Recumbent Conspiracy Theorist

War is Hell Boys!

2012-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

I was checking out the blog of my friend phattire who was reminiscing about those little green army men we all played with as kids. His macro version of Hamburger Hill reminded me of some fun my son and I had with a few of his green soldiers last summer. We didn't tell these troops they were expendible but did hint around that the action might get a bit hot.

The brave souls held their line and army man shape for a suprisingly long time before transforming into gooey lumps. Getting these macro shots from only five or six inches away was nearly too close for comfort.

Special Event Station W0CS

2012-01-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

Special event stations on amateur radio all have one thing in common and that is to celebrate a unique person, place or thing. A special event station can be a single operator working low power (QRP) or a club station working multiple bands and modes. Events can be a one day affair or month long or longer marathons. I like making contact with special event stations and always enjoy reading about the event's purpose. Working these stations is yet another way to learn something new using amateur radio besides the usual name, QTH and signal report exchanged between hams over the air.
I received this QSL card the other day from a successful CW contact on the 7th of January. The 28th Annual Bald Eagle Watch was presented by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Clinton Community College of Clinton Iowa. Naturalists and volunteers set up at Lock #13 along the Upper Mississippi River complete with spotting scopes to aid the public in viewing the bald eagles. The Clinton Amateur Radio Club ran their event in tandem with the viewing as a great way to spread the word.

From the information page included with my QSL card:

"The American Bald Eagle visits the Upper Mississippi River and National Wildlife & Fish Refuge lands each year from late fall through early spring. As many as 2500 bald eagles winter along the Upper Mississippi River from St. Paul, MN to St. Louis, MO.
--

Did you Know?

That our national emblem was threatened with extinction in the lower 48 states because of DDT (a type of pesticide) poisoning. Protection under the endangered Species Act, together with reintroduction programs, brought populations up, and the species was reclassified as Threatened in 1995 and they were delisted in June 2007- a true conservation success story.

There are eagles all over the world, but the American Bald Eagle only lives on the North American Continent. The Bald Eagle is not bald it develops white head and tail feathers around the age of four or five. They stand a height of 2-1/2 to 3 feet tall and weight about 10-14 pounds. Their wingspan is 6-8 feet.

Opportunistic feeder, but prefers fish. Eats large birds, mammals, and carrion.

Engages in spectacular flight displays. In the Cartwheel Display, a courting pair flies to high altitude, locks feet together, and then tumbles and cartwheels toward the ground, breaking off at the last moment."

Wyatt's First Ski Trip

2012-01-16T06:07:00.000-08:00

Here in Ohio we have ski hills. I've come to the conclusion that a ski "hill" is better than no hill. And to an eleven year old out for the first time on skis it may as well be a mountain. Now that winter has finally decided to show it's face we geared up and took a short half hour drive east to Snow Trails for some family fun on the slopes.

Sharing new experiences with a child is one of the greatest rewards in parenting. Seeing the excitement in his face after making a few slow and easy turns and arriving at the bottom of the practice hill without crashing is something money can't buy.

About four inches of snow recently fell and temperatures dropped sufficiently enough to allow the snow machines to make additional white stuff. Here it is half way through January and all the runs are finally open. The temperature topped out at 27 degrees F during our visit keeping conditions near perfect.

We rode up the ski carpet on the practice hill several times before venturing onto the lift. Wyatt was nervous but he made it to the top with a successful dismount by his mom's side. Because LeeAnn has experience teaching I kept my mouth shut and let her play the part of ski instructor. After a couple hours Wyatt mastered the snow plow and was starting to get a grasp on changing directions. He took some spills of course but we all did when learning the ropes of this wintertime sport. I look forward to watching his skills ramp up on our next trips to the hill.

Much bigger hills lie to the East in New York, West Virginia and PA all within a four hour drive. Traveling to those ski areas almost certainly requires an overnight stay and additional travel expenses so my wife and I consider ourselves lucky to have a place just a short drive from home where we can at least carve a few turns.

CW The Mode of Craftsmanship

2012-01-13T13:40:00.000-08:00

Tom Bruzan, author of the blog The Radiotelegrapher posted a great piece yesterday in which he talked about the current state of affairs in amateur radio and specifically CW (Morse Code radiotelegraphy). One statement really hit home with me:

"CW gives the operator not just the chance to buy something, but the chance to be something. CW is the mode of craftsmanship."

CW is the mode of craftsmanship. I love that expression and I hope Tom doesn't mind my borrowing it as it reflects so much better what I wanted to say in this post than anything I could come up with. Radiotelegraphy is really a two part skill set. Copying or deciphering the received code either in ones head or by transcribing it to words onto a piece of paper is one part and sending the code via a telegraph key is the other.

It's the sending part of the equation that I want to talk about in this post. A telegraph key in it's most basic form is nothing more than a simple switch. It is also an instrument and a tool. As a woodworking enthusiast, guitar player and bike mechanic I have a deep appreciation for tools and those skilled in their use.

In the past three years I have spent countless hours practicing the sending aspect of Morse Code. Amateur radio transceivers have a feature called "side tone" when the rig is placed in CW mode. Side tone allows the operator to press the key or paddle causing the radio to emit an audible beep while not actually transmitting a CW signal to the antenna system. I like the side tone feature and always spend a few minutes "warming up" before going on the air to make contacts. Often I don't plan on transmitting but simply enjoy practicing my sending skills with my various keys. I flip through a magazine and send the article titles or text from advertisements or simply key the random thoughts off the top of my head. I find these drills relaxing and even fun. Herein lies the parallel to the musician or mechanic. The more one practices with one's tools the greater the proficiency achieved.

--

Developing a CW fist.

The term "fist" originated back in the days of land line telegraphy over a hundred years ago. In those days the straight key was king and each component of each character (dots and dashes) had to be formed by hand. Over time it was found that operators developed distinct sending styles that were unique to the individual. This signature sound became known as one's fist. At first I took this notion with a grain of salt. The CW bands sounded like a cacophony of random senseless beeping but now after a few years of experience I can easily pick out the individual fists as I scan across the band. It is said that back in the day an astute operator could identify another before he sent his call sign just by the sound of his fist.

