[K3PZN-List] Changing interest

[Pat Kilroy]

[Delayed comment.]

Hi Keith,

If I can include my shift in the past few months
to working with college kids on high-altitude
balloons then you can say that my participation
in ham radio has actually *increased* in the
past year.  The students are taking engineering
or other "high tech" courses and I help them
build and fly simple payloads locally.

Their schools participate in the Maryland Space
Grant Consortium ( http://www.mdspacegrant.org ),
which is open to all institutions of higher
education in the state.  Some hours allocated at
my work place for this doesn't cover everything,
so I still do a bunch of stuff at home and
elsewhere on my own time as a volunteer.  (BTW,
we have room in this Maryland space grant balloon
program for more ham club participation, especially
clubs located at colleges.)  I also give talks at
schools and clubs about how to participate.

Our next flight is scheduled for Saturday morning,
March 11, launching from just west of Hagerstown.

Each mission is about four hours long.

More info, like frequencies and payload descriptions
and other stuff, is being announced through updates
to the national launch announcement web page on high-
altitude balloons that carry Amateur Radio at
http://showcase.netins.net/web/wallio/ARHABlaunchannouncements.htm
and my page at http://patkilroy.com/bpp/

So, if anyone is looking for a new, exciting and
different ham radio activity then look no further.

All in Carroll County are invited to participate!

Cheers,

Pat Kilroy
N8PK


At Monday 1/9/2006 04:01 AM, k3pzn-list-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:

>From: "John Hart" <john_k3kwo at hotmail.com>
>Subject: RE: [K3PZN-List] Changing interest
>Date: Sun, 08 Jan 2006 16:54:20 -0500
>To: k3pzn-list at mailman.qth.net
>Message: 2
>
>To all,
>Speaking for me, I am still very interested in Ham Radio and have 
>been enlarging my shack and modes of operation.  I would like to see 
>the club do more in contesting in the form of a Fieldday type 
>event.  Contesting from the Club Station is fun if you can get 
>enough people together and the contest isn't too long.  Mobile 
>operation is always fun to me and more fun when the price of gas is 
>low, when ever that might be.  The monthly programs are very 
>interesting and have been.  Try a new mode of communications, even 
>if you have to practice some CW it can be fun and I have greatly 
>improved my typing through the operation of PSK, RTTY, etc, 
>etc.  With the Sunspot cycle going way down, it does seem like going 
>through a long cold winter on some of the bands.  This too will 
>change with time.
>
>Just my 2 cents worth.
>
>John, K3KWO
>
>
>>From: Keith Krichinsky <kkrichinsky at gmail.com>
>>Reply-To: w3mdc at arrl.net,Carroll County Amateur Radio Club 
>><k3pzn-list at mailman.qth.net>
>>To: CCARC Reflector <k3pzn-list at mailman.qth.net>
>>Subject: [K3PZN-List] Changing interest
>>Date: Sat, 7 Jan 2006 19:54:08 -0500
>>
>>I'm just throwing this question out there for open comments and discussions:
>>
>>Is it me, or have any of you noticed or felt a significant decline in
>>interest/activity in the CCARC and/or in ham radio in general?  I know
>>that I, personally, do not feel nearly as excited or passionate about
>>it as I did a year or two ago.
>>
>>Your thoughts, comments and discussions are most welcome and appreciated.
>>
>>--
>>Keith Krichinsky, W3MDC
>>----------------------------------------------------- BREAK 
>>-----------------------------------------------
>
>From: Curt Milton <wb8yyy at yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: [K3PZN-List] Changing interest
>Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 17:34:44 -0800 (PST)
>To: Carroll County Amateur Radio Club <k3pzn-list at mailman.qth.net>
>Message: 3
>
>Keith
>
>Good thoughts and appropriate query.
>
>In general, I see a decline in ham activity -
>particularly on repeaters.  I really expected the
>bands to be overcrowded with reduced sunspots crowding
>us into less spectrum, but I haven't observed that
>much - not that I been observing that much!  I do
>think activity is down compared to 1-2 decades ago.
>
>Contesting is alive and well, big and small contests.
>But there is less casual operating, all modes.  I am
>surprised how little activity there is on PSK-31.
>
>Personally interests do change!  My log is much leaner
>the last couple years.  I have been building stuff
>more but operating less.  I was really into running
>contests QRP for a while but I am not as anxious to
>sit solo in the chair too many hours and I have enough
>wallpaper to cover the wall.  Transitioning to an
>empty nester I hope to also try some different
>activities again, including some time in ARES/RACES
>"eventually."  I did equip my shack for easy emergency
>power activity - focusing in on QRP HF and VHF FM
>under battery power at the throw of a switch.  I also
>restored by rigs of yesteryear and made several
>contacts with one of them.  I am currently building a
>very high tech XCVR with SMT parts.
>
>Don't be too concerned if your interests stray into
>something else!  It is very healthy!  If you can
>deploy a stealthy enough 80m antenna there somehow I
>will be glad to work you some on 80m CW.  Or we could
>try 10m line of sight.  Meanwhile, whatever floats
>your boat including a break from the usual.
>
>I did finally make a couple QSOs on the new machine.
>And I enjoyed the current club newsletter - both the
>telephone pioneers and the historical radio article.
>I am often tied up on monday evenings but I will try
>to attend when I can.
>
>73, curt


=================================================================
Patrick L. Kilroy                                             WK
Integration & Test (I&T) Manager    301-286-1984 Voice
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center    301-286-1673 Fax
Building 5, Mail Code 568           Patrick.L.Kilroy at nasa.gov
Greenbelt, Maryland  20771          http://patkilroy.com/simsat/
=================================================================

       "A problem well stated is a problem half solved."
                   -Charles F. Kettering