This past weekend, I had limited time to get on the radio for CQ WW RTTY, one of my favorite contests of the year.
Getting on at sunset, I fired up the radio and amplifier and all was well. Until I sent out some messages via the computer. The PTT line would fire, then drop before the message would end. People could tell that I was calling them, but no one could copy what was sending out.
The trouble ended up being the update to the MicroHam software that I use to run the radio. One USB port for radio control, sending CW, and receiving all done with great hardware and software.
The problem was that I simply updated the software and then went on my merry way months ago. Then, in crunch time, the software didn’t work. When I went in and looked at the configuration, there were more fields then there were before.
Going to the latest install documents, there were several (minor) changes. Once I installed the changes, everything worked fine again.
Except the bands. Where I am, I need the band to be fully open to work stations; I have a hill behind me that blocks all sorts of signals. When I was ready to go back operating, the bands here were dead. And my time was up.
Morale: when you download software, check the updates for new installation instructions. You’ll be glad you did.
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