Don Keith N4KC's Technology, Media and Ham Radio Blog

You left us so updated. I appreciate your effort.

2012-05-30T10:11:15.647-05:00

You left us so updated. I appreciate your effort.

I've actually had access to browser data based...

2012-05-24T21:51:06.886-05:00

I've actually had access to browser data based on people who visit my day job's (make that former day job) various web sites. You are correct that Chrome is making headway and may well overtake IE. But it's not there yet, and even when it takes over the top spot, how can Google ignore a significant number of its users? Baffles me.

Thanks for commenting.

Don

It doesn't help you, but on Monday I saw that ...

2012-05-24T21:34:59.105-05:00

It doesn't help you, but on Monday I saw that Chrome became the most used browser - over IE. (I later read that MS disputes the methodology, but in any case I believe the gap is, at least, closing.)

http://news.slashdot.org/story/12/05/21/1544243/google-chrome-becomes-worlds-no-1-browser

I read this article.It really interesting and enjo...

2012-03-19T02:47:39.429-05:00

I read this article.It really interesting and enjoyable.Radio broadcast is the back to media.Thanx to share with us.

Actually the fact that you do get off-topic makes ...

2012-03-17T18:39:12.199-05:00

Actually the fact that you do get off-topic makes your blog that much more interesting. Like each of us you have a perspective that we may not have.

In this situation, I agree with you concerning our government. However there is another aspect that pertains to the "students" who are "check chasers". Sooner or later the bill still comes due no matter the interest rate. The surprise for many of these people is that it is not easy to erase student debt in bankruptcy. In essence the government is setting up a situation that lends itself to people who cannot ever get out of debt. And the bottom line becomes - who pays for these people? Yes it it the government but more personally it is me and you. So if the people of this nation continue to vote for people who promise everything in order to get elected and these elected officials are intent on implementing socialism, the situation will never get better.

However in the end I agree that more government agencies is not the answer to our problems. However just a little common sense in our government would be nice though.

N4LKY

You are welcome, BenMac. Hope all is well with yo...

2012-03-17T12:40:20.115-05:00

You are welcome, BenMac. Hope all is well with you. I become a man of leisure May 4 my own bad self...retiring from ECA/Virginia College to write and promote books and, probably, live on beenie-weenies and saltines.

DK

Thanks for the mention Don! I have always apprecia...

2012-03-13T20:58:03.736-05:00

Thanks for the mention Don! I have always appreciated your commentary my man.

Ben Mac

www.benmac.com

Right on target! I was one of those who thought i...

2012-02-25T12:40:26.172-06:00

Right on target! I was one of those who thought it was a good thing when the FCC allowed companies to own more than an AM/FM combo in a market and to have hundreds of stations in their portfolios. "Finally, someone with the wherewithal to upgrade facilities and signals, invest in talent and creative content, and promote radio so it could compete with other media! The moms and pops were not able to that very often."

Oh, was I wrong! But I still think some companies will do what I hoped they would. They'll realize that risk-aversion and cut-your-way-to-profitability are exactly the wrong way to be successful in a medium that requires--no, demands--creativity and compelling content. Of course, that applies to other media, too. HBO started down that path and I hope they continue. Independent film studios, too.

We'll see.

Don N4KC

Good morning Don, with regards to getting "HQ...

2012-02-25T11:01:16.577-06:00

Good morning Don, with regards to getting "HQ's" nose in everything...it's true up this way as well with radio stations and other industries as well. For some reason micro managing seems to be in. I am not sure it really works all that well. Sometimes a company can be managed right into the ground. The home town radio station, the DJ and the social event's they do around town is very import. It is not only good for the radio station but it also jells the community as a whole too. Now that big biz has their nose in it and the bean counters "think" they know the "formula" ......well time has shown it's not just a formula that makes it.

I have nothing against AM. I use it sometimes mys...

2012-02-17T12:46:06.451-06:00

I have nothing against AM. I use it sometimes myself. But I don't agree that SSB takes more bandwidth than AM. Not if it is run properly.

There's room for all modes on our bands.

Don N4KC

At least Bill Gates had the wisdom to say "ou...

2012-02-14T11:41:23.185-06:00

At least Bill Gates had the wisdom to say "ought to" rather than "will".

Well you may think SSB is the "more better &q...

2012-01-30T13:47:22.751-06:00

Well you may think SSB is the "more better "but QRM wise i find the an SSB soignal messes up a lot more of the band than an Am signal. An SSb signal isnt where it appears to be if you have the rX on AMwhere AM is just where it is period. Now I operate both modes. I use SSB for Dx or serious work but I find AM very interesting as well. The freq wherethey are are pretty well known. 3705 for instance. Why SSb there? mutual consideration. VE3LYX

Ran across you on the Web bcz I enjoyed Nautilu...

