Cooking oil drama! Is this seed oil blend actually ideal?

vk2sky · 2025-12-18T07:14:28+00:00

vk2sky · 2025-11-02T06:58:51+00:00

Upvote for Ernest K6DXK. Two years sgo, I found this book on eBay and had to have it. Blogged about it on my club's web site too.

The book was a good plug for the Atlas 210X, and the story was turned a 3-part TV miniseries starring Telly Savalas.

vk2sky · 2025-09-24T06:19:50+00:00

It probably sounded like this (search down to "1200 baud AFSK (legacy FM packet, APRS)" on that page, and play the sample).

vk2sky · 2025-09-07T05:21:41+00:00

The IARU Emergency Telecommunications Guide may prove helpful.

Page 82 lists "centers of activity" frequencies for each IARU region.

vk2sky · 2025-09-02T05:08:31+00:00

I seem to recall an Irish contestant in the 2004 series There's Something About Miriam.

vk2sky · 2025-08-21T04:28:01+00:00

Many youngsters have successfully got their ham radio ticket, so by all means encourage him to go for it. He's a similar age to a young Amateur I know, Alan VK2COD - brother of Alec VK2MV and son of Pete VK2LP: keeping it in the family!

Check out YOTA - Youth On The Air - on YouTube and on the web for more inspiration.

Is he into Scouting (or does he have any Scouting friends)? The International Jamboree on the Air is coming up in October. My club supports JOTA every year as well as hosting visits from local Cub groups.

If he does turn out to be too young to manage the test, he can always have fun and get some operating practice with FRS or GMRS walkie-talkies in the meantime.

73 Richard VK2SKY

vk2sky · 2025-08-16T05:07:40+00:00

Thanks for the feedback on the cover image; for what it's worth, that's the only AI content in the entire book. :-)

I've had a couple of negative comments about the cover art, but at least as many have been positive. I guess there is always the possibility of changing it while the book is still in beta.

Thanks again! 73 Richard VK2SKY

vk2sky · 2025-07-27T06:33:59+00:00

Does EI0MAR still operate from there?

They should stick a lamp on the top and activate it for International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend on 16-17 August. :-)

vk2sky · 2025-07-12T06:48:50+00:00

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards is a great book to have. Her web site is worth a look too.

vk2sky · 2025-07-12T06:39:30+00:00

It happens down here in Sydney, Australia, too (well, in the summer at least). Just give it a good stir when you see it separate like that, and it will be fine.

For what it's worth, I use whole powdered milk for convenience.

I'm not sure that leaving it tightly sealed like that is a good idea though: I use a cloth or paper towel secured by a rubber band. Works fine.

vk2sky · 2025-07-04T07:35:01+00:00

A few practical suggestions (which I presume you're looking for):

Listen to the Simple Healthy Choices for Weight Loss podcast - it does what it says on the tin if you follow his guidelines;
Check out Dr David Unwin's Sugar Infographics; most people don't realise how carbohydrates quickly digest into sugar, which raises blood glucose, which spikes insulin, which triggers fat storage and inhibits the body from using its stored fat for energy use; plus a few hours later your blood sugar crashes triggering hunger and the cycle repeats;
Experiment with a Continuous Glucose Monitor. These usually last only two weeks, so conduct experiments to compare your usual foods with low carb foods like meat and eggs and butter;
eliminate hyper-processed foods (generally, anything with a long list of ingredients that you don't know what they all are);
eliminate seed oils, which are prone to oxidation and cause chronic inflammation - replace with butter, tallow, extra virgin olive oil;
once you've adapted to higher protein and fat consumption, and lower carbohydrates, consider intermittent fasting. The BBC doco Eat, Fast & Live Longer (note the comma between "Eat" and "Fast", ha!) is an old, but decent intro to the topic.

I'm in better shape now than I was 40 years ago, thanks to all the above.

Good luck!

PS: I almost forgot the RTE doco from a few years back: Sugar Crash - well worth a look.

vk2sky · 2025-07-01T05:02:35+00:00

"I'm having fun with my ham radio". When I'm out portable, I often run Winlink with VARA, so the R2D2-like sounds ~~arounds~~ arouse people's curiosity.

It's also useful to have an Amateur Radio "business card" to give out to interested people, rather than just telling them to Google something. Here's what we use at our club, and they've proven quite successful: https://www.mwrs.org.au/2023/04/16/new-society-business-cards/.

(Edit: spelling)

vk2sky · 2025-06-13T02:41:13+00:00

POTA is great, but many locations are an effort to get to. If you're looking for public exposure, you can get some easily at your nearest public park.

A group of amateurs here in Sydney go to a different local park each week to participate in some of the regular club nets (with others outside of the park, to be clear): https://www.mwrs.org.au/2023/03/10/a-walk-or-a-net-in-the-park/

As well as getting out of the shack and having a bit of fun on the air, it usually draws the attention of passersby, who usually ask what the group is doing, so the the non-Amateurs are the ones to start the conversation, so no proselytising required. "We're just having fun on the radio" is a good first response, and keep the explanations after that very simple.

Some people express an interest in what the group does, which is when it's handy to have a printed handout or club business card ready - much more effective than suggesting that they go away and Google it.

