Bringing amateur radio out of the dark ages…
Amateur Radio
Yaesu FT-8800R Separation Cable Wiring
Aug 21st
So you forgot to buy the separation cable for your FT-8800R and you’d really like to put the head unit on your dash while the body of the radio hides somewhere obscure, , or you’ve lost the little cable that comes with the radio so you can’t join them together. Good news: there is a solution to your troubles, and it’s pretty easy to come by, provided you have a crimper tool for camping telephone and ethernet cables.
You’ll need RJ-25 (6-pin) modular plugs and a six-conductor cable of sufficient length. I used Cat 3, but you could use Cat 5 just as easily. The wiring is incredibly easy, just ensure that you have the six conductors in the same order on both plugs. You’re essentially making a straight-through cable. To make life easy on myself, I use the 568A wiring spec and just leave off the brown and white/brown pair.
Trim the cable housing down, insert the conductors into the plug housing, ensure you have a snug fit, crimp the connector, and repeat on the other end, boom, you have a separation cable.
An image problem…
Jun 12th
Amateur radio suffers from an image problem. While the ARRL has recently updated its website to feel more “high tech”, we still find ourselves surrounded by technology that’s out of the 90s: packet BBSs running on DOS and scrounged together machines, the “old fat guy” image that comes to mind when you mention amateur radio, “affinity wear” like this “police-style badge”, and frugality to the point of cheapness. It’s unfortunate that I find myself surrounded by this, and I haven’t quite worked out what to do about it.
I suppose my first thought would be to fix the “affinity wear” problem: if you’re going to wear a shirt that labels you as an amateur radio operator (ARES, RACES, or otherwise), make sure it looks professional. Wear some clean looking slacks and a nice pair of shoes. Dress like a professional, even though you’re not. It’s unfortunate that the ARRL has not provided the ARES logos on anything besides a t-shirt and a baseball cap. The dress code in the environments I work in is a collared shirt and clean jeans, if not slacks.
Next, remain physically active–I’m not saying amateur radio operators need to dedicate themselves to looking like a bodybuilder, but there’s a reason I used the term “old fat guy” above…some of my fellow hobbyists definitely need to reconsider their diet and exercise plan. I work out on a regular basis, usually a 20-30 minute run/walk on the treadmill and some weightlifting. Not going to turn me into Mr. Universe, but it helps me feel better, more relaxed, and more energetic.
We’ll come back to this later…for now, I’m off to a BBQ…and to drink some bourbon and rum (not together)…perhaps a review on those is forthcoming. Maybe like a “Cigar Aficionado” for amateur radio? Tell me what you think this website should do.