Sunday, 2nd April, 2023

The act of writing out what I’ve been thinking about with ham radios really helped me. Yesterday’s rant made me realise the bleeding obvious. Get the G90, and get doing something. So that’s what I’m going to do. I’ve also decided upon an end-fed half wave (EFHW) antenna, it can attach to the railings on the balcony and then to some pole or whatever I can cobble together at the bottom of the garden. There’s enough space for the 40m band, which seems to be a very popular one. I’ve made a list of all the things I need and will buy them…soon! Reason being is were away for a bit and I don’t want stuff to arrive when we’re not here.

Going to the Isle of Arran. Weather appears unfortunate mid-week but it often has a micro-climate so potential to avoid the rain.

I’m debating about how much technology I should bring with me. I do enjoy time with minimal tech, but it can be hard too. I was considering taking my laptop with me, but I’m bad enough wasting time on the iPad let alone the laptop.

Going to take the handheld radio with me, see if I can hit the Northern Ireland repeater whilst next to the sea. Which reminds me I need to program the repeaters in. I tried my local repeater and I can hear it and it pips when I send a message but I never hear anything back. Now either no-one is replying or something is up with my radio. Today there was a lot of static after I called. Which makes me think someone is replying but I can’t hear. No idea what to do about it though. I’ve heard people talking on my radio before, so it functions, and I hear the pips from the repeater. So we’ll see what I can find.

I’m tempted to take my typewriter with me, but it’s not really practical and I’m not sure what I’m writing on it. Think I mostly want to take it because no-one expects it. I never have time for doing things myself, always entertaining the kids and busy. Perhaps in years to come where we go away to some cottage by the sea I can sit and type on it.

Then there’s cameras. I took some photos yesterday as it was the boys’ birthday party and that’s warmed me up to taking pictures again. It was digital and none of the images where that great, we were inside the skatepark place so the lighting was all over the place. I think I’ll take the M2, 35mm and some HP5 or whatever B&W I have. I should take it. It did make remember that I sold the 60mm fuji macro but never replaced it with anything. This means I don’t have a method to scan my film. I was debating between another macro lens or a dedicated scanner. Still not sure what I’d like best.

Fell down the rabbit hole of portable shortwave radios. But stopped as it seemed so many stations have gone off-air and are internet streaming only.