Surfin': Loud and Clear, No More?

Last week’s Surfin’ inspired readers to tell about listening to distant AM radio stations as written up  in this week's Surfin’. After you read Surfin’, you can leave your comments here.

By the way, Surfin’ is a weekly column published on ARRLWeb that finds and features Web sites that are related to Amateur Radio, specifically, and radio, in general. If you have any suggestions for Surfin’, please contact WA1LOU using the e-mail link to the right.

144-MHz DX

The band is open up and down the East Coast this morning. So far, the most distant station heard directly* by my APRS digi station is WB4YNF-4 in Ahoskie, NC, over a 422-mile 211° path.

* Directly meaning station-to-station and not via any repeaters

144-MHz DX

This morning, my APRS digi station is receiving many stations directly from along the Northeast coast. W4CAR in Chesapeake, VA, a 382-mile 208° path, is the most distant so far.

Surfin': Is that Loud and Clear?

Hot summer nights listening to distant AM radio stations inspired this week's Surfin'. After you read Surfin’, you can leave your comments here.

By the way, Surfin’ is a weekly column published on ARRLWeb that finds and features Web sites that are related to Amateur Radio, specifically, and radio, in general. If you have any suggestions for Surfin’, please contact WA1LOU using the e-mail link to the right.

144-MHz DX

Same conditions this morning as yesterday morning with my APRS digi station receiving N1YHR-15 in Bourne, MA (on Cape Cod), directly at 10:52 Z over a 122-mile 86° path. This path to Cape Cod is open here on many summer mornings.

144-MHz DX

My APRS digi station received N1YHR-15 in Bourne, MA (on Cape Cod), directly at 12:33 Z today over a 122-mile 86° path.

Surfin': Huntsville Convention Web Cam

In this week's Surfin', you can go to the ARRL National Convention by means of the Internet. After you read Surfin’, you can leave your comments here.

By the way, Surfin’ is a weekly column published on ARRLWeb that finds and features Web sites that are related to Amateur Radio, specifically, and radio, in general. If you have any suggestions for Surfin’, please contact WA1LOU using the e-mail link to the right.

1080-kHz DX

I'm on the road this week. Tonight, I'm in a Ramada Inn in State College, PA.

Around 2030 EDST, I went to my car to get something. I turned on the car radio and dialed up WTIC-AM on 1080 kHz to see if I could catch some of tonight's Red Sox game.

I was impressed on how well I was able to receive the broadcast over 300 miles away. The signal was very clear and I could listen to it all night if I wasn't tired of sitting in my car half the day today driving here.

Usually, I listen to WTIC only ten miles away from its transmitter, so it is interesting to hear something familiar as DX.

Did I ever mention the time I listened to a Red Sox game on WTIC, while sitting in my car in a hotel parking lot in Orlando, Florida, 1200 miles away as the crow flies down I-95? Now, that was a challenge!

144-MHz DX

My APRS digi station received N3NRI-2 on Tuscarora Summit, PA, directly at 08:08 EDST today over a 290-mile 247° path.

Surfin': Take a Longer Mac Break

In this week's Surfin', we visit the best Web site, bar none, that is devoted to ham radio application for the Mac. After you read Surfin’, you can leave your comments here.

By the way, Surfin’ is a weekly column published on ARRLWeb that finds and features Web sites that are related to Amateur Radio, specifically, and radio, in general. If you have any suggestions for Surfin’, please contact WA1LOU using the e-mail link to the right.

why I hate my ISP (AT&T)

Read AT&T: Your World Censored and find out why I hate my ISP.

beware the stare

Back in 1960, the commercials for Village of the Damned were so scary even on a black and white television set that I had no desire to see the movie! Why pay a quarter to go see the film at a theater when I was already having nightmares from the commercials for free?

a good read about PSKmail

PSKmail, as Used During My Vacation is a good read on Jeff Davis', KE9V's, Long Delayed Echoes blog.

144-MHz DX

My APRS digi station received KD4ZB-3 in Farmville, VA, directly at 09:26 EDST today over a 421-mile 225° path.

Surfin': Take a Mac Break

In this week's Surfin', a new ham radio application for the Mac occasions a visit to a Mac ham app Web site. After you read Surfin’, you can leave your comments here.

By the way, Surfin’ is a weekly column published on ARRLWeb that finds and features Web sites that are related to Amateur Radio, specifically, and radio, in general. If you have any suggestions for Surfin’, please contact WA1LOU using the e-mail link to the right.

NK7U in SI

I'm have been a diehard Red Sox fan since the late 1950s, back in the days when Ted Williams was closing out his career and the Sox often battled the Kansas City Athletics for last place in the American League. So, it was a thrill to run into former Red Sox outfielder Joe Rudi, NK7U, at the Dayton Hamvention on a number of ocasions. Last time, I saw him I even got him to pose for a photo with me.

Anyway, this week, Sports Illustrated has a nice article about NK7U, which you can read here.

10 reasons to throw away your cell phone

10 reasons to throw away your cell phone is a good read, but I have added the following:


Reason number 11: I use my ham radio equipment, not a cell phone when I want to talk on the radio.

mummy's the word

Mummy movies always scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid, but this 1959 version out of the UK really did it. I think it had something to do with the fact that I saw it at a drive-in theatre.

My Mom and Dad always sat up front and my sister and I sat in the back, which had one advantage: when the movie got really scary, we could always duck behind our parents and/or the front seat to shelter our eyes from the action up on the big screen.

However, sitting in the back also had one big disadvantage: the side windows. At any time, a monster could sneak around and peek inside the car to see what was inside. You knew that monster was always going to choose the side window next to you. The only solution was to crouch down low on the car floor with your head buried under your crossed arms and that would assure missing the monsters on the big screen and the ones lurking in the drive-in parking lot.

No wonder most of the drive-ins are out of business... darn drive-in trolls!