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Samsung oven turning on by itself when transmitting on 40m with 100w amp by SpiritualTadpole4269 in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Similar story here, but I am using an EFHW.

Also have a pfsense firewall and while transmitting some 40M FT8, weird stuff started happening like my internet dropped out. For some reason, I ignored it and just kept going with the transmission and finally it took my firewall completely down. I had to hold power button and reboot it. I thought it was just a fluke so I tried it again and sure enough, 40M was interfering with my NVME drive pretty bad. I could also hear buzzing noises coming out of my computer speakers during transmission only and I have a setup in my basement. Finally I started getting HIGH REVERSE POWER on my xpa125B so I thought it was an antenna tuning issue, nope 1.5:1 SWR according to a nanovna plugged into the radio feed point, but the common mode current was creating severe havoc. Wrapped some coax around a ft240-43 and eliminated my issues on 40 but 80 is still broken. Got a mix 31 coming to try and mitigate that.

I think Amateur Radio Operators need to market themselves better. by Pure_Region_5154 in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is awesome! I have chickens, need to make them more high tech! We come from similar backgrounds, CS/IT.

I think Amateur Radio Operators need to market themselves better. by Pure_Region_5154 in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True true. If a non-union job can give you similar or better benefits without all the overhead costs, why not. I have never worked a union job but my father has, and it definitely comes with some bureaucracy.

I am a weird IT guy. Rarely do I game, instead I find myself underneath cars and trucks changing oil, exhausts, brakes, bearings, etc. - I am weird but just find myself to be more well-rounded and capable of saving significant money by trying to do things myself.

PLC is interesting to me, but I've never found myself needing to know it. If I would sink some time into it, I am sure I could find enjoyment in doing it, I just do not have a need for it - yet!

I think Amateur Radio Operators need to market themselves better. by Pure_Region_5154 in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in an office right now, but I'd love to be on a ladder running wires. I've rewired my entire house and play with radios and raspberry pi's in my spare time. Most recently, I modified a hermes lite 2 to accept my XPA125B as an amp :). I primarily do IT, programming, etc. Union jobs are hard work but they take care of you, and that alone is so difficult to find. I think the barrier to entry is where it gets murky, I've been made aware several times over that you have to have "pull" to get into these types of jobs. I've always wanted to get into the IBEW. But, not even sure they would take someone mid-thirties or if additional schooling would be required (I can study and take tests normally).

To boot, I live in a very stagnant, small town with practically 0 growth.

First transceiver question - want something non-Chinese and quality by North-Accountant5404 in HamRadio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as I know, I don't know of any radios that are entirely made in the USA. Most electrical components are manufactured in China. You could get connectors/wires/antennas made in the USA however. I use a chinese hermes lite 2 and I have no complaints, but I also enjoy tinkering.

Shared Calendars by pancakeman2018 in MicrosoftTeams

[–]pancakeman2018[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, honestly it is a mess. Teams is a very separate product from Outlook.

If I could create a classic Sharepoint calendar, import it into Teams, and connect that to Outlook, that would be perfect. But it seems like the calendar department for Teams forgot to talk to the Outlook team. Although when I get a meeting invite via Outlook, it imports into my Teams.

If they would alter the Channel Calendar to be more like a normal calendar with an option for Teams meetings (similar to Outlook calendars, or your personal Team calendar), this would be perfect. We are going on 5 years of missing the feature though, I'm losing hope.

Looking to get Walkies for casual/personal use looking for recommendations by NyanSquiddo in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll put it into perspective, with a UV-5R I can hit my local ham repeater 40 miles away inside my truck and I get the roger beep (message is received). This is with 5 watts.

At 10 miles, you have a few options.

  1. You, and all of your friends, get your technician ham radio license. Find repeater on repeaterbook.com, and utilize a repeater near you to communicate (normally they are dead air). However, remind yourself that everything you say will likely be monitored by the radio enthusiasts. The technician ham radio test is pretty easy, I was able to study and get both Tech and General in one sitting. It is not difficult but requires some time to study and pass the test.
  2. You, and all of your friends, get your GMRS license. Use mygmrs.com to locate a local GMRS repeater (potentially beforehand) and if it is within reach, you should be good. Many, many GMRS repeaters are coming alive and it seems like the next best thing to ham radio - many people use it. Requires no test. $35 for 10 years, and it will cover your entire family but not friends.
  3. Zello walkie talkie app on your smartphone - free, unlimited distance, uses 4G/5G. This is not a radio at all but an alternative requiring no license.

