I survived the month of January.  It turned out not to be quite as bad as last year. I do see the sun once in a while, which is of great benefit. Of course, trudging down Graham Street towards downtown Woodstock through snow piles and ice is tolerable when the sun is out and warm on your face. I find it to be a most enjoyable way to get one’s ( Read more... )

I’m not sure if it is considered PC anymore to use that expression, but I’m not sure what else to call the beautiful weather we have been enjoying so far in November.  It has been easily 7-9 degrees above normal Celsius.  I am not complaining - except that when is was below freezing a week ago or so, I put a thick comforter on the bed, and ever ( Read more... )

The world has been a busy place.  Thousands of people are trying to “Occupy Wall Street” and other financial centres around the world.  Dictators are being dragged down and disempowered.  The Republican Party in the US is doing its best to destroy itself with a list of presidential hopefuls who are the weirdest collection of wingnuts, crazies and ( Read more... )

While I was in Stillwater, I enlisted the considerable knowledge and energy of my friend, Mike P, to help install the antenna system in my car that Marlin had graciously given back to me when I visited him and his wife, Kay, in Madison. This is the Hustler system of resonators that includes two for the 80 metre band and one each for 40, 20, 17, 15 ( Read more... )

I finally got tired enough of trying to use the poor excuse for an antenna I had been using for shortwave listening and decided the time was perfect to do something different ( Read more... )

After studying the Canadian version of the rules and regulations governing amateur radio for a couple of weeks, I wrote the test this evening in London. I passed the Basic exam easily with 95%, which gives me full privileges on HF as well as above 30 MHz except for limits on running high power, building my own transmitters or setting up repeaters ( Read more... )