I’ve been kicking around thoughts on various forms of useful communications for those rare occasions when all else fails. Why am I thinking about these things? Take a good look at the global news and then re-read this post. The planet is obviously convulsing with geopolitical dry heaves and I have concerns about what comes next. A robust digital packet network comes immediately to mind though I’m frequently reminded that’s a 20th-century concept that exists these days in scattered dribs and drabs across a plethora of protocols. Winlink works, but feels constrained. APRS can be used for short messages, but…
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Another lazy morning in the shack. It’s a little later than usual so I’m slurping tea instead of coffee. Earl Grey in a big mug, but the downside is I was out of loose leaf and had to make do with a tea bag. Something a friend says is akin to “instant coffee” and I don’t usually disagree, but this is going down easy. The weather has been spectacular this week. Pure autumn. 70F during the days and 40F at night with endless blue skies. It’s nearly as good as the autumns of my youth except for the vagaries of…
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A nice Friday morning in the Heartland despite a little rain. It’s supposed to rain and be cool this time of year, and it is. It’s a balmy 52F right now, but we’re expecting frost over the next few nights. I did a bunch of yard work yesterday and feel justified in just sitting in the shack, puffing on the pipe, sipping morning coffee, and watching it rain while the world keeps rolling along. Today is the Zero Retries Conference in California. I should have gone. I have a buddy from out this way who did make the trip to…
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I hate anyone who rings my front door bell trying to sell me something. Well, except for neighbor kids selling anything for school. I buy that all day long and I like to think all my neighbors know that. But I’m talking about the fellow who rings my bell and says, “good evening, I’m with ACME GENERAL and we’re working right down the street, you know, at your neighbor Bill Johnson’s house, to get rid of his pesky rat problem, and since we’re already in your neighborhood I can give you ten percent off on a full home inspection. Can…
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The cold wind was stiff enough that Don was having some trouble walking across the field behind his cabin. Life on the outskirts of Grande Prairie in Alberta was never easy, but in the late days of fall the cold wind was a harbinger of what would eventually follow. Don was a ham radio operator who was only active on 160 meters, the “Top Band” as old-timers called it. It existed at the low end of the radio dial, some of the lowest frequencies available to radio hams. It wasn’t a very useful band allocation during the noisy months of…
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