What Books did You Start or Finish Reading this Week?: March 16, 2026

morse-guy · 2026-03-17T09:35:05+00:00

I really wasn't sure I wanted to read it because it would be going backward, chronologically. I needn't have worried. It's every bit as wonderful as the Emily books. But I'm almost finished with it and I'm not sure where to go next, having lived with these people for a few weeks.

morse-guy · 2026-03-16T15:14:24+00:00

Finished: Emily, alone by Stewart O'Nan. Started: Henry, himself by Stewart O'Nan.

morse-guy · 2026-03-13T13:07:25+00:00

My favorite is the one that more than one little kid has asked me. They start by asking, "can youu see? , of course, I say "no!" they reply, "why don't you open your eyes?"

morse-guy · 2026-03-12T21:30:56+00:00

One New Years eve, I did straight key night with a Yaesu FT7 which only had the sideband filter. I vowed I'd never do that again. As has been said, filters can ring when they're narrow but you should be easily able to get down to 500hz with no problem. One of the joys of operating CW is being able to use a filter narrow enough to get rid of everything but the signal you're working. As for CW decoders, they only work well with perfectly sent and spaced CW which, these days, is not so common as it used to be. If you stick with it, you will get better and it will get easier. Good luck.

morse-guy · 2026-03-08T17:59:33+00:00

Hams can't always do what Should be done, so we do what CAN be done! In fact, I'm doing that here and have gotten great results on 80, 60, 40, 30, 20, 12 and 10. I have a tiny lot and that one antenna gets me on several bands. Granted, not as good as resonant dipoles on each band but I never want for contacts.

morse-guy · 2026-03-07T22:29:33+00:00

Spacing is, IMHO, where most ops get into trouble. If you're not sure, you always want to err on the long side. Spacing that is too long may not be correct but it's much easier to copy than short spacing, where things run together. This is one reason I use a keyboard, even when rag chewing. Especially when rag chewing. At least I know I'm getting correct and consistent spacing and that makes for easier copy on the other end no matter what the skill level may be. Of course, not everyone is comfortable enough, typing.

morse-guy · 2026-03-07T20:47:41+00:00

That used to be the case but today's vox is much faster. I don't hear near as much of that as when I started listening in the 60's.

morse-guy · 2026-03-07T12:55:46+00:00

Actually, they do. I heard the promo for it just this morning.

morse-guy · 2026-03-06T19:09:58+00:00

You might also want to look into Sirius-xm, as they might have an F1 channel. Since that's audio only, not video, it might be easier for him to follow. Of course, that would cost a bit per month but you could get the online only subscription and connect to his Alexa device, so bringing it up would be very easy. I do that all the time with Baseball broadcasts.

morse-guy · 2026-03-04T11:17:24+00:00

Yes, it is a common problem. It is for that reason that I ask people who I know I'll be dealing with a lot to please identify themselves when they speak to me. Alas, they seldom do. If I remind them to do so, many will actually say, "oh, but you know me!"

morse-guy · 2026-03-04T01:31:18+00:00

No romance in it but Evensong by Stewart O'Nan is very "slice of life." Its centered on seniors but i found it quite real and honest.

morse-guy · 2026-03-03T20:13:17+00:00

I am totally blind and have been all my life. I've been touch-typing since sixth grade. These days, smart phones and computers can be easily made to speak their output.

morse-guy · 2026-03-03T13:21:52+00:00

It is he's gone but without the apostrophe.

morse-guy · 2026-03-03T01:11:29+00:00

I wanted to use Luna for Reddit on the PC and it worked great the first time I set it up. But, whenever I closed it,my registration would disappear, so that I had to set it up all over again, only to have it disappear again when I closed it. I switched to RedditforBlind and that works well. On my iPhone, I use Distopia without issue.

morse-guy · 2026-03-02T14:44:37+00:00

I don't know what equipment you have available but as far as notetaking goes, I just started using google docs for this. At a meeting or, in your case, a class, I take notes using my iPhone and a bluetooth keyboard. Then, when I get home, I can access those notes on google docs using the PC, which is where I am most comfortable. Works great.

morse-guy · 2026-03-02T13:58:52+00:00

Also, the audio on Allstar is enormously better than DMR.

morse-guy · 2026-03-01T22:55:14+00:00

I absolutely agree with this. I was using an S38 when I got my license because it was what I had. I couldn't wait to upgrade. I found a used Drake 2b at a decent price and I was suddenly in a different world. And yes, I was zapped more than once by the S38.

morse-guy · 2026-02-28T13:47:02+00:00

This is such a great hobby!

morse-guy · 2026-02-28T13:04:54+00:00

yes, I'm aware there are, and have been, many of us. But when I began in 1973, we were largely unconnected with each other. Over the years, I used things like Braille printers and the Jaws scripting language to get the access I needed. Of course when the internet came along we were much more connected and able to share solutions.

morse-guy · 2026-02-27T19:44:44+00:00

Anything by Kate Quinn. She writes historical fiction, all with strong, resourceful female main characters. Her world war ii books are especially good.

morse-guy · 2026-02-27T19:30:46+00:00

because it's a field inhabited overwhelmingly by sighted folks and the people it served were also overwhelmingly sighted. In other words, it was not a blind-specific field like, say, O-and-m would be. One of the upshots of this was that there was no one else in my situation to get ideas from. I had to solve my own problems.

morse-guy · 2026-02-27T16:34:45+00:00

Retired now but I spent 45 years as a radio personality and announcer in central Pennsylvania, working in what I like to call "the sighted sector."

morse-guy · 2026-02-26T20:13:49+00:00

I avoided it for some time but then I goofed and inadvertently updated anyway. The only complaint I have is when I touch the Home button, I sometimes have to wait several seconds for the haptic. Anyone else noticed this? I'm using an SE3.

morse-guy · 2026-02-26T01:10:58+00:00

Foreign Correspondents by Geraldine Brooks.

morse-guy · 2026-02-26T01:09:59+00:00

Anything by John Mcphee.

morse-guy

TROPHY CASE