2014-04-10
Prediction coming true...
Ref. http://www.ve1bll.blogspot.com/2009/07/why-moores-law-certainly-does-apply-to.html
Yep...
http://phys.org/news/2014-04-pixels-nanowires-paradigm-digital-cameras.html
2012-02-06
Everything Matters (It's All About The "Small Details") by Mark Dubovoy
Everything Matters, by Mark Dubovoy
Yeah. I find that I get better colour saturation in my photos when I use an oxygen-free USB cable. Not to mention that new $600 power cable for my printer. Oh my gawd. What an improvement.
I also remember well the first time I told my friends that changing a power cable in an amplifier made a significant difference, and not only that, you had to break in the cable for a couple of months and the sound got even better. They were about to take me to see a Psychiatrist. ...
Yeah. I find that I get better colour saturation in my photos when I use an oxygen-free USB cable. Not to mention that new $600 power cable for my printer. Oh my gawd. What an improvement.
2011-11-11
Remembrance Day: Carman Sutcliffe (VE3GA)
Carman Fletcher Sutcliffe (26 April 1915 - 24 July 1941) was born at Avon Ontario. He went to school in Leamington and London (Ontario). In 1933 he received his Amateur Radio (Ham) license and was assigned VE3GA.
In early 1939 he attempted to enlist in the RCAF, but they weren't interested. So he caught a boat to England and enlisted with the RAF in June 1939. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in October 1939. By May 1941 he was promoted to Flying Officer and Instructor of Night Flying. Had had hundreds of flying hours and at least 27 raids on Axis targets.
He married Blanche Olive Mackins on 8 July 1941. Just two weeks later he and his crew were killed when his aircraft crashed at Bascote, Warwickshire while returning from a raid on Germany. He was buried at Long Lawford churchyard, Warwickshire, England.
Carman was my father's uncle.
In early 1939 he attempted to enlist in the RCAF, but they weren't interested. So he caught a boat to England and enlisted with the RAF in June 1939. He was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in October 1939. By May 1941 he was promoted to Flying Officer and Instructor of Night Flying. Had had hundreds of flying hours and at least 27 raids on Axis targets.
He married Blanche Olive Mackins on 8 July 1941. Just two weeks later he and his crew were killed when his aircraft crashed at Bascote, Warwickshire while returning from a raid on Germany. He was buried at Long Lawford churchyard, Warwickshire, England.
Carman was my father's uncle.
2011-07-24
Summer 2011 road trip from Halifax, NS to Key West, FL
8600km round trip. Visited Washington DC, Disney World, KSC, Key West, NYC and more.
See trip blog at 2011FL.blogspot.com for more.
See trip blog at 2011FL.blogspot.com for more.
2011-07-23
'World of Music' is back!!!
Visit Mark Coles' new website (www.markcolesmusic.com) with a Flash-compatible browser (not an iPhone), click on Radio and then click on the little tiny play button in the little tiny Flash audio player widget.
Excellent!!
Excellent!!
2011-06-20
Robert A. Pease of 'Pease Porridge' fame killed in traffic accident
Bob Pease (a.k.a. RAP) was killed when his 1969 VW Beetle left the road as he drove from Jim Williams’ memorial service. It’s doubly unfortunate that two of the greatest analog minds in the business passed in the same week.
Bob Pease Remembered For Pease Porridge And A Whole Lot More
Bob Pease Remembered For Pease Porridge And A Whole Lot More
2011-05-27
Copyright madness
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), shown below, thinks it has a trademark on all images or representations of the exchange. Stupid.
I wonder where they find I.P. lawyers that know so little about I.P. law?
The Pics the NYSE Doesn’t Want You to See
(Image of NYSE, 'Fair Use' claimed.)
I wonder where they find I.P. lawyers that know so little about I.P. law?
The Pics the NYSE Doesn’t Want You to See
(Image of NYSE, 'Fair Use' claimed.)
2011-05-15
Nova Scotia Power / Emera - the endless loop explained
If you agree to provide a regulated monopoly (such as Nova Scotia Power) with a fiscal Rate of Return that exceeds what the market actually expects, then it will become an endless loop of rate increases.
Based on the news reports, it appears that they've negotiated a 9.6% Rate of Return. Each time they achieve this, then the Company's worth will go up to compensate, which reduces the Rate of Return back to something that market actually expects.
...And then the cycle starts again.
BASICally:
Based on the news reports, it appears that they've negotiated a 9.6% Rate of Return. Each time they achieve this, then the Company's worth will go up to compensate, which reduces the Rate of Return back to something that market actually expects.
...And then the cycle starts again.
BASICally:
2011-05-14
Hey, you're welcome!
Check this out...
http://highfields-arc.co.uk/repairs/trior600.htm
Ha! :-)
(Ref.: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/938?page=2 )
http://highfields-arc.co.uk/repairs/trior600.htm
Ha! :-)
(Ref.: http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/938?page=2 )
2011-04-23
28th Annual DownEast Amateur Radio Flea Market
28th Annual DownEast Amateur Radio Flea Market
Saturday May 14th 2011 at the Halifax Forum Bingo Hall.
There should be some good deals, considering that The World Ends on the following weekend...
Results:
Sold an old HF radio. Only bought one book and a FTA* satellite TV receiver, Ariza Xstream)
(* used for actual Free To Air reception off Galaxy 19.)
Saturday May 14th 2011 at the Halifax Forum Bingo Hall.
There should be some good deals, considering that The World Ends on the following weekend...
Results:
Sold an old HF radio. Only bought one book and a FTA* satellite TV receiver, Ariza Xstream)
(* used for actual Free To Air reception off Galaxy 19.)
2011-02-13
2011-01-15
Sony 'dash' Chumby gadget
They're regularly about $200, but have recently been on sale for $100. SonyStyle.ca seems to be one place to buy them on-line, and with free delivery.
2010-10-23
UK Budget crisis hits close to home...
BBC World Service is being forced to cut "World of Music" effective March 2011.
Say it isn't so...
Where can I send-in my $5 to help keep it on the air?
A partial solution: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/
Say it isn't so...
Where can I send-in my $5 to help keep it on the air?
A partial solution: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/worldmusic/
2010-10-17
R.I.P. Benoît Mandelbrot, 1924-2010
Wired News: Benoît Mandelbrot, the father of fractal geometry and one of the most famous mathematicians of all time, has passed away about a month shy of his 86th birthday.
New All-in-one printer
I just bought a new Kodal ESP 7250 all-in-one printer scanner. It [was] on sale (Staples, and Amazon.ca) for about $130 and is amazing.
I've "connected" it using wi-fi (which was totally simple). It seems to have every feature under the sun. I can even take a picture using my iPhone and it'll print directly from the iPhone in about a minute.
Here's the unique selling proposition - a complete set of ink for the Kodak is about $28, as opposed to about $100+/- with my old Canon S900.
Corrected: The colour tank has five sections, the usual CYM, plus Photo Black, plus a clear coat (!).
It's almost a no-brainer if you're in the market for a new printer.
I've "connected" it using wi-fi (which was totally simple). It seems to have every feature under the sun. I can even take a picture using my iPhone and it'll print directly from the iPhone in about a minute.
Here's the unique selling proposition - a complete set of ink for the Kodak is about $28, as opposed to about $100+/- with my old Canon S900.
Corrected: The colour tank has five sections, the usual CYM, plus Photo Black, plus a clear coat (!).
It's almost a no-brainer if you're in the market for a new printer.
2010-10-05
Portsmouth, UK (September 2010)
See also: 2010 Portsmouth, UK blog.
Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth (UK), HMS Victory, Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, and the Top Gear test track visitor welcome center (LOL).
Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth (UK), HMS Victory, Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, and the Top Gear test track visitor welcome center (LOL).
2010-09-14
ISS heard with TG-UV2 walkie-talkie
I walked out of work this evening, turned on the TG-UV2 and set it to scanning. Within a few seconds the ISS was coming through like gang-busters on 145.800 Hz. Full quieting. S7 to S9. Col. Doug Wheelock, NA1SS. Working the NE USA and several stations in VE1-land.
I'll have to look-up the correct up-link frequency and be more prepared for the remote chance of him hearing me (not likely).
I'll have to look-up the correct up-link frequency and be more prepared for the remote chance of him hearing me (not likely).
2010-08-20
Co-operative underwater hunting behaviour observed in Loons (Gaviidae)
19 August 2010
Synchronized diving (presumably co-operative underwater hunting behaviour) observed in Loons (Gaviidae)
At about local sunset, a solitary loon (the bird) was observed on Miller Lake (HRM, NS, Canada). It was passively resting on the surface and was not diving. This period of relative inactivity was observed for about 15 minutes.
Then additional loons began to arrive (by air, LOL) from the east and north-east, calling, circling around the small island, and skidding onto the lake quite near the first loon (landing direction approximately south-east). Within a few minutes, there were exactly six (6) loons clustered in a close group not more than 10m extent.
After a few minutes, the loons (all six) began to dive (presumably for food) together. All six loons were underwater at the same time, for a period of roughly a minute or so at a time. They would then reemerge essentially at the same time (within about ten seconds), and then they would all rest on the surface for a minute or so. The beginning of each dive was especially closely synchronized, with all six birds diving underwater within a period of not more than 5 seconds (from first bird going underwater to the sixth bird going underwater). It was obvious that they were diving together.
This synchronized diving (and I presume cooperative underwater hunting for fish) continued for at least four or five cycles that we observed.
After a period of approximately ten minutes, the birds were no longer visible. Presumably they resurfaced behind the island.
Synchronized diving (presumably co-operative underwater hunting behaviour) observed in Loons (Gaviidae)
At about local sunset, a solitary loon (the bird) was observed on Miller Lake (HRM, NS, Canada). It was passively resting on the surface and was not diving. This period of relative inactivity was observed for about 15 minutes.
Then additional loons began to arrive (by air, LOL) from the east and north-east, calling, circling around the small island, and skidding onto the lake quite near the first loon (landing direction approximately south-east). Within a few minutes, there were exactly six (6) loons clustered in a close group not more than 10m extent.
After a few minutes, the loons (all six) began to dive (presumably for food) together. All six loons were underwater at the same time, for a period of roughly a minute or so at a time. They would then reemerge essentially at the same time (within about ten seconds), and then they would all rest on the surface for a minute or so. The beginning of each dive was especially closely synchronized, with all six birds diving underwater within a period of not more than 5 seconds (from first bird going underwater to the sixth bird going underwater). It was obvious that they were diving together.
This synchronized diving (and I presume cooperative underwater hunting for fish) continued for at least four or five cycles that we observed.
After a period of approximately ten minutes, the birds were no longer visible. Presumably they resurfaced behind the island.
2010-08-08
On Pikes Peak today for the "14er" Event
See also: 2010 Colorado blog
Drove to the summit for ham radio "14er" radio fun. From Pikes Peak, using 2m simplex, I worked the following stations:
K0YB * , Joyce (about 50 feet away)
KI0BJ, Rex
W9INE, Larry
W9BNO, Rich
AC0FQ, Scott
KD0GUY, Judy
KM5TY, Gary
KD0EGE, Chris
de "VE1BLL mobile K0" Jeff
Drove to the summit for ham radio "14er" radio fun. From Pikes Peak, using 2m simplex, I worked the following stations:
K0YB * , Joyce (about 50 feet away)
KI0BJ, Rex
W9INE, Larry
W9BNO, Rich
AC0FQ, Scott
KD0GUY, Judy
KM5TY, Gary
KD0EGE, Chris
de "VE1BLL mobile K0" Jeff
(* now K0JJW ?)
2010-07-31
Yaesu FT-77, dipole, battery, ...
...and beer.
Battery kept charged with solar panel.
Worked:
18:20 UTC, 14.240 MHz, station 9A9A, Emil in Croatia
18:26 UTC, 14.269 MHz, station W9A special event (regarding 'Swiss Day' celebrating the 1852 immigration), Wayne in Berne, Indiana, USA (weak signals both ways)
19:02 UTC, 14.278 MHz, station EA8AM, Luc on Canary Islands
Battery kept charged with solar panel.
Worked:
18:20 UTC, 14.240 MHz, station 9A9A, Emil in Croatia
18:26 UTC, 14.269 MHz, station W9A special event (regarding 'Swiss Day' celebrating the 1852 immigration), Wayne in Berne, Indiana, USA (weak signals both ways)
19:02 UTC, 14.278 MHz, station EA8AM, Luc on Canary Islands
2010-07-22
Quansheng TG-UV2 ordered for US$92.91
Available from (Referral): Deal Extreme
Ideal for amateur radio use, dual-band (2m and 70 cm). Reasonable reviews.
Under $100 with free shipping - but perhaps plus tax at the border (YMMV).
Ideal for amateur radio use, dual-band (2m and 70 cm). Reasonable reviews.
See the TG-UV2 blog for tips.
Under $100 with free shipping - but perhaps plus tax at the border (YMMV).
2010-07-19
Radio Australia 17795 kHz heard at Miller Lake
I just received Radio Australia coming in on 17,795 kHz.
I was sitting next to the lake, watching the kids, and using my trusty old eton S350DL.
The following picture is of my radio in use on Siquijor Island, Philippines in 2007.
I was sitting next to the lake, watching the kids, and using my trusty old eton S350DL.
The following picture is of my radio in use on Siquijor Island, Philippines in 2007.
2010-06-26
A tower. Finally a tower.
A nice used 56-foot medium duty Delhi tower (DMXMD-56N 56-foot 17m).
My friendly neighbour helped me get it home.
I'll be able to retire my tree. Once I can afford the materials to install the darn thing.
My friendly neighbour helped me get it home.
I'll be able to retire my tree. Once I can afford the materials to install the darn thing.
2010-06-13
2010-06-08
2010-06-05
2m simplex from Whiteface Mt, NY
5 June 2010, starting approx. 16:10 Eastern Time
I brought my 2m rig (Radio Shack HTX-252) to the parking lot near the summit of Whiteface Mountain, not far from Lake Placid, NY. Because the parking spot isn't directly at the summit, it's only a clear path towards the north side (south blocked by solid rock). Montreal is clear line-of-sight.
My location was: 44° 22' 01" N, 73° 54' 19" W
The height at that location is about 4600-feet.
On 146.52 MHz FM simplex (direct), I made contact with three amateurs in and around Montreal. The longest path was roughly 200 km.
VA2GIZ, Alain
VE2FET, Sylvain
VE2JM, Jean
I brought my 2m rig (Radio Shack HTX-252) to the parking lot near the summit of Whiteface Mountain, not far from Lake Placid, NY. Because the parking spot isn't directly at the summit, it's only a clear path towards the north side (south blocked by solid rock). Montreal is clear line-of-sight.
My location was: 44° 22' 01" N, 73° 54' 19" W
The height at that location is about 4600-feet.
On 146.52 MHz FM simplex (direct), I made contact with three amateurs in and around Montreal. The longest path was roughly 200 km.
VA2GIZ, Alain
VE2FET, Sylvain
VE2JM, Jean
2010-05-16
HARC Ham Radio Flea Market 2010
Excellent.
