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Table of Contents
Radio Blog
Thu 08/08/24 : Zettelkasten
I'm getting interested in the Zettelkasten concept again…. after looking at it last year.
I'm starting to put together some references
Thu 01/08/24 : DM41X
Calculators
I've had the DM41X homage/clone of the HP41CX for a few years now, and after an initial period where I learned some of its features and explored a some plugin modules I found it a little cumbersome with the frequent need to explicitly spell out XEQALPHAFACTALPHA the function required. In the HP41 the keys can be remapped using the USER keyboard assignment, but there are only so many unused keys to play with.
I've recently been looking at it again, and (if I can get used to the classic 41 placement of the arithmetic keys + - x ÷ ) I'm planning a month or two only using the DM41X.
It's a remarkable device. The underlying HP41CX and modules are remarkable in their own rights, and various DM41X specific features extend the usability greatly e/g. CST menu, with the ability to save and recall multiple CST configurations means regularly used functions can be much easier to access - as well as one's own programs.
I love the DM42 and DM32, as well as the DM15L of course, but the DM41X is capturing my attention at the moment, so I'll have a trip down the '41 rabbit hole for a few weeks I think.
Wed 31/07/24 : Facebook
I've gone and re-joined FaceBook.
And You Tube.
I never suffered fomo while being away from Facebook, and didn't miss the annoyances of the whole thing… but increasingly many special interest groups, small businesses and voluntary organizations (etc.) use only Facebook as a communication method. You can only stick your head in the sand for so long before you need to get on with life and go with the flow.
I wonder how long I'll stick it this time around?
Tue 30/04/24 : Stop Being A Grumpy Old Sad Ham
- I've decided to stop feeling grumpy about the current state of amateur radio.
- I've decided to get on and enjoy it, and to not care if there are people, behaviours, modes or band-uses that would previously annoy me.
- It's just a hobby.
- And I note that the new OFCOM licence documents seem to have redefined the purpose of Amateur Radio:
Purpose 4. The Licensee must ensure that the Radio Equipment is only used: a) for the purpose of self-training in radio communications, including conducting technical investigations; or b) as a leisure activity and not for commercial purposes of any kind
- I'm not sure when
Clause 4. b)appeared, but it means I no longer have any justification to be grumpy at people who use amateur radio with no underlying ethos of self-training. - I don't want to be a sad ham. There's too much fun stuff to do in radio as a hobby, so why spend precious time tuning around and finding fault with what you hear on the air? Just get on the air and do your own thing.
- I recently threw my toys out of the pram over You Tube and its forcing of adverts on everyone - (i.e. when they started to warn people to stop using AdBlockers).
- I decided I wanted no part in You Tube and deleted my account/videos.
- I notice that recently they seem to have stopped warning me about using an AdBlocker (UBlock Origin)
- Have they give up that fight, or are the AdBLock developers just getting better at hiding?
- Anyway - I might post a few videos now that I'm getting back into the hobby, and enjoying it, and not being a grumpy old ba***rd.
- I even had some 40m SSB QSOs recently - something I thought I'd never do again.
Mon 08/04/24 : Wayback Machine
I was wondering if my old Google/Blogspot Blog was still around archived at the Wayback Machine and I found several snapshots are still available;
https://web.archive.org/web/20240000000000*/http://gm4slv-geek.blogspot.com/
Looking through the available captures I can find some specific posts, but there's a lot of things missing, of course. Still, it's an interesting & useful thing.