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Ham Radio

Winter radio season

[Yesterday: 3.5 miles]

Ham radio operating works much better for us northern hemisphere people in the winter.

First of all, the noise level is lower, not all of the crash and bang of far away thunderstorms.

Second, the nights are long so the frequency segments (bands) that are better at night are better for longer.

Third, it is the season for most of the contests.

I’ve been doing a little bit of operating recently, enough to say that I still can do it.

I have some antenna adjustment to do.  I think my rotatable beam antenna is not pointing the direction it says it is.  I think it is slipping in the rotator clamps.

We had the internet folks out today, they had installed some equipment on my tower earlier this summer and one of their clamps was keeping my rotor from turning past a certain point.  They got that fixed today.  But between that and the pointing problem I need to get up the tower and cinch things down before winter sets in for good.

I also ordered a box for the 40 meter qrp transceiver that I have half built.  The receiver is built but not the transmitter.  I can get that done in a couple of soldering sessions and get the thing in a box and useful.  That’s another nice winter-evening project.