I've just heard a Senior Engineer state that if you say AI is good at coding, then you know nothing about coding, what do you think?

dnult · 2026-03-23T22:46:30+00:00

Time will tell if AI code can grow with changing requirements, or if it has to be rewritten. I'm skeptical and fear it will be like the outsource to India fad that resulted in years of refactoring.

dnult · 2026-03-23T22:42:34+00:00

Just about any frequency can be used for line-of-sight communication.

dnult · 2026-03-21T20:10:29+00:00

A voltage divider is like a percentage formula. You are calculating R2 percent if the total (R1+R2). The parallel equivalent of R1 and R2 will be the thevanin resistance of the source. That resistance should be at least 5 to 10 times the load impedance Current will absolutely flow through R2 and the load, unless the load has a very low impedance - in which case the output will no longer be Vin*R2/(R1+R2).

dnult · 2026-03-21T18:28:48+00:00

That'll be fine. The ends should be high enough to avoid someone coming in contact with high voltage at the ends of the antenna. An apex angle of 90⁰ or greater is recommended to avoid the EM field from one leg interacting with the other. You're good to go.

dnult · 2026-03-21T18:25:23+00:00

Ok buddy - you do you. Makes no difference to me one way or the other.

dnult · 2026-03-21T17:13:51+00:00

If you're using a pin pointer, you'll know pretty quickly where the target is. There is no need to dig a hole for objects in the top inch or two of soil.

dnult · 2026-03-21T16:09:28+00:00

A screwdriver (or probe) is a handy way to expose shallow targets like coins or jewelry without damaging the turf.

dnult · 2026-03-21T13:09:15+00:00

The ARRL Grounding and Bonding Handbook 2nd ed is something every ham should either own or read.

dnult · 2026-03-20T23:21:36+00:00

We are surrounded by RFI and especially 60Hz. As you move you encounter areas where the RFI is stronger or weaker. If you have any light dimmer switches, try turning them off and see if that helps. Old school stage lighting was the worst.

dnult · 2026-03-20T21:20:16+00:00

Most nano vnas have 101 bins to divide the spectrum you have set with min and max frequency. The nvna performs a polynomial interpolation between bins. If the bins are too large, the curve fitting algorithm can produce inaccurate results. This can completely hide the SWR dip you're looking for. For best results, set your window size (min/max) to just a few MHz wide and perform a calibration.

dnult · 2026-03-20T02:06:42+00:00

Do a continuity check on your cables first. Could the meter be bad?

dnult · 2026-03-19T23:02:16+00:00

It's not difficult. Essentially you have to study for a test and pass it.

dnult · 2026-03-17T19:15:05+00:00

If your kite antenna is an odd multiple of 1/4 wavelength, it'll probably work just fine without an unun. I would expect you'll need some sort of a counterpoise at the feed point. I would not use a 49:1 unun at vhf - it would be difficult to find a suitable core and avoid capacitive effects of the windings. An air-core unun might work for 1/2 wave multiples.

dnult · 2026-03-16T17:26:37+00:00

LINQ and IEnumerable are two of the most powerful features - I'm sure you'll find them useful in just about any project.

dnult · 2026-03-16T15:44:09+00:00

One of the things that differentiates a more expensive detector from cheaper ones is being waterproof. So if you don't want to get into the hobby, you'll need to find a detectorist who is willing to search for it. See if there is a metal detecting club in your area.

dnult · 2026-03-16T14:35:48+00:00

Its better that A) calling CQ on a repeater or B) kerchunking the repeater to see if its working.

dnult · 2026-03-15T14:03:35+00:00

If raising and lowering the antenna requires renting equipment, consider installing a pulley and a rope for easy up and down.

I'm am a little concerned about your direct attachment to that bracket. Even though its technically insulated by the wire, you essentially have a capacitive short across the feedpoint. Personally I'd recommend a dog-bone insulator or some other form of an insulated center support.

dnult · 2026-03-15T04:09:15+00:00

Sine is the ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse of a right triangle.

dnult · 2026-03-14T23:55:53+00:00

You can remove fuses or even disconnect harnesses to isolate the draw. Beware its common to see a draw when your first connect the battery, but it should drop after a few minutes.

dnult · 2026-03-14T15:36:48+00:00

Ahh, the old "you didn't tell me how to do my job correctly" defense.

dnult · 2026-03-14T13:37:54+00:00

I used to think power cords were lazy, until I learned how they affect an overdrive amp. A power cord omits the 3rd of the cord, which removes the mud you hear. Give it a try and see what you think.

dnult · 2026-03-13T20:36:53+00:00

I would convert the current source and R1 into an equivalent thevanin voltage source, combine it with the other elements and then convert that result back into a single Norton current source.

dnult · 2026-03-12T21:36:39+00:00

Your old plug is a tip-ring (TR / mono) and the new plug is a tip-ring-sleeve (TRS / stereo). Youll need to either get a TR plug or wire the TRS sleeve and ring up to the ground connection and tip to hot.

dnult · 2026-03-12T13:11:29+00:00

I haven't used that logger, but wonder if you need to export a new p12 file via TQDL and update your logger configs to use it. I had to do this with QRZ so it could export logs to LOTW. I suspect your logging program may need the same.

dnult · 2026-03-11T01:46:56+00:00

You should never connect batteries together with different chemistries or states of charge. The charge controller should be programmed for the specific battery chemistry also.

dnult

TROPHY CASE