Author: N7ONP

Curiosity seems to be a trait of many Hams.  We are curious about how something works or functions.  We are curious about new and innovative things and processes.  We are curious about how we might use, change and improve various things that come into our hobby and, for that matter, our lives.

          That trait has been good for our hobby and good for our minds.  We grow when we exercise our minds and experiences.  This hobby has grown from spark gap CW to modulated speech; AM, FM, SSB; to specialized communication modes such as RTTY (Radio Teletype), SSTV (Slow Scan TV), Satellite and bouncing signals off the Moon’s surface (EME), digital modes such as PSK31 and FT8.  Those are just a few of the technologies hams have come up with and there are many more developing using UHF and microwave technologies.

          Hams are also looking for challenges.  We try to accumulate the highest number of something.  For some that is equipment … “How many radios do you really need??”  “Just one more …”  For others it is contacts, they collect the number of contacts they make for countries around the world, the various states within our country, the counties within each state, contacts from Grid Squares, Parks (County, State, National), SOTA (Summits on the Air), lighthouses, islands, you name it.

          One ham I met was so proud of the QSL cards he had collected that all of the walls of his ham shack were covered with them.  An impressive array which took years to accumulate and probably weeks to organize and place on the walls.

          Part of this blog is about curiosity and part of this blog is about diversity.   Hams are individuals who have some group interests and traits but also hold a wide variety of interests and abilities.  For instance, not all hams have the ability or desire to build, modify or repair electronic equipment.  Not all hams have the patience to tune up and down the bands listening for a call sign from a faraway place (DX).  Not every ham finds the challenges of accumulating the most points during a contest fascinating.  Not every ham wants to train to provide communication during emergencies but the satisfaction of public service and being there “When All Else Fails” is a lure to many in our midst.   Some like maximum power and some get pleasure from contacts on the least power (QRP).

          To me, after nearly 30 years of Army service, the phrase “Be All You Can Be” is more than a recruiting slogan.  I find satisfaction in becoming an Extra class operator.  Not that it provides me any sense of status; but, rather it  was one more challenge to meet and allowed me to provide certain things like testing as a VE for all levels of license.  Many of the things I do as an amateur radio operator are simply for my own satisfaction.  Isn’t that  one of the reasons we humans have hobbies?

          So, I challenge those of you who might read this blog, stretch yourself, don’t be afraid to try something new and different.  Obtaining a higher class license may not make a significant difference in your ham activities but perhaps it will give you self-satisfaction.  CW is something that has been a difficult skill for me.  Perhaps I’m too old to become really proficient but I’m exploring developing some CW skills to satisfy my personal bucket list.  Is it easy?  No, it is very frustrating and I have started and stopped more times than Wile E. Coyote has tried to catch the Roadrunner and with about the same success rate.  But the challenge is still there and maybe one day ….

          Remember Field Day is coming up this June and will be held in the parking lot of Oregon Coast Community College in South Beach.  Hope to see you there and as always hope to hear you on the air!  73!

Chuck  W7CRG

          I come from a time when books and magazines were the primary sources for up-to-date information.  Whatever interest I started to cultivate,  as it became serious I would find a magazine on the subject and start reading.  I helped bring technology to Lincoln County Schools so I have been around browsers and the internet  from the beginning but old habits still linger and I still enjoy getting information from the printed page.

          However this is an effort to share some sources you may or may not be familiar with.  I’m always open to new sources and I’ve found that some I’ve heard of, but discounted, were in fact worthy of my attention.  With that in mind, I am providing a listing of information sources for the ham radio enthusiast that I have found interesting or to my liking.

          Google any subject and you will find Youtube and web sites sometimes in the hundreds.  They often times represent “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and sometimes are just wrong and incorrect.  These are sites I like and you will have to make your own decision as to your preference.  They are listed in the order that they came to mind and not in any order of preference.

1. Josh Nass, Ham Radio Crash Course is a site that gives the viewer many videos on many new subjects.  His material covers questions new hams might ask and gives his evaluation of various radios.  He covers a wide variety of methods of communication such as APRS and Digital. His videos are very well done.  He also hosts Ham Nation every two weeks on Wed evenings.  This show has a variety of moderators and during the hour presents interesting and current information about our hobby.  Presenters from the Space Weather Woman Dr. Tamitha Skov to the views of long time ham Gordon West and the Weekly Ham News Update.
2.  K7AGE produces a wide range of videos for the new and not so new ham.  Randy gives ways to try things in ham radio without investing large amounts of dollars.  For instance his video on digital that uses a headset to make the digital signal work instead of investing in a sound card.  He covers Winlink, Vara, and things like making a simple 2m ground plane antenna among his large variety of videos.  Randy has been a presenter at Sea Pac and appears on Ham Nation occasionally.  If you have an interest in ham radio Randy probably has made a video about it.
3. Ria’s Shack Radio show provides a wide variety of topics from a very knowledgeable young woman who has come to our country as a ham and very quickly qualified as a U.S. Ham.  She has also volunteered as an ARRL Director of the Hudson  Division since 2019.  Her presentations range from “How not to be a lid” to “No meters like 10 meters” to “CQ Skynet”  Ria has an interesting and informed point of view and is another passionate voice for Ham Radio.
4. Dave  Casler KE0OG has lots of informative and useful videos answering many concerns of amateur radio operators.  He has taken over a column in QST magazine which monthly answers questions from hams.  Dave is a long-time ham and has taught radio courses for years.  His site is a valuable and trusted source of information for hams new or old.

          There are many other sites and I have only offered a few I have found of value and interest.  Check these out, like them, hate them, or find they are not your cup of tea.  Ham radio is a constantly evolving hobby with more new aspects than most hobbies and the Youtube videos and Blogs are one way to understand these new innovations to our hobby.

          The March meeting will be held at the Health Education building and on Zoom.  For those who show at the “live” meeting, we will raffle off (at no expense to you, simply put your name and callsign in the bag) a HT.  This one is an Icom IC 91AD and is Dstar capable so here is your chance to get into digital mode!