I’ve been applying for shorter, easier to say call-signs.  I feel like I’m talking forever saying “Kilo X-Ray 4 Hotel Lima” and I received AA0O, Alpha Alpha Zero Ocean rolls off the tongue better.  I’ll be updating the domain name at some point but for now its staying at kx4hl.com

The International Space Station was broadcasting SSTV images on 145.800MHz this week.  I knew it was coming and did a little practice with my Baofeng UV-5R beforehand.  The ISS made 1 good pass each day and I was able to get images on 2 of them.  I connected the Baofeng to my MacBook Air with a cheap USB sound card and an adapter cable for the radio.  On a recommendation of WU2F I recorded the audio to process it later.  I used Audacity to record and made sure to enable playback during recording so I could hear the signal.  The signal was very strong in my front yard.  I used…

I’ve always been interested in electronics. Most of my radio experience was with RC cars. I considered getting into ham radio when I was younger but the code requirement scared me away. An episode of NCIS got me interested in it again. With my EE background I was able to pass the Tech practice exam without reviewing the material. For the General and Extra I used the free iPhone “Ham Radio Exam” apps as study guides and the HamStudy.org website for practice tests. It was hit or miss whether I was going to pass the Extra and luckily I was able to pass all 3 tests in one sitting. I’m glad because…