Category: Weather

A Mixed Weekend

This weekend was not a stellar weekend for operating, for myself. Although the bands were very active, with lots of interesting stations, I didn’t have much luck. I did work one new one, though.

I think the problem was that there were such good conditions, with so many contests going on, I just didn’t have the oomph to break the pileups.

But, on to the pluses! I downloaded and tried the beta for WSJT-X ver. 2, and found the transition painless. The old message format worked flawlessly and so did the new one. I’m quite satisfied with the update, and especially am pleased that “RR73” is the default now instead of being an option. It was a real pain having to set up the change every time I opened the application.

Also, FT8Call is now JS8CALL, and a new version of that developmental software is available. I downloaded the new version, but didn’t see much activity when I checked. More to try this week!

I also downloaded Win4IcomSuite which, if you don’t know, is a control software that works with my IC-7300 and other radios. It allows you to control all aspects of your Icom radio from your computer. It also allows remote control of those radios over the internet. I’m looking forward to putting it through its paces. Reviews by users are positive.

Another thing I like about it is that it supports the integration of third-party applications through virtual com ports, and seems to do it very well.

I’ve ordered a rapid charging base for my Icom handheld. I looked at the official Icom offering, but I can get a third party one for less than half the price on Amazon, and it has good reviews. We’ll see …

I’m still looking for an earpiece for my D-Star handheld. Once again, Icom thinks the thing is made from precious metals and gem-grade plastic. I want something that doesn’t require a loan to acquire.

So you can see, lots of new(er) software to play with this week, and that should keep me busy. We’re watching Hurricane Michael, which may bring us some heavy rain and winds this weekend. Lots of variables there, though, and a long time until Saturday.

73 de Dick N4BC

Florence, continued …

Bob Brown / Richmond Times-Dispatch

We had some really nasty weather yesterday to the west of us in the Richmond, Virginia area … thunderstorms, rain, wind, a couple of tornadoes with property damage, and even a life lost when a roof collapsed. In Virginia Beach, some areas flooded so badly from the tides that the occupants of cars had to be rescued from the waters.

Once again, we have been lucky here on the Peninsula. Even the remnants of Florence, on their way north, seem to create havoc in their wake. Too close for comfort!

73 de Dick N4BC

Florence, redux

Well, Florence has come and has gone, even though we’re still experiencing rain and thunderstorms from the system . There wasn’t much impact here, where I live. The forecasts were dire and uncertain, but at my QTH we ended up with not much rain and not much wind. In some lower-lying parts of the area, there was flooding and trees down. Lots of businesses were closed … MacDonalds and Wendys were the two I noticed … in anticipation of much more severe weather that really never came to pass. My daughter, who is practice teaching in the Chesapeake school system, had an unscheduled week off when they decided to close the schools as a precautionary measure.

However, a glance to our south … and not that far south … shows what it could have been like. The Carolinas were, and still are, devastated. Destruction, chaos, roads impassible or just gone … those people need our prayers and our aid. It will be a long time before things get back to normal there.

There have been some comments about how we went through all this expensive preparation for nothing. My answer is look to out south … to what could have been. Predicting the weather is not an exact science and it’s better to be ready than to be caught unprepared. We were as ready as we could be, and that’s OK with me.

73 de Dick N4BC

Florence update

It looks like we may have dodged the bullet here in the Virginia Peninsula area. We still can expect tidal flooding and wind and rain, but nothing like what had been forecast as a possible scenario. Unfortunately, that’ll be visited on our friends to the south. More like a normal (?) rain/wind event for us. Judging by what they’re predicting now, some of our bad winter storms have been worse.

It’s never a bad idea to prepare for the worst and hope for the best, though. If you don’t get ready and things go sour, you’re stuck with what you’ve got. I did all the “due diligence” … food, water, batteries, gas, and so forth. I always try to go a bit beyond the minimums, since I’m not usually at home with the family during these events, but at work looking after radio systems. I hate to not be there with them, but it’s one of the drawbacks of the job.

73 de Dick N4BC