Today paddles and electronic keyers are widely used in amateur radio. An electronic keyer forms perfect dots and dashes which removes much of the "slop factor" out of sending and has somewhat diminished the uniqueness of fists encountered on the airwaves. At my station I use and practice with straight keys, semi-automatic bug and paddle/keyer configurations simply because I love them all. Using the paddles and keyer on side tone allows me to hear the characters as they are supposed to sound. This reinforces the proper character sound into my head so once I'm on the straight key or bug I can more accurately emulate proper code into my sending.

CW skill cannot be bought at the ham radio store. Practice and use are the only way. To me CW is like a hobby within a hobby and I am immensely proud of my accomplishments so far with radio's original mode.

Following is a scan of a transcription of copy I received while in radio contact with amateur station N2OH. I've highlighted in orange some unsolicited positive feedback from Larry I was pleased to hear. The text shown is all from the other station as my part of the conversation was direct from my brain to the key.

Larry "tail-ended" the QSO I was having with another station on that particular evening. This means he waited until I had signed off with the other station and then quickly called me by my call sign. I've developed a theory as to why stations tail-end. While "copying the mail" or eavesdropping party line style the listening op hears that one of the stations has a pleasant fist or a strong signal or both and initiates a contact. So unless I have some dire emergency to attend to I always welcome QSOs with tail-enders. Almost always a nice contact will ensue.

News from A.R.S. W8MDE

2012-01-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

Vibroplex Original Standard Bug

I've spent the last few weeks fairly radio-active putting the new Vibroplex Vibrocube through it's paces. Well at least all the pace my 16 - 18 word per minute CW skills allow. With work and chores around the house to share in I don't have much extra time to devote to amateur radio but I steal away for some on air fun whenever possible.

Saturday morning while tuning the bands I came upon a special event station in Iowa working CW. I made contact and got him in the log. My QSL card is in route as I type this and I'll post the details once I receive the special event card in return.

Later that evening at 00:01UTC the Straight Key Century Club monthly Week End Sprint got underway and I settled in to make some contacts using my straight keys and Vibroplex Original bug. I worked my way down from 20 meters (14 MHz) through 40 (7 MHz) and finally late at night I bounced back and forth between 40 and 80 meters (3.5 MHz). I enjoy the SKCC sprints. For one thing the code speeds range from a slow 10 wpm to a blistering 20 wpm at the most. I alternate between the bug and straight key depending on the speed of the other operator. As I have said before what makes the WES stand out among operating events is the spirit of camaraderie evident in the friendly and relaxed exchanges between members.

SKCC January 2012 Week End Sprint Log W8MDE

14.053    K7VMK    Washington State
7.118     K1LEE    Connecticut
7.117     WA1VIL    Massachusetts
7.111     N6CMF    California
7.109     K3Y/4    Alabama
3.550     W3NP    West Virginia
3.554     K1LEE    Connecticut*
3.550     K3Y/9    Wisconsin
3.551     N3GJ    Pennsylvania
3.556     WA1VIL    Massachusetts*
3.549     K4BAI    Georgia
3.546     N3JJT    Ohio
3.550     KI0I    Missouri
7.115     F6HKA France
3.550     AA2FD    Virginia
7.116     W7GVE    Arizona
7.118     KE4WKH    Alabama
7.123     F5JWH    France
7.116     KD5JHE    Mississippi
14.059    K3Y/0    Minnesota
14.053    K3Y/1    Massachusetts
7.120     K8JD    Michigan
7.117     K4CML    Virginia
7.112     N9OL/qrp    Indiana
7.114     W9HLY    Indiana
7.116     WB8YXF    Virginia
7.116     WD9DWE    Indiana
7.114     NG1O    Missouri
3.550     WB8YXF    Virginia*
3.552     NW2K    New York
7.114     K4AOA    North Carolina

*Worked station on 2 different bands

It's January and for the SKCC that means time for the month long K3Y 6th Anniversary Special Event. As noted above in my sprint log I have four K3Y stations and last night I worked a K3Y/3 in Pennsylvania bringing my total to five.

K3Y/4    Alabama
K3Y/9    Wisconsin
K3Y/0    Minnesota
K3Y/1    Massachusetts
K3Y/3    Pennsylvania

Last year I posted the details of this interesting operating event here.

Until next time 73, from W8MDE... Over and out!

First Commute of 2012

2012-01-06T06:28:00.000-08:00

The inch of snow we received about a week ago is almost gone. The temperature this morning was 35 F and with a forecast high of 50 degrees I decided to make good on my new years resolution and ride to work. While I would like to see a foot of the white stuff on the ground so I can break out my cross-country skis I'm not going to complain about the mild temperatures here in Ohio. The snow will return soon enough.

Last Commute of 2011

2011-12-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

The sun came out today so instead of driving my car I rode the Titanium General Purpose Bike to take care of some errands. The weather has been unseasonably warm so I took advantage and got in a last commute for 2011. The streets were still wet from rains earlier in the morning but my fenders did their job keeping me dry. I can't believe it's been six years since I built up the Ti GP Bike. In those six years my bike has served me well as an urban commuter. The titanium mountain bike frame provides a responsive yet buttery smooth ride that makes every trip a joy. As an added bonus no rust or paint to chip when locking up. The only thing I've done is put air in the tires and lube the chain once in a while. I think I'll make a new years resolution to do more commuting on this great bike.

Happy New Years and Ride Safe in 2012!

Vibroplex Vibrocube #401321

2011-12-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

I first learned of the new Vibroplex iambic paddle from several ham radio blogs I read. A couple attributes of the new key got my attention and it didn't take me long to decide to add this instrument to the lineup at amateur radio station W8MDE.

If this is the first time you have seen this key please take a moment to go to the Vibroplex website and see the Vibrocube in it's stock configuration for yourself. Red knobs and finger pieces have been a stock color on certain keys for probably longer than I've been around. While not a fan of the red finger pieces it's not the color of the new Vibrocube paddles that triggered the double take but the gigantic size. I tried the red finger pieces and they actuate the levers fine but I just couldn't get over the big red clown shoe feeling.

As Scott Robbins, W4PA explains on his website the Vibrocube's design clearly addresses the requirements of the large handed radio telegraphy operator. The big finger pieces accommodate a wide range of hand positions and the heavy base provides a rock solid foundation ready for the roughest fist.

