Well this, as usual, is long overdue! The last two days have been busy. I finally updated my website for the first time in about a decade! I was running the very old 1.0 version of Joomla and refused to upgrade because I knew I would lose the template I had. I was pretty fond of it and was sad to see it go. Since so many things have changed with Joomla since 1.0, the act of upgrading to the current 3.9 version would have been rather labor intensive. Since I don’t have a lot of content, I decided it was easier to scrap the old site completely and import the content into a new install of WordPress. So far, I am pretty happy with the new look.

I am in Southern Illinois these days, near Scott AFB. I just moved here about a month ago and am still trying to get settled in. I programmed up my HTs and a Motorola mobile that I have next to my computer and attached a ladder line J-pole to it that I hung on the wall. I need to figure a better place to put it though. My wife asked if I was planning on keeping the antenna there permanently and we have been married long enough that I know a rhetorical question when I hear one! I will figure something out.

Hopefully I can get involved with some of the groups here, so far they seem good and active! There is a meeting next week and I will see if I can make it. There are a few DMR repeaters here too, so I may need to pick up a radio and try that out (like I really need an excuse? Ha!). I need to crack out my digital stuff and see what all I can have fun with. 

Welp, that’s it for this update, hopefully there will be another one before another few years go by!

Well, here it is, June already. Lots of stuff going on around here.I am working with a local ham by the name of Mike Anderson (WV7T) to upgrade from Tech to General. I picked up some new equipment, a FT-747GX, SWR meter, and a MFJ-901B antenna tuner. Hopefully I can get my General and get on the HF bands this summer. I got my dual band 2m/70cm installed in my dodge truck and shelved the mag mount in favor of a Larsen NMO 2/70B antenna. It was a nice clean install with the cabling run under the carpet and trim panels. I used the separation kit so that the transceiver can be bolted to the floor under the seat and head mounted to a Lido LM-300 gooseneck mount. I also ran a remote speaker up the side of the truck and mounted it just above the seat belt. The wires are tucked away behind the trim panel on it too. It puts the speaker close to the left side of my head and makes it a lot easier to hear over road noise and the stereo. I am looking forward to helping the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this year. At this time, it looks like I will be assisting at the start line area. The hams here provide communication and spotters up along the course. This allows for quick response time when there is an incident or safety issue. Several other things I could probably mention, but I will save those for next update.

It has been nearly a year since my last update. Wow, I am horrible about keeping current. Well, my last update had me headed back to Abilene, but since then I have moved to Colorado Springs, Co. Along the way I was able to get rid of the Sebring (good riddance!). I spent time today installing my IC-208H in to my Ram 1500. Install went well and I was able to tuck all the wiring under carpet and trim panels. It made for a very clean install. All I really have left is to buy a mounting bracket for the radio’s control head. I really don’t feel like getting smacked in the face by it in the event of an accident. Apart from that, I have been slacking in relation to ham activities. I have had the application to PPRAA sitting on my shelf for a while. It is even all filled out! Now that my radio is installed again I guess I will get that sent in. 

 Apart from all that, I am enrolled at the local community college, PPCC. I need to use my GI Bill benefits, after all I paid for them (in time and money!). I live up on the Air Force Academy and am liking it up here. I feel like I am living in a rural area which I wouldn’t have if I lived in Colorado Springs itself. Not much else going on, I guess things are fairly routine at the moment. I guess I can’t complain, things are going okay. Well, hopefully I will update this a little more often and will do so once I get that application mailed off! There is something to be said for having an electronic application on the website that is tied to something like Google checkout. Hopefully radio clubs will start tying that kind of function in to their website in the future. Attracting younger generations of hams will require adopting modern processes and technology for sure. . .

Well, I managed to get the ICOM 208H installed the other day. I will say this; a Chrysler Sebring is absolutely horrible to try and run power wires through the firewall. It is also not very well setup to run antenna cable from the trunk. I had pulled my V8000 out of the car about a year ago and installed it in my old truck so the wiring was not in the car anymore. Installing the radio this time was just as fun (by fun I mean ever so frustrating and aggravating) as it was the first time.

I finally made it to a local club meeting. I have been here nearly nine months now so shame on me for not doing it sooner. I missed out on spending time with some real good folk. I visited the local K5WPH at their club house on 3709 Wickham Ln. It was a business night for them, and I was well received. They have a very nice facility and take a lot of pride in it. At least one of them was familiar with the KC5OLO repeater run by the KCARC club in Abilene. Hopefully I will run into some of them again before I head back to Abilene.  I also plan to visit the W5ES club here on Friday the 12th. I think it is good to try and meet with other clubs while traveling around. It is a good way to share ideas and get to meet new people. Hams as a group tend to have a lot of ingenuity and it is always good to hear new ideas and ways others have solved different problems.

 Shane

KE5TVB

Well I am still in El Paso, TX, but I kinda hope not for much longer. The new job has great income potential, but isn’t really me. I fix things, it is just who I am. Not sure I can handle a job that seems to repeat itself without any true resolution to its activities. If the xyl gets orders in March, we may just take them. I think I would like to get some college in, mechanical engineering seems real interesting. There is a decent size group of hams in El Paso and about 27 repeaters in the area. I have not made it to any of the local club meetings, and have been inactive in ham activities since leaving Abilene. I do miss it, and just picked up a dual band 2m/7cm Icom-IC-208H. I had been running a 2m Icom V8000 and really liked it. This area seems to favor the 7cm band so hopefully if I stay here I can get myself back into the hobby. I also picked up a rough Kenwood TR-7800. If it works at all I am going see if I can put it in to service for data. Same with the pair of Drake TR-22s I have. Not sure what I really want to do, maybe a weather station? Who knows? I will think on it. Anyway I choose to go will require a bit of learning, and that is always fun. Well, that is it for this update; hopefully the next will find me shipping off somewhere other than El Paso. Hawaii would rock, though the news of the tsunami hitting there today makes one reconsider a little. Though I would probably still jump at the chance to go!

73

Shane

Well, I will be moving out of Abilene later on in April. I will be moving to El Paso, TX after a short stay in Artesia, NM. I will be looking for a new home for ham radio and will miss the groups here. I was a member of both BCARN and KCARC. I was not very active with these clubs regrettably. I obtained my license towards the end of my active duty service. As such, my time was devoted towards the transition back to the civilian world. Once out my focus moved on towards moving to my new line of work. Hopefully I will find a new club in El Paso that I can be active in and learn from. I am currently looking at K5WPH, and will contact them soon and get a feel for them. They look pretty active based on their website, and it looks like there will be a lot I can learn from them. Well, all for now, I will update this site as I move and get settled.

73

Shane

KE5TVB