I am a newbie setting up a shack upstairs. Dont have alot of room. I
was wondering is it a good idea to set up you requipment near a
computer or not. Seems like most shack pictures I see have their
computer on the same table. WHy is this? I have a computer upstairs but
my wife will use it alot for school and it is on a small table.

Set it up near the computer if you want to use the computer as part of your
operating. Sounds simple, doesn't it? ;-)


Computers are required for some of the digital modes and can be used for
logging, call lookups, etc. There is no FCC or ARRL requirement to have
one. Paper logging is still used by many operators. If you plan to go
digital, build near the computer. If you want to operate away from the wife
so as not to bother her durring her school work, do so. There's plenty to do
on the air that does not require computer assistance.

Tom - AC9TS


wrote in message
oups.com...
I am a newbie setting up a shack upstairs. Dont have alot of room. I
was wondering is it a good idea to set up you requipment near a
computer or not. Seems like most shack pictures I see have their
computer on the same table. WHy is this? I have a computer upstairs but
my wife will use it alot for school and it is on a small table.

I am a newbie setting up a shack upstairs. Dont have alot of room. I
was wondering is it a good idea to set up you requipment near a
computer or not. Seems like most shack pictures I see have their
computer on the same table. WHy is this? I have a computer upstairs but
my wife will use it alot for school and it is on a small table.

Having the computer next to your radio is beneficial in many ways. You can use
it to keep track of which stations you've heard, to record what you're hearing,
as an active audio filter, to decode morse code or digital communications, as a
bountiful resource to determine what you're tuned in to, or to post what you're
hearing on message boards to alert others so they may tune in what you hear.

You may experience some interference from your computer, or you may not, but
that's a whole new subject!

It's up to you. People have tuned the shortwaves for almost 100 years without
computers so it certainly isn't necessary, just a nice tool to have handy.

73,

jw
k9rzz

If you experience computer RFI -- generating noise into you radios -- see
URL:
http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/F_CompRFI.html

--
Caveat Lecter

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am a newbie setting up a shack upstairs. Dont have alot of room. I
was wondering is it a good idea to set up you requipment near a
computer or not. Seems like most shack pictures I see have their
computer on the same table. WHy is this? I have a computer upstairs but
my wife will use it alot for school and it is on a small table.

wrote in message
oups.com...


Seems like most shack pictures I see have their
computer on the same table. WHy is this?

I do it because I use the computer A LOT with my ham radio. I use it to log
my QSO's (contacts). I use it to talk to fellow hams on the internet. I
use it to surf the net when in a boring ham chat.....hi. I use it a lot
when I contest and I have it interfaced to the main rig to enable exotic
digital modes. Hope that helps some.

Dan/W4NTI