This blog has moved to a new location.

After much vacillation and angst, I’ve finally registered a couple of domains and moved my blogs away from WordPress.com to a hosted server where I have complete control over, and responsibility for, my blog.

As a blogging platform, I think that WordPress is one of the best (actually, it’s my opinion that WordPress is the best blogging platform, but hey, what do I know?), and the free blog hosting at WordPress.com is the best of the best: consistently being kept up to date; a knowledgeable bunch of users in the forums to provide assistance when needed; and for those that wish more flexibility or features, a number of options that are priced very competitively.  And, best of all, the platform is - what else? - WordPress.  The WordPress software, whether the free service at WordPress.com, or used independently, has a loyal user base that is near-fanatical.  The forums at WordPress.com and at WordPress.org (WordPress.org is where you get the full software package to use on your own servers) are full of knowledgeable, honest and out-spoken users and developers, where everything about the software is discussed - both the good and not-so-good, ideas for development are shared, problems solved, challenges overcome.

I’ve moved my blog, not because I am dissatisfied with WordPress.com - quite the contrary, but because I want more flexibility, and because I want to learn and stretch my knowledge of PHP and web development.  With the free, group hosted service at WordPress.com, one does not have that flexibility, and rightly so.  Who wants to have their blog hosted at a site where the system can be brought down because someone else made a change that didn’t work?

My personal blog “mind? what mind?” has moved:

• From: tfarrow.wordpress.com
• To: mindwhatmind.com or at thor.farrow.cc

My amateur radio blog has moved:

• From: n9ik.wordpress.com
• To: blog.n9ik.com or at n9ik.com/blog

My several web sites are, or will soon be, hosted at the excellent 1&1 Internet Inc.

I have read several times during this past year that the volume of sales of personal computers in Japan has declined, and that this trend is expected to continue and spread to other markets, the US and Europe included.  One of the (many) reasons for this is the continuing increase in functionality, processing power and speed of cellular phones - especially “smart” phones.

More and more, cellular phones have sufficient processing power and memory to run not just email and web browsing app’s, but also full-fledged word processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications, not to mention games, mp3 and video players, and still- and video-cameras, and oh yes, the GPS.  There is still a long way to go before the hand-held device will completely replace the desktop or laptop PC for those home and business users that need more “oomph”, to do photo and video editing, for example.

Having said all of this, it is still obvious that sometimes the small screen real estate and tiny keyboards are just not sufficient.  With this in mind, Celio Technology Company recently developed and released what they are calling the “REDFLY Mobile Companion” that “extends the the Smartphone with the most valuable features of a laptop.  This is a 1″x6″x9″, two-pound device that looks like a small laptop, but does not have a processor, storage, or RAM.  Instead, it is essentially a clam-shell combination of keyboard and video monitor, with a touchpad mouse, a VGA port to plug in an external monitor or projector, Bluetooth, and two USB ports.

At roughly $500 per, these are a bit pricey considering that you can buy a full-fledged laptop for less that that.  As far as I can tell, the REDFLY is being marketed directly only to businesses - specifically sales forces, but it’s only a matter of time before something like this is marketed as an inexpensive companion device for consumers.

I bought a Nokia 6620 when it was newly on the market here in the US from Cingular (now AT&T Wireless) and, for the most part, I liked it.  It had a camera, which was relatively new - at least at an affordable price - at the time; had Bluetooth connectivity which was important to me; had good send & receive audio; it’s receiver circuit was sensitive enough, and transmitter strong enough to maintain a good connection to the cellular network when some other phones could not; and it was the first “smart” phone available in the US that supported the new high speed EDGE network.  And also, I’ve been using a Palm PDA for years now, and I didn’t want to combine a PDA and phone into one unit, one point of failure.  Besides, Palm-based cellular “smart” phones just didn’t have an adequate screen size or resolution for my jaded “requirements”, and I’d used a Compaq WindowsCE PDA for a while before I got my first PalmPilot, and felt the Palm OS was superior.  Following the Pilot, I used the Palm III, V, and finally the Palm Tungsten T3, which I’ve had  the past few years and which spoiled me - all that screen real estate!

For the past couple of years now, we’ve all seen the power and functionality of cell phones, especially “smart” phones, evolve.  In the business world, the “Crackberry” was king (sorry Ring, of course I mean Blackberry!).  We’ve also seen some real improvements in Microsoft’s portable operating system, now known as Windows Mobile - enough so that I’ve been considering giving Microsoft another shot. 

