Fall 2002 Issue

Do you dream of spending hours in your shack chasing DX, sending SSTV images, or just rag chewing on the local repeater while feeling guilty about not spending the time exercising? Take a look at what N1RWY did, as a new bicycle purchase moved his shack to the road!

By Jason Baack,* N1RWY

Summers in Maine are great. Warm temperatures and bright sun provide wonderful opportunities to exercise. However, the summer also brings about terrific conditions on VHF, whether it’s sporadic-E or ducting up the Atlantic Ocean coastline.
Like most hams, I tend to spend too much time in the shack waiting for an opening rather than exercising in the great outdoors. Last year, however, all that changed for me as I discovered a way to combine both exercise and ham radio. Oh, what fun it is!

“It’s like riding a lawn chair.”

Last year I was looking for a new exercise plan to add spice to my usual daily walking regimen. The same distance, the same route five times a week for months on end, had become quite tedious, so I was looking for a change. Because I enjoy the Maine seasons too much to be inside, I did not want to join a gym or a health club. Outdoor activity provides a constantly changing scene and a healthy dose of sunlight. I did not want to give that up. To change my regimen, I had thought about riding a bicycle. However, sitting on a standard bike seat for more than 20 minutes caused me a great deal of discomfort, and the thought of spending a lot of money on something I could only ride for 20 minutes at a time was out of the question.

 

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