K3MRI

ABSOLUTELY no idea what's going on?????? Never seen one of these before.

I mean, for us it's a PITA, but it is one cool tool! I mean, you could say it's the ultimate amateur radio receiver 🤔 That poor engineer without a cell phone seems a little frustrated, despite what he says! In essence, it's a state of the art tool operating in a medieval zone 😆 Wow... a frequency cop!!!

You know Lind, if we're looking for original, a thought may have crossed my mind. Let me look into it before I blab. Give me a couple of days to contact some people about another unique location.

As a follow up to the email response I sent you yesterday, gosh the quality of the images is astounding! That sensor, not to take anything away from the photographer, is amazing. Of course, a sensor in the hands of a neophyte will not sing like it does with you Lind. 😇

Welcome Eddie. Two things. One, are you from NC or England? GBC... is a UK callsign. Confused. As for NVIS HF with a Beofang... also confused. A Baofeng is a VHF/UHF HT, not sure how you plan on doing either NVIS or HF. ??

Does anyone still listen to shortwave broadcasts? When was the last time you actually sat and listened to a transmission by a national broadcaster, a private one, a faith-based one, or other? I am guilty as charged. Last time I actually sat and listened to a broadcast was about ten years ago.

Tom, we had the exact same scenario growing up in the Québec Laurentians, the oldest rock on Earth, igneous of course! My dad had laid out flat copper plates all over the land. Some of those plates, actually most of them, are still there to this day. Not sure if he met the NEC standards, but knowing him, he probably exceeded them 🤨

Hi Dirk. Sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately probably not. If you look here (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/master/mbrs/recording_preservation/manuals/Heath Zenith Tri-Power Supply Model SP-2718.pdf) you'll see the manual. And if you look on the front panel, you'll see the same problem: the amperage; it's too low. A 100W base station will likely be pulling well upward of 15 amps. This power supply is only rated at 0.5 amps at 12V. Sorry about that.

First off: WOW, amazing setup. Second, thanks for the great images. Next is my own - and most hams' - fantasy, to some day have the ability to set something like this up, if not personally, at least in the context of a club. Only caveat, not sure I love being so close to the tanks, but at least I see no transformers or high voltage lines. Guess where I'm headed in two weekends... Ohio to visit my daughter. Hmmm....

Well well, here's a topic that merits some introspection. I AM GUILTY AS CHARGED - sometimes! I too am a purist at heart and yet I find myself often making the mistake. I often sign 73s. And yet, in my heart, I know that's wrong. Think about the Q code or the 10 code. Do you hear an officer saying 10-4s or do we say QRTs. This said, we do say, QSOs, but that one actually makes sense if it's more than one. So @NS7X, I do believe that with all the respect we owe Hiram, going forward, I may well become a purist, once again. 73 Jim 😇

Absolutely MAGNIFICENT. When Maria and I hit the road in 2026, this will be on our calendar!!

I actually really like him too 😇 Every time he's on screen on NCIS, I take the time to instruct my wife, who is not familiar with the Man from U.N.C.L.E. about how I would so look forward to watching. Side note, I think my sister super celebrity-crushed on him 🥰

First I would like to thank all of you on this thread. This is why I created Ham Community, to create a space where we could disagree with respect and empathy. Kudos to all of you. I also want to weigh in on a couple of points. I actually really like @KG6TGU description of a prepper. I say this because the term does indeed have a negative connotation for many. And the way Larry puts it makes a lot of sense. Indeed, then, I am a prepper too by that definition. I have a Jeep, it has VHF and HF radios. I have a sparse go-kit in the car, and a full one at home. I also have a kit in my all-terrain motorcycle. I have enough food for several weeks and all the basic survival gear one would need to stay alive for several months. What Larry says that I like most is the notion of the Government, any government, in the U.S. or abroad, from Federal to local, cannot always be expected to show up on our doorstep in a moment's notice. Years ago I wrote a book called The Critical Century which spoke of the risks to society posed by a convergence of potential systemic failures. We really do live in a time where many of the systems we rely on are a moment away from catastrophic failure. Is it wrong to, at least, consider some preparedness? This said, I admit that I find some prepping efforts to be a little extreme in their preparedness. Apocalyptic-scale preparedness assumes a collapse on a magnitude that presents an infinitesimally small percentage of occurrence. Preparing for something that has a .00X% of occurring is a right, but not one that I have spent time developing. And throughout all this, we come back to the original question of this thread: what's in a name? I think we agree that the 'hobby' is about much more than emergencies, so using that term seems unfair and inaccurate. But the word amateur sends a rather clumsy message. Quick story: in high school I had a drama teacher (Ron Dobrin) who taught that there is no such thing as Amateur or Professional, only Good or Bad. You can be a high-performance Amateur; look no further than the Olympic Games. Nonetheless, the word Amateur implies sub-par performance hence my continuing belief that the instances that govern us should at least consider opening the topic up for constructive debate. If possible, let's keep this thread on the topic of the 'naming' of the hobby. You're welcome to open another thread on prepping. Again, thanks all; I really enjoy good discussion.