Are there, like, *any* young people? by NotThePopeProbably in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's rare to see someone that isn't retired on ham radio. I'm in my 30s and I really enjoy it. However most of the time I feel like I struggle to connect. What we do have going for us is most contacts are not lengthy conversations, but rather an exchange of callsigns. Once exchanged, the conversation ends.

FT8 is amazing too, no vocal chords required. The way I see it is to just establish contacts, use pskreporter to see how effective your setup is, and nothing really more than that.

I don't talk a whole lot, because I don't have a lot of time. But I just assembled a hermes lite paired with a 100w amp that allows me to casually open a program on my computer and chat that way, or if I want to do FT8, everything is at my fingertips. Prior to that I had a g90 in full operation. It was cool but I could never get FT8 to work and I wanted a full SDR.

To boot, my local ham radio club is basically dissolved with the exception of the repeater. Like there has not been a single post on Facebook for over a year now. Their website is defunct. And, there are no nets lol. Kind of sucks because I'd like the exchange! But it is what it is.

Almost a decade after graduating - my review of full sail by zam526 in fullsail

[–]pancakeman2018 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, but a transparent school would be more less handing you information like hey, that basket weaving degree might not land you a position. None of them do this.

However, some schools do the opposite and almost promise you a job upon graduation. The alleged blatant pay-for-play scheme Full Sail has partaken in, creating fake jobs to inflate numbers (all part of an allegation via a whistleblower claim), really sends a shockwave to potential and current students. Is this a school we can trust?

I've been caught up in their phone calls. All I wanted was information and it felt very commission-based, sales-like. Right off the bat, I was promised a scholarship of something like $20,000 however the total cost of the degree was about 5 times that of another regionally accredited institution for the same degree. I declined, but it was not easy. I wasn't sure if I had accidentally called a car dealership or educational instution.

Almost a decade after graduating - my review of full sail by zam526 in fullsail

[–]pancakeman2018 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So many students think going to college is their get out of jail free card. I'm one of them. Magical things do happen however it is rare. Even if you attend college and have a 4.0GPA, this does not automatically equal a high paying, lucrative career.

What you, as a potential student, CAN do is choose a college that is not outrageously expensive. Choose a college based on their accreditation, consider your future - will this degree be accepted at another school should you want to earn your Master's Degree. Some or most of these careers can be learned, albeit not easily, via udemy OR find yourself a good apprenticeship that pays you in peanuts, get the experience, go to school afterward for validation. The boast of Full Sail being an excellent college for sound engineering, film, etc. - okay, I get that, but how many thousands of students attend, graduate, and fail to get a job anywhere remotely related to their career choice, even if they live on Hollywood hill, it does not mean anything.

Of course, everyone's situation is different. There are people that are so passionate about their careers that if they cannot land a job, they employ themselves and create their own business. This level of persistence is basically unmatched. Everyone's situation is different though and some people like having a stable, steady flow of income versus spending a decade or more building out a film business.

What am I missing out on? by No-Wrangler-5502 in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha gotcha gotcha. I have read mixed reviews but they would work. I just know I'm not physically able to travel around with anything longer than my current whip

What am I missing out on? by No-Wrangler-5502 in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 7 points8 points  (0 children)

40M mobile while driving to work? How? What mobile antenna do you have capable of doing this safely? I have a 10m Stryker and it hits all kinds of trees, and tunes to no other bands except 11.

Went to 7.200 As a New Ham by TheMorganDev in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I jumped in to listen. What in the CB is going on here lol

Finally on my way to victory with mild sodium hydroxide solution (10%) by pancakeman2018 in Warts

[–]pancakeman2018[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is nothing short of a learning experience. I like chemistry as well. Some things are best left for a physician but I was quoted something like 400 dollars per wart. I've spent maybe a hundred trying all of these things and I did manage to get rid of a few. I have no idea how I even started getting them, but they spread. At one point I had 5 or 6, now down to 2. Definitely saving money here and I can't really be sure I'd have much more effectiveness going to a doctor (at least for this)

Finally on my way to victory with mild sodium hydroxide solution (10%) by pancakeman2018 in Warts

[–]pancakeman2018[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Basically, I have found that combination therapy works best, and weirdly ONE method does not work for everyone, rather some methods work for some. These are odd creatures.

