I’m starting to design a Amateur Radio Contest Logging program for Mac OS X.

So, in essence, this is a shout-out to any Amateur Radio Operators out there who use OS X…what features are important in a contest logger.  What features would be on your “nice to have” list?

I definitely will be working on features important for Field Day usage, but what other contests do Mac users participate in?

My intent is for this to be a no-cost, open-source program. Please keep in mind that I will be starting out slowly, then building in more complex features later.

Ok, so I admit that last night wasn’t the kind of geeking out that most hams dream of. I didn’t contact a ham in a far-off-place, nor did I participate via HF in a search and rescue operation in the Grand Tetons.

It was fun, though!

N8MIQ (Karl) and I were playing around with the PSK31 digital mode on 2m SSB last night. He lives about 15 miles away. He had his rig set at ONE watt, and I had mine at it’s lowest setting of 5 watts.

We copied each other 100%, the signal floating in on the ether just fine.  Never mind that if we were working FM 2 meters, we likely wouldn’t have been able to hear each other.  I sent him a link to Ham Radio Deluxe and to the Feld Hell Club, and we’ll likely be exploring those (and other!) modes in the very near future.

(PSST:  Click on the card for a larger version!)

I bought a real ham radio today!  Not the radio, but at least something…

My old (1994 vintage Icom Z-1A) HT was on the fritz, and I’ve been desperately seeking some way to be active…so I got myself a Yaesu FT-2800M 2-meter FM mobile.

$129.95 at R & L Electronics, a decent amount of bells & whistles, and good output power – not a bad deal!

So it would seem that my almost seven year-old daughter Jessica is really enjoying Amateur Radio. I just joined a local club, and she’s been attending meetings and events with me. This serves a dual purpose: it eliminates the need for a babysitter, AND it allows me to expose her to my newly rediscovered hobby. This past Monday, she came with me to the West Chester Amateur Radio Association’s August meeting. Knowing that the best defense against a cranky kid is ACTIVITIES, I came loaded for bear. Jessica was carrying a backpack containing a couple of books, a Nintendo DS, gummy worms, the toy from her McDonald’s Happy Meal, and her MP3 player. She was amazingly good, quietly and contentedly sitting there through the entire 90 minute meeting. Afterwards, she wanted to go up to the club hamshack and “play some radio.”

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After much pondering, research, and a hard look at my budget, I have made some decisions about my soon-to-be ham rig!  I have settled on the Yaesu FT-897d as my primary rig.  I think I’m going to be purchasing a G5RV mini antenna (it’s cheap, tuneable, and should get me on multiple bands) for a starter HF antenna.

I have gotten tired of waiting forever to make a purchase, so today I decided to make a small step forward: I bought an auto-tuner designed for the FT-897d! This auto-tuner has great reviews, seems to be able to tune a wet shoestring (not to say that using a wet shoestring will work well!), and is cheaper than the Yaesu-made alternative.  For me – a ham on a budget – this seems to be a great little product!  (I’ll provide reviews when I get on the air finally!)

I’m going to make a visit to R & L Electronics this coming week to check out some other accessories for the rig as it’s currently designed.  Purchasing of the radio itself will take place after my birthday and receipt of birthday funds!

After being a “permanent” Technician class Ham Operator for the past 16 years, I devoted myself at this year’s Dayton to achieving the Amateur Extra class ranking before year’s end. On July 5, I achieved that goal! I promised myself that when I got Extra class, I would buy myself my first “real” rig (in other words, one that can do something other than 2 meters @ 5W). Now I intend to make good on my promise! I’ve done some research, but before taking the plunge and laying out the ca$h, I thought I would throw this out to the cumulative knowledge of the surfing hordes to see if there’s any advice, criticism or guidance you might provide:

The Goal

Since I live in an antenna-restricted, covenant-controlled neighborhood, I am unable to put much of an antenna on my home (footnote #1). Having said that, I DO want to be able to work the HF bands, but want to gear my rig toward a more portable installation. I am picturing a system designed to be easily set up & torn down – something that could contribute to a collective Field Day station, taken on a family camping trip, set up in the backyard for some patio DX, or be transported & set up during an emergency. However, I’m also seeking a lot of flexibility in the bands / modes that I can work. I’m a geek, so digital modes are a near-necessity for me (a laptop or other computing devices aren’t a problem). Read the rest of this entry »