So I have decided to get off my butt and buckle down and study for my Extra Class license. I’ve been a General Class for most of my time as a ham. I was a Novice for maybe 1 and a half years, then went to Tech for maybe a year. Now it’s time to finish this off. So I’m looking for some study tips.  Read More →

Hosts: Kim Dunne and Rich Lawrence. Huzzah! Episode 1 of our show has arrived. It was an interesting week leading up to this episode. And it was also kind of cool for CNYRadio.com editor Peter Naughton to give us a little write up on the website about our new show. Knowing some of our peers are going to be listening to us is kind of intimidating, for me anyways. But we hope you enjoy the show and let... 

Well, it’s come and gone, and now we’re seeing some of the news items from local media about Field Day and also videos showing up on YouTube as well. I’m just going to share some of the videos I found while doing a quick search for “Amateur Radio Field Day 2011″. Have a look.  Read More →

I’ve seen a lot about D-Star in the last year or so. And I have done some looking into it from time to time, but nothing that in depth. But I have to wonder something, and that is, is there an alternative to D-Star?  Read More →

So this past weekend was Field Day. And after not having been to a Field Day for a while, was determined to go this year. The club in my area was going to be setup, and I had the time to go, so I went and had some fun. I didn’t get a chance to make some calls, but I did get to log for a bit and meet some of the hams in the club.  Read More →

We have a new poll up, and we want to know if you participated in this year’s Field Day? Take the poll here on the website and let us know! And feel free to tell us what you thought of Field Day in the comments below.  Read More →

A couple days ago, I posted a question about APRS in the home shack and the reason for having it. I guess I wasn’t seeing the forest through the trees. But the last couple nights, I have been struggling to get APRS up and working on my small shack in the corner of my bedroom. I opted to use Windows because of the software available for it, for Ham Radio. Mainly for Ham Radio Deluxe. But when... 

Hosts: Kim Dunne and Rich Lawrence. After many years in the making, alien invasions, natural disasters and wallets hidden under the bed, we finally have an episode that is produced and ready for mass consumption. The infamous Episode “Zero”. Episode 0′s are not really groundbreaking. They simply introduce the the show and the hosts. But still, there is a feel of how the show will go as... 

With Field Day just a couple days away, you may be wondering why I am bringing this one up with there being so much time till Independence Day. Well, to plant the seed of course! While you are working station after station on Field Day racking up the multipliers and points, you can also have this in the back of your mind and for a little discussion around the BBQ.  Read More →

A couple years back, I was at a ham fest and saw that a friend, I think it was Tom, N2SQO, was selling a Grundig radio. I had seen them on line and in catalogs and thought that would be a cool radio to have and handy as well. When I saw Tom was selling it cheap, I grabbed it, and I have been pretty happy ever since.  Read More →

This past weekend I was working on the shack and trying to get APRS going with my MFJ TNC. The only software I had was WinAPRS and I was getting frustrated because it wasn’t saving the settings. So when I had to restart the PC, like you seem to have to do a lot with PCs, I had to re-enter all my info. That’s when I “crowd sourced” for another solution.  Read More →

After many years in the making, alien invasions, natural disasters and wallets hidden under the bed, we can now say that The Kim and Rich Show, is a go! Yes, we finally have an episode that is produced and ready for mass consumption. The infamous Episode “Zero”. When I told Kim this was going to be an Episode “Zero” she looked at me like I just told her a joke without a punchline.... 

I recently saw a video John, W5CYF, posted about his thoughts on learning CW. After watching it I had the thought that maybe I should start learning it again. I have been wanting to get back into it for a while, and I had learned it for my Novice and General licenses, and even manged to barely pass the 20 word per minute test, but never did get to take the written tests for Advanced or Extra class.... 

My co host Sean, KC2HSM, from my Amiga Roundtable podcast, sent me a link to a website with a great story about how an antique radio club, helped to repair or rebuild classic and antique radios for people that brought them in. Some of which, had sentimental value to the owners. Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed  Read More →

So I have been doing this blog regular now for a couple months, and I must admit, that when I start something new nowadays, I get a “..For Dummies” book to help me get started. From there I move on to more advanced aspects of the project or hobby. But it wasn’t like that with Ham Radio. I just did some old fashioned research at the library, called the ARRL, got some books, studied... 

With Field Day just a little over a week away, I guess the count down is on. Hams from all over are going to be setting up in parks, backyards and club shacks, to show off what Ham Radio is really about. Hopefully many clubs have sent out media releases to local news organizations, to get the word out about Field Day. If not, you still may have some time to do it. There is a great tutorial on the ARRL... 

I was getting ready to go to bed with my fiance’, so I was making one last check of my email before I headed to dreamland. When I checked our super secret email list for those of us that host Amiga Roundtable, Bill and Sean had posted replies to a discovery made by TheDaddy on some of the community forums. Some pictures that were released by Commodore USA seem to have been lifted from a magazine’s... 

Here’s a website that my friend Andrew, K1YMI, told me about about 2 years ago, where I can see real time contacts and get an idea of propagation, on a map instead of a scrolling list of info from a DX cluster. It’s called DX Sherlock and it can really help you to see how the bands are doing for WAS or even maybe a DXCC contact.  Read More →

There is a podcast I listen to every now and again, called the Buffet Line. It’s called that, because it’s recorded at Chinese buffets around the Albany, N.Y. area by local hams, who gather every Saturday to sit, eat, talk and just socialize. Sometimes what gets recorded is a little “adult” in nature. Stuff you wouldn’t necessarily say on repeaters, but still a good chuckle.... 

Twice a year, every year, Ham Clubs all over are encouraged to open up their shacks and invite the kiddies to be on the air and make contacts with other kids around the world, or just around the area. It’s Kid’s Day and a great way to get our youth not only involved with Amateur Radio, but with science and technology as well.  Read More →