Lots of old friends.
Good bargains on a couple of V/UHF scanners (one shown below).
Fun.
Thanks very much to everyone that organized it.
Lots of old friends.
Good bargains on a couple of V/UHF scanners (one shown below).
Fun.
Thanks very much to everyone that organized it.
Venus chasing the Moon over Miller lake
I took these pictures on Saturday evening, 15 May 2010. Canon G10.
2010-03-19
The end of an era...
Charlie Gillett has died.
His BBC World Service radio show called "Charlie Gillett's World Of Music" was one of my favorites. The music from around the globe that he chose to play was always both strange and wonderful at the same time.
Update - the show lives on with Mark Coles hosting.
His BBC World Service radio show called "Charlie Gillett's World Of Music" was one of my favorites. The music from around the globe that he chose to play was always both strange and wonderful at the same time.
Update - the show lives on with Mark Coles hosting.
2010-03-15
Internet SDR plus FLDIGIG
I used the Internet Software Defined Radio (SDR) at http://websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/
...and arranged the audio to be looped around to FLDIGI software,
and it works!
HB9DDZ - I see you!
...and arranged the audio to be looped around to FLDIGI software,
and it works!
HB9DDZ - I see you!
2009-08-15
Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong - BBC podcast
This BBC podcast took me back exactly 25 years.
Way back in 1984, I visited Asia for a couple of months, including about two weeks in Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong I was staying at a unusual little rooming house in an intriguing and unique building on Nathan Road on Kowloon side. The building (apparently five buildings, not that I could tell) were called Chungking Mansions.
Even at the time, this building was a riot of activity. Hundreds and hundreds of little tiny shops and food stalls. Several 'hotels' that offered rooms barely larger than the cot; bathroom down the hall.
Chungking Mansions on Wiki.
BBC radio has a half-hour audio podcasts on this building. It's probably not of interest to everyone, but if you are then here's the link.
Chungking Mansions podcast
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/docarchive_20090731-1100a.mp3
Way back in 1984, I visited Asia for a couple of months, including about two weeks in Hong Kong. While in Hong Kong I was staying at a unusual little rooming house in an intriguing and unique building on Nathan Road on Kowloon side. The building (apparently five buildings, not that I could tell) were called Chungking Mansions.
Even at the time, this building was a riot of activity. Hundreds and hundreds of little tiny shops and food stalls. Several 'hotels' that offered rooms barely larger than the cot; bathroom down the hall.
Chungking Mansions on Wiki.
BBC radio has a half-hour audio podcasts on this building. It's probably not of interest to everyone, but if you are then here's the link.
Chungking Mansions podcast
http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/docarchive/docarchive_20090731-1100a.mp3
2009-07-18
Listening to 40-year delayed Apollo 11 mission audio
NASA is streaming the real-time mission audio of Apollo 11.
It's delayed forty years.
They "just" opened up the LM. I'm using the WunderRadio Internet "radio" app on my iPhone.
It's delayed forty years.
They "just" opened up the LM. I'm using the WunderRadio Internet "radio" app on my iPhone.
Lightning experts confounded
Lightning doesn't always follow 'the rules'.
Here's am image of a bolt hitting the NASA Space Shuttle water tower about three-quarters of the way down from the top. This was captured from HDNet's coverage of an aborted Space Shuttle launch.
Some lightning 'experts' will be very surprised by this. I'm not. Anyone that pays attention will have seen various examples that violate the rules-of-thumb proclaimed by the lightning protection snake-oil salesmen.
The more cameras, the more clear it becomes that lighting hasn't always read 'the rule book'.
Why Moore’s Law Certainly DOES Apply to Digital Photography
Response to: Why Moore’s Law Does Not Apply to Digital Photography
"...At least with respect to expecting the number of mega pixels to double for a given sensor size (full 35 mm frame), this will not happen. We are very near the limit right now. ..."
Another expert pontificating about how there's a hard-and-fast limit to what humans can achieve.
Mr. Maxwell, meet Mr. Clarke:
Arthur C. Clarke formulated the following three "laws" of prediction:
1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
So, how will science and technology blast past the physical limits of diffraction?
Well duh, that's a stupid question. Of course nobody knows! It's called "The Future" because it's, well, in the future.
But here's what I can see coming, and this is just by thinking about it for ten minutes.
5 years: The camera will take several images using various combinations of settings to gather additional information (dozens of images). It will then compensate for any movement of objects within the frame (using MPEG technology), and then re-combine the processed image elements to provide maximum image quality while achieving the artistic goals of the photographer. It won't always work, but for still images this sort of process can generate acceptable quality at 50+ Mpix images in a $100 digital camera. You watch.
10 years: The above-mentioned variable settings will be built-into the sensor itself. It won't be a dumb sensor. They'll call them 'Smart Sensors' or similar. They've have built-in lenses and tunable colour filters per pixel. They'll have built-in complexities to skip around the edges of the laws of physics. The image processor will be built-into the sensor (underneath). 100+ Mpix images, given certain restrictions to avoid artifacts, from mid-range cameras.
15 years: The sensor and processor will actually examine the diffraction-generated Airy disks, look for the obvious oval shape of the outer rings using extreme bit depth. The sensors will be actively cooled to extremely low temperatures, for ultra short periods (avoiding power and condensation issues), to eliminate noise. The camera's processor will then model the entire diffraction process in reverse to calculate the incoming diffraction-free signal. The camera will have more processing power than your blah-blah-blah... This will be the big breakthrough that will allow 250+ Mpix diffraction-free images in the sweet-spot $2k price range (2009 dollars).
20 years: The sensor will no longer be a planer chip. It'll be something akin to a field of monopole antennas. The antenna elements will swirl around in little circles to probe the electrical field of the incoming light. They'll be able to detect sub-diffraction patterns and the processor will be able to reconstruct the incoming diffraction free image. Giga-pixel images in a camera the size of a Large Format. They'll be very expensive... ...until the price comes down, and then they'll be affordable (LOL).
That's just ten minutes brainstorming. Imagine what magic will occur when people actually get paid to work on the problem for the next fifteen to twenty years or so.
A common error is to overestimate change in the mid-term, and vastly underestimate change in the long term.
In summary, Moore's Law certainly DOES apply to digital cameras. Big time.
And there won't be any stopping it.
Update: A more modest rebuttal covering the near term.
"...At least with respect to expecting the number of mega pixels to double for a given sensor size (full 35 mm frame), this will not happen. We are very near the limit right now. ..."
Another expert pontificating about how there's a hard-and-fast limit to what humans can achieve.
Mr. Maxwell, meet Mr. Clarke:
Arthur C. Clarke formulated the following three "laws" of prediction:
1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
So, how will science and technology blast past the physical limits of diffraction?
Well duh, that's a stupid question. Of course nobody knows! It's called "The Future" because it's, well, in the future.
But here's what I can see coming, and this is just by thinking about it for ten minutes.
5 years: The camera will take several images using various combinations of settings to gather additional information (dozens of images). It will then compensate for any movement of objects within the frame (using MPEG technology), and then re-combine the processed image elements to provide maximum image quality while achieving the artistic goals of the photographer. It won't always work, but for still images this sort of process can generate acceptable quality at 50+ Mpix images in a $100 digital camera. You watch.
10 years: The above-mentioned variable settings will be built-into the sensor itself. It won't be a dumb sensor. They'll call them 'Smart Sensors' or similar. They've have built-in lenses and tunable colour filters per pixel. They'll have built-in complexities to skip around the edges of the laws of physics. The image processor will be built-into the sensor (underneath). 100+ Mpix images, given certain restrictions to avoid artifacts, from mid-range cameras.
