There is a corollary in the ham radio hobby about the "other" hobbies that ham's seem to participate in. Among the most popular are (in no particular order):
Model railroading
Photography
Amateur Astronomy
Shortwave listening (SWL)
Computers
Over they years in this hobby I have encountered many hams who regularly engage in one or more these five side-hobbies and I always find that we have some common ground as I like all of them!!!! Unfortunately none of them are cheap.
Photography, in particular, is my 2nd hobby. I have been a photographer since age 8, when a cousin gave me a Baby Brownie camera at a family gathering. During junior high and high school I was year book photographer for the Palouse high school. I started shooting a Baby Brownie, moved to a Kodak Hawkeye, graduated to a Crown Graphic with a hand held light meter, and finally when I arrived in Japan in 1968, found a local camera company call Nippon Kogaku and I have been shooting with Nikon cameras ever since.
True story: My barracks room mate was Jay Merton Verrill III, a crypto maintenance man who liked shooting super 8 movies. We hit it off and when I was offered a ticket to the 1968 Bob Hope Show at Camp Zama, Japan, I was loaned a Nikon F, a couple of lenses, and a whole bunch of 35mm bulk loaded film by Jay's co-worker, Jack Wallace (AKA: Wally). That one outing with a Nikon F was the clincher. I loved the "F" and ended up owning two of them and seven (7) Nikkor lenses. Life was good....very good. While stationed in Japan in the late 1970s I entered and won base, command and Air Force level photo competitions!
During my divorce in 1981, I was forced to sell my beloved Nikons in order to raise money to pay off some bills that my ex-wife managed to accrue without my knowledge. That left me using a large Mamiya Super 23 press camera (used 120/220 roll film) and was not the best camera for the type of photography I engaged in.
I married Patricia (KB3MCT) in July of 1981 in England where we were both stationed. During that time I managed to procure a Russian Zorki 4K 35mm roll film camera, their knock off of a Leica IIIC. It was an amazing camera for the money and, some warts aside, was a good little 35mm camera. No light meter but by that time (especially after graduating from the School of Modern Photography) I was able to "read light" very effectively so a light meter was really not a necessity.
Christmas of 1986 found us re-stationed to Langley AFB, VA (near Hampton Roads). For Christmas that year Patti completely surprised me with a new Nikon FG and a couple of lenses! I was back in the Nikon Fold. I still have that little camera and it works great, considering it is over 30 years old. I have taken a lot of really good images with that little Nikon box, even winning several local competitions with the prints.
In 2006 my daughter, Maja, a graduate with a major in photography from Marywood College, loaned me her Nikon D-70 digital. I had promised myself that I would never go digital. That lasted for a grand total of 3 days after Maja dropped off her camera. My D-70S was on order along with an 18-200mm zoom with vibration reduction (VR). That lens seldom leaves the camera body! It's a "do-it-all lens" that, although very expensive, is a great lens that yields terrific images.
I used the D-70S until about 2 years ago when I found a Nikon D-90 on ebay for a decent price. I contacted the seller and we exchanged several emails and I felt confident it was a good upgrade. Although slightly larger than the D-70, the D-90 offered matrix metering which the D-70 didn't. The upgrade in bodies was well worth the expense.
Now I have come full circle with the purchase of a used Nikon F4 and three auto focus (AF) lenses. The F4 platform is a film camera, not a digital one. According to articles I've read there is an upsurge in going "retro" and breaking out the old film cameras, especially in Japan.
Opinion time:
One of the things I absolutely deplore about digital photography is the simple fact that virtually anyone can turn out very technically correct and, in most cases, well composed images at the press of a button. There is no "art" involved, as with dark room work. Take that digital image and roll it into Photo Shop or Lightroom, and you can do all sorts of computer manipulation that cannot be done in the dark room. That's just not fair nor is it in keeping with the "art" of photography. Where is the "art" in punching a keyboard?
All the previous history of my photography involvement leads up to my good friend, Michael Boatright, KO4WX, a expert photographer who also indulges in the ham radio hobby. I first Mike during a trip to Tampa in 2000 to be part of the birth of KC, my grand child. He met me in the Atlanta terminal, took me into the Delta Crown Club and we talked QRP and he gave me some info on a project that he'd been working on. Later, after we decided to move to the metro Atlanta area I became involved with the North Georgia QRP Club (NoGA) and Mike was a member. We discussed QRP, photography and ended up trading gear: my Mamiya Super 23 for his Ten-Tec Argonaut 509 station.
Over the next several years Mike withdrew from actively participating in ham radio and NoGA, channeling his efforts into his photography. The best portrait ever taken of me was shot by Mike at my new shack in Dacula. The guy is an absolute genius with a camera. If he can make me look good....imagine what he can do for you!! He has since opened his own studio in Dacater, GA and hosts regular open house events open to the public. To see his work, go to: http://www.michaelboatright.com/galleries.php. You will be impressed.
