Fast Foods for Fast Times

The phone rings at 0400 hrs local and your EmComm Leader is telling you it’s time to deploy to BFE Florida after a Cat 4 hurricane. But wait! I’m all out of Mountain House Freeze dried beef stroganoff; what will I eat!

There are plenty of off the shelf foods that are perfectly suited for living in the rough. Before I delve into the foods, let’s talk about calories. Sustainable intake or calorie intake that will not cause weight loss would be in the neighborhood of 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day. That could be one meal at Wendy’s. Of course calorie intake would have to go up as your activity increases but here is an example. I walk 4 miles most mornings at a sub 15 minute mile pace which is faster then most people walk. I burn about 105 calories a mile. To give context, my 4 mile walk is about equivalent to a Snickers Bar.

So what do you need to be self sustaining? There probably won’t be much power available so foods that store without refrigeration would be high on the list. One example is peanut butter or an equivalent. Two tablespoons of peanut butter is about 200 calories, couple that with a tortilla and you are up to about 300 calories or more. Two peanut butter/tortillas per meal and you have 1,800 calories per day. Crackers are a good source for calories. Five saltines are 70 calories and an MRE Cracker packages contains 2 crackers for 180 calories. Add some MRE Cheese Spread with Bacon and you are up to 300 calories. I am former Army and some of this is field “comfort” food.

Another favorite is GORP or Good Ole Raisins and Peanuts. this harkens back to my backpacking days. I often add chopped dates and M&M’s to it. Mandelbrot or Mandel Bread is another high calorie treat.

Before I move on to my list of deployment foods I want to discuss water.General Guidelines are 1 gallon per person, per day. That is a maintenance amount. Add in heat stress, washing (body clothes, utensils) and the number goes up. While in the Army we did a training exercise in the desert. It was over 100 degrees and we were performing strenuous activity. I was almost drinking a gallon of water an hour. Plan on 2 or more gallons of water per person, per day. Jerry can water often develops an after taste so something like Stur or Pur Aqua favoring helps.

Here is a list of foods I consider when getting ready for a deployment. I also use this list when camping and doing something like a POTA activation. Most everything on the list can be had at a grocery store and some like Walmart are open 24 hrs. One last word of advice before I present the list. Do not wait until you are in the field before trying some of these foods. One or more may not agree with you and your suffering may be compounded by poor “facilities”. Here is the list:

B&M Brown Bread
Pilot Bread
Peanut Butter
Jelly
WeetaBix (cereal)
Underwood Chicken Spread
Single Serving Spam
Saltine Crackers
MRE Cracker (Amazon)
MRE Cheese Spread (Amazon)
Flour Tortilla
Wasa Sourdough Crispbread
Foil packed chicken (usually by the tuna packets)
Fresh Fruit
Fruit Cups
Dried Fruit
Raisins
GORP
Granola bars
Ghee (clarified butter)
Instant Coffee
Instant Oatmeal
Ramen Noodles (single Serve)

Remember to include enough protein in your diet. I once did a supply run in south Florida after a hurricane and for 2 days I ate nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I was ready for some meat. By the time I got back to civilization (with electricity), Even a fast-food burger sounded gourmet. A lot of this stuff keeps well so you can store some at the house. It’s also a lot cheaper. Stay safe and 73 – Scott

I’ve Been Busy

Today is the second day of hurricane season for the United States. According to Colorado State University, this may be a busy season. For most of CONUS (CONtinental United States), hurricanes have little effect. For those of us on the eastern seaboard and gulf coast, it is time to keep a weather eye out.

It should be a time of preparation. Procuring materials to stormproof homes, purchase/maintain generators and check on fuel supplies, check the pantries for food and water storage, and ensure there are adequate medication and first aid supplies. In addition to this, is there enough cash on hand as with no power, there is no credit; cash is king. There is always the question of; should I stay or should I go? This is often a tough decision and the wrong choice could be fatal. If you are going, do you have a place to go? During Hurricane Michael, I was returning to Georgia from Virginia the weekend before the storm, there was storm related traffic up in Tennessee, people looking for a place to stay.

