Sick days - might as well play radio!

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     The last couple months have been the launch of a major work project, and the start of a second one.  I seem to have this trend, that when I am crazy busy like that, if things slow down suddenly, then I get sick :-(  I guess being so busy, I tend to just push through, and then it sneaks up on me later...
     Anyway, I had just that scenario - the last couple months have been pretty intense, and now I'm sitting home with the flu.  Might as well play radio!  Since I've been so busy, I've just been slowly plugging away at miscellaneous projects, so I'll just give an update on the radio things I managed to sneak in during the last couple months:

• Started working on the DC power distribution for the ham shack.  If you read this post you might recall that I stuck a raspberry pi in the box, to be the display for the power monitoring.  Since then, in little bits and pieces, I've started fitting out the insides of the box with a power supply/battery charger (so that the shack can have battery backup!) some Din rail, a couple DC breakers, some Arduino boards, and a big hefty current monitoring board that I'll use with the Arduino, to monitor total shack current draw.

• I also got some 12v lighting installed over the desk.  I was in desperate need of task lighting, and I wanted 12v lighting so that it could run off the shack power supply/charger, and eventually be backed up by the batteries that I plan on adding.
• I also finally put my "go-box" on my desk, and dropped a coax down into the room, so that I could actually play radio while I continue working, and debate the "big" purchase of a permanent shack-rig.

• I also made a new battery purchase to go along with the "go-box."  Most airlines permit up to 2 batteries, under 160 watt-hours, in your carry-on.  A Bioenno 12v 12ah battery fits nicely under that limit :-)

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• Lastly for now - with some changes at work, we E-scrapped the training equipment that I used to lug around (because we upgraded our product) so I was left with a bunch of really nice Pelican cases.  I gave one to my boss, because he wanted one for lugging around camping equipment, I gave one to my radio club for storing club equipment, and I shipped one off to the Ohio Valley Experimenter's Club (OVEC) because I happened to hear KF7IJZ mention on the Workbench podcast, that they needed a tote of some sort for club gear, since it travels between sites regularly.  After passing them around, I was left with 2 - one that I use like a suitcase, which holds my go-kit, some antenna stuff, and a weeks worth of clothing, and a second that I have the pick-and-pluck foam for, that I plan to fit out as a dedicated "radio equipment only" case.

Happy hamming!