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One of the things I wish I had
was the skill to homebrew stuff. And by stuff I mean circuits, receivers, transmitters, accessories and the like. Oh, I can build kits all right - although as I age, my eyes aren't quite what they used to be, and SMD components can send shivers up and down my spine when they are microscopic. I can look at a schematic and make repairs. Heck, I did that for 22 years for a living. But to look at a schematic, and take a bunch of components and build a working whatever? I'm out of my league.
I look at the creations of Dave AA7EE or Bob W3BBO and I just wistfully whistle to myself. To have the prowess and ability to build a receiver or transmitter from scratch, have it work AND look beautiful too? God didn't gift me with that kind of talent. And that's OK, I guess. I just muddle around with the few things I can make, which are usually non-electrical and always would look nicer if someone else had built them.
Which brings me to last night. I needed a solution for my American Morse DCP paddles. I took them with me to FOBB, but stopped using them part ways into the event. I was hand holding them, and my big meaty paws were causing problems. I have the tension and contact spacing set so that this thing feels pretty much like a touch paddle. The problem is that it's so small that when I would hold it in one hand and key with the other, the holding hand would mess things up by accidentally creating extraneous dits and dahs.
I want to use them for the Skeeter Hunt, but realized that I need some kind of base. That would allow me to handle it better. But what could I use? I went down to the shack and started hunting around. I didn't have any wood or metal blocks laying around that would be useful, but then my eyes landed upon and old Velamints tin that had been sitting on the shelf for years. A possibility?
I took a punch and made a tiny hole in the lid. Then I went into my parts drawers looking for a screw and nut skinny enough to go through the hole in the paddle, but long enough to reach into the case. After rummaging around for a while, i found what I needed.
I'll go to a sporting goods store on Saturday and will purchase some of those small and round split bead sinkers that are used for fishing. I'll pour a few packets into the tin and will put some tape around the edges to make sure it never accidentally opens, "spilling the beans" as it were. That should make the base heavy enough for table top use without making it too heavy.
Just like my drive on mast holder, it's no work of art, and it's no ingenious design, but it works and I guess that's all I can ask for.
And perhaps I won't even get the chance to use the paddles this Sunday, anyhow. I may just be operating the Skeeter Hunt from the shack, if at all. 91% chance of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon. Yuck!
The other place I haven't been having any luck is listening for N5J - the Jarvis Island DXpedition. When I get home, they seem to be concentrating on 15 and 17 Meters. Not only can I not hear them, I can't hear the pileup, either!
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