2012-01-07T20:59:13.303-06:00
Ran across you on the Web bcz I enjoyed Nautilus 90 North in junior high, and just read

..."... You know what the message was?"

...
" 'Latitude ninety degrees north,' "...

in Reamde [sic!] by Neal Stephenson. I soon satisfied myself that I didn't misremember Anderson's account, and thot you might know if anyone besides the fictional character Chet believes Anderson mis-stated it.

I would assume the encryption was at least an old-fashioned one-time pad; would inaccurately quoting the radio message have been a plausible security measure, protecting a one-time pad based on a published work?? (I'd like to think they were basing them on random-number generators running on IBM big-iron by that time!)

Thanks, GRZempel AT Comcast DOT Net

Kind of ironic that we are finding interest in the...

2012-01-07T11:52:45.017-06:00
Kind of ironic that we are finding interest in the D.I.Y. movement just at a time when many said "homebrewing" was no longer an important facet of ham radio. Thanks for the comments and link, John.

Don N4KC

Thanks! The video shows some nice examples of DIY ...

2012-01-04T21:58:26.317-06:00
Thanks! The video shows some nice examples of DIY activities that can appeal to folks who want to actually build something to accomplish wireless communication. A related event in the southeast is the upcoming TechFest near Atlanta -- http://tinyurl.com/GARS-2012.

Congratulations, Don! What do they say: "Idl...

2011-11-09T22:37:36.877-06:00
Congratulations, Don!

What do they say: "Idle hands are the Devil's playground."

Let's have a PSK31 ragchew on 20 very soon.

Wayne, K9YNF

Cool Post Don! Don't forget medical science w...

2011-09-12T11:46:55.471-05:00
Cool Post Don! Don't forget medical science which also advances by leaps and bounds on the battlefield or very nearby.

Roxanne, I'll make you a bet. The first five ...

2011-09-05T09:14:28.839-05:00
Roxanne, I'll make you a bet. The first five people you talk with on the air will be friendly and welcoming.

If not, I owe you a buck!

73,

Don N4KC

Thanks, Don, for the encouragement! I know the int...

2011-09-04T19:56:51.582-05:00
Thanks, Don, for the encouragement! I know the internet is full of people with prejudices of all sorts. It just seems like nearly all of the old-timers share the opinion that newcomers aren't "real hams." I try to see it as it is, a bunch of people bemoaning the loss of the "good ol' days" in a public forum, but it does bother me.

Like anyone venturing into unfamiliar territory, I'm going to be nervous when I finally get on the air. I can only hope that my first contacts will be with the nicer people out there, and not the ones who will treat me with disdain for not having to pass the more strenuous tests to get where I am today.

Too bad I can't also take the tests that they did, just to
prove that I can. I would be up for that sort of challenge!

I'll let you know when I'm finally able to get on the air. My husband is retiring from the military soon, and he doesn't yet have a new job. Once the dust settles, I'll be able to get my radio. Until then, I'm learning CW and shopping for just the rig equipment for my ham shack. :)

73,

Roxanne, KC7RXN

Oh, Roxanne, please don't judge our hobby by t...

2011-09-04T11:23:28.995-05:00
Oh, Roxanne, please don't judge our hobby by the people you see posting on eHam and other such sites. The Internet gives anybody with a computer and an ISP the capability of publishing comments to the world, regardless how uninformed, ill-conceived, and prejudiced they may be. I'm sure you see equal vitriol on other sites, too, and they are not representative of the vast majority of the hobby. I wonder if you go to a site devoted to golf you would see posts saying anyone who doesn't use hickory club shafts or who use modern computer technology to improve their swing should be banned from the sport? Bet you do!

Still, I am totally in favor in allowing people to express their opinions openly, regardless how goofy they are. I think we all need to learn to cull out the goofy ones and learn from the others.

Put that station together and get on the air. There are fascinating experiences awaiting, lots of things to learn, and there are many, many fascinating people out there waiting to meet you and talk to you. I know. I met and talked to a couple of them yesterday on 40-meter SSB. And I'm listening to one on 17 meters right now as I type this. And then I'm going to drop down to one of the PSK31 frequencies and talk to some more.

Roxanne, thanks for posting, and I look forward to meeting you on the air someday.

73,

Don N4KC

Hi Don, I read one of your replies to that awful ...

