I have been down here in the shack busily making computer changes. The family computer died - kinda sorta. I can't get it to connect to the internet. Neither Ethernet cable nor wireless adapter work. It's an older refurbed HP machine that I got on the cheap, so I got my money's worth out of it. My shack computer, which is a Dell Optiplex that is running nicely (knock wood) will now become the family computer. For the shack, I am resorting to my old Acer Aspire One. With an external keyboard and an auxiliary monitor, it will fit my needs - even if it is an older XP laptop.
I loaded the essentials onto it, Log4OM, and TrustedQSL. It already has DX Atlas, OmniRig and a few other Ham programs loaded onto it, so I am good to go. Not my idea of an ideal situation, but I can't afford anything different right now. The processor in this thing is a little pokey, but at this point, it's irritating but not fatal.
Anyway, while I was checking out Log4OM, to make sure everything was working properly, FK8IK popped up on 15 Meters as I was tuning around. Once again, I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I have never heard New Caledonia so loud. The pile up was very thin, so I thought I had a good shot. About ten calls with 5 Watts yielded nothing, so I bumped up the power. I rarely work stations "from the other side of the world", and I wasn't about to let this opportunity get away from me. I punched up the KX3 to 90 Watts and got him on the first call.
QRP would have been nice, but I'll take the ATNO. I can always turn down the power next time.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Have you checked the device drivers on your family computer? These types of problems are often driver related and not hardware failures. If you're not sure how to troubleshoot this, you could try rolling back your computer to a restore point prior to when the problem occurred. If this doesn't work, you could always try the nuclear option of backing up your important files and reinstalling the OS using the CDs or hidden partition that were hopefully included with your purchase. I like to do this every year or so anyhow - it's amazing how much faster the system runs when you get rid of the bloat that seems to accumulate over time.
ReplyDeleteRob
KC9LGO
Rob,
ReplyDeleteI checked all the drivers and even re-installed them. It made no difference. Thanks for the suggestion!