KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

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Operating Notes: Computer virus, club net, gutter antenna

Posted: 18 Jan 2017 04:55 PM PST
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kb6nu...m_medium=email


A couple of days ago when I fired up the shack laptop, there was an open
window that notified me that F-PROT, my anti-virus program, had found
several files that had been infected with the JS/Injector.A virus. This is
the first time that my shack computer had ever been infected, and it was
kind of unsettling.

I set up F-PROT to do a complete disk scan, and got a little concerned when
the program quit only partway through the scan, but the second time I
started it up, it ran all the way through without finding anything, so Im
hopeful it got rid of the virus.

Guess I need to do complete scans more often. When was the last time to you
did one?
Club Nets

For whatever reason, I seem to have become the de facto net control station
for the ARROW Monday Night Net. To be honest, I dont mind. I think its
important to have a net. It helps keep the club together.

I try to keep it fun. I joke with the guys and ask them questions about
what theyve been doing in ham radio. If they enjoy it, the chances are
theyre more likely to check in again. This Monday we had 12 check-ins and
the net lasted just about a half hour. Its just another way to have fun
with ham radio.
Gutter Antenna

On Monday night, I also worked Tony, K3DY. When it came time to tell me
about his rig, he proudly told me that he was using the gutter on his
townhouse as a transmitting antenna! Heres what his QRZ.Com page has to say:

Current TX antenna: 35 ft +/- downspout with 4:1 unun at feedpoint. Plenty
of radials. It is working very well. With this antenna I finally achieved
DXCC, WAS, WAC and WPX. Not bad for a no antenna zone.

My Secret To use a seperate receiving antenna. Downspout is noisy otherwise
so it is a necessity to have something else to hear that weak DX. I build a
receive only 3ft diameter loop with coaxial cable and a preamp based on a
differential design with a pair of 2N5109. Very simple device and it works
really good! I am now having a blast on low bands 160, 80 and 40m
(especially during the low SSN times that we are facing now, Oct. 2016).

How cool is that!

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