Posted: 12/23/2013 5:16:59 PM EDT
I've been a long time lurker who came for the tech info and got sucked into the underworld that is GD.  Then I discovered the Ham forum, and this seems like the coolest ham forum on the internet!
I got my ticket in junior high then upgraded to Extra freshman year. I got big into QRP CW, becoming more motivated to build rigs from kits (including 2 early serial number K2's) and scratch than actually get on the air! I think I made maybe 1 or 2 QSOs with a pretty involved radio built from parts soldered to copper clad (pluggable band modules, PLL synthesizer, freq display). I may have made a few more on my K2, and some on an SB-104 and FT-101. I think I made more on my first HF radio, a single-board SW-40+, than all the others combined! So that's sort of where my 'bent' lies. Fast forward through college (1.5x), cars, dirt bikes, jet skis, etc... And I find myself older and boring again. now I have a lot of work and family commitments, and I don't think I've been on HF for over ten years. So I found this place and the interest is being rekindled. 
About all I have left is the SW-40, which I want to bring back to life and throw a 40M dipole up into the trees (different ones, I have my own basement now  ) again. My wife bought me a UV-B5 for Christmas so I have VHF/UHF access again too. I'm scheming up ways to buy an IC-7200 too - looks like a great rig, especially as I can see myself doing a lot more digital than anything else. It's crazy to see all the new modes - back when I got out of it, PSK31 was the "mainstream cutting edge" if that makes any sense.
I'm also interested in some projects. One thing I have been kicking around for about 6-7 years is a SMALL but feature-packed (relatively!) QRP radio to compete in Spartan Sprints - points are based on QSOs divided by weight in lbs. I think I could be competitive...  my work experience over the last 10 years has been electronic design and PCB layout, with a sprinkling of firmware and RF, and it has always bothered me a bit that most kits are stuck in the 80s with leaded parts. My designs would be all 0402 passives and small-package ICs (QFN, or TSSOP if needed). And an actual display and encoders, not pulling a crystal or 7 seg LED displays.
It's a lofty goal, and with everything else going on I'm going to build toward that with some smaller projects. If anyone is interested to see the process, I can start another thread... Be warned, it could be a little while before there are photos! Going to start with schematics, layouts, 3D mechanical renderings, before getting anywhere interesting! Building it is the quick part! I try to keep things short, but I'm way too verbose when it comes to forum posts! 72s and 73s, all! |
and welcome!
