Doug Mejia

I wanted to try embedding some video from a site other than YouTube, so I am trying it out here. The primary goal, therefore, is not the content of the video, but whether I can embed it successfully and have it play reliably.

It is a short video I found from 2023, where I was participating in ARRL’s Field Day event at the local ham radio club. If you are a ham, you can appreciate the video and know how exciting it can get when you are working a pile up. This was probably late into the night, so things are a bit slower and more relaxed. If you are not a ham, and this sort of thing seems interesting to you, go check out your local ham radio club. People in those clubs are generally extremely welcoming and willing to take the time to show you the ropes and teach you a thing or two about communications around the world. It’s great!

I love watching Pewter McKinnon’s videos. He is always so pumped, funny and makes great content, to boot. Check out his gift guide (for yourself) below.

Xiegu recently introduced the GPA-100 amplifier. I have the previous version of this amp, and it’s great. Yeah, the tuner isn’t wonderful, but I try to use resonant antennas whenever possible. The other thing I didn’t like about it was having to manually change bands. That’s not an issue when you’re just “parking and barking” on a frequency, calling CQ, and working a pileup. On the other hand, if you’re spinning the dial and hunting around for contacts, it becomes tedious.

This new version uses Bluetooth and pairs seamlessly with the Icom IC-705. Every time you change the band on the radio, the amplifier follows automatically. If you’re using CAT control via software like WSJT-X, it sends a command to the radio to change bands or frequencies, and the radio relays that signal to the amplifier via Bluetooth. That feature alone makes this little amplifier worth considering.

So why am I probably not going to buy it? Even though it’s on sale for an “early bird” price of $429, it may not be for me. The amplifier itself is great, but I already have one (albeit the previous version). Also, I want to keep my 705 for QRP work, which I only discovered after I bought that other amp. Turns out I prefer using my Icom IC-7300 in the field when I’m looking for 100W. Otherwise, it’s the 705 for QRP work and portability.

Now, if I didn’t already have another amplifier or an IC-7300, this would definitely be enticing. $400 is still $400, but that’s on the cheaper side of things if you’re at all familiar with ham radio gear. If I were coming into this part of the hobby for the first time, I would definitely buy it and pair it with my IC-705. Anything that makes ham radio easier is good to go in my book. God knows there’s enough difficulty and tinkering going on already.

Temporarily Offline does a great job, showing you how it works with the IC-705 in his video below

I’ve been diving back into Homebrew today. I installed it a while ago but never really used it. I’m still learning the ropes, but I’ve made some progress by installing a few packages and experimenting with them. Here’s what I’ve added so far:

• htop
• glances (a bit more graphical than htop)
• wget
• tmux
• git
• bundle
• mas (for Mac App Store)

I’ve created a Brewfile and successfully updated all my apps, including those from the Mac App Store and macOS itself. All while using the command line in iTerm2. The cool thing about a Brewfile is that it acts like a snapshot of my setup. I can use it to update all my installed apps at once, which is pretty convenient. Even better, if I ever get a new Mac, I can install Homebrew, point it to this Brewfile, and recreate my entire setup automatically. I haven’t tested that scenario yet, but I plan to keep this file current so it’s ready whenever I decide to start fresh with a clean system.

When You Die, Does Your Life Actually Flash Before Your Eyes?

It is a common trope in storytelling that when someone dies, or has a near death experience, they see their life flash before their eyes. It seems, however, that this trope has a basis in reality.

I know it can be a bit morbid to think about, but it is fascinating that scientists have been able to detect surges in brain activity 30 seconds before and 30 seconds after someone dies. Could our life’s memories really be flashing “before our eyes” in those final moments?

The article linked above goes on to say that one does not have to be dying for this phenomenon to occur; a near-death experience can trigger the same response. Then again, it is not true for every person. In fact, researchers seem to have observed this activity in about 50% of patients. While the sample size was limited, the results offer a compelling glimpse into how the human brain functions at the very end.

It still makes me wonder what makes the difference. Why do some people seem to have that surge, while others don’t?

Yesterday, for the first time in over three months, I didn’t post on my blog. First, it was Thanksgiving, so we were having a great time with family, enjoying each other’s company and sharing stories back and forth. A good time was had by all. Afterwards, once everybody was full and happy and headed home, we started settling down. Then the storm hit.

It was unusual to get rain, thunder, and lots of wind here on Thanksgiving Day. Maybe it’s common, but I can’t remember any other Thanksgiving where that happened. As if that wasn’t enough, after it slowed down and virtually stopped, the power went out. In fact, according to our power company, about 6,000 people in the area lost power, and at the time we checked, they had no idea why.

Without power, I couldn’t post. But that’s not why I’m writing this. Not to tell you about the unusual storm or that the power went out, but what we decided to do when it happened.

We had to take our dog Vader out for a walk, so we grabbed some flashlights and headed outside. At first, it was because we had no choice. Vader had to walk. Then our kids decided they wanted to join us, so all four of us went out together. It turned into a little adventure.

We were seeing things in our neighborhood we hadn’t seen before. Yes, it was pitch black, which was rare because there are always lights around. But what I’m talking about is the contrast: light pollution glowing on the east side of our neighborhood while the west side was basically pitch black, where you could see stars and celestial bodies we normally don’t see. The moon looked like a flashlight beaming down on us, so clear it almost looked fake.

We weren’t the only ones either. We saw a bunch of people walking around at almost midnight with their little flashlights, just taking it slow, looking around and looking up at the sky like we were.

Yeah, the power went out, and all our comforts of life went with it. But it was amazing. We actually got to slow down, cut out all that noise, and amplify the signal that’s always around us.

No, I’m not saying I wish the power went out more often, but I do wish we took more time together and made the best of our situation, no matter what it is. Last night was a good reminder of that, and I’m thankful for it. It truly was a great Thanksgiving.

My wife makes the best pumpkin pies with real pumpkins. None of that canned stuff here. She’s been making them with love for years and has perfected her recipe so much that she gets requests from our teenagers, their friends, and of course, the rest of our family. They’re always a hit, and people have come to expect them. Every year they grow in popularity and in taste. The most recent batch of six was made last night and has already been spoken for. I know she’s reserving one for Thanksgiving dinner and the other just for us 😉.

Today is the last day we have to get ready for a big crowd coming over for Thanksgiving on Thursday. All the cleaning, cooking, and preparations are worth it a million times over to spend time with the people who matter most to us.

I hope you’re preparing for a good time on Thanksgiving as well. Wishing you the happiest of times with family, friends, and loved ones.