15 years: The sensor and processor will actually examine the diffraction-generated Airy disks, look for the obvious oval shape of the outer rings using extreme bit depth. The sensors will be actively cooled to extremely low temperatures, for ultra short periods (avoiding power and condensation issues), to eliminate noise. The camera's processor will then model the entire diffraction process in reverse to calculate the incoming diffraction-free signal. The camera will have more processing power than your blah-blah-blah... This will be the big breakthrough that will allow 250+ Mpix diffraction-free images in the sweet-spot $2k price range (2009 dollars).
20 years: The sensor will no longer be a planer chip. It'll be something akin to a field of monopole antennas. The antenna elements will swirl around in little circles to probe the electrical field of the incoming light. They'll be able to detect sub-diffraction patterns and the processor will be able to reconstruct the incoming diffraction free image. Giga-pixel images in a camera the size of a Large Format. They'll be very expensive... ...until the price comes down, and then they'll be affordable (LOL).
That's just ten minutes brainstorming. Imagine what magic will occur when people actually get paid to work on the problem for the next fifteen to twenty years or so.
A common error is to overestimate change in the mid-term, and vastly underestimate change in the long term.
In summary, Moore's Law certainly DOES apply to digital cameras. Big time.
And there won't be any stopping it.
Update: A more modest rebuttal covering the near term.
2009-07-03
'Shortwave Radio' on iPhone
If you wish to listen to "shortwave radio" (such as BBC World Service), then one option is the new class of 3G mobile Internet telephones. I put an 'app' on my iPhone called WunderRadio. It seems to be able to find and play all the big name stations.
Some skeptics think that the mobile network can't handle such applications. In fact, it's here now. And it only requires a fraction of my 6GB monthly bandwidth allowance, assuming you're not listening 24 hrs a day. And it seems to be acceptably reliable (it just plain works). And the 3G coverage in areas where I'm actually located (inside my house, inside my office, inside my car, driving behind hills) is fine.
This technology does actually appear to be perfectly 'Ready for Prime Time.'
Here is a screen capture of my iPhone playing BBC World Service.
Some skeptics think that the mobile network can't handle such applications. In fact, it's here now. And it only requires a fraction of my 6GB monthly bandwidth allowance, assuming you're not listening 24 hrs a day. And it seems to be acceptably reliable (it just plain works). And the 3G coverage in areas where I'm actually located (inside my house, inside my office, inside my car, driving behind hills) is fine.
This technology does actually appear to be perfectly 'Ready for Prime Time.'
Here is a screen capture of my iPhone playing BBC World Service.
2009-07-01
TerreStar-1 is up
TerreStar-1 was successfully launched today by an Ariane-5.
This is the largest commercial satellite ever. It has a dish about sixty-feet across. It will use Ground Based Beam Forming such that complex equipment that produces about 500 spot beams is left on the ground.
The system will work with newly-designed Smartphones not any bigger than normal. No big antenna required. High speed data. Mobile Internet. Etc.
Coverage is to be most of North America, right up into northern Canada (~70N).
For some people, it'll change 'everything'.
This is the largest commercial satellite ever. It has a dish about sixty-feet across. It will use Ground Based Beam Forming such that complex equipment that produces about 500 spot beams is left on the ground.
The system will work with newly-designed Smartphones not any bigger than normal. No big antenna required. High speed data. Mobile Internet. Etc.
Coverage is to be most of North America, right up into northern Canada (~70N).
For some people, it'll change 'everything'.
2009-05-27
HARC Ham Radio Flea Market 2009
It was a few weeks ago.
It was back at the old Halifax Forum (the world's third ugliest building). The parking lot was totally full; so I had to park in Truro and walk back to Halifax (just a slight exaggeration).
Sold the DX-200 I bought less than a year earlier. Buy high ($35), repair ($5), sell low ($25). Picture below.
Also sold the old DX-160 with the cracked dial glass. That was the same radio I once had out at the family cottage near Bridgewater. One evening, we tuned in a ship-to-shore conversation in Tagalog language (Philippines). My wife found it amusing (because she understood the conversation...).
The only things there that tempted me (to purchase) were a couple of nice shortwave radios. Since I was there to sell, it wouldn't have made much sense to bring home one or two more.
It was nice to see everyone again.
Thanks to those that organized the flea market.
It was back at the old Halifax Forum (the world's third ugliest building). The parking lot was totally full; so I had to park in Truro and walk back to Halifax (just a slight exaggeration).
Sold the DX-200 I bought less than a year earlier. Buy high ($35), repair ($5), sell low ($25). Picture below.
Also sold the old DX-160 with the cracked dial glass. That was the same radio I once had out at the family cottage near Bridgewater. One evening, we tuned in a ship-to-shore conversation in Tagalog language (Philippines). My wife found it amusing (because she understood the conversation...).
The only things there that tempted me (to purchase) were a couple of nice shortwave radios. Since I was there to sell, it wouldn't have made much sense to bring home one or two more.
It was nice to see everyone again.
Thanks to those that organized the flea market.
2009-03-07
Internet Radio - a new way to SWL (sort-of)
There have been a few good deals on Internet Radios recently. I recently got a Sanyo R227 Internet Radio from Dell.ca for only Cdn $100 (a Deal of the Day). And Amazon.ca was just today selling some sort of Aluratek USB "Internet Radio Jukebox" thingy (probably just software and indexing service - I guess) for about $22. The Source (soon to be ...by Bell) is currently selling this Centrios Internet Radio (pictured, stock number 131-5117, link is HERE ) for just Cdn $100.
IMHO, at that price, it is well worth it (assuming you're even a tiny bit interested).
Note - It has a fan that is not silent, so keep that in mind. Use headphones, or turn it up a notch. Not for quiet listening in a quiet room.
I more-or-less look upon Internet Radio from the perspective of being an old-fart Shortwave Listener (SWL). Put in that perspective, Internet Radio is pretty neat. Browse to the list of regions, Africa, Mali, and wait for the connection delay - and bang, you're listening to some station in Mali.
This Centrios radio uses ShoutCast and some other OEM indexing service (which is pretty good for SWL type listening). ShoutCast stations can be recorded onto a USB stick. It'll rip CD to MP3 and use Gracenotes to add the album data. It also has a slot for various memory sticks.
This particular model has the characteristic that if you wish to browse to find another station, the previous station is cut-off while you're browsing for the next. The Sanyo R227 is better in that regard since it allows you to listen while browsing for the next target.
One reason that Internet Radio isn't quite ready for prime time is that the user experience is pretty darn slow. It's not the speed of the Internet Connection, it is the yawn-inducing response time of the radios. This model takes a good 30-45 seconds just to turn on and connect to your WiFi. Changing stations takes a good 15 seconds (depending on how you do it). Other Internet Radio, such as the Sanyo R227, are about the same sort of speed. Perhaps Internet Radios will be like Digital Cameras. Eventually the designers will figure out that Power Up time and operator response time are critical factors.
But if you have ever enjoyed SWL, get yourself an Internet Radio. The overall experience is quite similar (the hunt, and the capture) and better in many ways (more stations, easier listening, better sound quality).
IMHO, at that price, it is well worth it (assuming you're even a tiny bit interested).
Note - It has a fan that is not silent, so keep that in mind. Use headphones, or turn it up a notch. Not for quiet listening in a quiet room.
I more-or-less look upon Internet Radio from the perspective of being an old-fart Shortwave Listener (SWL). Put in that perspective, Internet Radio is pretty neat. Browse to the list of regions, Africa, Mali, and wait for the connection delay - and bang, you're listening to some station in Mali.