I'd be interested to those who read this blog giving me feedback as to their favorite hobbies.
All for now.
Vy 73 es "say cheese!"
Rich K7SZ
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Sunday, November 18, 2018
Thats What Friends Are For
I've repeatedly said that the one thing I really love about this radio hobby are the people you meet and the friends you make. This is especially true in the niche areas of the hobby like QRP.
We QRPers are linked by the challenge of doing more with less. Not only is it a challenge to pursue ham radio at the 5 watt (or less) level, it is a character building exercise. Add homebrew equipment into the mix and you have a facet of the hobby that is a great place to be.
In order to become a successful QRP operator your operating habits have to be honed and your knowledge of antennas, propagation and station engineering have to be top notch. This is where our fellow QRPers come into the picture.
No one in this hobby has all the answers. We can all learn no matter our experience level or the overall time in the hobby. As a collective body QRPers are an open and sharing group. In the spirit of ham radio we gladly share our knowledge and provide help and guidance for our fellow low power operators.
On rare occasions one meets some really astounding people in this hobby. In my instance two of those people are Paul Stroud, AA4XX, and Fran Slavinski, K3BX, formerly KA3WTF. I have known the two of them for well over 25 years, starting with their attempts to shatter the miles-per-watt record on 40 meters in mid-1990s. At the end of a two year period Paul and Fran had proven it was possible to communicate over several hundred miles with microwatts on an HF band that was crowded with high power ham radio operators along with massive shortwave broadcast stations! This saga is outlined in my QRP books for the ARRL. Suffice it to say that these two QRPers are legendary in the annals of low power operations.
Recently I had been offered a chance to procure a Ten-Tec Argonaut II (Model 535) in exchange for my Kenwood TS-130V station. I jumped at the offer as it dove tailed nicely with my plans to downsize my station. The deal was struck and I now had a very nice digital Argonaut.
I took the new rig home, fired it up and started tuning around the bands. All went well until I tired to go above 15M (21 MHz). The rig would display the frequency but no receive and no transmit. I finally decided that it was the synthesizer that was coming unlocked above 21 MHz.
I contacted Fran (K3BX) and he advised since that rig had a number of header plugs and cables, it might be prudent to go inside the rig and, one-by-one, pull the cable headers off the pins and apply some DeOxit (an electronic contact cleaner/lube that has been sent from Heaven to alleviate corrosion on electrical contacts and clean up controls) then re-seat the headers several times to spread the DeOxit around. This technique I have used on other rigs, most notably a second hand Yaesu FT-726 VHF/UHF multi-mode transceiver.
I have put this on "hold" due to an unforeseen development. In addition to QSOing Fran, I also contacted Paul, AA4XX, for his advice or to see if his Argo II had exhibited similar problems and what he did to resolve them.
At this point in our conversation Paul said he hadn't had any similar problems but his display back light had failed (a common theme with the Argo II) so he'd placed it on the shelf and hadn't used it for several years. He was looking to off-load it, would I care to have another Argo II?
Say what?!?!?!
Long story short: Paul sent me his Argo II in exchange for the shipping costs! It works just fine except for the back light. This gift was totally unexpected. Thank you, my friend, it will be front and center in my shack.
I have located a replacement back light which will be the subject of another blog entry. As for the other Argo II, it will be put back into full service and find a new home.
My thanks to Paul and Fran for a long and fruitful friendship. This is what good friends are for.
All for now. I gotta go make an appearance on HF during the 2018 CQ DX WW CW test. Using the new Argo II of course.
Vy 73
Rich K7SZ
We QRPers are linked by the challenge of doing more with less. Not only is it a challenge to pursue ham radio at the 5 watt (or less) level, it is a character building exercise. Add homebrew equipment into the mix and you have a facet of the hobby that is a great place to be.
In order to become a successful QRP operator your operating habits have to be honed and your knowledge of antennas, propagation and station engineering have to be top notch. This is where our fellow QRPers come into the picture.
No one in this hobby has all the answers. We can all learn no matter our experience level or the overall time in the hobby. As a collective body QRPers are an open and sharing group. In the spirit of ham radio we gladly share our knowledge and provide help and guidance for our fellow low power operators.
On rare occasions one meets some really astounding people in this hobby. In my instance two of those people are Paul Stroud, AA4XX, and Fran Slavinski, K3BX, formerly KA3WTF. I have known the two of them for well over 25 years, starting with their attempts to shatter the miles-per-watt record on 40 meters in mid-1990s. At the end of a two year period Paul and Fran had proven it was possible to communicate over several hundred miles with microwatts on an HF band that was crowded with high power ham radio operators along with massive shortwave broadcast stations! This saga is outlined in my QRP books for the ARRL. Suffice it to say that these two QRPers are legendary in the annals of low power operations.
