Monday, June 27, 2016 — Well friends, my Field Day was a bust — unless the ARRL awards points for contacts with Murphy’s Law.
Our local club’s plans for FD bombed out, and frankly, I was planning to operate 1D from home. I enjoy Field Day, but its much more fun in the air-conditioned comfort of my shack. Yeah, yeah, I know, what fun is that? Well I’ve have my share of mosquito-bitten FD all-niters trying to scare up Qs, or trying to determine why a station isn’t working at 2:30 a.m.
Boy, I sound like one of those crusty Old Farts I met when I got my ticket 30 years ago, don’t I?? Guilty as charged, but not ashamed of it either.
It takes the enthusiasm of the young to help fire up a club for Field Day. I’m still trying to get my operating mojo back … after eight years as section manager, Amateur Radio seemed to be more of an occupation than a hobby (note to self: Given a chance to do the SM gig again, keep the hobby aspect in the forefront). But 30 years ago, I was the enthusiastic young(er) ham who breathlessly awaited the arrival of 10-meter e-skip in the summer, who couldn’t wait to work all HF bands under the privileges of our FD Extra Class ops, and who was more than willing to stay up all night operating 75 meter fone.
Enough memory lane jazz … you’re sitting there asking, “Zed Man, what the heck happened last weekend??”
Short answer: Not much.
My trusty shack PC was fired up and my plan was work a bunch of PSK on 40 and 20, and then perhaps later in the day, 15 fone (and fone/psk on 10 if the band was open). Unfortunately, I didn’t get that far.
The first hitch in my giddy-up was updating my N3FJP FD log. I wanted the latest version, of course, and downloaded it … but I couldn’t find my N3FJP password list (I bought the software package which included passwords for all the software). Spent the next 90 minutes searching computers and performing the Central Kentucky Memory Trick (which amounts to a lot of cussing, head scratching, and scowls of at least 8 types). Where the hell was it? Located in a ham radio directory buried in a folder in a folder in a folder, of course.
With password in hand and registered software working, I was ready to go! I fired up FLDIGI, turned on my interface, and tuned across 40 … but wait a minute … what’s up with my monitor?
The computer monitor was dark, as though it was in power saver mode. Clicked the mouse, tapped the keyboard … nothing. I clicked the mouse with increasing severity (I would have thrown it across the shack if it weren’t wired to the computer) … nothing. I went to the keyboard hitting various keys … then I began hitting combinations of keys … then groups of keys … then banging on the keyboard with both hands.
Nothing.
Monitor failure? On Field Day? Whoda thunk it possible?? Of course it could happen. Like any good ham, I have old LCD monitors stuck around the shack, so I connected a second one … nothing. ARGGH!
With an apparent issue with the video card, I brought in my trusty old HP 2000 lap top. Its been a great laptop for work and play, and I upgraded it to Windows 10. Smooth. Like butter.
Of course, I have zero ham radio software on it, so I had to download FLDIGI and the FD logging program … and then I realized I couldn’t SEE the password list on my shack computer now since the video card was apparently fried. Thank you once again, Mr. Murphy.
But after I found a second copy of the passwords on my ancient Windows Vista desktop PC, I was in business. Now back to 40 meters! Lots of activity, lets get going!
With macros programmed, I have great copy on 1-lander calling CQ FD. I respond, but when my call is done, the rig doesn’t quit transmitting. I move the cursor, and suddenly all my macros start firing, and my PC quits responding to the touch pad inputs. What madness is this??
To quit transmitting I have to kill the power to the Signalink to end my out-of-control transmission. The laptop continues its craziness; can’t even hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete to restart it. Hold down the power button and in eight seconds, hope for the best.
With the reboot, I’m back in the hunt for digital Qs. On my first call, the same thing happens; my laptop is possessed — apparently by stray RF — and is trying to make contact with another world using snippets of my Field Day macros. Damn you, Mr. Murphy!
I give it one more try, this time reducing the power — though not enough. The results are the same. The results were also the same on fone when I tried to use the laptop for simple logging. OK, that’s it … at this point I had spent roughly three hours of my Saturday and had nothing more than high blood pressure and a bad attitude to show for it. I threw in the towel on Field Day 2016.
Mr. Murphy 1, Zed Man, zero.
EPILOGUE. I confirmed the shack PC issue is the video card; I have a newer PC to put in this one’s place that I plan to use to operate the Flex 3000 I bought and haven’t put on the air. Hopefully the gremlins in my old computer will stay there.
Outside of Field Day, I’ve been checking in on the Georgia CW net using my recently repaired and reassembled Lionel J-36. I need to do a better job cleaning the base and I need one of my repro labels, but man, that key works nice. Right now my operating desk is getting crowded with keys … in addition to the J-36, I have the 1937 Mac-Key, the 100th Anniversary Vibroplex and the 1979 Vibroplex DeLuxe. I’ll stick with the J-36 for a while, I would like to get it in decent shape before I box it up for storage.
-30-