This Centrios radio uses ShoutCast and some other OEM indexing service (which is pretty good for SWL type listening). ShoutCast stations can be recorded onto a USB stick. It'll rip CD to MP3 and use Gracenotes to add the album data. It also has a slot for various memory sticks.
This particular model has the characteristic that if you wish to browse to find another station, the previous station is cut-off while you're browsing for the next. The Sanyo R227 is better in that regard since it allows you to listen while browsing for the next target.
One reason that Internet Radio isn't quite ready for prime time is that the user experience is pretty darn slow. It's not the speed of the Internet Connection, it is the yawn-inducing response time of the radios. This model takes a good 30-45 seconds just to turn on and connect to your WiFi. Changing stations takes a good 15 seconds (depending on how you do it). Other Internet Radio, such as the Sanyo R227, are about the same sort of speed. Perhaps Internet Radios will be like Digital Cameras. Eventually the designers will figure out that Power Up time and operator response time are critical factors.
But if you have ever enjoyed SWL, get yourself an Internet Radio. The overall experience is quite similar (the hunt, and the capture) and better in many ways (more stations, easier listening, better sound quality).
2009-02-15
Avro Arrow - Black Friday (Feb. 20, 1959) - 50 years later
We're less than a week from the 50th anniversary of Black Friday (when the Avro Arrow was canceled).
My paternal grandmother was Edith K. Shaw, author of 'There Never was an Arrow'.
Her 2nd husband and my grand(step)father, George Shaw, who also worked at Avro, wrote an article on the subject: The Legend of the Arrow.
My paternal grandmother was Edith K. Shaw, author of 'There Never was an Arrow'.
Her 2nd husband and my grand(step)father, George Shaw, who also worked at Avro, wrote an article on the subject: The Legend of the Arrow.
2009-02-03
Commentary: Humber College - lame, very lame...
The ill-informed news outlets are all excited about...
"A set of Humber College students achieved the near impossible, contacting the International Space Station with the use of a home-made radio."
Yawn...
More-detailed information indicates that the radio was not home-made, but was an Icom-brand radio purchased from a local ham radio store. Similarly, the antenna system was off-the-shelf.
So, they, ah, hooked it all up correctly.
And even if the radio was home-made (but it apparently wasn't), this accomplishment would only be news-worthy if the students were 8-year-olds.
That their instructor feels that this is a 'first', and an accomplishment worth celebrating, indicates that the level of experience in radio history and knowledge of every-day Ham radio events (such as contacting the ISS) is sorely lacking.
Lame - very very lame.
I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by my views on this news item. I'd be very interested to hear if I've missed any details that make the accomplishment more news worthy than indicated by the information that I've seen. Did they do the entire project blind-folded?
"A set of Humber College students achieved the near impossible, contacting the International Space Station with the use of a home-made radio."
Yawn...
More-detailed information indicates that the radio was not home-made, but was an Icom-brand radio purchased from a local ham radio store. Similarly, the antenna system was off-the-shelf.
So, they, ah, hooked it all up correctly.
And even if the radio was home-made (but it apparently wasn't), this accomplishment would only be news-worthy if the students were 8-year-olds.
That their instructor feels that this is a 'first', and an accomplishment worth celebrating, indicates that the level of experience in radio history and knowledge of every-day Ham radio events (such as contacting the ISS) is sorely lacking.
Lame - very very lame.
I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by my views on this news item. I'd be very interested to hear if I've missed any details that make the accomplishment more news worthy than indicated by the information that I've seen. Did they do the entire project blind-folded?
2009-01-21
2009-01-10
Acer laptop touch pad not working
The touch pad on my Acer 5630 laptop stopped working one day. I tried everything including uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers, updating to the latest drivers. I even went out a bought a couple of those little travel mouses. I was so disappointed that our laptop was starting to become less than perfectly functioning.
Yep, I tried everything. Everything - except checking the manual. LOL.
Press Fn + F7 to enable and disable the touchpad.
Ha ha. Funny (in hindsight).
At least the travel mouses were quite inexpensive.
Yep, I tried everything. Everything - except checking the manual. LOL.
Press Fn + F7 to enable and disable the touchpad.
Ha ha. Funny (in hindsight).
At least the travel mouses were quite inexpensive.
2008-10-18
Dang, missed the Greenwood Ham Radio Flea Market again
Between the local election and other matters, we just couldn't squeeze in a relaxing day-trip to Greenwood today. It takes at least 1.5 hours one-way (more like two to be honest), and today's schedule just didn't make it feasible without being too rushed.
I feel deprived.
I feel deprived.
2008-09-06
2008-08-24
HARC Ham Radio Flea Market 2008
This year's Halifax ARC Ham Radio Flea Market was held in conjunction with HARC's 75th anniversary Ham Fest held at the Mount Saint Vincent University campus overlooking Bedford Basin (Halifax, Nova Scotia).
The venue was very (amazingly) nice. An excellent tree-lined campus atmosphere. Lovely parking lots with a few of those extra-wide corner parking spots wide enough to eliminate risk of door-dings (yes, this is a consideration for some). Classy on-site cafe (they make great hamburgers). The venue was great!!
It was excellent to see all the old friends and folks again. I think that's the best part. I was not able to dedicate the entire weekend to ham radio (I have a young family), so I just attended the flea-market from about 10AM to about 2PM (not the whole Ham Fest). The concept of combining the ham fest with the flea market is perfect. Well worth waiting the extra few months. Perhaps the same thing could happen every year, combining a one-day mini ham fest with the Flea Market for the normal (non-Anniversary) years.
August is a nice time of year for such activities. The weather has been nice lately - perfectly warm, light breeze, sunny day with puffy clouds.
The flea market itself was nice.
I grabbed an old Realistic DX-200 SW radio for $35. It looks like one dial light bulbs is burned out, but that's not a big deal.
Also, I got a medium duty rotor system for $25, but so far it doesn't work. I'll open it up to see what's what when I have time. No big deal if it's garbage. It's worth at least $100 if I can make it work, so it is worth the risk.
And I bought (finally!) a 20m ham stick for my mobile 3/8-24 magnet mount. Although I have no plans to operate HF ham radio while driving, I do look forward to some 20m SSB contacts into Europe while parked at picnics and similar.
I also grabbed a cheap dual-band DB-1-MAG mag mount antenna for 2m and 70cm. VHF while mobile is something I will do on occasion.
One strange gadget I bought was a Radio Shack DSM-8040 Audio Mixer for just $3. Yes, $3. The nice gentleman at that table really didn't want to bring anything home again. This mixer has some RIAA Phono inputs to Line outputs, so it's a nice find even just for that function. But I think it might get some Karaoke use in this household too...
Of course I bought a copy of the new Maritime Callbook. And some magazines. And a roll of old coaxial cable with connectors.
I picked up 17 QSL cards from the Buro.
All in all, a very nice day.
Thanks to the hard-working folks at HARC for making it all happen.
The venue was very (amazingly) nice. An excellent tree-lined campus atmosphere. Lovely parking lots with a few of those extra-wide corner parking spots wide enough to eliminate risk of door-dings (yes, this is a consideration for some). Classy on-site cafe (they make great hamburgers). The venue was great!!
It was excellent to see all the old friends and folks again. I think that's the best part. I was not able to dedicate the entire weekend to ham radio (I have a young family), so I just attended the flea-market from about 10AM to about 2PM (not the whole Ham Fest). The concept of combining the ham fest with the flea market is perfect. Well worth waiting the extra few months. Perhaps the same thing could happen every year, combining a one-day mini ham fest with the Flea Market for the normal (non-Anniversary) years.
