Doug Nix

Category: Fun

  • Getting ready for school

    I signed up for ham radio license school today. Classes start on September 18th and run for 8 weeks. The course price is reasonable at CA $ 50, but then there is the study guide, which is another $45, etc. Anyway, this is the basic entry into the hobby, so I’m ready to go.

    I want to learn Morse Code too, but as they say, one step at a time. I’ve been shell-shocked by the cost of the gear needed for everything, starting with Morse keys. There are various types, starting with cheap and shitty at $15, up to Wow! That’s gorgeous! at > $300. If I buy a transceiver, then I can likely use it as a Morse Trainer. There are trainer keys that have a sounder built into the base, and then there are kits that can be built that even include a decoder so you can see just how bad your keying actually is.

    I found a reasonably priced key on Amazon, built by Putikeeg.

    Then I need a trainer before I get a transceiver. Here’s the one I’m thinking about.

    Anyway, I’m gonna wait on the CW1 (Morse) kit for now, as I want to get my Basic license in order first. Then my Advanced licence, and then my CW licence.

    Maybe I can buy a Silent Key’s2 station assets outright, for a single price. Yeah, that could work…

    Footnotes

    1. “CW” stands for “Continuous Wave” in ham-speak. It means that a continuous tone (700 Hz or so) is used to modulate the transmitter’s carrier wave when the key is pressed. Each key press creates the characteristic dots (dits) and dashes (dahs) of Morse Code. ↩︎
    2. A Silent Key is a ham radio operator who has died, and thus gone silent. ↩︎
  • Becoming a Ham Radio Operator

    Becoming a Ham Radio Operator

    This is the first entry in what I hope will be a series of entries about this new hobby that I’ve chosen to get into. I’ve been interested in radio since I built my first crystal radio kit when I was a kid, probably 8-10 years old, but I don’t remember exactly.

    I built a Remco 106 that closely resembled the one below. Sadly, I don’t have it anymore.

    Remco No. 106 Kit Crystal Radio

    I needed about a 50-foot [15 m] antenna, and access to a cold water pipe for a ground. I lived in an old house in Montréal then, which was nearly 110 feet front to back, and the upstairs hallway was more than long enough, so I was able to install the antenna inside.

    The downside with crystal radios is that they can only receive AM radio, so the sound quality is only as good as the station is broadcasting, and the quality of the headphones you’re using. Forget stereo. The headphones that came with the 106 were… meh.

    So now, many, many years later, I’ve decided to get into amateur radio. I have a friend who has had his licence since he was 10, and he’s 10 years older than me. He’s acting as my mentor in a way. He’s got a beautiful station, one I can’t even aspire to.

    So my first job is to get my licence. In Canada, if you score over 80 on the exam, you get wider access to the bands than if you don’t do so well on the exam. I recently took the practice exam and, going in cold (no studying at all), I scored a 74, so with a bit of work, I’ll be able to hit the magic number.

    I plan to attend the local Radio Amateur Club of Canada chapter meeting in September, and I’d like to have my licence before Christmas. I need to shake some time loose to study now…

    I’m also looking for some used equipment to get started with. My budget is limited, and I need everything—transceiver, power supply, antenna, mast, microphone, CW key.

    Once I get my regular licence, then I want to learn Morse Code so that I can add the CW certificate.

  • Canoes

    Solo canoeist in a green canoe on a mirror-calm lake. Mountains in the background.

    Paddling a canoe is one of my favourite ways to spend some time, alone or with someone.

    I first learned to paddle a canoe as a young Scout leader in the 1980’s in Guelph, Ontario. Another young leader, D’Arcy Grant, taught me the basics and helped me grow my skills over the years. His friendship and mentoring helped me gain the confidence to develop my skills and be ready to take our Troop out on the water.

    The rhythm of paddling, the quiet lapping of the water along the hull, the pace that allows for quiet observance of the environment around are all things that have brought me deep joy.

    I’ve paddled back-country rivers and lakes in Northern Ontario and urban and rural rivers in Southern Ontario. I’ve paddled solo and with friends. It all brings peace and joy to my heart.

    Predominantly blue image of a solo canoe and paddler on a calm lake with sunbeams coming through the trees.

    Movies

    Bill Mason is arguably one of Canada’s most extraordinary wilderness paddlers and documentary filmmakers. His movie, Song of the Paddle, speaks to the joy of exploring the Canadian wilderness by canoe. The National Film Board of Canada has made this movie available to stream for free. There are quite a few of his films available through the NFB site if you like this one, including instructional paddling movies.

    Books

    Some books in no particular order, all pretty old now that helped me get started:

    A red wood and canvas canoe with a single paddle, drawn up on a rocky shore with a mirror calm lake behind it, evergreen trees on the bank, and mist rising above the lake behind.