Tech Update

Update on my Tech endeavors

Well hello and welcome back to Pop, Pop's Spot

I thought I would take the time to give you an update on what I have been up to during my absence. I did a blog post on my Plex server and in case you missed it you can read about it here.

https://poppopspot.net/media-server

It is only like a 3-minute read so if you like you can check it out.

I am pleased to say it has really turned out great. I have everything setup perfectly. It brings in all the media data for each movie and looks phenomenal. Quite pleased with its outcome. It is and will always be a work in progress as I update the folder and our collection. I think so far there are 107 movies on it, including my favorite Christmas collections! I have just about every Scrooge, and it's variant that was ever made. I have the old ones all the way up to Scrooged with Bill Murray. I also have all the Grinch that stole Christmas and of course Rudolph the Red Nose Rain Deer and Frosty cartoons. I hope to show someone in my family how it all works and what need done in case the good Lord calls me home. I hope I can enjoy the fruits of my labor during my time off around Christmas, while working on my QMX mini and hopefully getting it operational and on the air.

I bought this radio over a year ago and started on it but have not had the time to finish it with all the turmoil the world has thrown at me this year. I hope to get it up and working and set it up to run as an HF Winlink station and maybe even a spotting station for CW and other digital modes. I have recently found I love the digital side of my Amateur Radio hobby, and especially with the QRP aspect of it. QRP is a low power, usually less than 5 watts of output power. Some say it is a weak signal radio. I disagree. I have seen folks talking around the world on 5 watts or fewer. To each his own, there is everything in the hobby of Amateur Radio. To me, it is the learning aspect and experimentation that comes along with it, not just building antennas but building everything! Radios included. I love the hobby, and it serves a purpose too! During the recent hurricane Helene, it was amateur radio to the rescue, and I mean that literally. A lot of people found their selves cut off from the rest of the world with no means of rescue or communications to call for help. It took one person with a Boafeng HT radio to get it started, and then the aid started to roll in. I love that my hobby can be a means to help others in dire situations. I learn a lot from the hobby as well, from computer setup to make all the digital modes work. Soldering for not only repairs but to put together kits. It is a very diverse hobby, there is something that could peak the interest of anyone. Like I have stated earlier, I like the useful aspects of it. If God allows, I hope to get into the emergency communications side of it. We, the (amateur) community, have 2 field days a year to exercise our gear and abilities to make sure we can respond with effectiveness during a crisis. I try to do this every time I operate, whether at home or in a field environment. I would love to use this hobby after retirement to help others if God allows me to do so. I do have some other ideas that I hope to post about at a later date. For now, I just wanted to check in and hope you have a Merry Christmas. Remember the real reason for the Season. Until next time.

God Bless All!

Pop Pop