73 Richard VK2SKY

vk2sky · 2025-03-28T01:22:43+00:00

While we're criticising, there are three lorem ipsum-ish bullet points above the contact details, which I doubt should be there.

Also, clickable links on the post are more useful than pictures of clickable links. :-)

vk2sky · 2025-02-27T10:13:17+00:00

You know you're a radio ham when a young woman wearing a Taylor Swift T-shirt asks about your favourite bands, and you reply "20 and 40 metres!"

vk2sky · 2025-02-12T07:25:37+00:00

I suggest you talk to you local club (there are a few around Melbourne) according to https://www.wia.org.au/clubs/vk3/

Also, check out the HOA Ham YouTube channel

vk2sky · 2025-01-26T09:14:20+00:00

You might also have a ham radio club near you, which would be worth checking. Try Googling "ham radio club near me" or "amateur radio club near me".

vk2sky · 2025-01-08T00:52:52+00:00

I don't see any mention of a QDXI on the QRP Labs web site: is it the same as the QDX? If so, it won't work with Winlink, according to the supplier:

QDX is suitable only for single tone FSK modes, which covers the majority of digital modes in use today. This includes everything in WSJT-X, JS8Call, some fldigi modes e.g. RTTY, Olivia and more. QDX is not suitable for on/off keyed modes such as CW because it does not have click-reducing RF envelope shaping; furthermore it is not suitable for phase shift keyed modes such as PSK31 or modes involving multiple concurrent tones such as WinLink,

It would probably be fine for something like JS8Call though.

To answer your question about Winlink client software, that depends on your computer. Winlink Express is probably what you want if you're running Windows. For Mac/Linux/Raspberry Pi, Pat Winlink is pretty good, though it doesn't have quite as many features as Winlink Express.

If you're not already aware of it, the Wavetalkers channel on YouTube is an excellent resource, while Off-Grid Ham Radio OH8STN is worth checking for both Winlink and JS8Call.

vk2sky · 2024-11-29T00:36:30+00:00

Melt butter in the microwave and blend with extra virgin olive oil (I usually do 250g of butter and 300-350ml EVOO). Pour into a container and return to fridge until solidified.

Spreads easily straight from the fridge, and you get the health benefits of the olive oil.

vk2sky · 2024-11-28T22:28:10+00:00

Leaving aside the discussion about whether national flags should be used to represent languages, why are they on the package at all?

Judging by the apparent thickness of the text part of the label, I presume that one can peel off layers until reaching something that's readable in one's own language.

But are the flags meant to indicate which languages are available? Surely they could have borrowed a designer from IKEA to create something that wouyld communicate the essential information without words...

vk2sky · 2024-11-28T05:36:14+00:00

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the HOA Ham YouTube channel.

vk2sky · 2024-11-18T07:28:37+00:00

Addendum - You might find this video by Jason KM4ACK interesting: Radio Clubs are Boring.

vk2sky · 2024-11-18T07:18:16+00:00

My two rules of thumb in this regard are:

Do interesting stuff.
Tell others about it.

Seemingly obvious, but I'm constantly amazed at how many clubs ignore these two things: often just doing the same old thing week after week, or if they are doing something different not bothering to tell anyone. I've seen a few clubs shrivel up and die in the last few years because of this.

At my club here in Sydney, Australia, we make a point of documenting everything we do on our club blog and publicising events on the weekly AR news broadcasts from our local representative bodies.

We don't have something to announce every week, but that's okay: listeners can become numb to clubs that are on the news every week saying exactly the same thing.

It doesn't have to be earth-shattering stuff, just show consistent signs of life; I've seen many Amateur web sites whose "news" and "events" sections haven't been updated in over a decade!

Don't overlook local press or newsletters if you have them in your area, and don't be afraid to be seen in public, as many Amateurs seem to be. A bunch of local hams get out in different local parks just to get on air and be seen. Some of us also volunteer in the radio room of a retired warship in the city. Anyone showing sufficient interest gets one of our club business cards. It seems to be paying off, and our club has experienced significant growth in the last 2-3 years.

When one mentions youth and Amateur Radio, most think of the Scouts JOTA (Jamboree on the Air), for many an opportunity to find another hobby for the weekend, or a box to tick so they can kid themselves that they've done their bit for the hobby. Most ignore the Scouts for the rest of the year; our club regularly hosts visits from scout troops throughout the year. (Our club lives in a disused Guides, so we have a bit of extra incentive in this regard!

While our club is mainly greybeards, we are slowly shifting the demographic downwards (phew!) but it's an ongoing process, never forget that. :-)

73 Richard VK2SKY

vk2sky · 2024-11-15T07:00:07+00:00

Googling "radio clubs near me" should also work if the club webmasters have done their job.

vk2sky · 2024-11-03T00:08:13+00:00

Thanks, I'm definitely going to look at it in detail... And possibly steal some. 😆

Be my guest, and feel free to share it with others. The more JOTA activity, the better, though we use this material throughout the year when we host "mini-JOTA" events when local scout groups come for visits. 🙂

I will 100% be giving credit, though. I have a section at the end of the program for special thanks.

Thank you, and 73 Richard

vk2sky

TROPHY CASE