What caught my attention was the height of the levers. In my short three years as a cw ham I've noticed a common shortcoming on all of my Morse Code paddles. They all seem too short to me. (Pun!) When I received my package from the mailman Saturday morning I pulled the finger pieces from my Vibroplex Iambic Standard and installed them on the new key. To demonstrate my hand position while using the Vibrocube place your fist down on the desk as if you were firing a pistol. I use my thumb and index finger to operate the dual levers of the key but leave my hand in the shooting bench stance. This just seems more natural and comfortable to me compared to my wrist down flat on the table which must be a more common practice based on the short stature of today's CW paddles.

With the black oval finger pieces from my Iambic Standard I think the Vibrocube looks great and sends code just as well. I tend to like a key whose levers have more mass and greater contact spacing to provide some tactile response to my inputs. I attribute this to many hours spent slapping the lever of my bug key while mastering that amazing contraption. The contact spacing is set using a qsl card to set the gap. I can feel the movement and hear a distinct clink as the switch closes.

I do tend to occasionally get excited and push a little too hard on the lever causing my key to skid one way or the other during a live contact on the air. It doesn't happen often or affect my sending but it is annoying. The weight of the Vibrocube definitely solves that problem.

Though not a true cube the perimeter of the Vibrocube base is a square 3-1/2 inches on a side and 1-1/2 inches deep. This chunk of solid steel provides nearly 6 pounds of mass. Needless to say the key stays put.

Another startling feature of the Vibrocube is the black wrinkle powder coating on the yoke and levers. I like this departure from the usual flashy chrome pieces. The wrinkle coat photographs like glossy wet paint due to the bright studio lights but to the eye it appears matte black and looks great on the desk.

For the final bit of customization I swapped out the standard black feet for soft white rubber bumpers that I think add a touch of class. Like white patent leather shoes with a black tuxedo or white wall tires on an old classic car.

The Vibrocube nameplate is smaller than the standard Knoxville, TN nameplate and this latest revision sports a bold red outline stripe that greatly improves the look of the current screen printed plate.

Of course the best thing about a new key is putting it on the air. I've really enjoyed the Vibrocube and logged some nice contacts with it over the holiday weekend:

12/24/11 14.061 MHz (25 watts) AA1TH/qrp Boston, MA

12/24/11 14.048 MHz (100 watts) W0WM Sisseton, SD

12/24/11 14.055 MHz (100 watts) KJ6POQ San Lorenzo, CA

12/25/11 14.040 MHz (50 watts) KX5P Plano, TX

12/26/11 14.041 MHz (50 watts) N4ZMP Pensacola, FL

Power shown is my transmit power out. Rig is an Icom 718 HF transceiver. Antenna is an End Fed Half Wave wire (34 feet long) up 38 feet above ground. The Vibrocube is connected to a Logikey K5 electronic keyer which forms perfect dots and dashes. My putting them together in perfect order is another story entirely.

Merry Christmas from the Buckeye State!

2011-12-25T16:44:00.000-08:00

Special Event QSL Card

2011-12-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

News from A.R.S. W8MDE

2011-12-12T19:09:00.000-08:00

Freezing temperatures have finally driven me indoors. Well, at least until there is enough snow on the ground to get out the skis. Although I enjoy amateur radio all year round the winter time is the ideal season for the radio hobby. The days in the northern hemisphere are shorter which provides a greater window for nighttime propagation on the lower HF bands. Another benefit of winter is the absence of electrical storms. At 7 MHz and below atmospheric lightning makes it's presence known on our receivers in the form of obnoxious static crashes. Obviously I don't operate with thunderstorms in the immediate area but I can hear them at distances hundreds of miles away. A static crash from a lightning discharge can completely cover even a strong signal for a few seconds at a time. While not the end of the world it can be an annoying specifically when trying to copy weaker signals. During the dark winter months the noise floor on the bands is extra quiet and that makes operation easier whatever the game is.

Lately I've found myself at my radio desk with renewed vigor enjoying the quiet atmospheric conditions and enhanced propagation thanks to increasing solar activity as our sun draws ever nearer to the height of the latest solar cycle. Because greater sunspot numbers means increased solar radiation reaching Earth's atmosphere the upper HF bands (17, 15, 12, and 10 meters) have now come alive or "opened" allowing radio wave propagation. A curious side effect of this elevated solar wind acting on the ionosphere allows a bending of radio waves back to Earth instead of being lost out into space. This is good news in that whole swaths of radio spectrum are now available for reliable long range communications. I've noticed that the sun's effects are not just limited to the upper end of the HF spectrum. Signals on the bands that I frequent namely 80, 40 and 20 meters seem louder than ever. While these lower bands don't "close" or become completely unusable during sunspot minimums they certainly benefit from a hefty shot of solar activity like we are experiencing now.

Recently I spent some time on 10 meters (28 MHz) doing a bit of beacon hunting. Amateur propagation beacons are usually small 5 watt transmitters fed into simple vertical antennas. These installations broadcast a short looped transmission in CW or Morse Code that identifies the call sign and location of the beacon. In short order I had logged these amateur beacons:

WI6J/B Bakersfield, California

N7MA Rose Lake, Idaho

K6FRC/B Valley Springs, California

WA7LNW/B Hurricane Mesa Supersonic Research and Test Facility, 8 miles west of Zion National Park, Utah

Often just listening can be fun in amateur radio!

Activity also picks up during holidays and this year is no exception. On Thanksgiving night I powered up the station to test out my neglected Morse Code skills. My first CW contact in nearly two months took place on 40 meters with KD5ZLB who was operating portable from a cabin at Lake Hugo State Park in southern Oklahoma.

Next in the log was N2ESE, My friend Gary from New Jersey. Gary and I have enjoyed numerous conversations using Morse Code over the airwaves since I became licensed in 2008. Forging these long-distance friendships via ham radio is in my opinion one of the greatest aspects of the hobby.

I really could not tell any difference in my ability to send or receive the code after a month or more of non-use. I've heard it said that the code is much like riding a bike. One might become rusty after many years away but the ability is never totally lost.