Even though I live in northwest Georgia, I can still be affected by a storm. High winds, heavy rains, tornadoes, flooding and power outages occur as a hurricane winds down as it travels inland.

Part of my preps, besides food, and water, etc., is making sure my communications gear is in order. Most of my gear gets used at least weekly with some of my portable gear getting use monthly. As I have said in past posts, my FunComm gear is mostly the same as my EmComm gear. I check to see that my radios are working and that my portable antennas are in good working order. I pull out my laptop and make sure all of my radio apps and OS are up to date and working. I especially check to make sure I can send/receive on my main digital modes. For EmComm I rely mainly on Winlink, PSK31, Contestia, and CW. I get on the air and send emails, check into nets, etc. I am also a Net Control Station for Phone and Digital, and I run those nets on a monthly basis. During a disaster is the wrong time to find out something doesn’t work. Been there, done that. And yes, sometimes, even though you checked, checked, and double checked, things can still go wrong, but at least you can reduce the probability.

My vehicles get serviced regularly, and I go over my little camper before each trip. My generators are checked and run on a regular basis. I also go through my Flee bag. I check to make sure everything in it is in working order, that there are no expired, expiration dates, and the clothes I have tucked in there still fit. Too big is okay, too small is not.

With all my gear squared away, I turn to me. Have I had a check-up recently? Are my meds current to my needs?, is there anything I need to get fixed before I deploy somewhere? From here I move to my skill sets. Can I use the apps/radios I need? Sometimes a big update happens that changes the app enough I may have to relearn it. Can I still copy CW? CW is not widely used, but it makes a pretty good backup when everything else is going to pot.

How is my fieldcraft? Can I cook and eat in the field, can I purify water, start a fire, clean myself, apply first aid, make repairs, navigate; can I improvise, adapt, and overcome?

Some of this is annual and some of it is on going. I should never let my skills and gear degrade to a point where they are no longer usable. It is bad voodoo to try to learn/relearn a skill during or on the way to a disaster.

How about you? Don’t wait until the last minute. It’s no fun waiting in a long line to get something you could have gotten a few months ago for half the price. And then to add insult to injury, the guy in front of you buys the last one. Be ready, do it now! Embrace the coming storm with a cup of coffee and the knowledge you have done everything you could to be ready. Or, you could be driving around white-knuckled in a panic trying to buy the same things everything else who has waited is trying to buy. I’ve done both and I like the first option much better. Think straight and stay safe. 73 de Scott

By the Hand of God at US-2173

I book my campsites often months in advance to ensure I get a good campsite. This particular trip was postponed twice due to typical life events that take precedence over having a little fun. Even this trip was not without its own issues. My wife and I forgot that this weekend was also Mother’s Day and unknown to us at the time of the booking was that there was going to be a 4 major Coronal Mass Ejections (CME) making an earth strike during the trip.

The last time I witnessed solar storms of this magnatude, I was in Gulfport MS doing EmComm for my Church in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. It was a humbling experience and it shaped my EmComm Philosophy.

I use the same gear for EmComm and FunComm. The equipment gets tested and exercised, and I remain proficient in its use. I also have an understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.

Most trips I take my go box.

It stays packed and contains everthing except a battery or generator to operate. I do keep a small switching power supply for mains power when it is available. Here is a look at the inside.

I have built rack mount or shelf type go boxes and in general, I do not like them. I have deployed to real disasters and found what I have here works the best for me. I do this enough that I am up and running in minutes. One thing I like is the versatility of being able to adapt my radio to the space I have to set up in. Your Milage May Vary, but for me and my 26 years in EmComm; this works best for me.

