God the Klingon thing was silly. Do we need an explanation as to why the TOS ship had plastic, 1960s themed furniture? Do we need an explanation for improved camera resolution over the years? Why did we need a silly explanation for the improvement in makeup artistry so many decades later? And the explanation doesn't even work. Genetics don't work like that. It's taking themselves too seriously. Either ignore it, or hang a lantern on it with an inside joke once, and be done with it.

That's basically what shortwave pirates are. Usually former ham transceivers modified to transmit out of band. The cost of licensing and building a shortwave broadcast station are immense. And there's the pesky problem of finding advertisers when the license scheme basically requires you to at least look like you are targeting non-domestic audiences. Hams have occasionally purchased time on existing transmitters when it's cheap, but as far as "experimental modes" go, it would typically have to be something that can be modulated by an AM transmitter.

Put the volt-meter in series with a switch or momentary button. They tend to draw a little power, so you don't want it draining your battery when you are not using it. If you stick a cig (accessory) port in there too, you could plug in other things, or a usb charger or whatever if needed. I've used my pota battery to run a small 12v air compressor, for instance.

It's a (kind of silly) throwback to the radios that armies used in the first half of the 20th century that were large enough to necessitate a dedicated person backpacking them around everywhere. It's still common in ham radio like other traditionalist terms. "Portable station" is more accurate, but maybe boring?

There's negligible advantage in loss going from pl259 to N connectors on HF. You don't have the kind of losses you do on VHF and especially UHF. The only time N is really nice is when you need an intrinsically weatherproof connector -but this is mounted inside the weatherproof box.

If you want slightly better loss specs AND a more convenient, quicker connector, BNC is great. But PL259, as I said, is fine.

Is this for FM? Most people are using vertically polarized antennas for that. You could turn it on it's side, and feed that coax sideways for at least a few feet.

The trick with a friend and JS8Call would be to utilize heartbeats and script up some sort of notification alert when a path opens.

If you don't have trees and want an easy, portable solution. Buy a $20 20 foot "crappie" fishing pole on your favorite online retailer, and run a 20m 1/4wave vertical wire up it. Add between 4 and 8 radials on the ground, and craft up a simple guy system with some rope and tent pegs. Cheap, lightweight, and highly effective, especially at this point in the solar cycle. Cut some shorter wires for higher bands and you can pick and choose which one to hoist on a given outing. The only downside is that right now, specifically js8call activity is still heavily on 40m. You will make boatloads of ft8 contacts on 20 though.

An EFHW can be oriented as an inverted-V, it's just that it's fed at the end rather than in the middle (at the top). If that's how you set it up, the main difference is some transformer losses in the EFHW, but it can operate on all harmonics rather than just odd harmonic bands. A center fed inverted v may be a little more tolerant with regards to tuning the length. Centre-fed is going to be more "idiot proof" in that respect and possibly easier as a first antenna.

The great thing about the fediverse is that you can rage-quit 100 different instances!

Congrats, and careful with that mod. I purchased a used 7300 a while back that someone did a terrible wideband mod and antenna tuner mod.

I think watching all those hours may actually change your brain wiring. Hopefully for the better.

I couldn't really tolerate the animated show, or Babylon 5. But everything else has passed through these neurons at one time or another. Fortunately, it's been so many years, I sometimes come across an episode I can't remember and it's like getting a new one.

Strange new worlds is amazing. It feels actually true to TOS, without just being nostalgic. I feel like Gene Roddenberry would be so happy to see it, and recognize it as his universe far more than any of the other 21st century trek.