I also snagged another special event for my collection. Using the digital mode PSK-31 I connected with VE3FRST, a special event station commemorating the UN International Year of Forests. VE3FRST is operated by Michael Bell, VE3NOO of Ontario, Canada. The first time I met Michael on the air was January 27, 2009 when he was operating another special event the "International Year of Astronomy". That contact was only my 23rd ham radio exchange over the air and was my first time working a special event station.

SKCC WEEK END SPRINT DEC 2011

I missed the October and November editions of the Straight Key Century Club's monthly operating event so I made it a point to be ready this past Saturday for the sprint Kickoff. I was in and out of the shack during the weekend working on other projects but did manage to make 44 contacts in 23 different states. Two of the contacts were French club members from across the Atlantic. F6HKA and a new member I worked for the first time: F5JWH.

My son has been learning geography in Social Studies class so I borrowed one of his blank outline maps of the United States to color in the various states as I established contact during the sprint. The map shows nearly universal coverage of my station to most of the continental U.S. but of particular interest is that I worked all three west coast states and Idaho, Nevada and Arizona. My first couple of years as a radio amateur during the sunspot minimum I rarely heard these states let alone work all of them in the span of a few hours.

Nothing like a little casual contesting to verify the effectiveness of the wireless station.

Last but not least is an interesting bit of ham radio trivia I just learned. For the first time in history of the United States the ranks of amateur radio license holders has exceeded 700,000. In almost four years I have contacted around 1,000 of them mostly using Morse Code.
That's a lot of beeps.

1952 Patent D-105529 Hobbleskirt

2011-12-04T16:27:00.000-08:00

On yesterday's ride I took a few breaks to do a little insulator scouting. I parked the HP Velo at the side of trail and hopped a small creek to inspect some ground under an old telegraph pole. This time of year all the leaves have fallen and strong winds blow the ground clear in places. At the base of a tree I saw the familiar glint of green glass and I thought ah-ha! an insulator. As I walked up I noticed the thing wasn't an insulator but a bottle. What I could see was just an inch or two of the thick green glass base of a narrow bottle stuck into the soft mud .

When I saw the embossed Script on the bottle with lack of printing inks or other decoration of modern times I realized I was holding a piece of real of 20th century American history. Because of my interest in antique glass insulators I am aware of the bottle collecting hobby. Once again an amateur archaeology project fell right into my lap. In the creek I rinsed loose the sediment from inside the bottle and tucked it safe into a side pocket of my seat back bag.

After some quick and easy research online I learned these facts:

Patent D-105529 Hobbleskirt Coke Bottle

Produced 1938-1951

Front emboss:

Coca-Cola

TRADE MARK REGISTERED

BOTTLE PAT, D-105529

Rear emboss:

Coca-Cola

TRADE MARK REGISTERED

MIN. CONTENTS 6 FL. OZS.

Produced 1951-1958

Front emboss:

Coca-Cola

TRADE MARK REGISTERED

IN U.S. PATENT OFFICE

Rear emboss:

Coca-Cola

TRADE MARK REGISTERED

MIN. CONTENTS 6 FL. OZS.

Produced 1958-1965

Front emboss:

Coca-Cola

TRADE MARK REGISTERED

IN U.S. PATENT OFFICE

Rear emboss:

Coca-Cola

TRADE MARK REGISTERED

MIN CONTENTS 6 1/2 FL OZS

Clearly visible embossing on the lower front reads:

5225

The first two digits represent the year the bottle was made 1952. It almost seems as though Coca-Cola knew their bottles might one day become collectible items so the designers made it easy for production runs to be easily identified and authenticated.

Another cool feature I learned about the "Hobbleskirt Bottle" is that the city that the bottle was from is embossed on the bottom. I found this bottle just outside the city limits of Mansfield, Ohio. Today lucky for the collector market this unique hierarchy of bottle production versus population density favors the small town distributors whose demand required smaller quantities of bottles. This means fewer surviving examples with small town embossed names compared to the well known big cities of America. Scarcity once helped by demand drives the value up fueling a healthy collector market.

During my photo shoot I went all out using the tripod and artificial lighting and also taking the opportunity to experiment with the white balance settings of my camera. While reviewing my shots I noticed that the second shot, the rear emboss detail the whole bottle looked crooked. To be sure I went back and set up again but this time I adjusted the white balance. The following images have a purple cast I don't like but more importantly after a careful alignment of camera and subject the second series of pictures shows the bottle is a true leaner. All I did was to rotate the bottle 180 degrees.

I did find some insulators too.

Nice dome glass on far right beehive.

Recumbent Ride

2011-12-03T15:48:00.000-08:00

The nice days keep coming my way so I ride. Earlier in the week the first snow fell in the area but today temperatures read between 50 - 55 degrees on the digital thermometer throughout my ride. Perfect weather I think and a few other diehards so the trail was mostly vacant just the way I like it.

Richand County B & O Trail

Bike: HP Velotechnick

Ride Time: 2:15:54

Distance: 29.68 miles

Average Speed: 13.1 mph

Max Speed: 21.9 mph

Bike Odometer: 2070 miles

Picture of the Day -- Bulldog Mack

2011-12-02T17:11:00.000-08:00

A camera lens is both the brush and the canvas.

I spotted this little piece of Americana by chance one day last month. An Icon from the trucking industry "Bulldog Mack" was a nickname given to early Mack cargo trucks supplied to the British during World War 1. Dutifully hauling troops and supplies to the front lines the British soldiers were impressed with the truck's reliability and brute toughness. Even the look of the truck was a characteristic that reminded them of their own national mascot the English Bulldog. Later in the 1920's the bulldog became the official corporate logo of Mack Trucks.

I found the little guy laying on his side forlorn looking and forgotten. His back legs had broken off from the base were he had once stood watch atop the grill of some big rig. I set him back up straight and proud, smiled and turned to walk away before I remembered my camera in my pocket. Serendipity often causes opportunity for the photographer and I've learned to always watch for interesting points of view.

I like how the elements of the background -weathered wood, iron and red barn siding all come together punctuating the diminutive yet tough looking form of Bulldog Mack. The November sun was low in the sky providing great contrast to bring out the features of the pugnacious canine face.

Shop Notes -- Skid Plate Installed

2011-11-29T07:28:00.000-08:00

As I documented in my last post I like to ride the Scrambler off the beaten path. Because of this I felt that adding a skid plate to my bike would be a good move to protect the leading edge of the crankcase and lower frame rails from road debris and stones picked up by the block tread of the front tire. A secondary benefit is gaining a few more style points. The skid plate just belongs on a bike of this type.

