High Altitude Pancakes Worth Eating

Having grown-up in and around Denver, Colorado, the so-called “Mile High City,” I’m accustomed to baking being a bit of a challenge, as high altitudes wreak havoc on the entire process of leavening and issues that come along with that,…

Realizing a Childhood Dream: The 1A2 Arrives

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve begun to understand that “growing-up” is sort of a nebulous (and perhaps just stupid) term. When we’re kids, we can’t wait to become adults. Then we become adults, and before you know it, you reach…

Icom IC-7300 amateur radio transceiver.

Icom IC-7300: Initial Thoughts

I was stoked to receive an early Christmas present from my dad: The gift of a new Icom IC-7300 amateur radio HF transceiver. After all the positive comments about the radio that I’ve gotten from hams I follow on Mastodon,…

What I’ve Learned About FT8

Since getting back on the HF bands of amateur radio almost exactly two months ago, the majority of my logged contacts have been with FT8, and to a lesser degree, FT4 — digital modes introduced years ago by Joe Taylor,…

Yes, Actually, You Can Leave Social Media

Recently, I read through a number of social posts on Mastodon that were discussing the ins and outs of leaving other social media platforms, notably Facebook, but the thread contained mentions of Instagram, Twitter (which I refuse to refer to…

Antenna Experiment; Surprising Results

My “re-entry” into ham radio has been a real journey, and a whirlwind, as I described recently. Part of that has been going from thinking I couldn’t possibly participate in HF (shortwave) bands at all, to coming-up with a stealth…

When a Plan Comes Together: Ham Radio and POTA

Rejoining the ranks of amateur radio operators this year has been a whirlwind. It’s been exactly 12 weeks, as I write this, since I took my Technician exam test (on July 21) that, with previous license credit, was the first…

Review: KM4CFT Iambic Paddle Kit V2

Since returning to ham radio, I’ve now attended two different “hamfests” — basically ham-radio-centric flea market style events, for those unfamiliar. Both have been a bit of a bust for me, but the most recent event at least yielded something…