August is a nice time of year for such activities. The weather has been nice lately - perfectly warm, light breeze, sunny day with puffy clouds.
The flea market itself was nice.
I grabbed an old Realistic DX-200 SW radio for $35. It looks like one dial light bulbs is burned out, but that's not a big deal.
Also, I got a medium duty rotor system for $25, but so far it doesn't work. I'll open it up to see what's what when I have time. No big deal if it's garbage. It's worth at least $100 if I can make it work, so it is worth the risk.
And I bought (finally!) a 20m ham stick for my mobile 3/8-24 magnet mount. Although I have no plans to operate HF ham radio while driving, I do look forward to some 20m SSB contacts into Europe while parked at picnics and similar.
I also grabbed a cheap dual-band DB-1-MAG mag mount antenna for 2m and 70cm. VHF while mobile is something I will do on occasion.
One strange gadget I bought was a Radio Shack DSM-8040 Audio Mixer for just $3. Yes, $3. The nice gentleman at that table really didn't want to bring anything home again. This mixer has some RIAA Phono inputs to Line outputs, so it's a nice find even just for that function. But I think it might get some Karaoke use in this household too...
Of course I bought a copy of the new Maritime Callbook. And some magazines. And a roll of old coaxial cable with connectors.
I picked up 17 QSL cards from the Buro.
All in all, a very nice day.
Thanks to the hard-working folks at HARC for making it all happen.
2008-01-24
2007-12-24
Freeware alternatives
There is a trend towards better and better free and/or open source software. Instead of paying hundreds of dollars for Microsoft Office, try OpenOffice.
Link= OpenOffice
Firefox is one of the leading alternative Internet browsers.
Link= Firefox
Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer. It has some advantages over the Adobe Acrobat reader (which is also free).
Link= FoxIt PDF reader
Link= OpenOffice
Firefox is one of the leading alternative Internet browsers.
Link= Firefox
Foxit Reader is a free PDF document viewer. It has some advantages over the Adobe Acrobat reader (which is also free).
Link= FoxIt PDF reader
2007-11-19
The Universe is a doily
A new possibly-important theory in physics has been released by Garrett Lisi. I've gathered up some useful links and put them into a blog:
Link= An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything
It can also be reached via:
Link= The Universe is a doily
Link= An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything
It can also be reached via:
Link= The Universe is a doily
2007-11-10
Post-tropical storm Noel
My Mosley TA-33Jr 3-element Yagi antenna installed half-way up a tree was dancing around in the 100+ kmh winds. The short mast even jumped off the clip at the bottom. Right now the whole thing is hanging from the ropes at the top end. I'll fix it later today.
A small loose section of siding broke off the leading edge of my roof. Not serious at all.
Mike's local Hurricane blogs:
Hurricane, we're all gonna die... blog
Hurricane Noel NS Damage... blog
A small loose section of siding broke off the leading edge of my roof. Not serious at all.
Mike's local Hurricane blogs:
Hurricane, we're all gonna die... blog
Hurricane Noel NS Damage... blog
Greenwood Flea Market 2007 - missed it...
Didn't feel well. Stormy day. 90-minute drive each way.
Skipped it.
Oh well. Maybe next year.
Skipped it.
Oh well. Maybe next year.
2007-09-21
Summer 2007 - visited the REAL DX-land (Philippines)
From early-August to early-September, the family and I visited the Philippines and a couple of days in Hong Kong. The specific places visited included several days in Cebu and several days in Mactan at Plantation Bay Resort, a week in Davao City at the Marco Polo, several days on Bohol Island at Bohol Tropics, a week on Siquijor Island at Coco Grove, and a few days in Manila. In HK we stayed at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.
Davao is actually the real 'DX-land' since the radio prefix there really is DX (but not for hams normally).
Link to our vacation blog: 2007 Philippines - family vacation. Plenty of nice pictures.
Davao is actually the real 'DX-land' since the radio prefix there really is DX (but not for hams normally).
Link to our vacation blog: 2007 Philippines - family vacation. Plenty of nice pictures.
2007-05-12
HARC Flea market 2007
Another nice Halifax Amateur Radio Club ham radio flea market again this year. Great to see the local folks again. I got rid of some old ham radio magazines. Didn't buy much at all.
2007-01-13
Xmas 2006 - The Year of the GigaByte
Everything is GB these days...
Many cell phones are now equipped with 1GB of flash for storing music and photos. 1GB USB Sticks are super cheap. MP3 players are pretty much all 1GB+ these days. Digital cameras typically don't come with much, but it is cheap to make them multi-GB.
When I go to work, I'm packing 3GB. ...sometimes 7GB.
Many cell phones are now equipped with 1GB of flash for storing music and photos. 1GB USB Sticks are super cheap. MP3 players are pretty much all 1GB+ these days. Digital cameras typically don't come with much, but it is cheap to make them multi-GB.
When I go to work, I'm packing 3GB. ...sometimes 7GB.
2006-12-23
The new 'Wireless'
For Xmas this year, our new toys are a couple of 'wireless' (mobile/cell) phones. Razel has a Sony Ericsson W810i Walkman phone (1GB), and I've got a Sony Ericsson K790a Camera phone (3.2Mpixels). Razel likes to 'Text' internationally.
2006-12-09
CG1BLL
Canadian radio amateurs are authorized to use the following special event prefixes during the period 1 December 2006 to 31 January 2007 inclusive: CG for VE stations.
Complete details:
http://www.qrz.com/ib-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=3&t=139263
Complete details:
http://www.qrz.com/ib-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST&f=3&t=139263
2006-12-03
Not much time for Ham radio lately...
I've been installing oak trim around some windows. I'm using glue instead of nails and the windows look ~nice~ when complete. The materials seem to cost about $100 per window. Yikes.
2006-10-29
CQ World Wide SSB Contest
The 15m band was wide open and wall-to-wall with contesters. The stations were pretty much overlapping each other. I made a few contacts but I didn't find it very interesting....until I worked a station in Senegal (that made me feel a bit better).
2006-10-23
15m band open today
One station in Europe commented about my signal, "You're the loudest signal from North America."
It must be the tree...
It must be the tree...
Greenwood Ham Radio Flea Market 2006
Another nice flea market this past weekend in Greenwood, Nova Scotia. Greenwood is in the Annapolis Valley, about 1.5 hours from Halifax. We made it into a complete day trip and drove about 400km during the course of the day.
I got some great deals at the flea market. No radios, but a few smaller items that made the trip very worthwhile (I mean over and above seeing all the usual folks again).
-A hard cover 1994 ARRL Handbook for only $5.
-A Sony AN-1 Active Antenna system for only $10.
-Some brand new 4 to 1 DiSEqC switches (used for satellite TV) for only $5 each.
I got some great deals at the flea market. No radios, but a few smaller items that made the trip very worthwhile (I mean over and above seeing all the usual folks again).
-A hard cover 1994 ARRL Handbook for only $5.
-A Sony AN-1 Active Antenna system for only $10.
-Some brand new 4 to 1 DiSEqC switches (used for satellite TV) for only $5 each.
2006-10-04
2006 October 04
On this date the proud province of Nova Scotia tentatively entered the latter half of the 20th century. Sunday shopping is now permitted starting this Sunday.
Yee haw.
'Lettuce spray four whirled peas.'
Yee haw.
'Lettuce spray four whirled peas.'
2006-10-02
2006-09-30
South Africa, then Malta...
ZS6CCY in South Africa, then 9H9PA on Malta.
One right after the other...
One right after the other...
2006-09-23
Lightning draws sparks...