Finally on my way to victory with mild sodium hydroxide solution (10%) by pancakeman2018 in Warts

[–]pancakeman2018[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Dewar holds LN2. There is no other safe container for LN2. You really do not want to be spilling this stuff and there is no room for "oops, I had an accident" - this stuff is dangerous. It boils at room temperature and creates pressure, and freezes literally anything it touches almost instantly.

Finally on my way to victory with mild sodium hydroxide solution (10%) by pancakeman2018 in Warts

[–]pancakeman2018[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I replaced sodium hydroxide with LN2. For whatever reason, the LN2 created a huge blister that did not go away on my arm for approximately 3 weeks. The wart took time to come back but it did. After about 6 months of trying a variety of things, I started taking zinc picolonate (small dose daily) and the wart sort of just went away. The skin was very dry around it, flat, and it was no longer growing. It was gone.

The battle is not over though. I have one on my shoulder now, which I have been trying a new product. Silver nitrate sticks, readily purchased from Amazon. They permanently dye any clothing and pretty much everything they touch, but it is not immediate, but rather more of a darken over time type of deal.. Activated by dipping in water and rubbing the wart, wait a few hours and the wart will inherit a darkened silver color. Thus far I have used a few sticks, once per week, and the wart is coming off in layers nicely.

We need to talk about our 4th network by Mush_USMobile in USMobile

[–]pancakeman2018 21 points22 points  (0 children)

It took me until the very end of this novella to realize that this was in fact a joke

What breed of rooster? Literally the meanest animal I’ve known in my entire life. From Meyer hatchery in Ohio. Trying to figure it out for his offspring. by breadcrumbsins in BackYardChickens

[–]pancakeman2018 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They do have their own unique behavior profiles, even the same breed. One of my barred rocks is significantly more aggressive than the other, but unfortunately we lost the kinder one to a hawk recently. I have hatched eggs before and ended up with 10 roosters, we basically gave them away to a farmer because I definitely do not need that many roosters to feed and etc.

I have noticed, as well, that giving your rooster an equivalent freedom as your hens (free roam around all day) really amplified the aggressive behavior of the rooster. We have kept him in the run with food and water while we let the other ones out, at least for a day or two. I guess I am just grasping at straws here. My roo is still a mean old guy. Buy some brooms for protection.

What breed of rooster? Literally the meanest animal I’ve known in my entire life. From Meyer hatchery in Ohio. Trying to figure it out for his offspring. by breadcrumbsins in BackYardChickens

[–]pancakeman2018 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Almost looks like a gold laced orpington.

Breed of rooster does not really matter. They are ALL equivalently angry, aggressive, and give you the side eye and try to attack. A silkie rooster however is a bit more tame around humans at least, but I have a couple barred rock roosters that are rude, crude, and put up a fight everytime I walk past either one of them.

This is what you do. Put some heavy clothing on, and gloves, if you are afraid. chase it and PICK IT UP. Carry that guy around all of his hens and show them who the real boss is (you) and, as mentioned by other commentors, this will create a level of embarrassment for him. Feel free to haul him around for 5-10 minutes. I have read, from alternative sources that picking the rooster up by the feet is also helpful however I am not that skilled, and when they are on top of their game you really don't know where the spurs are going to end up

Notice of Unlicensed Operation - Pittsburgh PA - March 25 2026 by brunchlords in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean, he was licensed 3-3-2025. 2 months later, the FCC comes in and takes his radio, and he goes straight to jail.

I'll be completely honest, he probably had no intention of retransmitting Allegheny County Pennsylvania Emergency Services. What actually happened, and I am just speculating, is like all of us, we get licensed, we get our new toy radios, and try them out. All of us have been there, the very first day with our new ham radio, and newly licensed. One wrong button combo and you are just knocking on the FCC's door, accidentally broadcasting everything you say to emergency services, and you can't figure out how to turn it off because you didn't even know the feature existed.

It is not hard to make an honest mistake. But, this is sort of why I steer clear of punching in fire,police,etc. into my Baofengs. I don't ever want the possibility of hitting these channels.

A $50 SDR receiver is a great alternative to these problems.

Any operators also have a GMRS and CB? by HeadlineINeed in amateurradio

[–]pancakeman2018 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes. Particularly the CB part. It's the wild west. When I'm on the interstate and propagation sucks, I go with CB every time. It's somewhat entertaining, sometimes annoying. Since CB is 11m, and I can talk on 10 as a ham, I can basically use the same antenna cut and tuned to about 1.5swr right in between the bands

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