The life and times of a network engineer.
Ham Radio
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.
