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Just reviving an old thread here. Scott Greczkowski did you eventually get your ham license? It is a hobby that is fun and will give you a lifetime of learning.

I used to be heavily into C-Band, Ku-Band satellite years ago and used to visit this site daily. Life got busy with marriage, kids, etc and I eventually drifted away from satellite. 5 years ago, during the pandemic, I took an online course through our local amateur radio club and got my ham radio license. (Basic with Honours here in Canada, which is closely equivalent to the General license in the USA). Radio has been an almost daily activity for me. I am currently learning morse code to get my morse certification, which doesn't get me much more than the ability to brag that I've got it...

Take Care!

Davage said:

Just reviving an old thread here. Scott Greczkowski did you eventually get your ham license? It is a hobby that is fun and will give you a lifetime of learning.

I used to be heavily into C-Band, Ku-Band satellite years ago and used to visit this site daily. Life got busy with marriage, kids, etc and I eventually drifted away from satellite. 5 years ago, during the pandemic, I took an online course through our local amateur radio club and got my ham radio license. (Basic with Honours here in Canada, which is closely equivalent to the General license in the USA). Radio has been an almost daily activity for me. I am currently learning morse code to get my morse certification, which doesn't get me much more than the ability to brag that I've got it...

Take Care!

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Welcome to the "club". We don't have a morse code requirement in the U.S. anymore. I didn't get all that proficient with it but I did get to 15 WPM but then they dropped the requirement which made it easy for me to get the Extra class license. I have had a radiotelephone license since the early 70s and have been an electronic technician since the 70s also. I don't post my call sign on social media because I'd rather remain anonymous as much as possible.

WhiteBeard said:

Welcome to the "club". We don't have a morse code requirement in the U.S. anymore. I didn't get all that proficient with it but I did get to 15 WPM but then they dropped the requirement which made it easy for me to get the Extra class license. I have had a radiotelephone license since the early 70s and have been an electronic technician since the 70s also. I don't post my call sign on social media because I'd rather remain anonymous as much as possible.

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Hi WhiteBeard. Morse code is no longer a requirement here in Canada either, which has opened up the hobby to a lot more people. The ham radio hobby is so huge. Some people are into HF only, some are into digital modes only. Some people in our radio club only use CW (morse code). I love the hobby, because no matter what a person's specific interests are, there is a path they can go down. I've experimented with the analog modes, digital modes, VHF, UHF, HF and wanted to get back to the roots of the hobby and learn morse code. So far so good. I am using the G4FON program in Windows to learn.

73

I guess they don't make 'Elmers' like they used to. Many decades ago, VE7OF Steve (SK) spent the better part of a school year each Tuesday evening training my friend and I as high school students on all subjects required to write the exam. Besides the test material, Steve also indoctrinated us into the Amateur radio world by operating demos for us and telling us many stories.

This included the Morse test sending and receiving at 10 wpm as well as drawing schematic diagrams of a transmitter, receiver, power supply, etc. Training was all free of course. He made us attend these classes before he'd allow us to make an appointment with the radio inspector to write the test. We both passed our Amateur class licences on the first go, continuing to get our 10-metre band Phone certifications (6 months later by showing proof of operation via our logbooks) and Advanced licences (minimum one year later).

The old days.

For us, it was Mr Witte at our high school. He convinced the district to approve equipment and space for a station in the school. He also convinced them that study hall could be spent at the station and taught us thoery during that period. He came up with tapes for learning Morse as well. As a result, we all earned our novice license at 12 (6 year high school), and general about 6 months later.

What would be a ballpark cost of getting into HAM radios? This would be for the equipment, antennas, etc.

reubenray said:

What would be a ballpark cost of getting into HAM radios? This would be for the equipment, antennas, etc.

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HF can be expensive if you want to put up a 50+ foot tower with a tri-band antenna and rotor - that would cost several thousands of dollars. But you can get HF radios that are under $1k and use a multiband dipole antenna that's under $100. It'll be additional cost for mobile radios and handheld radios that operate in the VHF/UHF bands. You can probably get into ham radio for under $200 but if you're serious you'll need to spend some bucks. The cost will depend on what you want to do.

Big Bad John - Jimmy Dean

Big City Lights - Scorpions

Lights - Journey

Hit the Lights - Metallica

Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles

Wow. I guess it's good that incantation still works. I would have figured that Microsoft would have come up with a better solution to patch management by now. I think I learned that back in the W2000 or XP days…

Foxbat said:

Wow. I guess it's good that incantation still works. I would have figured that Microsoft would have come up with a better solution to patch management by now. I think I learned that back in the W2000 or XP days…

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I'll be running it this weekend. I had to boot into Windows the other day, and it froze after booting with a Python error. A hard reset, and it booted fine, but I've had Wiondows freeze a few times over the last few months during boot.

Those commands are something I've always kept for times like this, after I run Samsung Magician, should it not find the issue.

