HamMac test drive
I got a call from Paul tonight. He's on his way to a faraway place for the last half of November to participate in the CQ WW DX CW contest, and to soak up some sun, I'm sure. Very nice, indeed!
Another thing we discussed is the possibility of organizing conference calls for the group beginning in early December. Assuming we get the flights, licenses, and remainder of the logistics managed, we've still got lots of things to resolve as a group. For example, many (all?) of us are likely going to bring our Buddipole systems, but they are an awkward size for carrying on an airplane. The systems with the 16-foot masts collapse down to about 41 inches when packed, too long for a typical piece of luggage.
Instead of having everybody try to manage this themselves, it might be better to have one or two of us bring hard-sided golf cases like The Vault which can easily hold several antenna systems. Two of these would likely hold all of the antennas, masts, tripods, coax, rope, and other antenna materials we might have. That seems like a reasonable plan, but we should work this out as a team. This might be agenda item one when conference calls begin.
I spent this evening installing software and otherwise familiarizing myself with my new MacBook affectionately named "HamMac". HamMac seems solid, is very good on batteries, and has, so far, been able to run everything I've installed on it without incident. Tonight I installed:
I believe the accommodations on Montserrat have Internet access so I'll be posting each day while on the island (along with making updates to the DXpedition web site). Of course a few pictures will probably make their way to the blog and the web site, too!
Another thing we discussed is the possibility of organizing conference calls for the group beginning in early December. Assuming we get the flights, licenses, and remainder of the logistics managed, we've still got lots of things to resolve as a group. For example, many (all?) of us are likely going to bring our Buddipole systems, but they are an awkward size for carrying on an airplane. The systems with the 16-foot masts collapse down to about 41 inches when packed, too long for a typical piece of luggage.
Instead of having everybody try to manage this themselves, it might be better to have one or two of us bring hard-sided golf cases like The Vault which can easily hold several antenna systems. Two of these would likely hold all of the antennas, masts, tripods, coax, rope, and other antenna materials we might have. That seems like a reasonable plan, but we should work this out as a team. This might be agenda item one when conference calls begin.
I spent this evening installing software and otherwise familiarizing myself with my new MacBook affectionately named "HamMac". HamMac seems solid, is very good on batteries, and has, so far, been able to run everything I've installed on it without incident. Tonight I installed:
- FireFox - browser
- MacDoppler - Ham radio satellite tracking software
- DX Toolbox - solar and geomagnetic conditions and propagation software
- MultiMode - Digital interface software
- CocoaModem - Digital interface software
- uH Router - MicroHam USB routing software
- BBEdit - Context sensitive editor (for HTML, C, C++, etc.)
- QRZ Rom - Ham database which works great with MacLoggerDX
I believe the accommodations on Montserrat have Internet access so I'll be posting each day while on the island (along with making updates to the DXpedition web site). Of course a few pictures will probably make their way to the blog and the web site, too!
posted by NE1RD's Blog at 12:00 AM
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