K9NYO is QRV, Part 2

With the rigs and equipment in their places last night, I woke up this morning eager to light the candle in the new ham shack. The window-sill-mounted "Bugcatcher" was in the box and began to rear it's ugly head. This kind of an antenna is called a "bugcatcher" because of the large coil at the bottom of the antenna, which, when mounted atop a vehicle, catches bugs and other fly-bys. I had an antenna like this one atop my 2002 PT Cruiser for some time, and that, combined with an apex in the Sunspot Cycle, provided me with some choice HF DX from the mobile rig during the daily commute. Anyhow, the bugcatcher required first a choke coil about a foot and a half from the base, so that was my first move. Then I attached the counterpoise wire and ran it around my room. While tuning up the antenna, funny characters appeared on the LCD screen of my electric blanket control and my $14 bed-stand telephone bit the dust. It's safe to say that I will need to attend to some stray RF. But before long, the antenna was up in its "temporary fixed" location, that is, where it will be when used. The window screen must be replaced when the antenna is brought back inside and the window is closed and locked. The next step, of course, was to put up "wallpaper". I have a number of certificates, as well as my "ticket" (my amateur radio license from the FCC) that required posting around the shack. Also up, but not pictured, is the 2005 CQ Magazine Classic Radios calendar...thanks to Mom & Dad for that Christmas gift. Also not pictured is the kitchen chair I'm using as a perch. In the middle of the picture and sort of blended into everything is my awesome Heil microphone on a shock-mount attached to a boom. Next to it is an antique goose-neck Astatic mic I use for VHF/UHF. For HF there is an Icom IC-718 with DSP and SSB filters. Above it is an MFJ Versa Tuner II. Next to the HF rig is a seldom used antique Vibroplex Vibrokeyer (I have carpal tunnel syndrome and can't operate CW with a key). For VHF/UHF there's an Icom-2340H, which is on its last legs. Atop the "rack" is a Realistic Pro-76 hand-held scanner an a Yaesu VX-5R sitting in a drop charger. In the left of the picture is a Dell Inspiron 600m Centrino laptop used for digital modes like PSK31, RTTY or SSTV. On the shelf above the computer is a Realistic DX-390 receiver I bought for $50 at Dayton in 2004. This rig is used for SWL or to listen back to transmitted audio on HF. Eventually I am going to put a table between the two cabinets, but for right now, here's my humble little shack.