Exposed front end before the installation

Skid plate installed - ready for action.

The plate does have six vent holes in front to allow cooling air flow so some crud will find it's way through. Still better than no protection I found after the first hundred miles of mixed surface riding.

Mounting the Triumph accessory was a simple affair well within my limited wrenching abilities. A mounting bracket bolts to the front frame brace onto which the skid plate attaches with four machine screws. Before I started I reviewed the well written and illustrated installation instructions provided in pdf form by Triumph and kept the laptop on the workbench in case I needed to refer back to the guide.

A small challenge was centering the mounting bracket between the frame rails. The bolt holes on the bracket are slots allowing for a bit of lateral adjustment. The screw holes on the plate itself are round holes and do not allow any play. Once the skid plate is mounted the bolts on the bracket are inaccessible. If the plate is not centered the upper screws have to be removed and the lower screws backed out enough to allow the top edge of the plate to drop down clearing the two bracket bolts for wrench access. After about five tries I had the skid plate perfectly aligned with the two frame rails. (I've long suspected I have a mild case of OCD)

The same four screws can be later removed dropping the plate allowing access to the oil filter (black cylindrical object just aft of the plate). Some guy on the Internet did a "mod" on his plate by grinding away the material in the shape of a crescent allowing the oil filter canister to drop free without removing the skid plate. To me it's not a big deal to pull four screws. Besides I will occasionally want to clean and inspect the underside of the engine and frame rails so I see no reason to modify the part.

Ribbons of Smooth Clay

2011-11-26T16:38:00.000-08:00

Friday Ride -- Indians and Insulators

2011-11-25T18:00:00.000-08:00

Today I had an appointment for the first service on my motorbike. The Triumph factory ships the Scrambler with a light weight semi-synthetic engine oil specifically formulated for the break in period. After one month or 500 miles the oil filter is changed and a pure synthetic lubricant is added.

Another interesting feature of the modern Triumph motorcycle is a computer brain. Computer diagnostics is reason enough to work with my service department. With my bike plugged into a computer any fault or abnormality can be easily spotted. These are amazing times we live in today. I understand that back in the day it took a skilled tuner to keep a machine running at it's best. I appreciate the past and the skill of well trained and experienced engine mechanics but I'm also all for utilizing modern technology to make things easier. I've heard more than one tech say "I wish the other manufacturers would get on board and offer similar diagnostic programs".

I took a gamble with the weather but lady luck was on my side. I was on the road by 9:00am enjoying a calm and beautiful albeit crisp morning with temperatures in the 40's. The rising sun at my back warmed my black motorcycle jacket providing comfort despite the wind chill.

When I discovered this telegraph line along a CSX railroad track in Wyandot County I had to stop and take some pictures. This is a stretch of lines several miles north from the site of another series of photographs I took last year. Some of the insulators on this line looked familiar but I did notice some green beehives so what a treat to stumble blindly upon some historic antique glass insulators while not engaged in an actual "insulator hunt".

After the service the tech recommended a local sports bar where I did enjoy a perfectly grilled cheeseburger and fries. By this time the temperature had risen to a comfortable 55 degrees and I happily took the long way home logging a total of 106.2 miles for the day.

Shop Notes

2011-11-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

The weather lately has been hit and miss and with the short days what little time I have spent with my bikes has been out in the garage catching up on some basic maintenance. After 300 miles the Triumph Scrambler had finally accumulated a layer of road dust on the wheels and was ready for it's first chain lube.

The cleaning and detailing of my two-wheelers is for me almost as enjoyable as riding them. Getting up close and personal with the shiny bits on my machine not only enhances the pride of ownership aspect but can clue me in on patterns of wear or signs of impending component failure. Obviously there is no wear to be found on a new bike but that won't stop me from sitting on an upturned bucket carefully inspecting every inch of my machine. Checking fasteners, looking for leaks and basically studying the layout and engineering of the different systems.

Motorcycles and bicycles really have more in common than not. The only real difference is how they are powered. The first motorcycles were simply bicycles with a small motor bolted on. As the engines got bigger so in turn did the frame and other chassis components to better handle the stresses of torque and vibrations of the gasoline engine. Things have come a long way in nearly 120 years but some have not changed a bit. Just like the rigs in the Wright Brothers shop my bikes have two wheels, a couple sprockets and a drive chain.

With my bicycles chain maintenance is a breeze. I use a wax based lube that goes on wet but quickly dries. This keeps the chain fairly clean because the wax flakes off as I ride taking the dirt with it. Usually I will backpedal the cranks and apply the lube before each ride. A process that takes all of about ten seconds.

The job is basically the same on the motorbike but it is a bit more labor intensive. Due to the weight of the bike and absence of pedals one can't just pick up the back wheel and give it a spin to gain access to all of the drive chain. Years ago when I first got into motorcycles I would scoot the bike forward a couple feet in the parking lot to expose a length of chain and apply lube. Then repeat this about six times until I made it all the way around the chain. By the early 1990's a center stand on a motorbike was no longer standard equipment but something that had to be purchased extra. None of my bikes have ever had center stands so I've never had the luxury. The Scrambler does have mounting points for a stand but I worry I wouldn't have the strength to rock the heavy bike back into the stand. Besides I hesitate at the idea of bolting a big chunk of steel to the frame. A mindset carried over from many years of pedaling a bike under my own power I'm sure.

These days I use a hydraulic motorcycle lift to raise the wheels off the ground. With the transmission in neutral and again perched on my bucket I can spin the rear wheel with two fingers and work that chain till it sparkles! The lift is also indispensable for cleaning chrome rims and spokes. None of that polish what you can reach, scoot forward and repeat business. Spokes are a pain to take care of but they are old school cool and I wouldn't want it any other way.

On the motorcycle I use an aerosol based lube and cleaner for the chain. These products are unlike the White Lightning that can be cleanly dripped onto the bicycle chain. The spray can blasts it's contents everywhere. To protect the rubber and wheel from over spray I cut a piece of plastic to fit up tight behind the sprocket and exposed length of chain completely shielding the wheel. The material is inexpensive corrugated plastic from a sign shop. I made a second piece so I have one shield for the cleaner and one for lube. After I'm done I weight down the plastic pieces on the wood pile and put them away later after the distillates have evaporated. A much better solution than a pile of oil soaked cardboard.

