Author Archives: fredward

Happy 155th Birthday Heinrich Hertz!

Posted on by
Reply

If you’ve been on google today you’ve seen a nice sine wave instead of the typical google logo…and that’s in recognition of the accomplishments of Henrich Hertz who proved the existence of electromagnetic waves..which lead to you know, anything wireless related.

I’m doing the research for my base station now. I’m not concerned about scalability as long as I don’t spend too much on initial setup–save the power supply unit which will be the most expensive. A friend of mine is upgrading his station and is kindly giving me his old transceiver, a trusty Kenwood TM-241A, and I’ll be purchasing a standard 2 meter roof mount antenna… really don’t feel comfortable building my own yet.

Can’t wait to get this thing going.

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve been reading up on too much amateur radio stuff… I was out walking and saw a metal trellis hanging off someones house and thought it was a yagi antenna…

…on that note it is an incredibly  beautiful day and is starting to feel like spring…please please please don’t let us have a freezing cold March like we typically do…

Blur – For Tomorrow

Posted on by
Reply

Jim stops and get out of the car, goes to a house in Emperor’s Gate,
through the door and to his room and then he puts the TV on.
Turns it off and makes some tea, says Modern Life is Rubbish
I’m holding on for tomorrow.

Then Susan comes into the room, she’s a naughty girl with a lovely smile,
says let’s take a drive to Primrose Hill, it’s windy there, and the view’s so nice.
London ice can freeze you toes, like anyone, I suppose
You’re holding on for tomorrow.

So give me coffee and TV…

Posted on by
Reply

I miss when TLC stood for The Learning Channel, History aired programs, well, about History and SyFy gave Science Fiction a chance instead of canceling new original shows and replacing it with–you guessed it, reality tv. Some would say television in general is a waste… that one should be living life  and there is no difference between getting sucked into say, LOST, than watching Toddlers and Tiaras. They have a point. This is just a rant.

I realize reality television is cheaper to produce with low risk and the potential for high reward.  Just.. can’t we put this stuff on its own network?
There are two subsets of reality tv that annoy me the most: celebrities and ones involving families and children..I’ll pick three shows that annoy me the most from the above stations I mentioned and I did a quick google search to get some background information on these shows…it’s not like I know from watching them:

TLC:

  • 19 Kids and Counting- 19 kids and counting? Apparently, they live debt free and can support their family so I guess this is more a personal preference than social statement…
  • Kate Plus 8 –Now, this woman definitely didn’t need 8 kids and WAS trying to make money off the fact she had such a large family.
  • Toddlers and Tiaras – This is child exploitation and should be taken off the air

SyFy

  • WWE Smackdown – Wrestling should never be on a science fiction channel
  • Canceling Eureka – SyFy has admitted the ratings on this show are still excellent…they just want to replace it with something cheaper
  • Face Off - reality television…on what was supposed to be a science fiction network

That’s all for now…

Posted on by
Reply

I didn’t really want to post this but someone told me I looked cute… Aside from the fact I had no idea this pic was being taken, it was the middle of the night and I think I look like a grinning baffoon…

 

Posted on by
Reply

lmao… so, apparently my msu email is still valid…and I just got an email about the “crime log” I remember sitting in class w/ my friends cutting up over…god,what was it called… police beat? in the news?

I see some open items from my old residential college, Franklin. Mmm. Down in the Dungeon. The only good part about it was you could swipe in whoever through the back and no one would care…I’ll never forget coming back from a trip down south, case in my hand…cops were bringing a guy out in cuffs and said “Bet you’re glad we had something better to do today.”

Posted on by
Reply

This was summer 2009 I think… I know it was in a random field in the middle of nowhere at about 6-7am…The reason I remember this so fondly is because my friend Anna was just taking over the decks…

Good times. Although screw everything about that WKU shirt…moving to BG was (one) of the worst decisions I’ve made.

Man, I haven’t gone to a show in ages. Random field festivals were the best…I was too young for warehouses powered with generators…but caught my share of shows in the middle of nowhere

…and like all things this seems so far in the past. My foray into the rave scene was quite short but definitely memorable.

…and that made me look thru my old pics.

Some back alley…mid show. Bullshittin, grabbin a smoke and sneakin a beer…Not going to lie those were fun nights :)

and yup, I still talk to all three. I recorded Thadd (far left) and Brea’s wedding…while the guy on the right is my best friend. Like I said, my foray into the rave scene was short but it had its moments…. and though I might not rave anymore, I still have my VIP lanyards and first piece of kandi around here somewhere.

ha

Warning: Complete Geek Post.

Posted on by
Reply

I was telling a female friend of mine about getting licensed over lunch… and received quite the compliment. I believe it was something like: “You’re a complete geek…yet you have this suave confident demeanor about you that’s quite sexy. You’re a great conversationalist and are always wanting to try something new.”

Especially after it was given while I was explaining the search for my first transceiver. I’m looking at a dual-band HT on 2m/70cm. Preferably w/ a BNC instead of SMA connector. (I’m not going to lie…I kind of enjoyed feeling geeky and saying that) In other words, I’m going to get a handheld radio first that’s capable of operating on the 2-meter band (144.000-148.000 MHz) and the 70cm band (420.000 – 450.000 MHz) with a connector that will allow me to connect my handheld to an external antenna without fear of placing undue stress on it.

But, I’m not trying to sound knowledgeable… I am a complete newbie. I’m just pleased with what I’ve learned so far. I am entering a world full of concepts that I haven’t even begun to comprehend yet. Simply learning to read a basic circuit diagram was a cause for celebration….and that’s also where the excitement comes from… knowing that I’m involved with something that has so much to offer and so many opportunities to learn.

Right now, I’m looking at the Icom IC-T70A. It doesn’t have a BNC connector but it’s rugged, great battery life, water-resistant, plenty of memory channels, WX channels, capable of supporting an external mic. and very important–an external power jack.

…the only drawback is cosmetic: It doesn’t have a backlit display. Doesn’t sound like that big of a deal but could be a drawback in an emergency situation