And then, a few months ago, I fell in lust!  One day, while browsing the available offerings from AT&T Wireless to upgrade that I might upgrade to, there was this new “cool tool” that seemed to have every feature a tech junky like me could want: a phone; a high resolution camera (3 Megapixels!); a slide-out, full QWERTY keyboard for texting & email; .mp3 player with stereo audio; stereo Bluetooth; 3G high-speed data network support; WiFi; a GPS; full PDA functionality; and a touch screen with full 240×320-pixel display.  This new object of my techno-lust?  The AT&T Tilt, a branded version of the TyTN II manufactured by HTC.

Unfortunately for me the Tilt, or TyTN II, is expensive - way too expensive, at $400.00 or more.  So I resigned myself to some occasional lurid drooling and set my sites a little lower and waited a little longer.  Finally, my patience paid off: refurbished units of the Tilt became available, and my upgrade discounts got bigger, until finally I was able to buy a refurbished Tilt at under $50.00.  So I jumped.

Top: Tilt closed; Middle: open;  Bottom: side-by-side size comparison with the Palm Tungsten T3.  While the Tilt’s screen is quite a bit smaller, it has the same resolution as the T3 and is bright and sharp and, like the T3, is a touch screen.

First impressions, after using the Tilt for a couple of days:

1. I like it.  It’s a “keeper”.
2. The screen, while smaller than the Palm T3 that I’m used to, is bright, sharp and, with the back-light turned all the way up, fairly easy to read even in bright sunlight.
3. It’s not too big for a phone, and not too small for a functional PDA.
4. It has a solid, substantial feel.
5. The slide-out-and-tilt mechanism feels much more solid and sturdy than you might expect.  If I don’t abuse it, it ought to give me several years of use.
6. The keyboard is, obviously, small, although larger and easier to use than the Crackberry device I played with for a few weeks.  It’ll take a little getting used to, but I think it will pay off.  I wrote an email with it today, and it was easier than expected.
7. Some people have complained - rightly so - that the two small function keys on the keyboard are difficult for those of us with fat thumbs to press when the screen is tilted up.  I don’t see any real problem though; the screen is a touch-screen after all, and the functions that those keys are for are just as easily accessed by touching the screen just above the keys with the thumb.  More easily, actually.
8. The camera has auto-focus!
9. The camera takes decent images and videos. 
10. There are some features with the camera that I doubt I’ll ever use.
11. 3G data connectivity is fast - I love it!  I’ve downloaded Google Maps for the device, and there is little delay waiting for maps or satellite images to download.
12. WiFi connectivity is a wonderful thing.
13. Having the GPS built in is a dream.  However, I don’t think that I’ll use the full AT&T Navigator (TeleNav) functionality enough to justify the extra ten bucks a month.  I think I can get by without it “talking” to me, no matter how sultry the voice might be.
14. The GPS syncs up very quickly, and is much more accurate with it’s WAAS support than my ancient Eagle GPS.
15. Windows Mobile, while good, isn’t quite “all that”; I’m going to need to add on some software or hacks to make the interface a little more to my liking.

Here are a couple of pictures taken with the phone’s camera in tough light conditions, and a video:

With and without 10x zoom:

Some of the photo “features” that I’ll likely never use again:

And, finally, a video (the raw video looks much better than it does here; videos posted to YouTube lose definition):

What’s next?  Well, in addition to some more learning and tweaking, I’ll be trying out some Amateur Radio-related uses; APRS and packet radio on VHF/UHF, and PSK-31 and other HF digital modes during the weeks to come, as well as possible QSO (contact) logging.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

- Buddha

Two terrible tragedies in Asia - Cyclone Nargis last week claims approximately 32,000 lives, and today’s earthquake in China nearly 10,000.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

- Buddha

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

- Buddha

Everything is changeable, everything appears and disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes beyond the agony of life and death.

- Buddha

P1010379.JPG

Originally uploaded by tfarrow

I finally dug out my “QRO” rig, an old Kenwood TS-130S HF transceiver, and got it set up on my deck for some late afternoon operating. On the table with the radio are: to the left is a Shure Brothers Model 440 microphone on a Electro-Voice 423A stand; on top of the TS-130S is a Kenwood remote VFO; to the right (white panel) is an MFJ-948 Versa Tuner II; on top of the MFJ tuner are my RockMite 40-meter QRP transceiver, BLT (Balanced Line Tuner), and dummy load; to the right of the MFJ unit are my Fluke multi-meter (for checking battery voltage), and the West Mountain Radio “RigRunner” 40 amp, 12 outlet DC power strip. Not seen below the table is my salvaged car battery, which currently is my only power supply, and on the railing to the right is a battery charger to keep the battery topped up.