Why is the Lightning Protection industry so infested with idiots? It seems like too many have failed Grade 9 Science, let alone Physics 101. Some quite simply don't have any common sense. Many can't spell or type. It all leaves me shaking my head in disgust. Much of what they promote is pseudo-science, the 'holistic-medicine' of electrics, pure bull-crap. First there was that 'w_tom' lunatic cruising the newsgroups with his 'Whole House Protection' (sic) systems, and now the snake-oil-du-jour is the 'Lightning Prevention' (sic) industry.
Crikey. S-C-I-E-N-C-E folks - try it sometime.
Wiki has some good info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_rod
Crikey. S-C-I-E-N-C-E folks - try it sometime.
Wiki has some good info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_rod
2006-09-12
20m - Northern bound...
I worked VY0ICE (Steve in Iqaluit) and LA1CI (Aage in Northern Norway) in quick sucession the other day. Seems like many stations way up north are coming in pretty good. Conversely, the regulars in Spain are much weaker recently.
2006-09-08
MFJ products - perfect spheres?
~OPINION - MFJ PRODUCTS REVIEW~
Over the years, I've ended up with several MJF products. In every case, there seems to be an obvious design flaw and/or disappointing build quality.
Examples:
YMMV.
Over the years, I've ended up with several MJF products. In every case, there seems to be an obvious design flaw and/or disappointing build quality.
Examples:
- Noise Bridge: The 9-v battery holder simply fails to hold the 9-v battery. It never really had a chance because of the poor design - it couldn't possibly work. I had to tie the battery into the so-called holder with dental floss.
- Noise Bridge: The device has a cheap, hand-written paper lable pasted on the bottom to provide the calibration. 'A=15.1, B = 36.7, ...' Yeah, thanks; I didn't see that mentioned on the brochure...
- Power Bar: The panel silk screening was done upside down ('Oops'), painted over ('he he'), and done again right side up ('There ya go'). You can still clearly see the upside down version as bumps under the paint.
- Active Antenna: The lables on the front panel rub off because, basically, they're the rub-on type ('Wax On, Wax Off...').
YMMV.
2006-09-07
4U1WB
I flicked on the radio to show a neighbour how it works and after a quick twirl of the dial there was amateur radio station 4U1WB talking to someone in Italy on 20m USB. I already know that the '4U' prefix is something to do with the UN. So after waiting for my turn, I make the contact and then look up the call sign afterwards.
4U1WB is The World Bank Amateur Radio Club in Washington, DC.
Not bad for a Wednesday. Mildly interesting in a ham radio geeky sort of way. But I guess I should have asked him if he could loan me a few billion dollars...
4U1WB is The World Bank Amateur Radio Club in Washington, DC.
Not bad for a Wednesday. Mildly interesting in a ham radio geeky sort of way. But I guess I should have asked him if he could loan me a few billion dollars...
2006-09-04
Cool Gadget - EM100 Electronic Energy Meter
My co-worker recommended this item. The UPM Marketing, Inc. EM100 measures and accumulates the electrical energy consumption of 120VAC appliances connected through it. You can even enter your local price of electricity and it will display the total energy cost over the measurement interval.
Link to further information about the EM100.
I've discovered a few interestng energy facts since I got the EM100.
The EM100 is an interesting gadget and I recommend it.
Link to further information about the EM100.
I've discovered a few interestng energy facts since I got the EM100.
- The heat recovery ventilation system (air exchanger) draws more power in low speed mode than in high speed mode.
- The home theatre system requires about 0.75A just sitting there, turned off. This is almost certainly a function of the satellite TV receivers that are actually on when they pretend to be off. That adds up to about $90 year. In winter that wasted power would contribute heat so it isn't all really wasted.
- The Sony 53" CRT-based RPTV requires only a bit over 1A (not much). That's pretty good for what it does.
- The device confirms the obvious - duty cycle matters. Appliances that are mostly off (really off) don't amount to much. For example, the septic tank pump draws about 11 amps peak, but it only adds up to about $4 of electricity per year.
The EM100 is an interesting gadget and I recommend it.
S9SS on São Tomé
I just contacted Charles Lewis S9SS on São Tomé (an island off the west coast of Africa) using HF radio on the 20m band, 14.245 MHz Upper Sideband (USB).
Link to further information about São Tomé on Wikipedia.
Charles is a very skilled operator and he does a great job keeping the DX Pile-Up (hundreds of hams calling him at once) reasonably organized and well behaved.
Link to further information about São Tomé on Wikipedia.
Charles is a very skilled operator and he does a great job keeping the DX Pile-Up (hundreds of hams calling him at once) reasonably organized and well behaved.
2006-09-03
"Miles per watt" (<-useless)
You might sometimes see the phrase miles per watt as relates to making amateur radio contacts over huge distances using minimal transmit power (called 'QRP').
As a concept, the ratio miles per watt is basically useless. The mathematics favours tiny power levels over incredibly short distances. If you could convince -70dBm from a signal generator to leap a one foot gap to a suitable receiver (not very difficult), then you'll have achieved about 1.9 MILLION miles per watt (without even raising a sweat).
Using 3.0 watts to reach 3,000 miles (for example) is much more difficult, but this example computes to only 1,000 miles per watt.
The ratio is about as useful as "the square-root of a pickle jar"...
As a concept, the ratio miles per watt is basically useless. The mathematics favours tiny power levels over incredibly short distances. If you could convince -70dBm from a signal generator to leap a one foot gap to a suitable receiver (not very difficult), then you'll have achieved about 1.9 MILLION miles per watt (without even raising a sweat).
Using 3.0 watts to reach 3,000 miles (for example) is much more difficult, but this example computes to only 1,000 miles per watt.
The ratio is about as useful as "the square-root of a pickle jar"...
2006-09-02
Say hello to people all around the world...
Here are some of the locations that I've contacted recently by way of Amateur Radio:
Sao Tome; Annapolis MD USA; Italy; Spain; 50 mile south of York UK; Slovenija (club station);
Special Events Station Germany; Poland; 25km N Belfast N Ireland; near Moscow Russia;
Bristol, UK; Barcelona, Spain; Crete, Greece; Modena, Italy; Slovakia;
Indianapolis 500 Special Event Station; Atlanta, GA; Point Comfort Lighthouse, VA;
Bulgaria; SW France 25km from Atlantic; Farm 60km N of NYC; Oxford, UK;
Pori, Finland; Bath, UK; Switzerland; Sicily, Italy; Bulgaria; Ukraine; mobile in Iowa;
Slovakia; France; Modena, Italy; Moldova Republic; South Nederland; Yck, SE Wales;
Nr Manchester; Canary Islands; Bulgaria; N. Greece; Albuquerque, NM; Guadeloupe, West Indies;
Georgia; Tlemcen, Algeria; Northern Spain; Reutlingen, Germany; SW France; Tel Aviv, Israel;
Slovak Republic; Berlin, Germany; Brunssum, SE Nederland; N Slovenia; Sweden; Italy;
Orkney Islands, Scotland; Germany; Spain; Hanover, Germany; NE Czech (near poland);
Napoli, Italy; Czech; Slovenia; Frankfurt, Germany; Antigua; near Moscow; Medeira Africa;
near Bremen, Germany; Milano, Italy; Genoa, Italy; Czech; Williamsport, PA; near Oslo, Norway;
Poland; near Frankfurt, Germany; UK; Barcelona, Spain; Italy; near Munich, Germany; Slovakia;
‘Wave 8’ ship, 3 miles off Tunisia; France; Tichino, Switzerland; Czech; Hungary; Warrington, UK;
Spain; Sveio, SW Norway; near Lisbon, Portugal; Leon, Spain; Honduras; France; Germany;
near Zurich, Switzerland; Roodt, Luxemburg; NW Italy; Spain; near Munich; near Frankfurt;
Malaga, Spain; Naples, Italy; Atlanta, GA; Portugal; Slovenia; Germany; near Hanover;
near Falun, central Sweden; Cardiff Wales; Switzerland; Young Is., Nanavut; St. John, US Virgin Islands;
Czech; S Netherlands; Czech; Moscow; Iceland; Switzerland; Italy; Genoa, Italy; Romania;
near Manchester/Liverpool; Fairway Island; Caldy Island Lighthouse; Croatia; Morroco;
Greek Islands; Italy; Portugal; Valentia, Spain; Austria; Michelon; near Osaka, Japan; Switzerland;
NW Argentina; Slovak Rep.; Azores; Spain; Avignon, S France; Spain; Birmingham, UK; Shetland Is;
Cabot Tower, NF; near Kingston, ON; Hearts Delight, NF; near Rome; Lifford, NW Ireland;
Indiana State Fair; near Basil, NW Switzerland; S Ukraine; Elsegem, SW Belgium; Belgium;
Urk, Netherlands; Cape Race Lighthouse, NF; NW Sicily; Canary Is; Venezuala; Guatemala;
Mexico; Honduras; Rydultovy, S Poland; Slovenia; near Milano; Parma, N Italy; Luxemburg;
Grand Canary; Portugal; near Tours, France; Jefferson, TX; Tiblisi, Georgia; Moscow; Catania, Sicily;
Bulgaria; San Marino; Faro, S Portugal; NW Germany; Russia; Detroit; Philidelphia; Switzerland;
Talin, Estonia W Slovenia; Bergan, Norway; Bulgatia; Malta; Belgium; Hungary...
