Ramblings by K6RJ

This tantalizing item appeared in the January 26, 2010 issue of Tech Beat from The National Institute of Standards web site.  The potential for hams who suffer under CC&Rs or disapproving spouses is obvious.
Engineered Metamaterials Enable Remarkably Small Antennas

This Z antenna tested at the National Institute of Standards and Technology is smaller than a standard [...]

The lastest K7RA Solar Update continues to be encouraging for hams.  Solar Cycle 24 is most definitely on the upswing.  Sunspot counts are rising and there are fewer days without any at all.  Improved HF propagation won’t be far behind.  Woohoo! About time!

On Tuesday, January 12 just before 5PM Haiti time, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti about  10 miles west of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.   Damage and casualty counts are expected to be high.  Communications to and from the island have been severely disrupted.  At last update, no contact had been established with any amateur [...]

The 2010 CW NA QSO Party is in the books.  This was the first large event that I particpated in using  the SDR1K.  I had a great time though I logged only 105 QSOs during the 12 hours of the QP.  I had to take a couple hour break Saturday afternoon and had to knock [...]

The most recent sunspot report by K7RA on the ARRL website supports that sunspot activity is on the increase!  This is something that hams have been anticipating for what seems like forever.  The bottom between solar cycles 23 and 24 has been more drawn out than many leading to dire predictions of a lower [...]

This weekend, January 9-10th, is the North American QSO Party on CW.  This will be the first time I will have a chance to “air out” the SDR-1000 during a large event in the CW mode.  I’m excited and am sure I will learn a lot and spend a good deal of time tweaking the [...]

Happy New Year Everyone!  Wow, 2010!  Where did 2009 go?  I had so many plans for the shack that never materialized.  Hopefully, this year will be better on that front.  One thing, I need to do is improve my antenna situation.  My Butternut HF6V vertical, which is my main antenna, has fallen into disrepair and [...]