# RickD - N0NJY - Hiya (Ham Radio Operator)



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

My name is Rick Donaldson.

Call sign is N0NJY (that's a Zero there) and I'm an Amateur Extra Class License holder (ham radio operator).

I wandered in since I was invited over from another site.

Wife and I are new to sailing - and are in the process of purchasing a used boat, a Venture 25.

The boat is not-yet-named, but will be this spring in an "official" (read: Traditional) ceremony. We live in Land-Locked Colorado Springs and hope to be out on the ocean within 3-4 years (not with the boat we're buying).

This boat is our "learning boat". We'll be attending some ASA basic courses this spring, sailing around the same time and naming the boat right after we put her in the water again.

I'm here for advice, information and education.

I'm also here to help you folks.

I have over 40 years of experience in HF radio systems (as well as VHF, UHF and many other systems). I was in the Air Force for twenty-six years, retired in 2002 officially. I was in the active side for 14 years - during which I served in Combat Communications for five years and the White House Communications Agency for eight years providing Presidential Communications for Presidents Reagan, Bush and former Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Carter and several of the First Ladies. I've traveled all over the world - 45 countries now, almost every state in the US and about 300 major cities world-wide.

My last twelve years of military service were in the USAF Reserves and they shared me with a local college where I taught basic and advanced electronic theory, as well as digital theory.

I am currently working at a military installation somewhere near Colorado Springs on electronic systems.

Since I am relatively useless at the moment as a sailor but will have a boat by Saturday this week, I am offering my help in electronics, and in particular radio and antenna theory and with problems.

I have some experience with packet radio and will be looking into things like "Sailmail" and similar systems, and I've got some experience with many different types of computer operating systems.

Currently I have access to, and use, XP Pro, Vista, and use or have used Linux (Ubuntu, CentOS).

My wife is JoAnne and she may or may not join me here from time to time.

We started a blog recently which is about our dream to sail and cruise. That blog can be found at: Our Boat | Winds of Change

I have a "political blog" (of sorts) located at: Reality Check

A site I assist in administering is located at: The Trans-Asian Axis

(No I'm not advertising anything, those are simply places you can read about things I do or have done).

Last year my wife and I took radio gear to Jamaica for an unsuccessful "DXpedition" (that's where we set up in a foreign location and have local call signs, and attempt to make as many contacts with other hams around the world as possible). The "DXpedition" failed because the TSA folks managed to break my transmitter enroute and I didn't have the proper tools available to repair the radio system.

I look forward to doing my best to help folks with radio issues - and to learn from you folks as well.

Feel free to contact or PM me any time.

73!

Rick Donaldson, CET, NØNJY
It's better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for who you're not.


----------



## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Hey Rick...welcome aboard. Try off topic for the political stuff. I think you'll like OUR presidential poll results! 
Thanks for the good introduction!


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

camaraderie said:


> Hey Rick...welcome aboard. Try off topic for the political stuff. I think you'll like OUR presidential poll results!
> Thanks for the good introduction!


how, pray tell will I get there? LOL

Thanks for the invite.

I've been in emails working out the final details of buying our boat.

Should be headed over to get it Saturday if the weather holds out.

We have to pick it up on the other side of the Great Divide.... 12000 feet above sea level... The current owner has agreed to move it to THIS side and I'll pick it up about 2/3 of the way there (185 miles away).

Wow...

Almost have our first boat.


----------



## jwoytek (Aug 22, 2008)

N0NJY de KB3HOZ. I'm a new sailor as well, and also an amateur radio operator (currently general, studying for extra). My wife and I are working on buying our first boat, too, and I'm excited to spend some time building and installing some radio equipment on it. I spend most of my time now playing with electronics and APRS gear. I think you'll find this forum full of all sorts of useful information--I know that it has been a great resource for me in just a few months of reading. Maybe I'll catch you on the maritime net someday. 

jonathan
KB3HOZ


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

jwoytek said:


> N0NJY de KB3HOZ. I'm a new sailor as well, and also an amateur radio operator (currently general, studying for extra). My wife and I are working on buying our first boat, too, and I'm excited to spend some time building and installing some radio equipment on it. I spend most of my time now playing with electronics and APRS gear. I think you'll find this forum full of all sorts of useful information--I know that it has been a great resource for me in just a few months of reading. Maybe I'll catch you on the maritime net someday.
> 
> jonathan
> KB3HOZ


Woot! More hams, just what the world needs 

I'm going to put a 2m rig in, and probably set up for HF only "because" but this is a "practice boat" for us.

See you on the air.


----------



## windward54 (Apr 12, 2000)

Hey, always room for another ham! And you can catch me when I'm on the boat which right now is my only ham shack.

