The life and times of a network engineer.
Daily
Southern Propagation
May 6th
This week has been crazy on VHF, every morning up until about 11AM CST we have been getting some strange propagation. Here is a map from this morning showing propagation paths.

FCC Amateur Database
Apr 20th
Have you ever wanted your own copy of the FCCÂ Amateur call sign database?
A couple months ago I decided to write an application to download the FCC database nightly and run table updates. I started writing the script in Perl, but ended up rewriting it in Python…because I’d never written anything in Python before. I also wanted to be able to access the database without a DB server, so I decided to use SQLite3. If you make changes or use my code please let me know, I’ll sleep better at knight knowing my time was not wasted.
FT-7900r Scion Install
Sep 24th
I decided to update my mobile installation, which consisted of an ICOM IC-2100h. When I first received my Tech ticket, I started looking for other hams that have installed radios in the likes of a Japanese car like the one I own.
I own a 2009 Scion tC, once i decided to equip this ride with an antenna I realized the entire top of the car is glass! This of course makes mounting a magnetic antenna impossible….
Step 1: Tear apart the console, I recommend removing the lower portion of the console (shifting assembly) first.