Beep Beep Beep
Igor the Younger is fascinated with my ham radio setup. Every so often he has been asking if he can "push that thing that goes beep beep beep."
This is where I should explain that when modern-day hams send Morse code they aren't listening for the clack-a-clack-a-clack-a of the key like you hear in old movies. Sometimes, like with an electronic keyer, there isn't a clack-a-clack-a to listen to. Instead they use an operating aid called a sidetone, a tone that the radio emits when the key is pressed. The sidetone gives you an idea of what your "fist" sounds like as it goes out over the air.
So when Igor the Younger says "that thing that goes beep beep beep" he's talking about playing with my key.
Initially I resisted. I occasionally leave my radio on while I'm at work and he's at home with Grandma so I can help out with reverse beaconing, and even though it would be hard for him to actually put a signal on the air with the key if the rig is set for digital modes, he's a regular Curious George and I don't want him messing with the radio when I'm not there.
But then I, being an Evil Mad Scientist (which is why I have a pair of Igors) came up with an evil mad plan.
"Boofy," I told him. "You want to make the radio go beep beep beep?" Of course he did, so I just set the radio to generate the sidetone but not transmit - a feature I learned about a few days ago that lets you do code practice when you're off the air - and parked him in front of the key. He loved it. He spent a good half hour going beep beep beep, and then doing the same thing making short and long beeps with the electronic keyer. He even figured out that if you hold both paddles of the keyer at the same time you get an iambic "di-dah-di-dah-di-dah" pattern.
I also let him turn the main tuning knob and one of the knobs on the antenna tuner. We weren't transmitting and it's easy enough to set them back to where they belonged, so why not? Now he thinks he's a regular Marconi.
He's also fascinated that I put wires across the back yard. Once in a while he will tell me "Grandpa! There are birds on your wire!" Of course I go check to see if there are any birds roosting on my dipole. I don't care if they do, I just don't want them to knock it down or anything.
"Well, Boofy, if there are, I hope when I go beep beep beep it tickles their feet." This entry was originally posted at http://banjoplayinnerd.dreamwidth.org/12977.html. Please comment there using OpenID.