I’ve been working radio since 1975, my first transmitter a 6DQ6 in a cake tin with
a Heathkit HR10B that cost me a year’s paper route money. I actually worked a fair
number of stations that way, but I had to be careful not to bump the table, lest
I was suddenly 5kHz off.
These days, mostly I hang out at 147.54 Mhz and also at VE7RBY.
For a bit I was with the Delta club- had some great times and set up tours through
anyplace that would let us Hams in! Did the repeater out in Burn’s Bog and ESS stuff
until that gig turned sour. Did some novice training courses too. I was very active
on APRS and created some original equipment for GPS and computer telemetry. Though
it never got very far in the Amateur community, I still think using assigned GPS
time slots would reduce collisions in packet transmissions.
I’ve also been using some unique antenna designs (using fibre optic switches mid-span)
and retractable tuned feeders. Also an advocate of reducing needless wireless device
‘entropy’, I’m pretty discouraged to note a distinct increase in general noise floor
levels recently. Once upon a time I spent a lot of time with the utility tracking
down electrical interference, but no one does that anymore.
I’ve really been too busy of late to get on the radio much, but that’s going to
change now. Soon my new location will be set up and I’ll be transmitting from up
high in the mountains! Talk to you then!
