More Fox Hunt fun this weekend – Bob, W1FDR shares his experiences.
I found both the foxes but I had to work really hard to do it. First I drove to the Home Depot area off of exit 6 and found the strongest signal in the parking area of mine falls park. It was very icy but it didn’t take me long to realize it wasn’t there so I went back across the bridge to the Nashua high school, the parking lots were full with activity and I did not know the area. So I drove to the Wiggins Park area and hiked over to where the foxes were. I was going to take a picture of the strongest fox but there were so many people walking by and I was so busy talking to them I forgot. I then went to find the weaker fox and I did take a picture or I had a picture taken by a passerby.
Then proceeded to help the economy in Nashua with Christmas shopping.
Bob
W1FDR
Bob Finds Our Foxes Again!
John, KB1MGI and his son Craig, KB1CGS also tracked down the large wily critter. Here is their story –
KB1CGS Craig my son and myself KB1MGI John both found the 146.565 Fox.
After circling the area around exit 6 we ended up at the parking area at Lincoln Park at the end of Coliseum Ave. Craig and I went over the icy Bridge and stayed on the left trail along the water. Then we walked in circles for ever and we kept ending up at the base of a hill and still walking in circles over an over again.
When climbed up the steep hill to the main trail. At first we figured the fox was across the river behind the high school. Turning around and figured it was back down the hill. Then Craig said look at that stump I saw the tip of the antenna.
2 hours to find. Great job hiding the fox.
We did not look for the other one because it was getting dark soon.
We’ve recently upgraded our Portable Satellite Station 2.0 to add digital and packet capabilities. The upgrade was pretty simple – we added a SignaLink USB Soundcard and a Windows Laptop PC. Most of the software for Packet and Digital Amateur Radio communications is written for the Windows OS so using a separate laptop running Windows 10 was the simplest way to go.
Portable Satellite Station With Additions For Digital and Packet
Another benefit of the second laptop was added screen space to use when doing packet communications via satellites and the International Space Station (ISS).
Receiving SSTV From The ISS
SSTV Image From The ISS
We recently learned that the ISS was going to be again transmitting SSTV images worldwide. This provided a perfect opportunity to work with the digital additions in our satellite setup. We downloaded and installed MMSSTV on our Windows laptop and set the audio levels on the Windows PC and our SignaLink Sound card to properly receive SSTV signals. The MMSSTV application can decode several different SSTV formats including the PD120 format used by the ISS. The ISS transmits SSTV on a 2m FM voice channel. We configured MacDoppler to track the ISS and perform doppler correction on the 2m ISS 2m downlink and began to listen.
The video above was made during the reception of an SSTV image from the ISS during a pass over the United States. The video gives a good idea of what its like to receive SSTV from the space station.
More ISS SSTV Images…
Another SSTV Image From The ISS
We were able to receive several different images from the ISS during the period that it was transmitting SSTV worldwide.
A Third SSTV Image From The ISS
It was pretty easy to capture the SSTV transmissions from the ISS with our Portable Satellite Station 2.0 setup. The signals were strong and I would imagine that the SSTV transmission could have also been received with a simple portable satellite setup with a hand-held yagi antenna.
We hope that the ISS will send SSTV images again in the near future. It was fun receiving them.
Hello, everyone! My name is David Merchant, and my callsign is K1DLM. I am proud to be part of the Nashua Area Radio Society. I’ve lived in Windham, NH for 10-years with my XYL and have three children. I was born just outside of Philadelphia, where I lived until age 7. I moved around quite a bit growing up, and have lived in every state in New England, except for Vermont.
David Merchant, K1DLM, busy building an Elecraft K3 kit.
Ever since I was young, I’ve always had an intense interest in electronics, technology and how things work. I guess you could say it’s in my blood. When I was very young, I used to experiment with scavenging parts from old TVs and radios. As I advanced through school, I also started to get exposed to computers, initially in the 1970’s with a teletype attached to the town of West Hartford, Connecticut’s mainframe. As PC’s came into the equation, I continued to soak up as much information as I could, becoming very familiar with Apple II computers and ultimately the Mac and Windows.
It wasn’t until High School that I had my first electronics class, which cemented my plan to pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering (EE). I went on to earn an EE degree from the University of Hartford, SI Ward School of Technology in 1990.
How did you get involved in amateur radio?
I’ve been interested in Amateur Radio since a young age, but I had so many questions, and I didn’t have an Elmer. I remember attending at a Scout Jamboree, and someone had set up an HF station using a Heathkit Radio. He had a tribander at the top of an extension ladder and was making contacts all over the World. I must have spent an hour listening to the QSO’s, but never got on the air. I dabbled around with CB radio, scanners, and an old Halicrafters shortwave set from my Grandfather.
It wasn’t until much later in life that I finally obtained my General license at age 35 in July 2003. I earned my Extra ticket about a year later, back when there was still a five wpm code requirement.
What’s your background and what other hobbies do you have?
David Merchant and Brent Norris (Graphics Designer) at Spirit Technologies, Summer 1995.
You might think that I would have pursued a career in engineering, but I never did. While I was in College, I became an entrepreneur, starting two tech companies in the computer storage market. This exposed me to many different aspects of business, where I determined that I didn’t want to sit behind a desk all day. The job I enjoyed most was sales – traveling and being out in front of customers. I enjoyed meeting new people, and every day brought a new challenge. This became my career path, where I ultimately assumed various sales leadership roles in the telecommunications business. I’ve worked at Siemens, Nortel, Juniper Networks, Fortinet, and currently for a telecom startup focused on cellular infrastructure.
I have a range of other hobbies including weather, boating/sailing, cooking, videography, home automation, and DJ’ing an occasional party. I also enjoy traveling to new destinations, which is a lucky thing as my job demands a great deal of it.
What are your goals in amateur radio?
This is my primary operating position. It’s an SO2R setup.
Amateur radio is the primary way I stay connected to my technical roots. Of all the aspects of the hobby, I enjoy station building and helping others. I currently host a 2-meter D-Star repeater (KC1EGN) at my QTH and maintain an HF and Satellite station. I enjoy the fusion of radio, computers, networking, and software-defined radios in particular.
In the future, my XYL and I plan to move up to the lakes region of New Hampshire. I’ve already started dreaming about building a contest station up there for retirement, and have been gradually collecting some foundational components (hardline, rotors, antenna switching matrix, etc.).
What do you like about being a member of Nashua Area Radio Society?
I’ve enjoyed the new friends that I’ve made through the club. The members come from a diverse set of backgrounds and life experiences. As a result, there is always something new to learn.
I also volunteered to be the Field Day Chairman for 2017 and quickly gained an appreciation for how much effort is required on behalf of many individuals to pull off this event. Field Day is the premier event for the Nashua Area Radio Society. I would encourage everyone to take an active role, even if you’re a beginner. As they say, many hands make light work, and you’re guaranteed to learn something in the process.
