Bitten by the ham bug again..

[W4GPL]

I've been licensed since 1994.. and over the years, I've taken 3 or 4 extended breaks from the air. Not for one reason or another.. life, school, lack of interest, etc. I've never done the 'I'm taking my ball and going home' drama. I've just casually bowed in and out.

But the last month or so, it's all I've been wanting to do is play with my radios. I've always been and will always be a lurker.. a SWLer.. but I've been having a lot of fun lately.. again. You can go home again. Looking at restocking the radio room too.

My biggest challenge is the fact that I'm in a brick tomb in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in America. So I've been researching various clever stealth/indoor antennas.

[PA5COR]

http://www.arrl.org/limited-space-and-indoor-antennas

Lots of antenna's to be found for restricted space M8...

Though something outside the building, even a small wire free from the building is best.

[N7YA]

Welcome back! I cant help but turn on the rig and give it a spin. Im a DXer, i keep feeling like im missing some great DX in a quickly closing window somewhere on the bands. I only sleep well when the bands are completely dead.

[N8YX]

Noise (EMI) reduction is going to be the biggest hurdle you face. Trust me on this. :wall:

[KB3LAZ]

The bug has never and likely will never burrow its way back out of my brain. It may have effected me in a different way than it effects others but if that is the case, so be it. The best way to sum me up is a SWL with the ability to transmit. I much rather listen and I like a separate receiver, preferably tube type. Also, I enjoy collecting and have on a few occasions enjoyed restoration. In that sense I collect more than just radios. In fact, I am more of a book collector. I love to read. The older, the better.

We all have our own little way of utilizing the hobby. Im glad that your interests have been rekindled, enjoy it.

[WØTKX]

HA! Wanna do Field Day? Should be on the air for this weekends VHF/UHF contest.

I was planning on roving, but it's been an exhausting week at work. May just run it from home.

[N8YX]

Can we do an IOTA (Islanders On The Air) special event for Field Day? 'DSG doesn't have it off either so it'll be me, the shack and the margarita machine left all alone together...:mrgreen:

[WØTKX]

Ragchew using the WARC bands while chaos reigns. That would be cool. Heheheh. :bbh:

[N8YX]

Ragchew using the WARC bands while chaos reigns. That would be cool. Heheheh. :bbh:
17 and 12M voice skeds, then...with the PSK crowd on 30? I like your thinking.

[WØTKX]

Oh yea? Would you hire a Keynesian Lib like me? ;)

[N8YX]

Oh yea? Would you hire a Keynesian Lib like me? ;)
Does your code look like spaghetti? More importantly, does your code look like spaghetti when we need it to?

[NQ6U]

Try the digital modes, they work great at low power output levels and barely perceptible received signals. My station is pretty wimpy, particularly the antennas, but I've worked all over the world using PSK-31.

[KC2UGV]

I'm in the same boat, however, I can't break out my radios... They're packed already :(

[W4GPL]

HA! Wanna do Field Day? Should be on the air for this weekends VHF/UHF contest.

I was planning on roving, but it's been an exhausting week at work. May just run it from home.Yeah, I'm coming home that Thursday.. you have a PM asking you if you want to join Glenn, Brad, myself, and company in Lakewood..

[wa6mhz]

17 and 12M voice skeds, then...with the PSK crowd on 30? I like your thinking.



But my Hallicrafters SR-400 won't DO the WARC bands!

[N8YX]

But my Hallicrafters SR-400 won't DO the WARC bands!
It would if I got ahold of it.

[W1GUH]

Stealth antennas....

If you park where you can do this, it'll work when all else doesn't.

Put an antenna on your car and run the feedline into the shack. Hidden in plain sight! Can even do that where there are eagle-eyed HOA's watching.

[W4GPL]

If you park where you can do this, it'll work when all else doesn't.Yeah.. street parking.. not gonna work. :) Not to mention the homeless people would slice the cable and steal it for scrap.

They tend to steal anything not nailed down in this neighborhood. :-|

[N8YX]

Yeah.. street parking.. not gonna work. :) Not to mention the homeless people would slice the cable and steal it for scrap.

They tend to steal anything not nailed down in this neighborhood. :-|
Hire a pair of them to hold the ends of your random wire.

[W4GPL]

Hire a pair of them to hold the ends of your random wire.See? This is why I keep you around. What do you figure is fair? I know they can get a pint of XXX Whiskey for $3.70, $3.70 is always their breaking point. :chin:

[NQ6U]

See? This is why I keep you around. What do you figure is fair? I know they can get a pint of XXX Whiskey for $3.70, $3.70 is always their breaking point. :chin:

Figure in the cost of two pair of rubber gloves. Having them hold the bare wires without insulation might do bad things for your SWR. I guess if you find one guy who's left-handed, you could get by with only one pair.

[KG4NEL]

Does your code look like spaghetti? More importantly, does your code look like spaghetti when we need it to?

My code sounds like spaghetti now, and that's at 13wpm.

:D

[kf0rt]

Does your code look like spaghetti? More importantly, does your code look like spaghetti when we need it to?

I'm stealing this, too. Work around security much, Fred? :rofl:

[N8YX]

I'm stealing this, too. Work around security much, Fred? :rofl:
As little as I can get away with denying... :whistle:

[kf0rt]

HA! Wanna do Field Day? Should be on the air for this weekends VHF/UHF contest.

I was planning on roving, but it's been an exhausting week at work. May just run it from home.

Tell me 'bout it, dood.

I'm half thinking of running a home-based battery op here just for yuks.

[w6tmi]

Hey, I'm in that boat! Same reasons, I didn't flounce out, I just had my kids move in, took over my "antenna farm", and I got tired of taking the antenna down to drive into the garage etc, a few problems with RFI with the neighbors. Antennas were basically a couple of mag loops, I worked psk 31 with. Next thing I knew I hadn't touched a radio in ummm... along long time.

I've actually started playing around with a scanner I've owned for a couple years, which got me listening to a couple repeaters, which led to pulling out the HT which led to.. Oh god... it's all fun and games until you put out yer eye with a rubber ducky! Or the more likely scenario of it's all fun and games til your wallet gets devastated!

I saw this sexy little Elecraft kx3... Yeah.. gotta have it.

Now I need to relearn the code... <sigh>

So yeah, hi fellows... My name is john, and I'm a radio-a-holic, my last rf exposure was yesterday..



I've been licensed since 1994.. and over the years, I've taken 3 or 4 extended breaks from the air. Not for one reason or another.. life, school, lack of interest, etc. I've never done the 'I'm taking my ball and going home' drama. I've just casually bowed in and out.

But the last month or so, it's all I've been wanting to do is play with my radios. I've always been and will always be a lurker.. a SWLer.. but I've been having a lot of fun lately.. again. You can go home again. Looking at restocking the radio room too.

My biggest challenge is the fact that I'm in a brick tomb in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in America. So I've been researching various clever stealth/indoor antennas.

[KG4CGC]

I restrung my antennas and got bit. Now I want to fling more wire in the air.