This is the first time in several years that the Kenwood rig has been powered up. So far it seems to be working well.

Recently, I bid on a key to add to my fledgling collection of Morse keys, and hopefully would be a good key to use on the air.  This key was a CJB 26003A “Flame Proof” key, and is a key that seems to be one of the most highly praised keys by members of the Straight Key Century Club (SKCC).  The description for this key on eBay included “Used on Neptune maritime aircraft and other RAAF aircraft of the time such as Lincolns etc.  Label dated on box 1984 where they may have been reidentified when the aircraft was decomissioned.” 

I won the bidding for the key!  I’d resigned myself to not being able to afford a good key, and in fact I’ve bid on, and lost, quite a few straight keys and bugs recently on eBay.  I didn’t really expect to win the bidding, but I think that I got lucky.

I received the key a couple of days ago, and I am very, very pleased.  This key is in mint condition, still has the little plastic cover over the binding posts, and in fact it came in the original box.  It’s apparent that this key is “NOS”, or New Old Stock, and had never been issued.  Taking off the paper wrapper with customs stickers and Australian postage, seeing this original press-board box with manufacturers markings and military stock label was quite a treat.

Opening the box, you find a solid looking, black crinkly-finished key, with a tall “Navy” type knob.  The mechanism and contacts are sealed inside the metal housing, preventing any potential sparks from igniting any flammable fumes - hence the “Flame Proof” moniker.

This key has been manufactured by several different companies for the US and Allied military, primarily the Navy, going back (I think) to WWII.  You can tell who the manufacturer was by the three-letter prefix of this key’s model number.  This one, for example, is CJB 26003A, with CJB being the “code” for J. H. Bunnell & Company.  Bunnell produced telegraph keys beginning in 1878, and produced keys and other electronic equipment to the military from the time of the Spanish American War through 1988 at least.  During the last 30 years of that the Flame Proof was manufactured, ending in 1988, Bunnell was the sole manufacturer.

Manufacturer codes:

• CJB- J. H. Bunnell
• CTE- Telephonics
• CMK- McElroy
• CMI- Moulded Insulator Co.

After making some adjustments and playing around with the key for a few minutes, I have to say that the action on this key is the best that I’ve been able to use so far.

Well, I did it.  I’ve been wanting to register a domain name for my “Ham Radio Identity” for quite some time, and when I saw that I could do so, for free (for the first year), using the Microsoft Office Live Small Business service to host it, I jumped at the opportunity to give the service a try.  If I don’t like it, I’ll transfer the domain to another provider later. 

My new domain is n9ik.net, and the blog I’m trying out is at n9ik.net/blog.

While getting caught up with Bill - M0HBR’s podcast “Soldersmoke“, I took a look around his web site, Gadgeteer.us.  There he has a video made by a French ham, Claude Paillard, call sign F2FO, showing Claude homebrewing some triode tubes.  Plenty of people homebrew tube receivers and transmitters, but how many hams do you know that take homebrewing quite so far?  Claude puts quite a few skills in play, and it helps that he seems to have all the right tools for the job.

from vodpod.com posted with vodpod

WordPress Tags: homebrew, tubes, triode, diy, videos

Mr. “Hieronymus Isambard” (Jake) von Slatt, the Proprietor over at The Steampunk Workshop, has created a couple of very nice telegraph sounders.  Taking it even further, he interfaced one with his PC to “copy” RSS feeds in Morse code!  I attempted to post his video of one of the sounders “sounding off” an RSS feed in code, but I couldn’t get WordPress to accept it.  Take a look at his description of the project.

I finally got an antenna in the air temporarily this afternoon, and got out my RockMite 40, BLT and Nye Master Key.  The 40 meter band seemed very active; at least there was lots of activity around 7.030 MHz, which is the frequency of the crystals currently installed in the RockMite.  Everyone that I heard was a bit fast for me; I was able to copy only about 15% or 20% of what I was hearing.Most of the calls that I was able to copy were in 4-land.  One person was having a ball with his “bug” slowed down to about 15 wpm - I forgot to write down their call, but they had a very distinctive “fist”, with comparatively long dashes.

The photo above shows my portable station:  Battery pack with 8 “AA” cells, RockMite transceiver on 7.030 MHz, Nye-Viking Master Key (model 330-001), NorCal BLT (Balanced Line Tuner) modified to also tune unbalanced feed lines, and my cheap, worn-out Koss UR/29 headphones.  The BLT is feeding a speaker-wire doublet as an “inverted-V” with the apex up only about 25 feet or so.  The tuner handled it easily.