Living, Working, and Playing in Small Spaces

What began as an e-mail to a code buddy ended up here instead. Gmail says my photos exceeded their 25 mb limit. Since the email was meant to be a private exchange and this post is not, my code buddy's name shall remain anonymous. Let's just call him Fred. As I promised Fred, here's another of my "write-ups" following our CW sked yesterday morning.

My Mac Desktop

Code Buddy Progress

I wish I had captured your [Fred's] signal. Your CW today was very well-spaced. Best I've heard from you since we first started our code buddy QSOs back in August. It looks pretty on the waterfall. 

Thoughts on Wireless Radio Control

My new software works very well with my Mac and IC-705 wirelessly when I'm operating CW. Not so much with digital modes. The developer and I have gone back and forth via email. I'm having some trouble getting third party software like FLDigi to interface properly with his software. The developer wrote me a long and interesting reply. In it, he basically said he gets frustrated with amateur radio software developers who still use 1980s methods and tools to develop software we all use and love including FLRig and FLDigi. I'm not a software developer, but I understood most of what he said about how more modern approaches would make it much easier to get his software working with the third party tools I want to use. I've also had some back and forth chats via email with the developer of the FLDigi suite. 

Bottom line, the Mac software developer pretty much said he's not going to go out of his way to make his software talk to what he calls "outdated software from the 80s". Instead, he developed what he calls Tools for modes like FT8 and PSK-31. These Tools are supposed to work together seamlessly with his main software, and they do. But frankly, the Tools for both modes provide only a rudimentary display of the data these modes were designed for. I've decided to use his program (at $99) for what it does well for me: CW rig control, logging, POTA hunting and activating, and it provides a very nice visual display of the IC-705 waterfall on my 32" monitor. The wireless functionality is almost rock-solid. I've only had a couple of dropouts, and a quick reconnect cures that while the radio just keeps on doing its thing. I had wanted to operate digital modes sitting in my recliner with no wires plugged into my Mac laptop, but that's not going to happen. I'll use a single USB cable with my IC-705, just like I do with my IC-7300 and my Dell laptop when I want to work with digital software. The Icom Remote Utility app (also $99, Windows only) has worked well and it also works with FLDigi and all the other digital modes apps I use. 

I can sit in the recliner with my Dell laptop and work ROTA — Recliners on the Air — using pretty much any digital mode. I can do this with no wires until my internal battery runs out. Icom's rig control software and its waterfall doesn't work so well, though. There's clearly no perfect solution for wireless control of an Icom radio from a laptop. At least not in my limited experience and with my level of expertise tinkering with computer-radio interfaces. Pieces of it "just work" on both Mac and Windows; otherwise, the other pieces don't work! Or, they work, but with lots of fiddling every time I want to start a new digital session. Having to use a single USB cable stretched from my radio to my laptop in the recliner will work fine. Or, I can go back to using my Mac to control the Dell via a VNC. That also works 99% of the time. I can't disagree with the Mac developer that some of the ham software we use today has been around for decades and "shows its age"; BUT, it works! I'll take ugly, working software over pretty, non-functional and/or fiddly software any day. Especially since I love digi modes about as much as I love CW on HF. Unless I make the move to a total SDR with a proper internal soundcard and a wired network interface, I'll have to settle for my current Icom-based lineup with Windows for my digital modes operations.

Paper Mess

All those desktop folders on my Mac laptop above pretty much mirror the piles of manila folders I have on most horizontal surfaces in my shed-shack. I like an empty desktop normally, but you can see I'm losing that battle! I've neglected my "paperwork" for way longer than usual — like, since I retired on Aug. 5 — and now I'm paying the price. It'll take me until Spring to dig out from under it all! Something about the freedom of retirement has gone to my head, and I've been playing during times when I should have been working to get my paper mess under control.

My Main operating position

Wire Mess

If you zoom in to this picture you'll see the wire mess that's somewhat hidden by my 32" monitor. It looks 100% better than the way it was over the past few months. It's only been in the past couple of weeks that I could see the top of my desk. I've decided this is about as good as it's gonna get for a guy about to turn 70. My wife once said to me, "If I were a wire, I'd get more of your attention." I can't argue with that. I'm afraid she's got a point! I've moved the paper messes to other horizontal surfaces...

ROTA operating position left, Main operating position right; former ROTA table in middle

In the photo above you can see the remnants of paper piles near the small desk lamp. Another pile is 180 degrees behind me as I took this photo.

All-purpose soldering, scanning, printing, tinkering area

If you look closely you might see the white, hidden water heater behind this little desk area. I missed a photo opportunity prior to "organizing" my piles yesterday. Any remaining papers are hidden in the bin on top of my printer, ready for scanning and later, shredding. I'll use this small area as a soldering, scanning, printing, catch-all corner. Just off to the right is a door to the carport. The stairs leading to our bedroom are to the left of the little desk area. You can just see the top "landing" level step and the first of 2 steps below it. For an 8x8 foot shed, I have very little floor space left! Did I mention I seem to enjoy small spaces? I measured the open floor space: 16 sq. ft. is available for my rolling shop stool, for standing, or for walking to the steps or to the door that leads to the carport. That's what I have left out of a total of only 64 square feet. The rest is occupied by 2 work areas, stairs, and my recliner. It's not much, but this shed-shack is mine! This room is hazardous to my wife's health; she uses a walker to get around and this room is tiny! I'm used to taking radio trips and living in RV-the-Radio-Van with 147 square feet, only about 32 of which are for walking or standing! 