Insulator Post -- CD 145 California

2011-11-21T05:06:00.000-08:00

Now that most of the CD styles made by the California Glass Insulator Company are represented in my collection I base my searches on color. This California Beehive looks a bit yellow being influenced by an early November sunset. It's true color is nearly clear with just a trace of lilac tint. I saw this insulator on eBay and was lucky enough to win the piece. Joining the purple and sage green CD 145's in my collection this clear example will contrast nicely.

Although the clear color is what guided my decision to go after this particular insulator I did discover an interesting feature once I received the package in the mail. The color was represented well in the seller's photographs but what was not visible until I had the piece in my hands was thin fine lines flowing smoothly all around the surface of the glass. These lines appear like curving contour marks on a topographic map. The insulator also has a dull hazy appearance as if it had been buried for some time. Initially I thought this might be a good candidate for tumbling and polishing but now I realize the strange surface anomaly adds a unique and distinctive character to the insulator.

Photos by LeeAnn

2011-11-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

My wife talked me into being her subject for a photo shoot. Nice job LeeAnn. She uses a Canon with various lenses. I may be a bit biased to the subject material but I think she does a great job with a camera. The site is an abandoned drive-in theater slowly turning back into farmland. All that remains is a couple screens and the crumbling projection building.

Weather Event

2011-11-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

A single line of severe weather passed through and dropped some hail stones on North Central Ohio Monday 7:00 pm local time. The high temperature today was nearly 70 degrees F. Strong winds blew all day and by early evening the skies darkened ominously. Just after nightfall after returning home from grocery shopping I was caught out in a deluge with thunder and lightning and sideways rain. I waited out the hailstorm safe in my car parked in the driveway. Thinking quick after the storm passed I got the camera. The large pieces are about 1/2" in diameter.

Indian Mill -- Wyandot County

2011-11-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

On my bicycles I can easily traverse out to about a 25 mile radius from my home in any direction under my own power. For the time spent in the saddle I can double or even triple this radius by riding the motorcycle. This place called the Indian Mill along the Sandusky River in Wyandot County I pass on my way to the Triumph Dealer in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. The Indian Mill built in 1820 is a picturesque piece of early Ohio history tucked away off the beaten path that I may never have stumbled upon had it not been for my motorcycle.

I live in a unique geographical location in Ohio at the point where some rivers flow north towards Lake Erie and others flow south eventually to the Ohio River and on to the Mississippi. The Sandusky is one such river that twists it's way northward. The flow of the water over the low head dam and the shadows cast by the mill and bridge show the orientation of the November midday sun to my left (South) as I shot the photograph.

Another great weekend in November with the temperature rising into the fifties is just right for any type of cycling. On a bicycle the effort of pedaling keeps one plenty warm on a 50 degree day. A motorcycle jacket and pants along with a full face helmet and gloves wards off the chill nicely on a powered cycle. I've been taking advantage of these last few days until the freezing temperatures brings out the road crews with their salt and brine solutions.

The mill is now a museum operated by the Ohio Historical Society. Not yet opened for the day when I came through, I will make it a point to come back to this point of interest and investigate further.

My favorite use for a motorcycle besides practical transportation is as a time machine of sorts. My new Triumph Scrambler fills this role perfectly. From highway to farmer's tractor path the Scrambler has already proven itself a worthy adventure platform. Reading books and the Internet are great ways to learn of history and the world at large but nothing beats getting out on two wheels and exploring the back country firsthand. Physical links to our past are plentiful if one takes the time to seek them out. Examples of early American architecture and infrastructure are by nature rural and to find them it's just a quick trip past the urban sprawl and out into the countryside.

A plaque by this display reads:

Millstones

Used by the Wyandots before the Indian Mill was built in 1820. Top stone was turned by means of a wooden bar, and 10 to 12 bu. of raw grain per day could be ground.

Wyandot County Historical Society

Sandusky River, Wyandot County, Ohio

Insulator Post -- CD160 -- Baby Signal

2011-11-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

This post brings to end my ad hoc insulator week showcasing my recent purchases from the Mid Ohio Insulator Show. I hope they look as good on the cyberspace windowsill as they do here in my home.

This baby signal has an even gray color I like with just a hint of plum up in the dome glass. Like another baby signal in my collection this one has an underpour at the base caused by an insufficient amount of glass placed into the mold before pressing.

Insulator Post -- CD 161 -- Signal

2011-11-11T04:39:00.000-08:00

The Signal insulators were the workhorses of the telegraph line. Dits and dahs of railroad business, news and even personal telegrams streamed along copper wire attached to this sage green beauty.

Some collectors like insulators with what we call "Junk in Glass". At the top of the skirt just below the wire groove two small pieces of fire brick from the furnace are forever suspended inside the glass. This is a fairly common occurrence in older insulators that adds a bit of charm and character.

Insulator Post -- CD 121 -- California Toll

2011-11-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

Here is an attractive purple insulator that just filled a blank CD spot in my collection. Tolls were a standard design made by many glass houses for use on telephone toll circuits.

Embossing:

A007

CALIFORNIA

Insulator Post -- CD 260 -- Roman Helmet

2011-11-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

This power insulator with the great nickname: "Roman Helmet" is one of my latest finds from the Springfield show this year. The insulator fills a void in my California collection being one of the few CD numbers not yet represented in my group. The sage green color that I captured nicely in full sun is the most common out of the handful of colors in which these insulators can be found.

My specimen is not perfect with a couple small flakes at the top of the ears. This is common damage found on these types of insulators whose ears stick out susceptible to dings from drops or rough handling. Although a common color this insulator is a relatively rare CD number made by the California Glass Insulator Company and now becomes the most valuable piece in my modest collection. While not perfect I am glad to have it proudly displayed with my other Californias.

I endured some mental anguish as tried to decide whether to splurge on this piece or purchase a few lesser priced California insulators that turned up on dealer shelves this year. In the end I made my decision on the Roman Helmet because I have been wanting one for a while and I love the sage green color.

