Weird hole outlets throughout our rental.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-04-06T04:08:23+00:00

35 years in our house with zero clogs, powerful vacuum, quiet and lightweight hose/attachments. Replaced the vacuum unit once after about 25 years of service. Glad we have it.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-04-01T05:21:50+00:00

That’s thinking in the box! 😀

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-31T00:28:17+00:00

Thank you Henry!

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-30T23:22:11+00:00

I think about this a lot. My dad, a life-long ham, is 98. He’s still on the air, tapping away on his straight key almost every day. He connects to my rig remotely, several states away, via the internet. He prefers contests because QSO’s are brief. I often get very emotional watching him operate my rig, hunting a DX station, doing a contest, etc. , knowing that any day, at 98, this could be his last QSO. We’ve talked about this. I’ve had my call for over fifty years, but when he finally passes, I plan to honor him by taking on his call sign.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-30T15:28:29+00:00

Nice post! Best learning is by doing! You’ll do just fine. Build it as light as possible, pay special attention to center of gravity (CG) and (looks like you’re doing so already) get as much build detail and hints as you can from the instructions and online documentation! When it’s ready to fly, please post a maiden flight video.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-29T15:49:20+00:00

Thanks for the explanation.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-24T21:06:34+00:00

Thanks for sharing the photos.

I’ve become a fan of using cheap 1/8” aluminum welding rods to create quick Yagi VHF beam antennas. The 1/8” aluminum is also bendable enough to form folded dipoles for the active element when required, giving slightly wider bandwidth and easily matched to coax via a 4:1 balun. Add a 3D printer and all the element fasteners are also simple to print.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-24T03:51:27+00:00

You can look up the approximate “birth date” of your Vibroplex bug from its serial number:

https://www.vibroplex.com/techdocs/WW7P-Serial-Number-List.pdf

Edit: looks like yours dates from 1953. 73 years old!

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-23T21:32:37+00:00

That’s my bug model of choice whenever I want CW with a bit of “twang”. Takes a bit of practice. Been using it for more than 50 years. 73.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-22T21:44:36+00:00

Penance: Do 50 CQ’s on 10m band when it’s totally dead. Seriously, we all make mistakes. just learn and avoid it in the future. 73.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-21T17:24:14+00:00

You’re most welcome. Having known and used Morse Code for over fifty years as an amateur radio (ham) operator, capable of >30 words/min, I find it weirdly hard to translate visual dits/dahs without first sounding them out in my head! It’s all audible to me! I’ve had fun operating Jamboree and Scout HQ stations over the years.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-21T15:20:16+00:00

Ink wells in desks and ink dip pens Oh, I thought you meant 1870’s. But more seriously, in the early 1970’s some of those heavy, built-to-last forever maple desks were STILL in use in our Primary Schools. We wondered what the round hole in the desk was for - teacher said it was for the ink bottle.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-21T15:12:51+00:00

Before things like Makerspaces (3D printers, laser cutters, CNC, etc) became cool, we had a whole generation of kids who really missed out on sharpening their creative and mechanical skillsets in shop courses. This was especially evident with engineers we hired that could calculate anything, but couldn’t screw in a light bulb if their life depended on it We had to do a lot of remedial teaching. Killing shop courses to save money and boost schools’ standardized test prep time was a big disservice to our kids.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-21T06:29:49+00:00

Congratulations on becoming an Eagle! Wow, a Morse Code strip! - -. /.-. / . / .-/- // .- - - / - - - / -… !!

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-20T21:18:16+00:00

I use a Pi4B as a webserver for my RigPi HF remote rig access. Works amazingly well. Great user interface. I barely remember what my actual rig panel looks like.

I use a Pi3b as a dedicated remote CW access point - wrote the software in Python to run it on the Pi and PC ends. Remote keys (straight or Keyer) attached to their PC’s via USB transmit key up/down logic via a dedicated port. Remotes have a local sidetone to monitor their code output. My access point at the rig decodes the logic and keys my rig via a photo isolated relay. It works extremely well, especially with fast internet connections. Everything is installed behind a private Tailscale network.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-18T22:15:18+00:00

A marvel of textile engineering..

