iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Unfortunately, I wasn't listening for long enough to catch their call signs (and in a few overs I did hear they weren't identifying themselves).

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

But to partake in a hobby whose main aim is making contacts with people from faraway places, all the while hating those same people's guts, does seem to me like as good an example of cognitive dissonance as it gets.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised - #hamradio is just a cross section of wider society, so it's inevitable that all sorts of opinions will find its way in.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Much as it saddens me for what this means for the future of our hobby, QSOs like this one make me glad none of my kids is into #hamradio. 🙁

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It is hard to portay #hamradio hobby as safe and appealing to younger generations, when they can easily hear conversations like this one (this is just a small snippet, they did cover other nationalities and ethnic groups too). Is, perhaps, ROTA (racists on the air) now a thing?

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#LoTW AFAIK, doesn't care about the band, as long as PROP_MODE and SAT_NAME ADIF fields are set correctly (I know this 1st hand).

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Not in this view, but if you use the "Log search", you'll see that all is good 🙂

RI1FIZ Log search for M0NKC, showing a QSO on RS-44 using SSB mode.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Yhe point the author[*] of one Letter to Editor was exactly that, which may be valid, but for #RadCom to print the ChatGPT response verbatim was IMO just a little bit lazy. [*] author to the extent of regurgitating whatever ChatGPT produced, instead of making their own argument

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Also in the latest #RadCom: Meshtastic is dangerous, ChatGPT told me so 🙄🤣

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I can't wait to give it a try! I may as well have my 1st FT4 QSO via LEO 🛰🙂

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Just worked RI1FJZ in Franz Josef Land (Gridsquare: LR30 / distance: 3647.3 km) on RS-44 🛰️ using SSB #hamr #cloudlog #amsat

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

One must have been a certain YO3 station. Who was the other one?

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Yup. Sadly, just as I was about to send them an email tying my forthcoming membership renewal and their persistent and demonstrated incompetence in managing their IT infrastructure. I wonder if another ransom to be paid is in the cards.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#arrl #LoTW has been down for the whole day, and not a peep about it on their website 😡 That's not the way to treat their members, especially those whose membership fees are due shortly. #hamradio #fail

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I hope you get better soon. Take care!

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I managed to nab a ticket I'd missed in pre-sales due to my underestimating of my family members' enthusiasm for the event. @psbhq.bsky.social TRFS 10 (+1) concert is a Go! 🚀🧑‍🚀

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Reposted by Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC

va3vgr.bsky.social @va3vgr.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

🛰 VA3VGR on FO-29 ⏰ 2026-09-05 from 10:58Z to 11:19Z 🗺 FN15 📻 145.925↑ SSB 📢 SOTA 👀 hams.at/alerts/b48f6... 🛰 VA3VGR on RS-44 ⏰ 2026-09-05 from 11:20Z to 11:43Z 🗺 FN15 📻 145.950↑ SSB 📢 SOTA 👀 hams.at/alerts/b8e85...

hams.at

VA3VGR on FO-29 · Hamsat

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Huge thanks to my non-hamradio family for tolerating the radio kit tagging along on family holidays and for patiently waiting while airport security decides my collection of wires and mysterious electronics deserves some additional attention. 😅

Photography bag with FT-817, FT-818, and a portable recorder. Also visible is an Arrow antenna, and an RS-44 uplink/downlink frequencies cribsheet.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I'm delighted to have been awarded the #AMSAT Rover Award! 🛰️📡 It’s been a pleasure activating around 20 grids across 5 DXCC countries so far on #hamradio #satellite — from freezing in snow and wind to roasting on a beach in the sunshine (and pretty much everything in between).

Mastodon post, forwarded from X, from KK5DO, announcing that M0NKC is the 94th Amsat Rover recipient

Operating as SV9/M0NKC from Elafonissi Beach, Crete

Operating as TF/M0NKC/P from Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Is there any tech company nowadays that _doesn't_ claim its AI went rogue and hacked other, preferably competitors', systems? 🙄🤣 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Meta becomes latest firm to say its AI hacked another company

Meta is the latest company to disclose an AI agent breach, raising cyber-security concerns.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

yikes 😖 hopefully you didn't have to wait to be seen for too long.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Today I operated #hamradio #satellite RS-44 from a picturesque Elafonissi Beach in Crete (aka "the pink sand beach"). It was a rather quiet pass, thanks @g0abi-ham.bsky.social and @dk1mi.bsky.social for QSOs.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

