Rockmite Log 12/31/22 - 1/1/23: Documenting, github, and Antenna Rain Testing

I love documentation of projects!!! Consequently, it might not be a surprise that my favorite blog and associated YouTube video for 2022 remains Simon Willison's exposition on why it's important to document and track your own personal projects.

The key trick is to ensure that every project has comprehensive documentation and automated tests.

I've had so much fun with this. It basically led to the last 20 or so blog entries. Those blog entries are simplified summaries of the issue tracking that's been underway for the ham radio: Rockmite. To see the full versions checkout the little radio's associated github repository.

Yesterday's radio testing revolved around our recent heavy rains and the radio's antenna.

For those who feel the rain may not have been heavy, or soaking enough, we found a tree in McLaren Park yesterday morning that begs to differ:

I've worried for weeks that rain water might couple the antenna to the house and the fences below by making the kitchen twine that supports it conductive. I need not have been concerned. I waited till the rain was churning along

and started to call CQ. Sure enough, the signal made it into Utah. Either the twine doesn't conduct, or there's enough of an impedance mismatch with the rest of the system that it just doesn't mater.

Anyway:

Can we use automated test cases as proposed in Simon''s video above? Also, need to write about preserving your projects output in video with respect to APRS and studying for ham exams.

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