This post is part of [tj]’s blog more in June challenge. You should join us and take part - just make 4 posts in June! As part of the general move to do more radio / do radio in a field, I’m configuring a raspberry pi to be a permanent companion to my radio. One challenge of the pi is the lack of an RTC, and this isn’t something I’m particularly fussy about fixing with dedicated hardware - typically it’s quite expensive. …

This post is part of [tj]’s blog more in June challenge. You should join us and take part - just make 4 posts in June! I have an amount of portable, HF radio equipment that I don’t use enough. One reason is just how awkward and cumbersome it can be to move everything around. I would like to have a small bag/box I can attach to a backpack or my bike before I go out. Powering things in the field is a significant part of that problem. …

I’ve had a plan to build a 1/4 Wave Ground Plane antenna based on this calculator and the data available on that site for some time. I’m doing the 2m band first (144MHz) - I’ve got piece of 4mm brass diameter pipe for my driven element, and 6mm aluminium pipe for my radials. The radials are to be angled at 45° from each other, at 45° below normal. Click the link for what that looks like! …

So I’ve had a lot of GPG issues over the last few months, and part of that has been me not bothering particularly to ensure I’ve got a consistent setup across my machines. Part of the issue is that I’m using a yubikey, and keep having to look at external references to make sure it works consistently. I’m going to keep this as a reference for what I’ve used recently to make everything work. …

Wow, 2019 came and went in a flash! It’s been an incredibly tough, rewarding and interesting year for me. There was a lot of change and turmoil in my personal and professional life, which made actually finding time to stop and do the things I love a lot more difficult. I’ve barely cycled, I feel like I’ve barely touched personal projects, and the memories of what I did in January & February feel a million miles away. …