My job has been getting very badly in the way of my play time recently; I can't really explain why, but I've been away loads. One trip was to Cairo and that was followed by a full week on the toilet! Nasty!
Anyhow, there have been a few changes here in the shack; mainly in the computing department. I have converted my main PC to be exclusively Linux (I run SuSe), and the "Shack" PC that I use for radio related stuff has benefited from a major upgrade and the purchase of a much bigger monitor:
You'll also see that the Old Icom IC756ProII has gone and is replaced by a Yaesu FT-847. I am planning to have a go at working through some of the Amateur Satellites or "Birds" as they are known. So This will give me a true duplex (transmit on one band whilst simultaneously receiving on another) capability. This is an ebay purchase that I am very pleased with indeed.
Now, the plan for later today is that my mate Vince G0ORC and I will be putting up a combined 2m & 70cm beam; my poor tolerant wife is close to despair! Another pole - this time slap bang in the centre of the front of the house. Oh well...
I also sold the FT-8900 that I had and replaced that at the Newark HamFest with another radio; this time its a mini shack in a box from Yaesu - the FT-857. I'm still very much playing with that and discovering it's capabilities (or otherwise).
The bench is still a total mess, and I've just started yet another project:
This is the start of a Radio-Kits "Hunter" which is a Software Defined Radio Receiver and Panadapter. You can find info here:
http://www.radio-kits.co.uk/
It's all surface mount technology so soldering and photographing are close to impossible:
I had a great opportunity to take an obligatory cat photo yesterday; our Choppsy cat was asleep on top of the newal post at the bottom of the stairs - I didnt have a camera though.
Fun egh?
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