HipKat said:

... but I've had Wiondows freeze a few times over the last few months during boot.

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I highly recommend running a default Memtest86 test (four passes, all tests) on the machine. Note that it may take all night.

I use a Beelink Mini PC, Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake- N95 running Windows 11 Pro as my Channels DVR. I only log into it when I need to, and do that with the Remote Desktop app from my personal Windows 10 laptop.

It runs Channels DVR, plus Docker Desktop and a few bridge programs used with Channels like that. It's supposed to auto-logon into my profile back into the Windows Desktop, and auto start all those things. EVERY TIME it reboots for whatever reason, usually only AFTER one of these push updates at 3am, Channels itself restarts fine, but my Docker Desktop and two bridge programs do NOT restart unintended like they should.

IF I then log into the Windows desktop using the Remote Desktop app, Docker and my bridge programs THEN engage and startup as they should.

What's wrong with my settings, so I can fix this once and for all to properly log into my profile after an automatic update reboot to bring up Windows and allow these programs to autostart as they should?

primestar31 said:

I use a Beelink Mini PC, Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake- N95 running Windows 11 Pro as my Channels DVR. I only log into it when I need to, and do that with the Remote Desktop app from my personal Windows 10 laptop.

It runs Channels DVR, plus Docker Desktop and a few bridge programs used with Channels like that. It's supposed to auto-logon into my profile back into the Windows Desktop, and auto start all those things. EVERY TIME it reboots for whatever reason, usually only AFTER one of these push updates at 3am, Channels itself restarts fine, but my Docker Desktop and two bridge programs do NOT restart unintended like they should.

IF I then log into the Windows desktop using the Remote Desktop app, Docker and my bridge programs THEN engage and startup as they should.

What's wrong with my settings, so I can fix this once and for all to properly log into my profile after an automatic update reboot to bring up Windows and allow these programs to autostart as they should?

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I don't use docker on my windows 11 pc but I do use Channels DVR and after updates it reverts back to the login screen and Channels DVR does not run until I login. I have been burned by this several times. How are you getting windows 11 to auto log in?

b4pjoe said:

How are you getting windows 11 to auto log in?

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Apparently, I'm not, that's my problem.

The Channels DVR software can be set as a service, and that starts automatically whether anybody is logged in or not after the pc reboots. That's a choice when you first install it by checking a box. There's likely a way to bring that choice back up after it's been installed for a while, BUT, you'd have to ask them on their forum for the best way to do it as I don't remember.

Channels Community

primestar31 said:

Apparently, I'm not, that's my problem.

The Channels DVR software can be set as a service, and that starts automatically whether anybody is logged in or not after the pc reboots. That's a choice when you first install it by checking a box. There's likely a way to bring that choice back up after it's been installed for a while, BUT, you'd have to ask them on their forum for the best way to do it as I don't remember.

Channels Community

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I think I tried it as a service once and it would not let me use hardware transcoding and forced it to software transcoding.

primestar31 said:

I use a Beelink Mini PC, Intel 12th Gen Alder Lake- N95 running Windows 11 Pro as my Channels DVR. I only log into it when I need to, and do that with the Remote Desktop app from my personal Windows 10 laptop.

It runs Channels DVR, plus Docker Desktop and a few bridge programs used with Channels like that. It's supposed to auto-logon into my profile back into the Windows Desktop, and auto start all those things. EVERY TIME it reboots for whatever reason, usually only AFTER one of these push updates at 3am, Channels itself restarts fine, but my Docker Desktop and two bridge programs do NOT restart unintended like they should.

IF I then log into the Windows desktop using the Remote Desktop app, Docker and my bridge programs THEN engage and startup as they should.

What's wrong with my settings, so I can fix this once and for all to properly log into my profile after an automatic update reboot to bring up Windows and allow these programs to autostart as they should?

Click to expand...

Ok, I just used Google A.I. to tell me how to fix all this, so I'm all set now as that makes it all easy and step by step. I changed an admin setting in gpedit so that automatic updates will download, but will prompt me for install and reboot, they aren't allowed to automatically install and reboot at 3 am anymore. I then changed my one bridge program to start via Task Scheduler instead of its own autostart feature, so it'll log in with my Windows account after a 1 minute delay

harshness said:

I highly recommend running a default Memtest86 test (four passes, all tests) on the machine. Note that it may take all night.

Click to expand...

I'll run it while I'm at work but this only happens when I boot into Windows, never Linux

HipKat said:

I'll run it while I'm at work but this only happens when I boot into Windows, never Linux

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Windows consumes considerably more RAM than Linux, so your chances of encountering flaky RAM with Windows are similarly higher.

It is a non-destructive test, so all you have to lose is access to the computer for the duration of the abortable test.

AT&T runs First Net which was set up so first responders have a signal almost everywhere, which is the case around here and up and down the east coast when I've been traveling. In my experience T-Mobile has the fastest network but patchy coverage while Verizon has a slow network and also patchy coverage as well. We also have a iPhone on T-Mobile and one on Mobile-X which uses the Verizon network, so comparison is easy.