Karl
KI6CZP
WDE4472


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

Wife's call is KB0IRW - She's currently a tech (she JUST upgraded a few months back from Novice )


----------



## windward54 (Apr 12, 2000)

Just one more test to make general! It is easy now that they did away with the CW test. I'm usually on 20 meters, but I'm normally only on the air Wednesday evenings and some weekend nights. Out here on the West Coast, 40 meters gets blasted with shortwave stations from the Far East most evenings.


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

Im on 20 meters right now. But, I see you're not connected to the site... 

I'm listening to someone running a pile up on 14.167 at the moment.

Haven't caught his call yet. PJ2 portable QX not catching his actual call right now. Oh well. 

Some island someplace though!


----------



## windward54 (Apr 12, 2000)

Darn it! Work gets in the way again. Some day I'lll have to do something about it, but it sure gets in the way of a lot of fun at times.


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

Since you're on right now... I'm going home early today in about 40 - 45 minutes.

We can set up a sked if you like?  

You a General? Give me a frequency and I'll look for you on twenty.

73

Rick


----------



## windward54 (Apr 12, 2000)

I'm at work! I get to check in on my breaks as I sit at a deslk most of the day. However, off to court, and it might be Friday, but no telling how long that will take.

I do have my general.


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

haha

Work...love it or hate it, it's usually in the way of real life.

I think I set it up so you could email me directly. I won't be home much tomorrow - going to pick up a boat.

Email me Sunday, and I'll try to remember to check my email at home and catch up with you on 40 meters. Pick a freq. I can go anywhere.


----------



## windward54 (Apr 12, 2000)

My internet was down until Saturday night! I'll be back at the boat on Wednesday. You could try on Wednesday night. I should be there around 1900 PDT. Give 14280 a try.


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

I'll shoot for Wednesday. I'm working on the... BOAT!

I gotta boat now. I'm not sure how ham radio will fare in the next few months. lol

Cleaning out the Old | Winds of Change

Check out the blog. We picked up the boat yesterday. Wow... what an experience.

I spent all of today - from about 10:30 Am til about an hour ago ripping out a lot of the old stuff from the inside. There was a lot of things I needed to look under and see.

All in all, I bought a boat for 3500 bucks (and trailer) and she's in really good shape. I traced her "genealogy" to 1991 so far here in Colorado. Apparently she came from another state before that though I haven't been in contact yet with the original owner (I think there have been three owners, before me. I am number four).

She was well cared for at least up til the last guy. He took ok care of her, and seems pretty knowledgeable about boats, but was certainly a bachelor (60 years old) and didn't do as well as he could have.

The boat has NO LOGS at all. No one kept one. I kinda of "shamed" him into keeping one next time. He said one of his boats in the past had a log and he wasn't very good about keeping logs I guess. This one, he never bothered. It wasn't in the ocean (in Blue Mesa Reservoir).

I'm pretty happy. I went over the boat today for about seven hours finding everything I could that was WRONG with the boat and noting it in a book. I'll get a real "log book" later on and transcribe things and pass that on with the boat if and when I sell her.

I removed everything from the boat that wasn't nailed/screwed down. Cleaned the cushions (covers). Examined the portapotty and found it cleaned hehe good for me.

I removed the "ceiling carpet" - ack. I can't believe carpet on the ceiling. Anyway, was mounted on a 1/4" plywood and there was plenty of evidence of leaks from above.

I found all the points where leaks could be found.

The GOOD part was the boat interior, down in the bilge area and anywhere there were bolts and through-hull things is clean. The exception is the rudder brackets. The original wood is there from when the boat was built and there have been some minor leaks and some seepage there. I'll be replacing that wood and the bolts holding the brackets next week.

The ceiling "wood" I'll also be replacing with a nice fine-grained plywood that has been sanded, stained and properly put in (I can do wood work )

The electrical system, not much to speak of actually, is a few lights inside and the exterior running lights. I'll be rewiring all of that over the next few weeks, building a better lighting switch panel and probably replacing the battery, buying a solar panel and putting in a small AC inverter. I will likely install at least a couple of radios on the boat as well - but they will amateur radio systems and perhaps an packet email system. We'll see.

Anyway, check out the blog. I've got some pictures up on links on the side. You can click those and look at pictures.

73 to all

Rick


----------



## N0NJY (Oct 19, 2008)

My smarty pants wife was so sweet after we signed the paper work.

She walked up to me and said "Here's your first kiss as Captain".

Then later she called me "Cap'n D".

Sigh.... No respect.


(I started calling her "Admiral". I think that made points.)

You know, I really HATE that restaurant too (Captain D's) - but then my students used to call me "Mr. D." and they were being respectful, so I will take it as a compliment


----------

