Well it is Ramadan or Ramadan or what ever – depending on who spells it out. As if things had not gotten slow enough here with everyone (national company) taking their summer vacations we now move right into the month of prayer and fasting. I question the need for a month of cleansing – if you have been doing the right thing then why is this needed? But all religions have some form of “re-enlistment” process. Baptizing, revivals, Season of Lent, etc… almost all have some form of fasting to go with the “renewal”.
Anyway back to my subject – with it being slow, not much gets done this time of year so I get really bored at doing the ever present reports and start to spend some time thinking about my hobbies or repairs I need to get done at home… I always start making lists, some written a lot of them mental lists but still lists of things I want to accomplish…
I have gotten the bug to get more active in Ham Radio so some of my lists are focused on that desire.
I would really like to get some of my packet stuff up and this time maybe put in an APRS digi? But first, I have to get some old radio re-crystal led and then I have to get a TNC that will work – probably without a computer, although I do still have the old ham computer that had all the serial ports and several of the TNC’s that are locked in Kiss mode that would work – as long as it doesn’t up-chuck and die on me – that computer is pretty old? It did fire up the last time I tried it so it might work for awhile… and it has the JNOS on it that will link to the internet – if I can remember how to make that work. Things would be better if I got a new APRS TNC that didn’t require the computer so it would not be likely to lock up… that remains to be a project to work on.
In conjunction with that I do have the old handheld that can’t be repaired on UHF transmit so I might use it for a portable tracker with one of the Byonics Trackers? Byonics – TinyTrak4 GPS Position Encoder This one really looks interesting and could come with the GPS unit ready to go if hooked to a radio?
The computer I had intended to use for all my stuff in the ham office as well as several other things won’t stay running – every time I ask it to do something it locks up… as long as you do not have programs running it looks fine? So it will need replaced.
I need a tower/pole installed to get my antennas up on and not require a lot of guy wires or other additions…. I have found I can get used poles form the city and I have a guy that will plant one for me so that is a project – along with putting on the pole steps so it can be climbed – more easily – and getting a mount on top to put some antennas on.
I need to get the battery try in the motor home fixed… this has been needed since I bought it but just never got to it… now I have the replacement slides, and I ordered a battery watering system that should make keeping them filled more easy and extend the life of the batteries… from reading if you let them boil down they loose life rather quickly – DUH!… but getting to them to make sure they are watered has been a big hassle – the slide won’t pull out far enough to see into them so I had to use a turkey basting bulb and a mechanics mirror on a probe.. (I know this is not actually radio stuff but leads to it later).
I need to get some coax run under the motor home for HF antennas and stuff so I can do a bit more radio on the road… I have owned a VHF/UHF halo antenna for years sand have never hooked it up… intent was to do some sideband work on the upper bands but – you guessed it – didn’t get it done. I also carry a portable wire antenna but never use it since the new motor home (traded for 4 years ago) does not have the coax to the back like the old one… I might want to get a portable flag pole for it as well that would support the antenna or maybe just some plastic conduit that can be slipped together and tied up to the ladder on the back?
I also have a “rigblaster” that has never been hooked up – but this thing is linked to my need for a new computer – although I may try it on the current “dog” to see if I can make it work?
I need to get the power supply cleaned and set up so it can run the radios I want to run as well as get some shelves to put them on so they are out of the way – ooooh that leads to I need to clean out the shop and get some more stuff put away or thrown out… once I get all that done I can work on some airplanes and stained glass projects …. The list is endless, once I get started on it and that is just for some of my stuff… I have a whole other list of things I need to get done in the yard as well… and some things still left in the house to do… hum… maybe I have too much to do and should just take some time off? Yea that sounds better. I am sure I will waste more time than I properly utilize… in the old days (20 years ago) I would have tackled these projects and had radios running in a day or two – now it seems to take weeks to work out the details? But back than I could work on things at night and weekends, and all that spare time that here – goes to make these foolish lists….