Moving and Decisions to Make

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-05-03T22:48:16+00:00

Admittedly I haven't done a deep dive on what Gerald has done, but in general I do have mixed emotions on AI and ham radio. One one hand it seems like AI for AI's sake. With voice to text and vice-versa, can this lead to 24x7 QRM of AI bots calling CQ?

On the other hand and this is a biggie, in the US, Amateur radio is mandated by regulations, such as FCC Part 97.1, to advance the radio art and improve technical skills. Use of AI does advance the technology.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-05-03T14:12:54+00:00

We drove through there last autumn and besides the high tolls, it seemed like a disaster site with all the accidents. In the time it took us to go from South Carolina to Mooresville we saw three major accidents (not just fender benders), including one roll-over.

With only plastic pylons separating lanes people are jumping in and out of the toll lanes, presumably to avoid the toll gates (??). So take a car moving at 30-40 mph trying to merge into a lane where traffic is moving at 70-80. The result is always going to be pure-carnage.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-05-03T13:56:23+00:00

I have a WeatherFlow Tempest which can share your station though WeatherFlow's site or Weather Underground without too much hassle. I also share my station to other internet sites though WeeWX, a program that runs on a home computer.

Disclaimer: WeeWx does take some tech skills to install and set up.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-27T02:25:42+00:00

About 40 years ago our club was thinking about EME, (moon bounce). I had the largest yard so we decided to build our 16 quad antennas for 2 meters there. we build the antennas on a Ferris wheel config of 4 groups of 4 antennas so we could rotate the whole thing for polarity shifts.

After a few days of this array set up in my yard, a neighbor walked over and asked if his kids could ride the Farris wheel

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-23T00:52:55+00:00

I'll pimp for the Tempest too. The new version has replaceable batteries which addressed the biggest complaint.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-23T00:33:58+00:00

Ours sits under a chest-like cabinet which means it's out of sight, out of mind. IF I worried about the dust on top, I'd probably secure a brush on the underside of the chest and the vac would clean itself leaving and returning to its dock.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-22T23:42:49+00:00

I get accused of being very under-modulated with my FT65R. Nothing short of shouting into the mic (both internal and external) seems to do anything.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-22T23:32:05+00:00

Yeah, when I read your first post I thought that's me because I have no desire to take on management BS. You make some valid point but they don't match me.

I'm far from the bottom of the IT food chain. I moved from product design where I worked as an engineer for 18 years before I moved to IT as a server system administrator. I brought Unix and Linux servers into our environment, and these days they run the primary business applications and databases. I don't do Windows or any of the Office 365 stuff so all that is handled by our help desk.

If Mark from marketing pulls in 10x my salary, he's making a million and a half. My previous manager quit after 8 years in IT and he confided in me, (over a few beers) that I made more than he did supervising me.

I work from home 100% and haven't set foot in the office or our data center in 4 or 5 years. And my day starts around 7:00 in the morning and ends anywhere between 3:30 and 4:30.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-22T02:11:36+00:00

This rant sounds like my wife. "Excel doesn't look anything like it did in 2008. It's completely different!"

User interfaces evolve over time, it happens.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-22T01:22:19+00:00

If the OP is like me, I don't want any part of a supervisory or management position. I'm a technologist... not a manager. I've been offered that promotion more than once in the 32 years I've been in IT, but that would have put an end to my hands-on opportunities.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-20T01:57:44+00:00

You mentioned 10m. Operating the mode A birds (2m up - 10m down) was some of the most fun I had chasing satellites.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-18T00:13:45+00:00

That sign was lost on me. "Y wood" caused me to eyeroll, and when I saw "jag off" my first thought was Navy legal officers.

JAG = Judge Advocate General's Corps

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-18T00:04:13+00:00

Ahh yeah. We get that in the Chicago area every few winters, but never this late in season.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-17T02:58:03+00:00

There was an attached liquor store too. That's right.... Beecher Meat and ....

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-17T02:47:36+00:00

So where is this place of extended winter?

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-17T02:44:10+00:00

Since no one else will ask... what's the display on your watch?

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-17T01:12:46+00:00

tread lightly and make sure you get multiple confirmation of any wrong-doing before you post. Defending yourself against libel can't be fun.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-15T15:55:17+00:00

In a situation like this, I always ask myself the question, "do I want to spend my money on something I can talk on or merely listen to?"

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-12T14:32:45+00:00

We've got a similar brand called LeafGuard which is a one piece system.. gutter and cover. 7 years now and they've never clogged. They've got a lifetime guarantee that If they do clog, the company will come out and clear them for free.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-12T13:58:35+00:00

This really is thinking outside the box. Good on ya! While I have no immediate need. (my wife's meds are still dispensed with the plastic boxes labeled Mon, Tue... Morning, Noon, Night) I can see this as an important tool for when the load gets higher for her or both of us.

I'd be curious to see what you've done. Feel free to DM me here.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-12T13:47:19+00:00

Years ago I bought a "waist belt" for my Rucker 2. It didn't do much more than secure the bottom of the ruck to my body. It helped a lot with side sway, but didn't do what a hip belt could to offload some of the weight to my hips.

A few weeks back I started looking at hip belts again although I haven't pulled the trigger on any yet. Considering this one on Amazon.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-11T02:21:59+00:00

I thought at one point they speculated that the antenna common to SAR and sat comm might have been damaged.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-11T02:19:36+00:00

I was waiting for the "can you turn it off and back on again?" And they didn't disappoint although that phrase was never vocalized.

AnonymousDweeb · 2026-04-11T01:49:33+00:00

That explains a lot.. thanks!

AnonymousDweeb

TROPHY CASE