I've got an even more foolproof way to avoid getting scammed for X user credentials: how about not having an X account in the 1st place? 😉 The added benefit of doing so is that it's also better for one's mental wellbeing. www.theguardian.com/money/2026/j...

theguardian.com

‘We noticed a login from a new device’: the message from fraudsters targeting your X account

They are out to steal your password to commit further fraud such as crypto scams or phishing attacks

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

I wholeheartedly support this @libdems.org.uk idea. Never before has a #fifa #worldcup been so nakedly politicised as this one (and that's before even mentioning any refereeing controversies, of which they were many) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Lib Dems urge FA and Uefa to withdraw from Fifa

Sir Ed Davey says Gianni Infantino and world football's governing body is "destroying the integrity of the beautiful game".

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Well, that's one item from my holiday checklist ticked off then 🙂 #hamradio #satellite 🛰️

Email from ARRL The LoTW Team, with LoTW certificate for SV9/9A3QN attached

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

I managed to persuade my kids to join me for #newbury #nadars #hamradio rally. Who knows, maybe they'll get bitten by the radio bug 🤞 After all, they seem to be far more successful finding stuff in boot sale than I 🤣

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

I finally got to try @mm9sql.com 's #OscarWatch. My first impressions are very positive: it's still a WIP, but on my setup (Ubuntu Noble Numbat #linux + IC-9100) I'm finding it more stable than Gpredict + rigctl I previously used (i.e once RX offset is set, it is kept despite my tuning around 🎊)

Screenshot from OscarWatch, showing a notification for RS-44 in voice mode. In the background, on the left side there is a footprint plot, on the right, top to bottom, azimuth/elevation information for currently selected satellite, RX and TX frequencies, az/el plot, and list of upcoming passes.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I'm going to to use it to lock the DX Patrol LNB and #plutoplus SDR, so I can have a rock-solid groundstation for #hamradio #satellite #qo-100. Unfortunately, the documentation fails to list the input impedance. I infer, from the connector, that the LNB is 75 Ohm, but what about the GPSDO v3?

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

I finally realised that the #dxpatrol GPSDO v3 does all I ever needed in terms of accurate frequency sources in my lab. It's such a deligful little device: 4 independent outputs, with frequencies user-configurable from a simple Web UI, and can even serve as a local NTP server.

DX Patrol GPSDO v3, with 4 frequencies: F1-F3 set to 10 MHz, F4 set to 25 MHz

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Sometimes there comes a point when you realise you just don't have the time to build it yourself and would rather pay for a ready-made solution. Case in question: a GPS-disciplined local oscillator. After several years spent collecting parts and trying to figure out what features I _really_ need,

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Funny thing is this week it's going to be hotter in England than in Croatia 😂

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Today, I operated from the hotel room for the 1st time. Nothing fancy, just an FT-818 + WonderWand + 2 random wires ("an antenna" and "a counterpose"). It was lots of fun. I'm pleased I got to dust off my other home call sign, #9A3QN, for those of you who may have spotted me. #hamradio #qrp #ft8

excerpt from cloudlog, listing QSOs with several European and 1 Japanese FT8 stations

blue PVC-insulated wire hanging next to the curtain, supported by wooden stick

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

#boots www.boots.com web site seem to be exploding due to high demand for #meningitisB vaccine bookings 🙄

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I was struggling to get through, but I understand everyone's excitement about the opportunity. Only one QSO, still better than nothing.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

So anyone in similar situation can: 1. Install wsjtx-improved (this worked fine for me) 2. Build it from source code 3. Upgrade #debian from #bookworm to #trixie and then install the new package (OS upgrade is unsupported, but forums.raspberrypi.com/viewtopic.ph... worked for me, YMMV)

forums.raspberrypi.com

Upgrading a bookworm image to trixie - Raspberry Pi Forums

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

In case this can help anyone else - it looks like it's not that #raspberrypi support was dropped, but #wsjtx 3.0.x binary now seems to be built for #debian #trixie (the current Raspberry Pi OS) whereas I was still on #bookworm. What confused me was 3.0 rc1 had still been built for #bookworm.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

Thanks for the hint, Jim, it worked like a charm 🎊

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

AFAIK it wasn't - until 3.0.0 it was always released at the same time as all the other builds.

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Kristijan Conkas - M0NKC @kconkas.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

#3Y0K #LoTW upload has just landed 🎊 slim pickings on HF, but nailed it on 🛰 #hamradio

LoTW confirmations for M0NKC FT8 on 12 and 15m, and CW, FT8, and SSB on satellite

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