More Fun Than Radio

11/1/2018

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Shhhhh....don't tell, but there's something I'm having more fun doing than radio....hanging out with my family and our new baby!

The good news is, I still really like ham radio, and have kept plugging away at my shack project, work on the POTA database, and getting on the air, in little bits and pieces as I have time. The shack stuff has mostly been details, the most visible of which is the "splashguard" boards around the desk.

As I was measuring, cutting, and test fitting those boards, I did find a spot in the wall that has a bit of a bulge, which meant I had to make one of my otherwise solid boards, "bendy":

This board needed to "bend" around a bulge in the wall....

...So I mutilated it's backside with my miter saw

Luckily it turned out well, and things look a lot cleaner, and more "finished" now that they are in place. In classic "Where's Waldo" style, look for the following things in the picture below, that are the "details" I've been working on.

"Splashguards" installed
Additional sound-deadening installed
Corner trim
Callsign Plaque made by W8ZST
UTC clock installed
FCC License displayed, in super fancy fashion
Tension wire stretched near the ceiling, behind the operating position
- I work from home, so when I'm on video calls I can pull curtains across behind myself to "hide" the rest of the room when I'm on display :-)

The other fun detail was some little tid-bits I ordered for my giant map. I wanted to be able to "pin" states, provinces, and countries as I contacted them, but the map is actually hanging using poster clip rails. I ordered some map magnets, and a whole bunch of super tiny magnets, so that I could just put one of the tiny magnets behind the map, the map magnet in front, and then slide them into position.