The California CD 260 was put into service on electrical distribution lines from San Diego to as far north as Oregon and Washington State. The dealer that sold me this insulator told me that it has never been in a collection before. He purchased it from the son of a lineman who removed it from it's original line. He didn't know exactly the location of the line but it was somewhere in the Golden State. A vague history at best but still interesting and a perfect example of how most antique insulators find their way into the hands of collectors.

Snooping around the Internet I found a picture of California CD 260's still in service. The helmets were discovered during a restoration of a historic site near Huntington Beach, California. The picture shows the insulator installed in an inverted fashion that was probably common inside of mills and other industrial buildings requiring high voltage service.

Link

41st Annual Mid Ohio Insulator Show

2011-11-08T09:34:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I made the 80 mile pilgrimage to Springfield, Ohio for the third year in a row. This time I took my son Wyatt with me because kids need new experiences. Normally when I mention insulators he rolls his eyes but watching him at the show I could tell he was impressed with the many shapes, sizes and colors of antique glass insulators all gathered together under one roof here in the Buckeye State. With the age demographic of insulator collecting being what it is I could tell many of the exhibitors were happy to see a young face in the venue. One astute dealer noticed Wyatt's enthusiastic reaction when he recognized a pile of threaded wooden pins for sale. The dealer was quick to grab a pin and an insulator and screw the two together as a little demonstration. We had a good time and I was proud that he seemed to stay interested the entire time as we made our way up and down the isles.

I did not take a lot of pictures this time around but I did find a couple interesting things to document. To ogle some pretty glass from last year's show click Here. The following pictures from the display area show how insulators were used for other purposes besides holding telecoms and power wires.

This is a fantastic collection of porcelain insulators on display. Although not one of my interests these glazed and fired pottery pieces sure do look nice all lined up together. In the collecting world these pieces are referred to as "mud". They did start out as lumps of clay after all. The artsy looking glazes on the insulators reminds me of old coffee cups in my grandparents kitchen that had a very similar look.

My goal is to one day have a nice collection worthy of display at Springfield and spend the weekend talking insulators and hanging out with the great people in the hobby.

We headed towards home in the afternoon but not empty handed. I found a few California's to add to the collection even finding two new CD numbers that I didn't have yet. Stay tuned for more insulator fun!

Insulators in the Wild

2011-11-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

The purpose of my motorcycle ride on Sunday was actually to stop and take photographs of this line of telegraph poles I spotted a few months ago from the local Wall Mart parking lot. The line runs in the middle of a railroad yard tucked out of the way explaining it's existence still today in 2011. A few aqua colored pieces are still in place but most of the insulators are clear glass dating to the 1930's and 40's. All the wires have been snipped except for a pair of lines tied to porcelain power insulators visible in the photos.

In this photograph a pair of unusual looking bracketed insulators are mounted on the top cross arm just to the right of the pole. Those two really have my interest piqued.

Using the zoom lens of my little Cannon quickly degrades the quality of the image so I try to get as close to the poles as possible while minimizing use of the digital zoom. Ideally I should be using my wife's SLR but that would be impractical to drag alone on the bikes. The insulators are best observed by clicking and viewing the original images.

The intent of my "Insulators in the Wild" project is to find and photographically document the few telegraph lines that still exist in my home state of Ohio. Hopefully these relics will be around for many more years to be enjoyed by those with the inclination to look. It's apparent in many of my pictures that the ravages of time and exposure to the elements are slowly deconstructing the last evidence of the telegraph era. In the last three years as an insulator collector my little sub-hobby of line hunting has become a rewarding pursuit in it's own respect.

The Hills of North Central Ohio

2011-11-06T14:24:00.000-08:00

With the mercury in the thermometer topping out at just over 60 degrees and sunny skies on a November Sunday afternoon I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be than on one of my two wheelers. Today I rode in four counties logging over 100 miles through the scenic hills of North Central Ohio. The high point of my journey was the curvy roads of Mohican State Park in Southern Ashland County. Mohican country offers everything for the outdoorsman. Killer mountain bike trails, camping, fishing/hunting, hiking and miles of twisty state routes and by-ways for motorcycle adventure. I've mentioned before on this blog that I'm lucky to have this outdoor paradise a short 45 minute ride from my home.

Friday Ride -- 2012 Triumph Scrambler

2011-11-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

This edition of the Friday Ride features some beautiful scenery on a crisp November afternoon and a new set of wheels. I've recently become the proud owner of this fine looking British motorcycle and rather than pedal today I decided to exercise my wrist and let some chilly fall air cool the 865cc parallel twin.

For the past twenty years I have ridden Japanese cruisers and over time I have grown tired of the foreword controls and raked out front forks of the traditional cruiser style bikes. With my feet stretched out in front all my weight sat directly on my tailbone. That arrangement was fine for short trips but any longer than an hour with no way to shift my body weight around grew tiresome to say the least.

Over the years I have carefully considered a few factors that might define my idea of the perfect motorcycle. I first learned how to ride a motorbike in the mountains of Western Montana on a little Suzuki enduro. I'll never forget that bike with it's wide handlebars and upright standard riding position. My idea of the perfect ride is ambling along the back roads taking my time enjoying the view and the interaction with the machine I'm riding. Many times in the past on my cruiser with low pipes and chrome all gleaming I'd come across a dusty dirt road leading off to who knows where. Regretfully I would always stick to the pavement and have to put my wanderlust to rest, besides cruisers handle poorly on gravel.

When I first laid eyes on the Scrambler I thought that just might be the bike for me. Then I saw some YouTube videos of riders out in the desert southwest on Scramblers and I was sold. Today motorcycles are very much categorized by their intended usage and styling cues run the gamut unlike the auto industry where every sedan pretty much looks the same -sterile boring homogeny.

The Scrambler's lineage can be traced back sixty years to the Triumph TR6 Trophy with a 650cc engine. The TR6 was nicknamed the "desert sled" due to it's popularity with off road racers in the American South West in the 1950s and 60s and to this day the Triumph 650 is still a popular power plant used in dirt track racing. The Trophy variants even made their way into popular culture in the Steve McQueen movie "The Great Escape" disguised as a BMW R75. What motorcyle fan could forget the TR5 ridden by that cool guy from 1970's tv "The Fonz"? It's no surprise a bike with such an interesting family tree would one day find it's way to my garage.

