[PLUG] Hams and Linux .- ..-. --... ..-. -..

[Guy Letourneau]

I am a Linux *user*  out in Columbia County; I don't usually contribute
much here but I *do* read occasionally to learn more. I basically drive
a desktop for personal e-mails and printing out correspondence.

A 10yr old m/b died on me and I had a local store build me a recycled
tower out of refurbishable components, so it's cool.

Just now getting used to Ubuntu 12.04 and I may attempt to move the
desktop to Cinnamon because I don't like the appearance constraints of
the "Ubuntu One" environment.

I began getting interested in amateur radio because of the increasing
strictures on physically modulating electronic communications devices
while driving, and noted that these silly laws exempted ham radio
transmissions. Looked into it; found that several anime fandom friends
also happen to be hams, boned up on my highschool physics and passed the
Tech and Gen in one go. Went back and hit the Extra with a 100% score
and so now I am AF7FD.

Traded an unfired specimen from my "2nd Amendment collection" (BTW I
also have a C&R FFL if anyone has anything 'interesting' I may wish to
add to my collection.) in exchange for a Kenwood TS850R & power supply.

Bought a bunch of Belden 9913 cable and I installed a ground system in
the house and had a friend turn me an adapter out of delrin that couples
1/2" PVC conduit to 11.5 tpi garden hose thread = cheep-cheep
underground conduit for the HF cable.

Just finished putting in 26 x 35ft radials of aluminium fence wire last
weekend, Next up is to build a collapsible antenna mast and then spring
some $$$ for a 80m - 10m aluminium Christmas tree of sorts to stick up
into the sky. (Does anyone know if that anti-oxide spray is worth it?)

I have not transmitted yet but I did spend a couple hours with a line
connected to the ctr conductor and run out to the electric fence wires
out at the pasture. There's easily a 1/2 mile of insulated wire out
there and I was listening to signals from the world over. Fun!

Currently I am also studying to take the Patent Bar Exam too, so my
hobby time will be limited until I can nail that, but in the meantime I
have a little MFJ code practice generator that generates random words
and calls. You can use these while driving and try to transcribe in your
head - it's legal. I am currently using the Farnsworth system to try to
learn to copy CW. I can hit 9wpm now with the characters set at 25wpm.

I have an iambic paddle but I may have bought that too early in the
game; I want to see if I can get a used straight-key on the cheap and
build up skill from scratch.

I also eventually want to kick around some ionosphere up on 160m...

What's all this digital mode stuff people are taking about?

- Guy L. -.-



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [PLUG] Hams and Linux
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:34:10 -0700
From: Keith Lofstrom <keithl at gate.kl-ic.com>
Reply-To: keithl at keithl.com,        Portland Linux/Unix Group
<plug at lists.pdxlinux.org>
To: Portland Linux/Unix Group <plug at lists.pdxlinux.org>

On Tue, Mar 25, 2014 at 06:07:29PM -0700, Tyrell Jentink wrote:
> There seems to be a good number of hams around here, but I sure have a hard
> time finding much talk about digital modes in the area...  We should do
> something about that ;)