is to "Live each day as if it is our last". Well, I am a senior now so Og don't have to tell me that again, I am not wasting my time, I am on the move 24x7. Of course some days you could feel like s**t, and need a double portion, but I am not taking steroids, Cialis or Viagra, because I find that CLO and PRAYER works for me. CLO as in Cod Liver Oil. For the last week I have been totally pain free, [thank GOD] feeling 17 again, and out in the hot Caribbean sun working on the vertical antennas. Prayer everyone should know about, especially in these "hard" times. To update on everything over the last few weeks will take more than 3000 word and I am practicing to keep things small, neat and econo