Recently I had been offered a chance to procure a Ten-Tec Argonaut II (Model 535) in exchange for my Kenwood TS-130V station. I jumped at the offer as it dove tailed nicely with my plans to downsize my station. The deal was struck and I now had a very nice digital Argonaut.
I took the new rig home, fired it up and started tuning around the bands. All went well until I tired to go above 15M (21 MHz). The rig would display the frequency but no receive and no transmit. I finally decided that it was the synthesizer that was coming unlocked above 21 MHz.
I contacted Fran (K3BX) and he advised since that rig had a number of header plugs and cables, it might be prudent to go inside the rig and, one-by-one, pull the cable headers off the pins and apply some DeOxit (an electronic contact cleaner/lube that has been sent from Heaven to alleviate corrosion on electrical contacts and clean up controls) then re-seat the headers several times to spread the DeOxit around. This technique I have used on other rigs, most notably a second hand Yaesu FT-726 VHF/UHF multi-mode transceiver.
I have put this on "hold" due to an unforeseen development. In addition to QSOing Fran, I also contacted Paul, AA4XX, for his advice or to see if his Argo II had exhibited similar problems and what he did to resolve them.
At this point in our conversation Paul said he hadn't had any similar problems but his display back light had failed (a common theme with the Argo II) so he'd placed it on the shelf and hadn't used it for several years. He was looking to off-load it, would I care to have another Argo II?
Say what?!?!?!
Long story short: Paul sent me his Argo II in exchange for the shipping costs! It works just fine except for the back light. This gift was totally unexpected. Thank you, my friend, it will be front and center in my shack.
I have located a replacement back light which will be the subject of another blog entry. As for the other Argo II, it will be put back into full service and find a new home.
My thanks to Paul and Fran for a long and fruitful friendship. This is what good friends are for.
All for now. I gotta go make an appearance on HF during the 2018 CQ DX WW CW test. Using the new Argo II of course.
Vy 73
Rich K7SZ
Thursday, November 15, 2018
When Life Gets in the Way
We plan, we save, we prepare but in the end "LIFE" wins! OK, so what am I up to this time?
This post is about taking some of my own advice and passing along some observations about how "LIFE" gets in the way of the best laid plans of mice, men and K7SZ.
Fact: we don't live forever. What a revelation! Therefore, we need to be realistic about our plans, dreams and schemes. When it comes to ham radio one must evaluate what one needs to play the radio game and be watchful of the amount of time, money and storage space needed to engage in this hobby.
Case in point:
Pat and I had looked forward to moving from the frumpy, cold, unappealing town of Wilkes-Barre, PA (a place seemingly stuck in 1the 1960s) to a warmer, more hospitable climate. We had anticipated the move for several years before immigrating to Georgia. Outside of our daughter, Gwen's, husband's family we knew virtually no one in the area to which we moved in 2008.
We found a nice little three bedroom ranch house in Dacula, GA, about 40 miles ENE of Atlanta and set up housekeeping with the intent of spending the remainder of our lives in this area. Good plan, bad timing with the housing bubble catastrophe that imploded that year. We were financially strapped for several years but dug our way out and finally had our feet on firm financial ground. Yeah team!
After a series of physical challenges (including falling and putting a huge gash in my forehead, breaking two ribs along with my tail bone, and finally my right clavicle) I've had to make some drastic adjustments as to how I went about life (although the gnarly scar on my forehead really looks cool....Hey, I don't have any tattoos, or own a Harley so I really needed that scar!) It quickly became evident that we needed to sell the house and move into a retirement community. Downsizing....that was the name of the game.
This past few weeks Pat finally convinced me to take a critical look at all my ham radio and electronics projects and do some off-loading of my stash of "stuff". While it was agonizing it was also a bit refreshing to unload all that "stuff" and actually be able to see the floor of the shack and the walls of our storage shed!
I guess the point of this blog is to say that while I pontificated in an earlier posting about getting our ham radio affairs in order for that inevitable day we leave this plain of existence, I was not heeding my own words. However, now I am seeing the wisdom of Pat's need to downsize. After all, I am only a man, and everyone knows that men need close, hands-on guidance in the form of a mate. Or, as I am fond of putting it: "I am Pat's Four H project!" (Hey, everyone needs a hobby and I'm hers!)
So, to that end I placed my Drake TR-4 station up for sale, along with the Benton Harbor Lunch Boxes, two Argonaut 509s, a couple of Zenith SW radios, my Novice station, and a lot more "stuff" that I have not used (nor in some cases even seen) in years.
For radio gear currently in the K7SZ shack I have the astounding Elecraft KX2 HF portable rig, a T-T Argonaut II, a fully restored (by W4OP) SBE-34, and a Radio Shack 10 meter SSB/CW rig. I hung on to the two Icom VHF rigs (one in the car and one at the shack) along with a couple of Yaesu HTs. That's it. Talk about downsizing! Man, that was a tough call but very cathartic in the end.
