… also Some general ramblings, thoughts, and encouragement in some trying times.
Are we ready for some thing that I usually reserved for my Facebook page? I’m usually on track in these blogs, but that’s not happening today. I’m currently having some trying times of the COVID kind And while I am stuck in quarantine, I have found my own personal sanity saver in the form of 2 radios and two hotspots.
In my last blog post, I discussed venturing into digital. Little did I know it may become my new favorite way to communicate. Have you ever dreamed of talking to somebody on the other side of the world, but not wanting to have to dig them out of the bottom of a staticky mess or work through a pile-up? How about those people who aren’t able to put up a large antenna to run HF? If so, hotspot operations may just be for you, and it’s more cost effective than many think. In total, I have about $250 in gear to operate using this method, and that doesn’t have to be spent all at once, one can get into this side of the hobby for next to nothing if you know what you’re looking for. My knowledge on the subject of setting up these systems and the inner working of code plug writing is very limited. My equipment was programmed with extensive help from another ham (Thanks again KD8OFL.). But one can get into digital with an inexpensive DMR radio and a prebuilt PiStar hotspot for under $100.
As I write this post, I was inspired by my recent QSO with with 2E0GJV in England, but with the sound of being 6 feet away (COVID joke, you’ll understand shortly.) I am sitting in my little house with nowhere to go because I am on COVID-19 quarantine. Stuck in my living room mostly, radios around, plenty of entertainment in the form of playing music, playing my extensive instrument collection, endless YouTube, and radio. As a sidenote, other than my usual wintertime sinus issues, I am not ill. Just under suspicion of possible illness due to exposure to this terrible new coronavirus.
As you can expect, it’s rather boring living by yourself, and as I await my test results determining whether I contracted COVID from my recent exposure, I hear a voice from a radio. Not out of the ordinary for me to have a radio on at 3 AM EST, but in the grand scheme of things, I’ve been pretty inactive the past year or so. 2E0 station calling a radio check. As always, I miss the callsign… A quick little exchange and a mark in the log… and that got me thinking, had I gotten into radio now, would I have even bothered upgrading to extra. I’m not sure I can answer that. My message here, if you are new to radio and actively in or thinking of exploring this new technology, this new world of digital voice radio and you get that thrill from talking to somebody from another country, I encourage you to go get your upgrades. Even if you can’t put up a large antenna for HF ops, get the upgrade. Enjoy digital radio as its own kind of operating if you have the ability to use HF, but if you’re going to enjoy the hobby, make sure you can enjoy it to all extent possible. I understand upgrading isn’t for everybody, and I respect that. But if your goal is to work all states, work all countries, work contests, POTA, IOTA, and whatever other “on the air” designations there are, go big.
The sky is the limit in amateur radio, quite literally. Enjoy your time on the air. For some of us, that may be the only contact with the outside world we have for a while. I can speak from experience during my so far short quarantine. COVID-19 is here, it is real, and it’s yet to go away anywhere. In some circles it may be overhyped, overblown, and politicized. In others it may be under counted and not taken seriously enough, and that’s why it’s important to limit contact at this point, there are too many unknowns left.
If you have a radio of any sort, get on it and talk. You may just be the voice that brightens the other persons day during a depressing nearly yearlong lockdown of proportions never seen. I’ve kind of gone into a rambling rant here, and that’s OK. We all need to talk and be heard. I started this blog as a way to share my hobbies and work without sharing too much of myself. A way to vent, a way to express my thoughts and feelings in words when I can’t anywhere else. Speaking has always been a bit of a talent of mine. It may not be eloquent at times. It may be harsh, or it may be the most beautiful thing a person has ever heard, but it’s something I’ve always enjoyed no matter what I say. My love of speech and it’s freeing and healing properties is something that drove me to the radio years ago, And these days it’s easy for us that love speaking to be heard. I graduated high school 11 years ago, nobody would have ever guessed that if they wanted to say something they could pick up their cell phone, log into Facebook, and say whatever they wanted. But social media lacks one thing, authenticity of speech. The context is there, but the meaning is not without the inflection of the human voice. For me, that’s where radio comes in. There’s a mode for everybody, a place for every voice, and in the context of this post, a talk group for every interest. So no matter what your radio of choice, be it a 440MHz DMR, or that decades old Heathkit CW rig that you’ve replaced tubes in so many times you can do it upside down in your sleep with one hand tied behind you, get out there and talk, tap, or type it.
In these trying times, everybody has something to say. While we may not be able to go visit friends or family due to whatever restrictions are put forth, it’s still important to be able to speak and hear other humans. Amateur radio is an excellent way to do that.
With that, I leave you, and hopefully encourage you to be social, from a distance of several wavelengths.
73 and stay safe
KD8IZD 
You must be logged in to post a comment.