This weekend was spent at F.D. Roosevelt State Park (US-2173) near Warm Springs GA. The park was named after Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He suffered from Polio and often would travel to Warm Springs GA for hydrotherapy. He built a residence there often referred to as “The Little White Hose”. During his presidency, he established the Civilain Conservation Core (CCC) during the Great Depression. This provided jobs to young single men to help families who had difficulty finding jobs. The CCC built much of the park.

The park contains 9,049 acres (largest in GA) and is built along the Pine Mountain Ridge. It is the southern most moutain range east of the Mississippi River. The highest point is Dowdell’s Knob at 1,395 ft and is a popular POTA and SOTA (W4G/CE-004) site. I took the Radio Flyer and stayed at the campgrounds near Lake Delano.

I arrived there right at 1300 hrs eastern (check-in time) and quickly got myself settled and ready to go. I knew the solar storms were coming and that my time maybe short. I wanted to finish my kilo here (#6) and needed 310 QSO’s. I had already postponed this trip twice so I was a little edgy. My gear for the trip was my 28.5′ Random Wire Antenna with the Peter my IC-7300. I had my Lenovo Thinkpad T-14 laptop and used mains power. The nice part about the antenna besides it performance, is I get zero complaints from park employees. No wires in the trees nor holes in the ground.

Friday’s band conditions were okay. There was lots pof QSB and I stuck with FT8 (35 watts). CW in these more rural parks can be iffy and this go I needed quantity. I started at 1430 hrs eastern and by oooo hrs Saturday (Friday Night) I had 134 QSO’s and when I quit at 2315 hrs I had a total of 230.

Saturday morning, after a quick breakfast I started up again at 0730 hrs. I operated until 1140 hrs when the bottom dropped. Luckily, I ended up with 338 QSO’s including 3 that were mader after the CME hit.

I decided my time would be best spent at home to spend Mother’s Day with my Lovely Bride so I packed up and headed for the house. My stats refelected band conditions and even though I made quite a few contacts, I only had three DX entities: Alaska, Canada and Mexico. I made contacts in 40 of the 5o states.

Operating this weekend reminded me that as reliable as HF commnications can be, it does have its Achilles Heel. For those in EmComm, never stop practicing, refining your techniques, or keeping your gear in order. For everyone else, it’s just another day in paradise. 73 de Scott

Turning FunComm to EmComm

In less than a month, Hurricane Season starts. For most parts of the country, this is nothing more than a news item. For us in the southeastern United States, it becomes a time of preparation.

Hurricanes, are an extreme force of nature. Unlike tornadoes, whose path of destruction may be a mile or two wide, a hurricane can leave a path of desolation 100 or more miles wide. Because it it so immense, it is almost impossible to describe; you have to be there to appreciate the god-like destruction.

Last month Colorado State University’s Department of Atmospheric Science, released it’s 2024 hurricane season forecast. Their prediction is for an “extremely active” season with an “above-average” probability for major hurricanes making landfall along the continental United States (CONUS)and the Caribbean.

This year they are predicting 23 named storms (aver. 14.4) with 5 major hurricanes (aver. 3.2). The probability of a major hurricane striking the east coast is 34% (aver. 21%) and for the gulf coast 42% (aver. 27%). In the tropical Pacific there will be La Nina conditions which can increase hurricane activity in the Atlantic. In addition, eastern and tropical Atlantic surface sea temperatures are warmer than normal making conditions conducive to hurricane development. The complete report can be found here: 2024 Hurricane Season Prediction

FunComm is a great way in keeping your emergency and portable comms ready. Field Day, Winter Field Day, POTA and SOTA are good ways to maintain your emergency gear. The same gear I take to the parks is what I would use during a disaster. I have been to disasters where a guy walks up to me with a handi-talkie in 3 pieces and telling me if I can help him fix his radio, he could help me. Don’t be that guy.

