While it appears I have not been affected, there is proof that QRZnow (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH QRZ.COM) is stealing content. Details can be found on Reddit. A real-world story can be seen on NT1K’s website.

Please do not support the thieves. Seek out the original authors and support them.

I saw that on Reddit today, and it is a real reminder that if you like reading my site or any like it, Net Neutrality is pretty damn important.

If you haven’t filed comments with the FCC or taken action otherwise, please do so and show your support for an open Internet so you can still read this blog and the many other fine blogs out there.

73 de KE8P

If you currently use a newsreader (e.g. Feed.ly) to get my blog OR you have it as a feed on your website, please check your URL and ensure it is going to ke8p.us.  The ac8jo.us domain will be disappearing in about 2 months and I don’t intend to renew it.

RSS URL: http://www.ke8p.us/feed/

In 45 days (around September 19), I will be changing the domain over to a different page and breaking anything that starts with ac8jo.us.

Tweetup: Meet your fellow “tweeps” at Hamvention.  11:00 AM both Friday and Saturday (and Sunday, if anyone wants to meet) at the Hara Arena Loading Dock.  This is the same location used for the past two years.  Meet near the drayage building to be in the shade (presuming it isn’t raining).

Rain Plans: There is a 40% chance of rain on Friday, and a 30% chance of rain on Saturday.  Should it be really raining (not drizzling), we’ll meet in section 30 of the main arena, although that may move.

Frequencies: There will be a talk-in frequency circulating via Twitter via DM.  It’ll be somewhere on 70cm.

Click for a larger and more expanded picture.

Direct link to large map (right-click to save, sorry it isn’t a PDF).

-73- and see you there!

I risk falling behind in my weekly posts, so this is a post to provide a few small updates.

The Icom 706 is still screwed up on 2m FM.  And maybe 70cm FM.  I haven’t tested SSB or AM on those, perhaps I will soon.  I’ve thought up a way to test things, so soon I will have it on the bench (again) to test.  I listened to a 40m SSB net all morning and noted no static that seemed out of place (e.g. static with an S9+40dB signal), so it still looks like things are affecting only the high VHF and UHF signal path.  In a related note, I need to tune my 40m hamstick.

I am halfway through building a Bus Pirate.  I ordered the remaining parts I need late last week and they are expected to arrive the same day I’m typing this blog post (Tuesday).  I’ve really been chomping at the bit to finish this and play with it, and Ian (from Dangerous Prototypes) has uploaded several videos to YouTube that show how to use it, so I fully expect to watch several of them again.

In keeping with my want to build a small Arduino powered receiver, I purchased some parts for that (on the same order that arrives today).

I’m still working on my experiment that I talked about last week.  There are some interesting findings so far.

I stopped by a Radio Shack while in the mall over the weekend.  Apparently we’re still waiting for their return to a not-useless store on the east side of Cincinnati.  All I saw were the same things as the past few years, with the same high prices and same SMALL selection.  Honestly, if Micro Center would open a mall on the east side of Cincinnati, it would be maker heaven.  I do appreciate that the kids behind the counter didn’t attempt to sell me a cell phone, but in their return to the 80s, they attempted to sell me batteries (and, like their cell phone sales strategy, they didn’t take the first no for an answer).

On that, big shoutout to Micro Center – they’ve been growing their maker section with a decent selection of Arduinos, Raspberry Pis, Beaglebone Blacks, and even parts at very nice prices.

-73-

The following is a QST…

Third Annual WATwitter QSO Party Is Announced

Three years ago NR4CB invaded her dad’s shack and started the idea of “Worked All Twitter” while trying to work as many of her twitter friends as she can.  This has become an annual event held around the US Thanksgiving holiday.  The event runs from Wednesday, November 27 through Sunday December 1st.  See more details on The Bionic Nerd blog post.

ARRL Upgrades to Logbook of the World Worked

Last year at this time, many hams referred to Logbook of the World (LOTW) as “Logjam of the World” because LOTW got so far behind due to the deluge of logs from several contests in a row, starting with the CQWW contest.  After a few weeks of building queues that were continually growing, the league took the servers offline and ultimately did a lot of work on the server systems.

This year, band conditions were excellent for both days of CQWW.  In the hours after CQWW, the worst delay I saw was 1 hour 13 minutes, and as shown below, the queues are not building to the point where they are not releasing within a reasonable time, as evidenced by the fact that there was a 42 second delay at 13:59 UTC and the worse queue listed was five hours earlier).  Kudos to the league for fixing the problem. In addition, the league also decided back then to be open about how long the queue actually is.

I will be Running Flying Pig Half Marathon

For anyone that’s kept up with my almost-daily Endomondo spam to Twitter, you may have noticed the distances are ever-increasing and the speeds are increasing as well.  I had started “shopping” for a half marathon to run.  After telling one of my coworkers that she should run the Flying Pig 10k, she decided she wanted to run the half.  Another coworker (and marathon veteran) said she’d run the half.  We have another coworker committed to either the half or the full (he just ran Columbus two weeks ago – his first – in a damn good time).  We’re working on a fifth person as well.  Additionally, I’ve been talking with another local ham that may run it depending on his training/school calendar.

My goal time is below 2:18:00.  That’s just under an average of 10.5 minutes per mile.  I’ve been running two major parts of the actual course, so by the time this rolls around, I’ll be ready.  Of course I know at least half the ham radio volunteers on the course, some of them may cheer me on, at least one will tell me I’m a slowpoke.

-73-