@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoMore #FreeCADFriday now in Friday in my own time zone. I have a fan that I want to make a table stand for to use outside while operating #HamRadio. First I modeled the fan in a silly amount of detail, including the grill, which took some learning, and I'm still pretty sure I d…
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoSometimes Redditors can be a force for good! Here's a glorious impassioned plea for kindness to potential new hams...
#HamRadio
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoNew part coming soon for my #HamRadio Single-paddle #MorseCode key system. This is a base that you can glue magnets into, for using the key on a steel block like the commonly-used jeweler's blocks. Like the rest of my system, it is parametric, designed to be easily modified in FreeCAD. The…
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoJust finished my first session as a #HamRadio Volunteer Examiner, along with my wife, who is also a new VE. ❤️ About two dozen of the 20 people who had signed up showed up. Some upgrades, and a bunch of folks will get new licenses this next week or so.
It was great seeing some folks try exams that they weren't sure they were ready for, even if they didn't pass this time.
Mak…
@laf0rge@chaos.social @mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info
@hex@kolektiva.social#DearLazyWeb ( #Nederland #HamRadio edition): I have small kids. My oldest is just turning 7. I have an idea of starting to introduce radios to them and some other parents are also interested.
I'm starting with walkie talkies and basic radio protocol. My thought is to try to play a few games of "keep talking and no one explodes" over walkie talkie, then trying to expand that out into an informal radio net or something. I have some other ideas for projects, like downloading weather satellite data or something (but I think this may be a bit too advanced, perhaps).
I've also been thinking about playing a bit with LoRa radios (meshcore or reticulum), but I haven't yet figured out an application that would be fun for kids.
One parent suggested a kids radio broadcast. In the US it's possible to get a local FM license (within about 2 kilometers) for community stations and educational use and such. Is there any similar program here in NL?
Extra question for #Ham operators: are there other simple kid friendly projects you can think of?
For parents (to gauge interest outside of my weird little circle): one goal here is getting kids into radio to build the next generation of disaster communication. Is this something you would be excited about for your kids? Is this something you would be interested in seeing as an after school program?
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.info#HamRadio #MorseCode operators, get ready for #CW on ARRL/RAC Field Day! Use
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoAs of today, I'm accredited by Laurel VEC as a Volunteer Examiner. I've been encouraging folks to try #HamRadio so much, it's only fair that I volunteer to help administer tests too. 😁
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoI keep seeing #HamRadio antennas using all sort of huge devices to create links between band segments. Alligator clips. Wago blocks. Mueller clips. Mostly with the antenna wire tied to something stiff that makes it hard to roll up neatly, rather than using flexible cord. I keep looking for and not finding examples of my approach to linking.
My solution is so simple, neat, and tidy…
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoI'm really hoping that the incoming CME and predicted G3-ish geomagnetic storm subsides before I try to operate NI4BK CW tomorrow evening. 🤞
#HamRadio
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoWholesome, low sodium ham content on Reddit! Here's how to meet your neighbors on Reddit! 🙂
#HamRadio
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoI don't understand why people respond to me on bluesky (thanks to my allowing myself to be federated to bluesky), when they don't allow themselves to be federated from bluesky out to the Fediverse. How do they think I'm going to respond to them?
Almost every recent example has been a #HamRadio post, so — if you see this and have been wondering why I didn't respond to you, please a…
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoSetting up for #HamRadio CQ WPX CW contest, and not1mm wasn't keying my radio. I had this at the beginning of NC QSO party too, and I have no idea whether the problem is in flrig or not1mm.
It seems that some combination of trying to send in fldigi eventually gets something unstuck and then it starts working. But when I finally started sending NR 001 half an hour into the contest,…
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoAnyone want to be first QSO for a new #HamRadio Technician trying 10m POTA? QSY to 28.367 and take KR4KZA's CQ. 😁
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoLast night at our #HamRadio social gathering, I noticed that someone sitting across from me had a sequential call sign that was very close to mine.
When I got my license, there was one person in the room who was testing up from General to Amateur Extra sitting behind me.
Turns out I finally met him last night.
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoDX Engineering maybe should turn off their "upcoming" feed for... certain times of year 🤣
#HamRadio
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoOne more #HamRadio operator in the family as of this evening, just waiting for a call sign to be assigned. 🎉
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoIt's a great day for propagation on 10m from NC to Chile. I'm helping KR4KZA try for his first hopefully successful POTA activation. So far one AZ station and three Chilean stations. And just now Colombia too! Pretty cool for a new ham using his limited HF privileges while studying for general. 😎
#hamradio
@mcdanlj@social.makerforums.infoAs of this evening, one more Amateur Extra operator in the family, straight from Technician!
It was fun hearing him hunt POTA with /AE on the end of his call sign and hear the congratulations roll in. ❤️
And as a bonus, another friend and former coworker showed up at our ham club to explore whether ham radio might be a fun hobby to take up. He plans to return! 😀
#HamRadio