Photos are nice. Video is fun. Looks like beautiful country. Can't wait to visit with Maria when we hit the road.

Tom, trying to understand what you mean. Does that mean that the manual transfer happens 'after' a power failure? That means that before be useable you'd have to wait for the battery bank to be recharged?

Hi Larry. Sorry I took so long to reply, this one slipped through. These DIN plugs, I've used them for years having grown up in Europe where they were the absolute norm for decades, are hard to come by in 90-degree angles. I spent a little while looking for properly wired DIN plugs online, as you must've, and could not find any. However, and this is a long stretch, if you're willing to take the time to look for 'MIDI' plugs/cables, you may find a solution. The problem with out of the box MIDI cables is their pin wiring; it's different than the Yaesu ones. But with a little creativity, and even a custom job at a music store, you might be able to get a wire cut precisely. I had the same problem with my 891 when I had the FC-30 (which I then sold). Hope this helps, albeit late...

Hey Lind. What's bizarre is that the 240v outlet went to 120v. Is it just that outlet or did all of your 240 go away. Also funny because this very morning, Maria and I were having a conversation, on a different topic, and the 110/220 discussion was a part of it 🤔

Thanks Ron, excellent suggestions. We tried 1 & 2 but had people complaining that they would rather wait the ten or so seconds and then just see them all at once. Not really sure which is best but technically, this approach is easier so I think I'll leave it stet. But worthy suggestions; thanks. Regarding 3, that's a good thought. I'll see how I can work it in at the end of the year when I redo the results page (redoing because I'll be including an annual summary). Thanks so so much for taking it. Really appreciate it. Jim

The art of war: deception.

Welcome Larry. Great to have you on board.

Shame, it would have been quite cool; a unique experience, regardless of performance. Here's one for you... imagine if we could put a barge in the Chesapeake... hmm. Salt water, open space... Short of that, for our region, I really think that the southern part (more saline) of the Eastern Shore on the Chesapeake is what would work best. We need to find someone with an acre by the water. Third option... I have an ace up my sleeve. I just have to call and see if they're still amenable to us being there. Only problem is that, while it is a very cool and saline option - putting up antennas will require some creativity. Will revert.

Glad to see this thread is alive and well. It has also given me time to think about the original question: "Is it time to rename the hobby?" But before I get to that, I want to build on something @KG6TGU says above. He states: "ham radio will never be as big as it once was". Well, would that necessarily be a bad thing? Is, perhaps, quality better than quantity? I would rather have 500,000 active, interested and interesting hams than 1 million simply licensed ones. I think the challenge will be, if the numbers dwindle, to keep the manufacturers interested. As the pool of clients diminishes, so too will their ability to invest in product development. Although, I have read enough comments on ham census to know that many would prefer a slower development pipeline in favor of longevity. In short, I think there will be fewer of us going forward, the goal should therefore be less about growing the hobby and more about making it resilient and sustainable. Now back to the original question of name. It will only change if it happens organically over years. I don't see an institutionally driven one happening any time soon. The ARRL has too much invested in the name. The FCC doesn't care and won't do anything unless there is a tidal wave of influence. Who else? The ITU? Powerless to do so. IARU? That's just an extension of the ARRL. Other countries? Only Japan and Thailand have real sway in the hobby but I, frankly, can't speak to their feeling because it is unknown to me. In short, unless 'we' start to fawn over a new name, unless we suddenly discover a term that 'catches on' it won't happen. Of course, it would be fun to explore actual new name possibilities. This is not new, it has been done before, but no one has really made a serious attempt at finding and then lobbying for a change. So, if anyone wants to start the ball, go at it. What would you see as a name that fits our passion? Note that if we get to a critical mass or good names, I'll make it into a question on hamensus.org, maybe it'll pick up steam. I won't go first. Any takers?

Rings a very very very very distant bell. I could not find a specific reference, but found this that rang another bell. Probably not the right one but heck... https://www.robkalmeijer.nl/techniek/electronica/radiotechniek/hambladen/qst/1955/11/page26/index.html And just for fun, I found a loop with coke cans... http://www.alexloop.com/artigo36.html Sorry I can't be more helpful Bill.

Very nice. I like the music. Two ideas... One, try the whole video in B&W. Something tells me it might look far more impressive, especially considering your lighting that day was not favorable. Second thought, next time you shoot a stream, try to get a little bit of slow motion footage, works especially well with classical music. As always, wish I was there 😉 Looks lovely.

So, I'm personally in favor of these quiet zones. They serve a greater scientific purpose. On the flip side, those living there are getting fed up and want to be able to connect with the outside world. There are several legal battles ongoing. I have a different idea for FD now. I'll give it a bit more thought and revert.