Sao Tome; Annapolis MD USA; Italy; Spain; 50 mile south of York UK; Slovenija (club station);
Special Events Station Germany; Poland; 25km N Belfast N Ireland; near Moscow Russia;
Bristol, UK; Barcelona, Spain; Crete, Greece; Modena, Italy; Slovakia;
Indianapolis 500 Special Event Station; Atlanta, GA; Point Comfort Lighthouse, VA;
Bulgaria; SW France 25km from Atlantic; Farm 60km N of NYC; Oxford, UK;
Pori, Finland; Bath, UK; Switzerland; Sicily, Italy; Bulgaria; Ukraine; mobile in Iowa;
Slovakia; France; Modena, Italy; Moldova Republic; South Nederland; Yck, SE Wales;
Nr Manchester; Canary Islands; Bulgaria; N. Greece; Albuquerque, NM; Guadeloupe, West Indies;
Georgia; Tlemcen, Algeria; Northern Spain; Reutlingen, Germany; SW France; Tel Aviv, Israel;
Slovak Republic; Berlin, Germany; Brunssum, SE Nederland; N Slovenia; Sweden; Italy;
Orkney Islands, Scotland; Germany; Spain; Hanover, Germany; NE Czech (near poland);
Napoli, Italy; Czech; Slovenia; Frankfurt, Germany; Antigua; near Moscow; Medeira Africa;
near Bremen, Germany; Milano, Italy; Genoa, Italy; Czech; Williamsport, PA; near Oslo, Norway;
Poland; near Frankfurt, Germany; UK; Barcelona, Spain; Italy; near Munich, Germany; Slovakia;
‘Wave 8’ ship, 3 miles off Tunisia; France; Tichino, Switzerland; Czech; Hungary; Warrington, UK;
Spain; Sveio, SW Norway; near Lisbon, Portugal; Leon, Spain; Honduras; France; Germany;
near Zurich, Switzerland; Roodt, Luxemburg; NW Italy; Spain; near Munich; near Frankfurt;
Malaga, Spain; Naples, Italy; Atlanta, GA; Portugal; Slovenia; Germany; near Hanover;
near Falun, central Sweden; Cardiff Wales; Switzerland; Young Is., Nanavut; St. John, US Virgin Islands;
Czech; S Netherlands; Czech; Moscow; Iceland; Switzerland; Italy; Genoa, Italy; Romania;
near Manchester/Liverpool; Fairway Island; Caldy Island Lighthouse; Croatia; Morroco;
Greek Islands; Italy; Portugal; Valentia, Spain; Austria; Michelon; near Osaka, Japan; Switzerland;
NW Argentina; Slovak Rep.; Azores; Spain; Avignon, S France; Spain; Birmingham, UK; Shetland Is;
Cabot Tower, NF; near Kingston, ON; Hearts Delight, NF; near Rome; Lifford, NW Ireland;
Indiana State Fair; near Basil, NW Switzerland; S Ukraine; Elsegem, SW Belgium; Belgium;
Urk, Netherlands; Cape Race Lighthouse, NF; NW Sicily; Canary Is; Venezuala; Guatemala;
Mexico; Honduras; Rydultovy, S Poland; Slovenia; near Milano; Parma, N Italy; Luxemburg;
Grand Canary; Portugal; near Tours, France; Jefferson, TX; Tiblisi, Georgia; Moscow; Catania, Sicily;
Bulgaria; San Marino; Faro, S Portugal; NW Germany; Russia; Detroit; Philidelphia; Switzerland;
Talin, Estonia W Slovenia; Bergan, Norway; Bulgatia; Malta; Belgium; Hungary...
Cost of Amateur Radio equipment
FYI - in case you're wondering how much it costs to be a Ham:
One well-used Yaesu FT-77 HF Amateur Radio transceiver (circa mid-1980s). It required a replacement microphone, a repaired power cable, a major cleaning (many hours) and a fresh coat of 'hammer tone' paint on the cabinet. Cdn $125. Great deal!
One Icom HM-35 microphone and some mic connectors. Probably Cdn$10.
One well-used Mosley TA-33 Jr tri-band (20m, 15m, 10m) HF antenna. Cdn $150. Probably a little bit over-priced considering its condition (one element slightly bent). I also had to purchase some conductive anti-corrosion paste for the joints.
Several 12-volt sealed lead acid batteries (used with trickle charger). Free, surplus from UPS service.
Some lengths of RG-8 and RG-213 coaxial cables and mating connectors. Probably about Cdn$50 for what's being used right now.
So for just over Cdn$300, I'm back on the HF bands again.
One well-used Yaesu FT-77 HF Amateur Radio transceiver (circa mid-1980s). It required a replacement microphone, a repaired power cable, a major cleaning (many hours) and a fresh coat of 'hammer tone' paint on the cabinet. Cdn $125. Great deal!
One Icom HM-35 microphone and some mic connectors. Probably Cdn$10.
One well-used Mosley TA-33 Jr tri-band (20m, 15m, 10m) HF antenna. Cdn $150. Probably a little bit over-priced considering its condition (one element slightly bent). I also had to purchase some conductive anti-corrosion paste for the joints.
Several 12-volt sealed lead acid batteries (used with trickle charger). Free, surplus from UPS service.
Some lengths of RG-8 and RG-213 coaxial cables and mating connectors. Probably about Cdn$50 for what's being used right now.
So for just over Cdn$300, I'm back on the HF bands again.
Yaesu FT-77
Yaesu FT-77 HF radio from the mid-1980s, bought cheap at the local ham radio flea market in May 2006.I wired up an Icom HM-35 mic because the Yaesu mic was in rough shape.
On the left is a Radio Shack DSP unit and an external speaker.
TA-33 Jr sitting in a tree...
This antenna is a Mosley TA-33 Jr.I bought it used (well used).
It is stuck up in a tree about 7 or 8m
above the ground, and is aimed towards
Europe.
It covers the 20m, 15m, and 10m
amateur radio bands.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