Do your radios work? Do your field antennas work? Have you tested them and checked their performance? Have you tested your batteries and do they work with your radio? Do you have enough capacity? How about generators? Do you have the right kind of generator? Some of these Home Depot generators will destroy a radio. Can you bring fuel to power your vehicle and generators? If there is no power in a disaster area, there is typically no power to pump gas. Make sure you have enough gas to get back out of the disaster area.

Don’t forget about your laptop. Do you have the apps you need installed on the laptop? Are they up to date? Did you sync the time before you left? Do you have a plan to power your laptop?

Where are you going to sleep? Are you going to bring enough food? Water? What about sanitation? Again, no power, no public sanitation. Do you have a list of things you need to bring? What about cash? In a disaster, cash is often king as the credit card machines run off of electricity and the Internet. Remember, if there is no cell service, those cell phone credit card swipers won’t work either. Make sure you bring small bills, as stores will probably not have the means to make change.

The way I am set up now, I could leave my QTH in about 4 hours with a stop at a gas station and grocery store. Part of the reason is I practice my EmComm using FunComm. I have been to several wide area disasters and I made plenty of mistakes, I learned the hard way. 73 de Scott

Going Mobile

Goin’ Mobile, Keep me Movin’ (The Who). After recovering from my rove I decided to install the IC-7100 in my truck. I like the idea of being able to pull into a park and operate with a minimum of setup. The 7100 is nice in that it includes HF/VHF/UHF. Here are the bits an bobs I used to get this going.

For a tuner, I used Icoms new AH-730. It replaces the AH-4 and is a much nicer unit. The AH-730 and the AH-4 are actually couplers much like the SGC SG-237. They are designed to connect directly to the wire antenna. Coax is only used between the radio and the tuner. I ran a 12 ga stranded wire from the tuner to the antenna which is mounted on my camper roof rack. It is a standard 102″ stainless steel whip. I only had to drill a small hole through the cab sheet metal, add a grommet and a little RTV and I’m done. I drilled an additional 3/8″ hole in the plate where the whip antenna attaches to the truck so I can easily add a horizontal wire for low band NVIS. All I need to do is attach the wire to the truck, stretch it out to a tree, hit the tune button and operate.

Once inside the wire is covered by the trim until it hits bottom and then is routed to the tuner.

The radio and tuner lie in the seat tray under the rear seat. Power from the battery and the UHF/VHF antenna lead are already there from the ID-4100 which was located there. All I had to do was run the control cable from the radio to the control head, attach the antenna to the tuner, the control cable from the radio to the tuner, and add some grounds. If need be, the radio can be easily removed to use outside of the truck.

The control head is mounted on my center console with a cup holder mount. I found this is a nice location for the control head, it is easy to see and manipulate the controls. Plus I also have the DTMF microphone for it. In a pinch I can run CW.

I haven’t done a lot of testing yet, but from my experience with a IC-706 MKIIG/AH-4 combo, things will be fine. Right now I have a bit of work to do on my property which unfortunately, takes priority over radio, but hopefully soon I will be able to get out to a park.

Another thing I haven’t talked about was this mobile setup also works well for EmComm. I can use the truck’s battery or one of my others to run the radio. Adding wire to the antenna will help on the lower bands; plus, the whole system is easy to deploy. Let’s hope I don’t have to use it. 73 de Scott

The Happenstance Rove

Happenstance: a chance circumstance. That is how it started out. I recently sold one of my radios and for giggles I thought I would check out QTH.com to see if there was anything I just had to have (Danger Will Robinson). I stumbled across a nice IC-7100 and thought I could install it in my truck to make quick POTA activations a little easier. The ad looked good and the call sign sounded familiar. I checked the seller out on QRZ.com. I do this with every ham radio transaction to reduce the opprtunity of being scammed. Low and behold! the seller John KX6F, is an old army buddy of mine. We served together in the 101st Airborne Division in C/158 TF 160. That was 40 years ago and I hadn’t seen him in at least 15 years. John is a good guy and was a major influence to me becoming a ham. I served with him from about 1980-1983 when I was transferred to Germany. Life and stuff took over and I was finally able to get licensed in 1995.