So now you know.....K7SZ's Chief Engineer has things under control (yeah, right)! While I was saddened to see that "stuff" get sold off at a couple of local ham fests, I realized two things: first, one does not need a ton (or two) of "stuff" to participate in the ham radio hobby. Second, you cannot relive your youth (yoot?) It is impossible to try and replicate all the things you lusted for (but couldn't afford to purchase) in the early years of your ham radio life. It's also expensive. Many of us try, but it is futile. It's also expensive. When you combine all the accumulated "stuff" you quickly realize that virtually none of it will ever grace the tables of your shack or living room. Oh, did I mention it is also expensive?
All for now. As a pre-New Years resolution I am going to make a concerted effort to blog more and spend some quality time at the operating bench getting on the air and enjoying the hobby.
Vy 73 es Happy Thanksgiving
Rich K7SZ
Bent Dipole Ranch, Dacula, GA.
This post is about taking some of my own advice and passing along some observations about how "LIFE" gets in the way of the best laid plans of mice, men and K7SZ.
Fact: we don't live forever. What a revelation! Therefore, we need to be realistic about our plans, dreams and schemes. When it comes to ham radio one must evaluate what one needs to play the radio game and be watchful of the amount of time, money and storage space needed to engage in this hobby.
Case in point:
Pat and I had looked forward to moving from the frumpy, cold, unappealing town of Wilkes-Barre, PA (a place seemingly stuck in 1the 1960s) to a warmer, more hospitable climate. We had anticipated the move for several years before immigrating to Georgia. Outside of our daughter, Gwen's, husband's family we knew virtually no one in the area to which we moved in 2008.
We found a nice little three bedroom ranch house in Dacula, GA, about 40 miles ENE of Atlanta and set up housekeeping with the intent of spending the remainder of our lives in this area. Good plan, bad timing with the housing bubble catastrophe that imploded that year. We were financially strapped for several years but dug our way out and finally had our feet on firm financial ground. Yeah team!
After a series of physical challenges (including falling and putting a huge gash in my forehead, breaking two ribs along with my tail bone, and finally my right clavicle) I've had to make some drastic adjustments as to how I went about life (although the gnarly scar on my forehead really looks cool....Hey, I don't have any tattoos, or own a Harley so I really needed that scar!) It quickly became evident that we needed to sell the house and move into a retirement community. Downsizing....that was the name of the game.
This past few weeks Pat finally convinced me to take a critical look at all my ham radio and electronics projects and do some off-loading of my stash of "stuff". While it was agonizing it was also a bit refreshing to unload all that "stuff" and actually be able to see the floor of the shack and the walls of our storage shed!
I guess the point of this blog is to say that while I pontificated in an earlier posting about getting our ham radio affairs in order for that inevitable day we leave this plain of existence, I was not heeding my own words. However, now I am seeing the wisdom of Pat's need to downsize. After all, I am only a man, and everyone knows that men need close, hands-on guidance in the form of a mate. Or, as I am fond of putting it: "I am Pat's Four H project!" (Hey, everyone needs a hobby and I'm hers!)
So, to that end I placed my Drake TR-4 station up for sale, along with the Benton Harbor Lunch Boxes, two Argonaut 509s, a couple of Zenith SW radios, my Novice station, and a lot more "stuff" that I have not used (nor in some cases even seen) in years.
For radio gear currently in the K7SZ shack I have the astounding Elecraft KX2 HF portable rig, a T-T Argonaut II, a fully restored (by W4OP) SBE-34, and a Radio Shack 10 meter SSB/CW rig. I hung on to the two Icom VHF rigs (one in the car and one at the shack) along with a couple of Yaesu HTs. That's it. Talk about downsizing! Man, that was a tough call but very cathartic in the end.
So now you know.....K7SZ's Chief Engineer has things under control (yeah, right)! While I was saddened to see that "stuff" get sold off at a couple of local ham fests, I realized two things: first, one does not need a ton (or two) of "stuff" to participate in the ham radio hobby. Second, you cannot relive your youth (yoot?) It is impossible to try and replicate all the things you lusted for (but couldn't afford to purchase) in the early years of your ham radio life. It's also expensive. Many of us try, but it is futile. It's also expensive. When you combine all the accumulated "stuff" you quickly realize that virtually none of it will ever grace the tables of your shack or living room. Oh, did I mention it is also expensive?
All for now. As a pre-New Years resolution I am going to make a concerted effort to blog more and spend some quality time at the operating bench getting on the air and enjoying the hobby.
Vy 73 es Happy Thanksgiving
Rich K7SZ
Bent Dipole Ranch, Dacula, GA.
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