Thank you for these recommendations, I will check them out. Either of these seem like they would work!

Same. Started looking at an Elecraft KX2 as a result as it fits nicely into my planned missions.

8-12 week back order lol

🤷🏽‍♂️

Wasn’t there a dumb gofundme for one of the kardashians to make her a billionaire or something?

I used an LLM to write some code I knew I could write, but was a little lazy to do. Coding is not my trade, but I did learn Python during the pandemic. Had I not known to code, I would not have been able to direct the LLM to make the required corrections.

In the end, I got decent code that worked for the purpose I needed.

I still didn’t write any docstrings or comments.

I used PiHole for a long time, then graduated to self-hosting a VPN so I could get as-blocking when away from my home network.

Ultimately I ended up using just AdGuard DNS via the DNS profile for iOS, and hard code the DNS into my home routers.

There might be a better setup, but this simple deployment takes care of 98% of ads.

A measly $3.2b. Can hardly afford a new yacht with that!

I agree. The FCC exam is a framework for learning. All my follow-on learning, including antenna building and using an NVNA have come from doing it.

This makes my brain itch lol

Bring an old bottle you’re going to throw away anyway and still bring the ziplock. Use it to go through security. Once at destination, transfer to the ziplock. Works only one way, though.

I had a kbin account from the initial exodus, but have become exclusive to my current instance, because it’s functional with Voyager and the instance is relevant to my interests.

E: Fixed some meanings.

Kbin or mbin

100%

That’s wild your club makes newbies sit through such a course and refuses any kind of modernizations. OMs for sure.

Ahh ok, I’m US licensed also. Was surprised to see your club insists on such a rigid learning experience.

You’ll know best for your present situation, but I’d encourage you to just go get your license on your own and get on the air. There’s plenty of media channels to learn.

That’s disappointing to hear. What would be the fallout within your club if you were to just go get licensed on your own? Does your jurisdiction permit licensure outside of clubs?

Pirate radio ≠ amateur radio.

In the US at least, the barriers to entry to get one’s license has fallen so dramatically that there is no excuse to get the license and operate in harmony with all others.

Part of being a good amateur is operating within the very generous band plan we enjoy, so generous that everything one would do under pirate radio can be done while licensed: 135khz all the way above 275Ghz.

That the rules are a century old, with periodic revisions, is testament to their flexibility and continued pertinence; they’ve so far stood the test of time.

Are there dunces on the amateur spectrum? Certainly. There’s dunces at the supermarket, too. That’s inescapable. That “cop-brained” mentality you’ve mentioned is not a symptom of the amateur rules nor your so-called cop-brained mentality, but the natural desire to protect a privilege we enjoy.

The treatment you earned on the repeaters while operating unlicensed is on you.

Here’s your bootstrap. Assuming you’re in the US, HamStudy.org. Spaced repetition studying for the exam, no Morse code requirement anymore.

FCC exams can now be administered remotely via computer. I’ve taken all three of my exams remotely; my first while sitting on a beach!

One of the challenges I’ve long experienced with any of my hobbies is they are often niche and beyond the interest of most of the people I talk with; Amateur Radio even moreso. Nearly none of the people I interact with in daily life “get it”. They have their phones and Internet and don’t recognize the continuous marvels which constitute Amateur Radio.

I think all the -OTAs (POTA, SOTA, etc) have done a wonderful job of increasing visibility of our hobby, but to really supercharge it, every radio operator should also be willing to hang a sign which encourages passersby to come ask questions and engage. I was up at a fairly popular community park with a 200’ (~61m) span OCFD and not a single person approached. I reckon they’re unwilling because of how “official” a setup looks and don’t want to risk crossing into an area they’re “not supposed to be in”.

There’s not enough popular media which portrays the utility of Amateur Operators, which is probably an extension of the general unfamiliarity of the hobby by authors. Think of what percentage of any of the movies you’ve seen in the last 20 years and one can probably count on one hand the accurate portrayal of amateur radio communications.

These are just my initial thoughts having woken up not too long ago. I’d really be excited to hear others’ opinions.

That’s a lot of power coming straight to your radio. Does this model have an attenuator or RF gain? Try turning it on (or down the RF again) and see if there’s still splatter.

What’s your proximity to the transmitter? At least on AM I’ve seen splatter from nearby strong transmitters which don’t splatter once a reasonable distance away