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Several items of note for the day:

  • I got a really kickass window fan my mom was gonna sell at a yard sale. I got first pickings at $0 cost, and this thing just rocks me, pushes far more air than the little wimpy fan we have in the window currently.
  • Anna rocks hardcore. I was afraid she was going all defiant and shit, naw, she's just really a bit confused and really misunderstood. I really enjoyed hanging out with her quite a bit, I'll have to do that more often. (and gabe, you know I wanna take her to the vous party, but you know I can't. 😛 )
  • All my sisters are looking so grown up now. I'm really kinda disturbed. It was weird to see Amanda in a McDonalds uniform, because she looked so much older all a sudden. (But you gotta know I ordered the extra large fries, which I'd have to say they pulled the basket a bit early on, because they were kinda sorta soggy. Everyone here knows I had to take her to task about that. 🙂 )
  • I gotta pay attention to my cooling fan. It didn't kick on when I was in the parking lot of the Mobil rigging up my power inverter to make the last few posts, and the car was venting antifreeze. Not a problem at all when I'm moving, I just gotta watch the thing when I'm stationary.
  • Meijer has a really good deal on 6 packs of Hanes breifs, 3 packs for $15. Now I've got a whole collection of undies that all fit like God intended.
  • I got my Dad a kick ass vise for fathers day, I hope he likes it, because if he doesn't like it I'm keeping it! 🙂
  • I'm testing out my packetstream service (I think it's limited to 2 meg transfer or something like that, and it's far and beyond better than circuit switched. I'm trying now to figure out a way to upgrade my plan to a higher transfer limit and potentially ditch circuit switched entirely.)
  • I'm really happy right now, can't noone take that away from me.
  • Oh, and made her first contact via a repeater that wasn't me on Friday, and she hit a band opening and talked to a gentleman in Wisconsin on 2 meters. What a great intro to the hobby!

    This post is far too long, but it's been a really cool weekend so far. w00t!

3 thoughts on “”

    • I'll do that when I get back. If you want to do some research, I have the Total Connect 1MB plan, currently, which limits me to one meg of transfer for tethered packet data. It's faster than the circuit switched dialup service, which is limited to 9600bps, using special compression and whatnot, it can hit 14,400 or faster, and I was noticing a decent speed increase for web browsing. The 1MB limit is actually intended to allow your J2ME applications to access the internet, and it's generally perfect for such a task, but they sell an unlimited plan called "Packetstream Gold" which is intended for computers. It basically works by having you dial "ATDTS=2", which causes your *phone* to negotiate PPP with your computer, and you actually send packetized data on the data channel of the nextel network. You can recieve phone calls and DC calls, provided you're not sending or receiving a packet at the exact time of the call, and it is much nicer on the battery because you're not transmitting all the time, using up a valuable timeslot on the tower to do slow ass packet data.
    • Illegal? Not always. It depends on whether the organization and/or the amateur are profiting from the exercise. Organizations like the Red Cross and the Salvation Army use them all the time during disasters to help communications between outposts. I think if you don't apply under the amateur radio rules, getting GMRS and appropriate licensing is a viable idea, as there's no monthly fee, and the costs of acquiring a license outweigh the costs of a cellular telephone, and GMRS isn't billed by usage, and allows group communications. At maximum GMRS wattage, I think you can go several miles, but I'd have to look into that before I'd let you quote me on it. Either way, radio is a wonderful communications medium. If your organization is a great benefit to the local government, you might be able to negotiate to get a talkgroup on their trunked radio system for very little cost (compared to a cellular phone), and that lets them make money off the unused capacity of their trunked system – something to consider if your range needs are somewhat higher than something that a low cost radio system could provide.
      But if the rules permitted it, it (ham radio) would be a great asset to non-profit organizations, because of its strict licensing requirements that require you to understand the equipment and how it works, not just talk like a CB, but you have to understand -why- it works, it means that repair costs and support costs are lower, because the licensed operator is more likely to be able to repair it themselves, unless it's seriously screwed up. Also the licenses are cheap, last 10 years, and allow up to 1.5KW on a good deal of the frequencies, I can't think of a more economical solution.

      But I don't support revenue generating amateur activities, because you know that people will find a way to abuse it.

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    • Is Sprint PCS's coverage footprint as bad as the rumors say it is? I mean, the maps just show blobs giving general ideas where coverage -should- be, but we all know that's just the company's insane dream. So are urban dropouts the norm? Do the phones really suck as bad as i hear in roaming mode?

      If you're looking for data service, I was just looking at T-Mobile's all you can eat data plan. It's like $30/mo for 3G speeds, the catch is you gotta either buy an internet phone and service plan, or a 3G data card for $270(?) after rebate. I was seriously considering it until I seen how much it'd cost for me to jump into that.

    • The only issue is that the radios can't be used to discuss business matters, mostly as a gentlemen's agreement, but also as a 'you cannot generate revenue with amateur radio' rule. But requiring an amateur radio license as a qualification can't hurt, because it guarantees a certain level of technical knowhow, and shows that they have interest in pursuing technology when not forced to by work, and committing themselves to learning more outside the office. And you know that when shit goes down, they'll all use it to communicate as necessary, knowing the rules.
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