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AmateurLogic.TV Episode 51 is now available for download.

Tommy simplifies D-Star Callsign Routing. Peter visits the Wyong Field Day (Hamfest). Emile has some cheap analog and digital SSTV solutions. And George builds the Arduinolator (Arduino Square Wave Oscillator) and shows just how easy and fun it can be to experiment with microcontrollers.

1:00:54 of ALTV fun!
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This episode brought to you by:
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Icom

AmateurLogic.TV Episode 50 is now available for download.

Peter builds the NS-40 40-Meter QRP Transmitter Kit. George and Tommy visit friends and find new toys at the 2013 Capital City Hamfest. Emile talks about Ham Radio Deluxe and Automating routine tasks. We run into someone you may remember and much more.

1:09:00 of the usual suspects.

Download

View in web browser: YouTube

This episode brought to you by:
GigaParts
MFJ
Icom

If you had wondered why there have been no posts for several days, the reason is that Olga and I have been away. That is not information I want to broadcast in advance. But I’m back now and normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Actually it won’t as I am not doing WSPR at the moment. I’m running Faros and monitoring the IBP beacons. Unfortunately this is an activity that does not result in publishable output unless you run it 24 hours a day 7 days a week. My only suitable antenna is the multiband dipole. I can’t spare that 24/7 unless I never go on the air to make contacts so much as I’d like to restore the beacon reception reports I can’t.

The reason for my absence was that Olga and I went for a long weekend city break in Manchester. It was the first time we have been away since I became ill with the brain tumour. So it was good to be back resuming a normal life.

We went to three concerts at the Royal Northern College of Music, including the finals of the RNCM piano competition. We enjoyed them very much. I envy people who live in Manchester because the city has a full and lively cultural life. Between the RNCM, the Bridgewater Hall and the Lowry in Salford you could go to concerts every day of the week! Greater Manchester is home for several colleges and universities so there is a big student population and it is uplifting to see so many young people about. Here in Cockermouth we do have the Lake District but someone I know was not wide of the mark when he described it as “a cemetery with lights.”

We stayed at Roomzzz Aparthotel right in the centre of Manchester and we liked it very much. We had a studio apartment which was very, ahem, roomy with a huge bed and a double walk-in shower plus a kitchen with all mod cons including a dishwasher. There was a wide screen TV which was also the display for an in-room Apple Mac so I needn’t have bothered taking my Android Tablet. We thoroughly recommend this hotel and will certainly stay there again the next time we visit.

This morning I received an email to warn me my subscription to eQSL.cc will run out next month. Forgetful as I am becoming, I thought that this time I’d better get on and renew it right away before I forget.

The amount asked for Bronze membership is $20.00 US. But if you think that’s too much you can pay any amount, even as little as $5. You could probably get away with $1 but surely nobody is that cheap?

Bronze membership is really worth it because it allows you to use your own QSL design. Free members only get a plain text card which is pretty boring.

I’m glad eQSL allows free membership because it’s better to have as many hams as possible registered with the system (and hopefully take the steps needed to become Authenticity Guaranteed) even if they don’t pay a cent.  According to eQSL nearly 90% of members never donate any money. I’m not very good at mental arithmetic but if every user paid something then the minimum membership fee would be about $2 a year I think.

It’s always tempting to freeload, to put off donating until another day, but I think everyone should donate to help keep running the sites they use most.

Here’s my list of sites I use most every day and would really miss:

• eQSL
• APRS.fi
• WSPRnet
• Propagation Reporter
• DX Maps

There are a couple of omissions that may surprise you. But those big sites you’re thinking of must make enough from advertising to get along without my help. I probably visit them less than once a week, so I wouldn’t miss them as much as the sites in my list.

Which ham radio sites would you really miss if they closed tomorrow?

I’m not doing much radio today as Olga and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.

Some of you might like to see a picture of us taken today in our present to each other – a new kitchen!

Thank you, Olga, for a wonderful ten years. I hope the next ten will be even better!

Today is my 59th birthday. I opened my inbox to find several greetings messages from various websites and forums. Ah, you’re never without a friend in cyberspace!

Olga and I are not planning any special celebration today, though Olga is such a great cook that I prefer eating in anyway. I’m still off wine, despite still having a cupboard full of the stuff from when I was a member of a mail order wine club. At the moment I have enough trouble staying upright when sober. Surprisingly, I really don’t miss it (wine, I mean, not staying upright.)

But today deserves celebration as the birthday doctors told me I’d have a slim chance of seeing. Pah! Doctors! What do they know anyway?

There’s no reason why you, my loyal readers, can’t have a drink on my behalf, though. So here’s hoping I’ll still be hamming, blogging and beating the bugger in 365 days time, and many more days after that.

Thanks for all your support, and for reading my blog.

Thanks to Rob, G0JSO for letting me know about a charity event in aid of what I hope you’ll agree is an extremely good cause. Relay GB is a round Britain relay event attempting to break a world record and raise money for Brain Tumour UK, a leading charity committed to fighting and raising awareness about brain tumours. Rob organized and ran the leg from Caldbeck to Kirkpatrick-Fleming with some of his club mates.

Find out more or make a donation on the Relay GB website.