Day #30 - Here comes the Sun!

Hello all! Please excuse my brief absence from this blog. My internet connection was off for a few days and it was impossible for me to post. I suppose that I could have written it all down and then posted it but that would have been a bit arduous for the reader. It is with this in mind that I have elected to post "as often as I can" because I may be putting the plan in jeopardy if I persist with posts just for the sake of it. That is not to say that I will not be posting - far from it - but if I skip a day or so here and there it may be for the reason of too little news or connectivity hassles.

So, here I am, 30 days in, and I beginning to get worried that the goals I have set for myself are just too tough to accomplish. I will keep working at it though. Pressure and time can make diamonds, but they can can wear one out too.

I am pleased to say that the weather has started to get better here in Ireland. That can only be a good thing because Spring was terrible. It wasn't as bad as some parts of Europe and the rest of the country but one has to look at the potential for colder winters after the ones that we have experienced during the past three years. I do feel for older folks, especially in rural areas when it comes to the bad weather. I am in my mid-40's and it is tough enough for me. Mobility can become quite difficult in the cold, even at my age. I don't think that will be a problem today though. Maybe it has something to do with the exams being on at this time of year. When I was doing mine in the past it always seemed to be like this - hot and sunny.

A couple of days ago I received my TI Chronos watch. This is no ordinary watch. It is straight out of science fiction of the past. It has a number of features that make it unique; an embedded microcontroller, an accelerometer, altimeter, temperature sensor and all of that with inbuilt wireless connectivity. My plan is to be able to get it to "talk" to another wireless device and use that connectivity to control a magnetic loop antenna. For those that don't know, a magnetic loop antenna is a very compact design that exhibits high efficiency. The catch is though that in order to work properly the antenna needs to be "tuned" whenever the radio to which it is connected is re-tuned. To be able to do this remotely will offer huge advantages to the operator and will circumvent the need to go to the antenna itself and fiddle about with a tuner. My interest in radio is very much engaged by low-power - or QRP - type operations. I have often used the analogy that with high power anyone can lob a grenade into a pool and get all of the fish but with low power it is akin to landing a 20lb salmon on 3lb line. Skill and a LOT of patience. It can pay off though. A couple of years back I managed to contact a radio operator in Congerville, Illinois using just three watts of power. That is about five times the power of the average mobile phone. It is a very satisfying thing to do. One of the comments that I have heard more than a few times about ham radio is; "Why don't you just use the internet?" or; "Couldn't you just telephone the guy?". This to me is missing the point. The FUN comes from getting in touch without using any of that stuff. Ask any fisherman!

If anyone is interested in Ham Radio I would urge them to have a look at the website of the oldest organisation of it's kind in the world - The Wireless Institute of Australia. There will also be an organisation similar to this in your home country and more than likely a local club too. Go and have a look. It is well worth it. Today, radio is more important than ever, and that isn't some fanatical zealot trying to steer you that way - it is just a plain simple fact. Here is a link to a cool video that might be persuasive...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7BImC0yUok

Right then, it's getting on and I want some sun! See you later.