2011-09-04T10:26:20.276-05:00
Hi Don,

I read one of your replies to that awful "Where is the Spirit of Amateur Radio" article on eham.net, and I wanted to thank you for being so reasonable and respectful.

I'm one of the Amateur Extra licensees who doesn't have any on-the-air experience. I studied electronics in college and in the military, and once I was introduced to ham radio last year, I was excited to learn more about it. I studied and passed the exams, and then I went on eham to look at reviews for equipment.

What I found there is making me question my desire to get further involved with this hobby.

While I'm perfectly capable of soldering a circuit board, I'd rather spend my time putting together a working station, so I can get on the air and talk to people.

The FCC didn't require me to learn code, but I want to learn it anyway. Why should I be considered a lower class of radio amateur simply because I wasn't forced to learn code for an exam?

It's nice to know that not all hams are as unfriendly as those posting on eham.

73,

Roxanne, KC7RXN

Nice post. I want to recommend to publish your New...

2011-08-21T02:09:36.742-05:00
Nice post. I want to recommend to publish your New Technology post on Technogies

Wayne, that's the mixed bag you and I must end...

2011-08-08T19:53:38.967-05:00
Wayne, that's the mixed bag you and I must endure. We are excited by the possibilities of digital media but we still have a certain affinity for the old paper-and-ink publications. We are raising a generation now who are not so attached to ink on the fingers or the smell of paper.

I'm one of those who want it all...a nice book on my lap in the easy chair, but I also enjoy the ease and convenience of my Nook.

Why don't you invent that computer with an HF rig inside. I'd be interested! Though it's taking a surprisingly long time for the TV with the built in computer, wi fi ready, with a DVD burner hooked up to the DVR for easily saving recorded material.

I know what some of the forces are that are slowing it down, but the consumer will ultimately win. He always does.

Don N4KC

Hi Don! Your well-thought-out post is so timely. ...

2011-08-08T14:14:21.120-05:00
Hi Don!

Your well-thought-out post is so timely. I just threw out a TON of old QSTs and will be carting four banker boxes worth of hard cover books to my local Half Price Books store tomorrow.

I dropped CQ many moons ago as many others have done. Just look at the reviews of both QST and CQ on eHam.net to see why some (many?) are dropping their subscriptions.

As you know, I am the author of an ebook and yet I don't yet own a Kindle. I am waiting for the much-talked-about model that will feature TWO viewing modes: eInk (for crisp ebook and periodical reading) AND LCD (for Web surfing and everything else).

I see that QST has recently conducted a reader survey asking who has an e-reader and that they are moving in that direction. If they can get it right, and since I am now on a fixed income, I will certainly be an early adopter of a digital QST for Kindle, hopefully at a discount.

Same goes for my daily Milwaukee newspaper, especially when it is snowing like crazy outside and I want to stay cozy inside in my La-Z-Boy.

Sooner or later, too, (again, when the bugs get all worked out) we will opt for streaming our current Netflix subscription instead of hiking out to the mailbox. Heck, in my little country town (pop 700) the post office may close altogether.

I already subscribe to two weekly digital DX newsletters (one free and one priced less than its print counterpart). I print both out.

Living in a compact retirement QTH by design to maximize energy savings and minimize housekeeping, we don't have much extra space for piles of periodicals or books. And yet my wife, who is an avid reader, will never give up her weekly trip to the library.

As much time as I spend in front of a computer monitor each day, I have no problem adapting my reading habits to the e-screen (maybe with a bump-up in font size. Ha!). However, when it comes to streaming movies, give me my 40 inch HD Sony any day!

Speaking of Dayton, I am hoping someone like Flexradio or Elecraft rolls out a 100-watt all-mode transceiver that is in the configuration of a 15-inch laptop like my awesome Panasonic Toughbook CF-52 (with a built-in carrying handle and close to Mil-spec hardening).

I want only one box that does it ALL and shows me everything on a split screen (1/3 radio face, 1/3 digital waterfall, and 1/3 panadaptor. No goo-gaws hanging off the side or ratty cables going to interfaces or external power supplies. Heck, maybe an e-reader built in for good measure!

At least my grandchildren won't think that Grampy is an old fart with a cool radio like that!

Wayne C. Long, K9YNF

Absolutely! How many guys call CQ once and give u...

2011-07-20T20:12:35.508-05:00
Absolutely! How many guys call CQ once and give up? Or make one swipe up the band and decide there's nobody on the air?

Hate to tell you, but we were only 94 here today. But the humidity was about 120%! You have to love air you can cut with a knife.

73,

Don Keith N4KC