Getting Started

Once again time has not been on my side. I set this blog up a while back and just now getting started. I am amazed by how some people appear to get so much done. I assume some of it has to do with the old 80.20 rule. They appear to have mastered doing the 20% that gets results and not messing around with the 80% that does not. I think I mess with the 80% most of the time.

As a bit of introduction to this blog. The intended purpose is to document some activities in my hobbies and other interests. Hobbies include Amateur Radio, electronics and flying. I am sure other stuff will filter in from time to time.

My amateur radio call sign is WB8GXB. You can email me at wb8gxb@arrl.org . I have been active in amateur since 1970. Prior to computers electronics was the geeks outlet of the time. Amateur radio fit right in there of course. When I was in high school there were not a lot of hams out of a class of approx. 500 students. The high school had grades 9 - 12 with a total student body of around 2000. There were maybe 5 or 6 licensed hams. I bet that same high school does not have a single licensed amateur in it today. Computers and software have become the geeks hobby of choice. There are many reasons for that which I won't go into at this time. It is just unfortunate that more students no nothing of amateur radio, radio propagation and electronics.

As I am typing this I have my Yaesu FT-817 running listening to Dayton Tower (119.9 MHz). I don't hear any smaller, i.e single engine, general aviation (GA). A Sunday night may be a little slow for air traffic. I am going to guess a lot of this if freight traffic. Weather is clear and calm so there are no instrument approaches being done or planes rushing to beat a storm.

I am using my 2-meter VHF antenna to listen to the aircraft band. It appears to show some gain and directivity even though I am 24-MHz off of the frequency the antenna is tuned for. It works better than the scanner antenna on the same tower.

That is enough for now. Catch you latter.