JSheridan said:

AT&T runs First Net which was set up so first responders have a signal almost everywhere, which is the case around here and up and down the east coast when I've been traveling. In my experience T-Mobile has the fastest network but patchy coverage while Verizon has a slow network and also patchy coverage as well. We also have a iPhone on T-Mobile and one on Mobile-X which uses the Verizon network, so comparison is easy.

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I did a 2500 mile round trip road trip a few weeks ago, there were a handful of places where Verizon had service and I had nothing on FirstNet. Most notably in the backwoods of Kentucky and Tennessee. Those same places I had no service on T-Mobile either. In populated areas, like the Lexington metro and Knoxville metro AT&T not only had great coverage, better than Verizon and T-Mobile generally, they have n77 everywhere. I hit 1.2 Gbps or higher pretty much everywhere, beating out the other two. That is the exact opposite here back in Western NY. Very little n77 on AT&T here and T-Mobile always rockets to 1.5 Gbps or higher.

As far as I know, there is no AT&T tower in my town. The tower I connect to when I'm outside, no service indoors, is one about 4.5 miles north of me in a different town, I can barley latch on to band 12, not 14. It's LTE only but when near that tower I exceed 200 Mbps which is phenomenal for low band LTE, but T-Mobile and Verizon have mid band on the same tower, and i'm well over a gig.

I'm looking forward to the n14 conversion and deployment of n79/4.9 GHz. Since AT&T can't sell their home internet service in NY State, I don't expect big things from them besides the enhancements to FirstNet.

EarDemon said:

... Since AT&T can't sell their home internet service in NY State, I don't expect big things from them besides the enhancements to FirstNet.

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We're in NY and we can now. We're an AT&T retailer and have been selling AT&T Internet Air for a few months. It's $35 a month if you're an AT&T post paid subscriber, $55 a month if you're not a subscriber.

JSheridan said:

We're in NY and we can now. We're an AT&T retailer and have been selling AT&T Internet Air for a few months. It's $35 a month if you're an AT&T post paid subscriber, $55 a month if you're not a subscriber.

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The AT&T Internet that everyone has access to is AT&T WorldNet aka att.com which is the same backbone created in 1994 that is a joke. AT&T has 3 Internet tier 1 backbones. AT&T Global Network Services formerly IBM Global Network Services (prserv.net) and AT&T Emerging Network Services, formerly (CERFNet (California Educational and Research Foundation Network) that was part of NSFNet (National Science Foundation Network). AT&T WorldNet has always been a inferior and not the same quality as the other two which are highly respected.

Almighty1 said:

The AT&T Internet that everyone has access to is AT&T WorldNet aka att.com which is the same backbone created in 1994 that is a joke

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JSheridan is referring to ATT's (relatively) new 5G cellular home internet.

comfortably_numb said:

JSheridan is referring to ATT's (relatively) new 5G cellular home internet.

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I know, that still will use AT&T's 1996 created backbone better known as AS 7018 which is the lower end. The other two are higher end under AS2685 & AS2686 & AS1740 & AS1838.

comfortably_numb said:

JSheridan is referring to ATT's (relatively) new 5G cellular home internet.

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Which connects to a backbone network

Juan said:

Which connects to a backbone network

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Fun fact.. the backhaul to the tower in Drexel, MO for both VZW and ATT is provided by CenturyLink

comfortably_numb said:

Fun fact.. the backhaul to the tower in Drexel, MO for both VZW and ATT is provided by CenturyLink

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Backhaul only connects to the backbone...any cell phone tower in the verizon region ( core)..has to connect to the verizon backbone in some fashion..same with att..no matter what provider you use...the actual network ( routers and such) are owned by the cell phone company determine the speed of your cell phone connection

Juan said:

Backhaul only connects to the backbone...any cell phone tower in the verizon region ( core)..has to connect to the verizon backbone in some fashion..same with att..no matter what provider you use...the actual network ( routers and such) are owned by the cell phone company determine the speed of your cell phone connection

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And yet the fiber to that tower is still provided by CenturyLink... so my point still stands, no?

I wonder it they will show the teased meeting (in Origins) with Tony and Gibbs.

KAB said:

I wonder it they will show the teased meeting (in Origins) with Tony and Gibbs.

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Teased Meeting ?

I didn't recognize him till I saw this... (William Katt)

View: https://youtu.be/n9S3F87A588?si=tU_YQX6h3vDmrGEf

Good episode.

Good one, Katrina Law's daughter played the little girl.

dfergie said:

Good one, Katrina Law's daughter played the little girl.

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I enjoyed it, Katrina's daughter is a cutie and possibly a natural in the acting side of things ... at least at the moment.

From listening to interviews, her little girl had a lot to do with the story line.

View: https://youtu.be/bKITXUoBzfA