Somehow, with only 2 bedrooms and the van in our driveway and available for sleeping, we've had our son, his wife, and 3 grandkids spend the night. We can provide a comfy place to sleep for everyone. Our grandkids love to spend the night here. When it's just one, two, or all three grandkids spending the night we make it work by using simple rules that grandma set up for everyone.

The Kids' Room and Grandma's Gag Rule

Looking Up

My 64 square foot shed-shack has almost 9 foot ceilings! The shed was added onto the front-left corner of my 24 x 40 foot mobile home and blocked one of two master bedroom windows. The shed is built on a concrete slab that sits about 2 feet below the level of my house which is raised up about 2 feet with a crawl space underneath. That's why the former owner decided to take out one of the bedroom windows (which looked into the inside of the shed) and put in a door instead. He had 3 steps built inside the shed for moving from the ground-based shed to the 2 foot above ground bedroom level. Not one to waste any space in an already crowded storage shed, after installing insulation and an air conditioner and sealing up the crawl space on the side of the shed that's attached to the elevated house, I put in 20" deep shelves all around the perimeter of the shed at about the 6.5 foot level above the floor. On these shelves we keep anything that doesn't fit inside our tiny home. About half of that "stuff" is mine—things I might need someday. The other half of the 25 liner feet of shelving holds our shared, bulky items—paper towels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and other fun stuff we only need occasionally, but which doesn't fit inside the tiny house. The perimeter shelves are mounted just below the level of my single ceiling fan in the middle of the room which spins around, keeping me cool inside on 100 degree summer days when I'm in the shed running the A/C full blast. The spinning fan blades just miss hitting the stuff on the shelves all around. Here's what it looks like looking up from the top stair near the bedroom door.

Top Perimeter Shelf and Bookshelf over desk area

Looking Down

Looking down from the same step you can see my whopping 16 square feet of usable floor space! Since the recliner swivels and reclines and the stool can be moved closer to the main desk, it's possible to sit there to operate the radios while reclining. Or, I can dial up Netflix and watch a movie. I neglected to mention that I built this desk (30x60) on top of a set of sit-stand legs. Yes, it's a standing desk! So, I can sit on a stool that also raises and lowers to match the sit-stand desk, or stand and work at the standing desk, or recline or rock in the rocking-swiveling-reclining recliner. You've heard of the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? Well, check out how many modes of working at a desk I can pack into 64 square feet! All while simultaneously servicing the storage needs of my 2-person family.

Swiveling, Recliner, Rolling Stool, and 16 square feet to roam!

Home, Sweet Home

I've often wondered what I would do if I were encouraged to set up shop inside the house where the vaulted ceilings make it feel much bigger than it really is? Did I mention my wife isn't fond of my wire and paper messes? Can you guess why I end up in sheds, closets, and radio vans? Would I move into the house if it was suggested? I don't know. Maybe. I seem to gravitate toward smaller spaces, though. I grew up in a very tiny townhouse-like environment sharing three small bedrooms and one bathroom with 5 people. Tiny spaces confine my tinkering, computing, radio chatting, and all the other things I do with my time, and that's probably a good thing. When I confine those activities—things people I know and love don't care about—to an out of the way place that barely has room for a visitor, then my loved ones and I can "do our thing" in peace and quiet. Nobody wants to listen to CW while watching TV. A CW operator doesn't need to hear a blaring TV game show while trying to copy a weak station during a time of QSB. 

I can host one or two grandchildren sitting on the stoop of my shed-shack (the top level of my stairs), one sitting/reclining in the recliner, and there's still room for me, the host, on a stool. Ask me how I know this is possible. My wife could sit in the bedroom with the door open and join in the fun. Yes, we've done that, too. Why everyone joined me in the shed-shack is still a mystery, but it was nice having visitors for a little while! If we open the second door leading to the carport (yes, I have 2 doors and a window in an 8x8 shed!) we can have a party or make a quick getaway in the golf cart parked under the adjoining carport. My neighbors must wonder how I go into my shed and disappear, only to come out again from the front door of our mobile home. Few people know that my shed has a door that leads to the bedroom. My neighbor across the street has the same model home and the same shed, but there's no way to enter the bedroom by going into his shed. My shed is special. Magical things happen in here, including writing this little essay.

Antenna Farm at Sunset; Shed-Shack left, screen porch right, carport middle, all under metal roof

Future Plans

I have plans for that metal roof that spans my shed-shack, carport, and screened porch. I think it'll make an excellent ground plane for a vertical antenna. What do you think?