Hear an audio version of this message. Our good friend and colleague Tim Shy has died after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Nobody knows for sure where it came from. There was no genetic history in his family. But we know from personal experience that the monster is often indiscriminate…
By Scott Westerman If you want to be thankful for what you have, immerse yourself in an culture where it doesn’t exist. That’s what is at the front of my mind as a decompress from 12 days in Cuba. I am thankful for clean tap water, hot water, soap, elevators,…
Amateur radio attracts a huge cadre of enthusiasts. And with licensing at an all time high, it’s inevitable that you’ll run into an occasional knucklehead. My own initial encounter with one of these unique individuals came early in my ham career. I was struggling through my first contest experience and was…
For those without a D-STAR repeater in the neighborhood, the Raspberry Pi is a highly serviceable solution. With a number of SD Card images available and the ease of interface to the ubiquitous DVAP Dongle, talking digital is a breeze. Now comes the Raspberry Pi Zero, a $5.00 iteration that’s…
By Scott Westerman Few things are more singular than being on the receiving end of a meltdown. We learn to take them in stride when children are involved. We take a deep breath and ride it out when our soul mates “flip a nut”. But what do you do when…
By Scott Westerman Losing your mojo is not fun. And eventually it happens to all of us. Events compound and all of a sudden we’re questioning our abilities. This is the definition of a slump. The best of us will eventually stumble. We’re tempted to leave the team, quit the…
It’s small, lightweight, strong, only requires a single support, needs no rotator, gives full size dipole performance on all 5 HF bands, is fed by a single 50 ohm coax, and produces a horizontally polarized signal that minimizes RF interference. Introducing the Cobweb Antenna. Actually it’s been around for some time and…
By Scott Westerman It’s time for those New Year’s resolutions. But before you make your list, let’s begin with a reality check. You have to step up your game.
I never had the honor of getting to know Carl Izzo personally. But I’ve had the opportunity to study a few of his greatest creations. And they reflect an exceptional human being. Italian culture so mixes the elements of devotion and passion to create strong family bonds, deeply rooted in tradition, loyalty and personal accountability.…