I sent John an email asking if I could pick up the radio in person and take him out to lunch. He told me that he suffered a severe stroke a couple of years ago and that dining in would be a better option. No problem. On Monday 04/22, I asked when would be a good time to come. He said Tuesday would be good. I had one night to plan a trip. He lives about 5 hours away from me so I thought I would turn this into a rove. I decided on two nights of camping and 5 parks in 5 states. The XYL had a hip replaced so I hadn’t been out in a while, it was time to stretch my legs. Here is a map showing the stops.

Blue is day one, red is day 2 and green is day 3 and the trip home.

#1 Clarskville TN. First stop was John’s. We had pizza for lunch and reminisced about old times. John looked good and was as jovial as ever. I was glad I made the trip. He and his wife were very gracious. After about an hour and half, I could tell it was time to go. The radio is in great shape and I am sure I will enjoy it.

KK4Z with KX6F

My new radio at the QTH

From John’s house I drove to Lake Barkley State Park (US-1284 and #2 on the map). I spent the night there in a very nice campsite. Right at dusk, a Barred Owl flew into my campsite. He was less than 20 feet away from me at eye level. Once we made eye contact, he flew off to another perch – silent as a ghost. All the states on this trip were new activation states for me so I made sure I had enough contacts for a valid activation. I was prepared to do either CW or FT8 but due to band conditions, it looked like FT8 was going to be the weapon of choice. I made 20 contacts and managed to work Australia, Canada and France.


Wednesday morning I broke camp and headed toward Ft Massac State Park (US-0993 and #3 on the map) just over the line from Kentucky. It was a nice park inside of the town of Metropolis. I found a spot with clean restrooms nearby and enough room for my truck and camper. There were a lot people using the park to exercise. I used FT8 to make 20 contacts on 30 and 10 meters and the only DX was Canada.

From Ft Massac State Park my next destination was Big Oak Tree State Park (US-1749 and #4 on the map) in MO about 1 1/2 hours away. Along the way near the town of Omstead, IL, I spotted a Bald Eagle having lunch with Vultures at the roadkill cafe. The park is located in rural MO. and surrounded by farms. There was no cell service here but the park and the views were great. I set up near the picnic area. Ten meters was hopping. DX stations included: Hawaii, Belize, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Sardinia, and Spain. I was running 25 watts. I made 20 contacts before packing it up and moving to my next park.

Stop #5 and my second overnight was Mississippi River State Park (US-1102). This was a very nice park and I managed to reserve a campsite on the water. It also had zero cell service, even my cell phone went SOS. My money band was 10 meters again making DX contacts with Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan, and New Zealand. Ten meters acted like 20 meters, and 20 meters acted like 40 meters. I ended up with 33 contacts total.

Thursday morning had me heading toward home with Georgia on my mind (I even heard the song on the radio). I made a stop at Trace State Park (US-2554 and stop #6) just outside of Tupelo, MS. I stayed long enough to make 20 contacts and one DX into Canada.

I got home about 1600 hrs eastern Thursday afternoon. I worked 5 parks in 5 states: Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi, in 2 days. I crossed 4 major rivers: Cumberland, Tennessee, Ohio, and Mississippi (twice). I added 5 new states to my POTA activations. It was a good trip considering I only had about 2 hours to plan it. I learned some new things about my equipment and I have plans to make things better for next time.

My first rove proved to be a lot of fun. Usually I drive to a park, spend a couple of days and then drive home. I am hoping to try another rove before the year is out. See the YouTube video below. Until then — 73 de Scott

West Georgia Amateur Radio Society Spring Fling

Saturday, the West Georgia Amateur Radio Society (WGARS) took to the field for the Spring Support Your Parks Weekend sponsored by Parks on the Air (POTA). WGARS is a pretty active club and one of the best I have belonged to. Besides local events like fox hunts and balloon launches (APRS), we take to the roads 4 times a year to a park. In the spring and fall we make the POTA Support Your Parks Weekend usually on a Saturday. For the winter and summer, we participate in Field Day and Winter Field Day.