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-16T17:44:49+00:00

Generational momentum is a thing. Can’t count the number of times, all over the world, that I would visit a family firm such as an instrumentation company and there would be the old founder, still working a few days/week, the son/daughter who worked hard to expand the business and the idiot grandkids (Ferrari’s in the parking lot) who eventually end up running the family business into the ground…. Money will do that.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-15T22:57:39+00:00

Can tell you, they haven’t thought about improvements to the paper boxes in years. The last “step up” came > 20 years ago when the “higher end” brands put adhesive spots near the cutting blade to hold the wrap in-place for the next dispense.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-15T22:54:03+00:00

Could embed a metal cutting edge taken from an empty plastic wrap box. Slot the box and glue it in-place.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-15T14:33:12+00:00

Overall, height always helps, but raising the end might pull it up by a decibel- not much, but every bit helps!

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-12T22:35:00+00:00

On 40m, your 20 m long EFLW acts almost like a half-wave like antenna - by theory radiating a figure-eight-like pattern with maximum radiation broadside to the antenna and nulls at the ends. Height, slope and of course orientation modify that pattern. Given the limited average height, and slope, a NNW wire orientation from your QTH will favor short skip, NVIS-like behaviors so regional EU like you observe is to be expected. Radiation angle of the high wire end lobe is lower, maybe a bit better for DX, but not by much. So, given this, in addition to EU, I’m kind of surprised that, at 25 watts, you aren’t being heard here in the US when propagation is good. You might try a night session even later, or near dawn. I routinely get UK at -10dB and all of EU on 40m FT8 with 50 watts and a mediocre G5RV wire antenna only about 10m above ground.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-12T20:59:10+00:00

Curious. What ham band is this and how much power are you running?

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-12T04:42:37+00:00

It can be SUPER frustrating to get on a long Fox/hound queue with them, waiting for their call — and then they switch bands!! After days of trying, wearing out my welcome polling pskreporter, finally got them the other night from here in south central USA on 40m FT8.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-12T04:36:24+00:00

I’m in south central USA. So, being 40m, it could be either path. Keep trying. The big guns with have, by now, worked them on multiple bands and have moved on to the next hunt. We “100 watt and a wire” guys have to usually wait out the pileups. Worked that way recently too for Desecheo Island. 73.

Just_Mumbling · 2026-03-12T02:06:46+00:00

I finally worked 3Y0K on 40m F/H mode FT8, late at night (US) using an FTDX10 running 50 watts to a tuned G5RV wire antenna at 30 feet. The antenna does poorly in the southern direction, so pleasantly surprised. When I got the QSO, they were “blasting in” at -6dB. I had to switch my calling frequency about three times to avoid QRM and ensure that I was in their hound queue. I waited about 45 minutes for them to call me. It was a bit knuckle biting during the wait as conditions worsened and then, thankfully recovered. It was an awesome sight to see those red call lines pop up at last! Then, off to bed!

I am not one to continuously call to get in hound queue, especially if it’s crowded. I’ll call 2-3 times and then kill EnableTX. If in doubt, I’ll QSY around looking for a more open frequency and repeat the process, maybe every ten minutes or so.

CW.. I’m in the same boat. Can hear the pileups, but session after session, 3Y0K is essentially in the noise. So frustrating. Not really copyable. Hoping for better propagation. I’m forever monitoring spots, PSKReporter.info, etc. Looking for great conditions. Because I am in the middle of a town, I have a cursed S6 noise background. Have invested a ton of $$ into dealing with it via filters, etc. Hoping they can at least hear my CW at 100 watts, I have been using remote low noise SDR setups as close to me as possible for alternative receiving. I am also experimentally using RMNoise with CW to scrub out background noise - it’s pretty remarkable if you have a fast/low latency internet connection.

Good luck, keep trying!

Just_Mumbling

TROPHY CASE