Weather was cold, with fog. Temps were in the 50’s and not the mid 70’s predicted by the weather service. I was in shorts and a tee shirt. Luckily, I had a goretex windbreaker in the truck. Others had blankets wrapped around them.

These events are casual events for us. We normally do 3 things while out. We eat, we socialize, and we throw in a little radio along the way. This was no different. We had a picnic table full of food with hamburgers and hot dogs cooked on site by our President John WD8LQT.

Due to a lot of recent solar activity band conditions were interesting. John WD8LQT was runnning CW/SSB and I was running FT8 to reduce interference between the 2 stations. When I switched to 10 meters, I was working into Europe and South America and when I switched to 20 meters, I couldn’t get out of the Continental United States (CONUS). We each made a handful of contacts and spent a lot of time enjoying each others company.

For radios, John was runnning his Xeigu G90 at 15 watts into a EFHW antenna. I was running my IC-705 at 5 watts into my 28.5′ Random Wire antenna. Towards the end my radio developed a glitch and refused to transmit. I was using my iPad via WiFi to make the FT8 contacts and I think that connection caused a setting to change. When I got home and warm, it took me about 3 minutes to figure it out. I still had a pretty good day. Here is a QSO map from my station.

The goal of these event for our club is not how many contacts we make, but how much fun we have and a large part of that is enjoying each others company. Field Day is only a couple of months away — can’t wait.

Below is a short video. It is a little jittery as I had navigate around people and chairs etc. If you’re prone to vertigo, you may wish to skip this one.

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

Change is inevitable. In this case my workbench. As I branch out into other fields of study my requirements for a workspace change. As I said earlier, I want to take the time and learn more about electronics. I’m not sure what I am going to do with it once I learn it — but that’s a story yet to tell. I recently added an o’scope to my quiver of test equipment. As I progress, there will be more to add. Looking at my current workbench (above) it was getting crowded and adding more equipment will quickly bring it to overflowing. Time to put on the thinking cap.

My first consideration was how to create more desk area. Horizontally, I am at my max so vertical was the only diredtion left. I decided I was going to build some shelving. I made a rough sketch and then took a trip out to my sheds. Using a mish-mash of plywood I was able to salvage enough from my scraps to build the shelves. The sides are 3/4″ CD plywood and the shelves themselves are 1/2″ premium grade. The shelves are 3′ wide and 12″ deep. vertical spacing is 8″ – enough for most test equipment. Some of the dimensions are a little off due to some warping of the plywood, but in general, the shelves are level and the whole unit does not wobble. Each shelf has a 1/4″ lip and the bottom of the shelf has a 2″ piece of plywwood across the back to prevent things from rolling where they shouldn’t. The shelf was glued, screwed and nailed using stuff I had on hand. The only thing I had to buy was some paint as all the stuff I had was dried out (I did look). I had to move my light to the other side of the bench so it would reach the work area. Fancy tools for this project included a table saw and a finish pneumatic nailer. The table saw is a godsend as it can quickly dimension lumber.

In the picture below, you can see that I now have more space with room to expand my test equipment. I believe next up will be an Arbitrary Waverform Generator with a Frequency Counter.

The third shelf was the original shelf shown at the beginning of the post. It was painted and repurposed. I will probably store my laptops up there.

Because the shelves are open in the back, they still let a lot of light in. I haven’t gotten my parts from DigiKey yet so the building/experimenting part is on hold. However, I am pressing forward with the written/video portions of my class.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my (mis)adventures. When time permits I try to get on the air for a little CW fun. First quarter 2024 has been real busy, hopefully it will smooth out. Unitl next time 73-Scott

O’scope O’my

Today I decided to muck around with my Arduino Nano. I plan on utilizing it with ham radio projects. The Nano comes with a basic program that makes an LED blink. Kind of like a self test. The program starts as soon as the Nano is plugged in. While staring at the light I thought about hooking up the Nano to my oscilloscope. The scope is brand new to me and I thought it would be an opportunity to twist a few knobs and push a few buttons. Watching the Nano blinking along side the o’scope made me think it was a good visual how the o’scope takes a dynamic signal and portrays statically.

An o’scope takes a snapshot of a moment in time. It measures voltage over time which is why the blinking light was a good example. The o’scope shows power coming on and then one second later, going off. For this sinple example we can answer the following questions: Does the Nano output full voltage? Does the Nano switch states or “blinks” at the proper interval. Is the Nano consistant (blinks approx. at the right time and at the right voltage)? There are a lot of tools and techniques not covered in this short post. I wanted to share a simple discovery about what an o’scope can do without a lot of technical stuff , just a little fun. 73 – Scott

New Adventures

I’ve been retired now for a little over 4 months. It is a life changing experience. I am finding that I now have time to pursue the activities I’ve always dreamed of. I am an intellecturally curious person and if left unchecked, I could assemble hobbies and interests like the Borg. The downside of retirement is I am now on a fixed income. I’m not eating Alpo or living in a box, but I have to be a little more careful about what money goes where. Inflation hasn’t helped either. In my quest to utilize the time I now have and remain fiscally responsilble, I started looking for things to do closer to home.

After going down multiple rabbit holes, I decided to stick with amateur radio as my main hobby. It has served me well for almost 30 years and I see no reason to abandon it now. So instead of making a hard right into a new hobby/activity, I decided to take a gentle curve instead. My new interest is learning more about electronics. This isn’t really new, in the early 80’s, I bulit a Heathkit HW-8 QRP transceiver. I was in the Army and built it before I got my license. Unfortunately, I PCS’d to Germany and it wasn’t unitl the mid 90’s that I finally got licensed.

Back to today. I am still active in amateur radio and recently completed a CW Innovations course. I enjoy CW and portable operations when I can get out. In the meantime, I want to expand my knowledge of electronics with the possiblity of troubleshooting, repairing and building electronic projects. I worked many years as a mechanic/electrician and have a good skill set when it comes to troubleshooting. In other words, I like to tinker. The best definition of tinkering I have found is: Tinkering is what happens when you try something you don’t quite know how to do, guided by whim, imagination, and curiosity. When you tinker, there are no instructions—but there are also no failures, no right or wrong ways of doing things. It’s about figuring out how things work and reworking them. Contraptions, machines, wildly mismatched objects working in harmony—this is the stuff of tinkering. Tinkering is, at its most basic, a process that marries play and inquiry (Banzi, Massimo; Shiloh, Michael. Getting Started With Arduino . Make Community, LLC. Kindle Edition).

So where am I in my tinkering process. I found a course on Udemy.com called Crash Course Electronics and PCB Design. It has a huge amount of videos and other info. What caught my attention was it was on sale for $20. I’m going through the course and so far it’s pretty good. Well worth $20. Next, I ordered the components suggested for the course. I will do this in stages as the course progresses. I also treated myself to an oscilloscope. It’s amazing how much o’scope you can get for the money. I settled on a Siglent SDS1104X-E 4 channel. It should meet my requirements now and in the future. I will be adding more test equipment as time (and money) allow. It will be a slow process and I will have to temper my inpatience. Yesterday I did some cleaning up of my workstation and it now looks like this.

I have a copy of Make Electronics 2nd Ed, which I will use in conjunction with my other course, and I bought an Arduino Nano with the Getting Started with Arduino book from the Make people. I feel in todays world, microcontrollers and electronics go hand in hand.

As always, I’ll bring you along for the ride as I venture into new territory. I may even try working on an old radio to see if I can get it to work. 73 — Scott