The Scrambler, one of several bikes in Triumph's Classics line shares the same 52.7 cubic inch motor as the Bonneville models with one exception. A different cam changes the firing angle to 270 degrees instead of the Bonneville's 360 degree firing angle. This change reduces overall horsepower of the Scrambler but improves the low RPM torque, a characteristic of an off road style bike. Granted the Scrambler is really a road bike with semi-knobby Bridgestones I have a feeling it will serve me well on the occasional dirt road adventure. The wide bar and standard riding position feels natural to me increasing safety and control. Modern electronic fuel injection and hydraulic disc brakes front and rear along with the cool retro style completes the package.

Recumbent Ride -- Quarry Loop 2011

2011-10-30T15:44:00.000-07:00

With cold weather coming on quick I decided to seize the day and ride the Quarry Loop. I like to get out and ride this 50 mile route at least once a year. The loop travels completely through rural farmland with no services available anywhere so a little planning is always in order. In my recumbent's seat back bag I filled my 70 ounce bladder and added a 20 ounce bottle of Gatoraid for good measure.

The temperature was hovering around 50 degrees F which is perfect for keeping my cheese and liquids cool. The first 12 miles I had a good tailwind but took it easy to save my energy knowing I had alot of miles to cover.

About three quarters of an hour into my ride I reached a milestone on the recumbent. I stopped to take a picture of the odometer after it ticked over to 2000 miles. I keep a paper log book where I record each ride so every one of those 2000 miles I pedaled on this bike are accounted for.

The quarry lies about mid-point in the ride and is a good place to stop and take a break. There is a bridge that spans the gap between the old and new sections of the quarry. During last year's ride I found the road closed and was forced to detour around the bridge because it was being rebuilt. I was anxious to get back to the area and check out the new construction.

Snack break at the new quarry bridge

View from bridge looking South

View from bridge looking North

It's very probable the four tons of gravel my son and I carried to the back yard this summer for the shed base came from this quarry.

After a short break I continued on to the third leg of the loop and turned into a direct headwind from the south. This knocked a couple miles per hour off my speed but thats life on two wheels when your the engine.

The recumbent draws a crowd wherever I go.

On the backside of the quarry the ground undulates gently providing some easy rollers that makes the ride interesting for a bit. After a few miles the terrain looks likes this:

Pancake flat glacial plains with a headwind my favorite -Not!

Soon the golden fall foliage will be just a memory.

At 2:07:25 I hit 30 miles and was pleased with my pace. I expected today's ride to be over four hours because my riding lately has been pretty sporadic. Encouaged by my 30 mile time I kept the hammer down knowing I would soon turn East and the Southerly wind would be coming at my side and not a detriment on the last leg of my journey. After 40 miles I still felt good with just an overall dull fatigue. No knee discomfort or shin pains which I remember experiencing on this ride in the past. As usual the molded seat of my recumbent was very comfortable. I love this bike for long rides!

Rolling ever closer to home and watching the clock I saw I was going to make it well under four hours and that gave me the incentive to keep the crank spinning.

Quarry Loop

Bike: HP Velotechnik Street Machine

Ride Time: 3:41:44

Distance: 51.76 miles

Average Speed: 14 mph

Max Speed: 27.1 mph

HP Velo Odometer: 2039.5 miles

Recumbent Ride

2011-10-26T15:42:00.000-07:00

After a long, hard day at the office the last thing I want is to be hunched over my road bike bars.

Urban Recumbent Ride

Ride Time: :56:53

Distance: 11.68 Miles

Average Speed: 12.3 MPH

Max Speed: 20.7 MPH

HP Velo Odometer: 1987.77 Miles

http://www.hpvelotechnik.com/index_e.html

Radio Contact -- NB9QV -- USS Cobia (SS-245)

2011-10-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Photo: navsource.org

Sunday morning I made single-sideband radio contact with a WW2 submarine. No I wasn't transmitting through some strange radio time warp but was fortunate enough to meet an operator from the NB9QV, USS Cobia Amateur Radio Club aboard the 69 year old Gato-Class submarine.

Working special event stations on ham radio is one of my favorite activities. I stumbled upon this event quite by accident as I was well outside of my normal hf haunt at the bottom of the 40 meter band. I tuned in the strong sideband signal at 7.233 MHz. After listening awhile and checking the band plan to make sure my General Class license allowed me to transmit at that frequency I decided to give it a go and see if I could get this unique station in my log.

After digging out a microphone and connecting it to my transceiver I waited for an opportunity to answer the CQ calls from the sub. The Ops on board were working a steady stream of amateurs but it was not difficult at all to slip my call in and establish contact. I've already sent out my QSL card in the mail to confirm the contact and request a certificate commemorating the event. Never in my life did I think I would one day communicate via high frequency radio with a WW2 submarine. Cool!

Photo: Dale C. Haskin

Here is the lowdown on the Cobia from the NB9QV qrz.com page:

NB9QV is the callsign for the USS COBIA Amateur Radio Club aboard the WWII submarine USS COBIA SS-245 docked in the harbor adjacent to the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. The Museum is located in Manitowoc, Wisconsin which is about 80 miles north of Milwaukee. Why Manitowoc? Because the shipyard in Manitowoc built 28 submarines during the war or about 10% of the total fleet.

The COBIA was launched on the 28th of November 1943 and was assigned the wartime callsign NBQV by the US Navy. The original wartime radio equipment, which provided all communications for her six war patrols in the Pacific Theater, has been fully restored and is used for various club events.

The radio shack has two RAK-6 and two RAL-6 receivers. A TBL-12 transmitter puts out 400W to the topside longwire antennas. The TBL runs on standard ships power which is 250VDC via a motor-generator set. There is also a complete TCS-8 setup. This gear allows the COBIA to transmit and receive on any frequency from 30KHz to 22Mhz. All operating frequencies are set by a LM-18 frequency meter.

The COBIA’s Radar system has been restored to full working order. The radar is linked to a mechanical computer which calculates a target’s course. It has a usable range of 40,000 yards(22 miles) and is now the oldest operational radar system in the world.

During the COBIA’s six war patrols she sank 13 Japanese vessels to account for a total of over 18,000 tons of Japanese shipping. On July 13,1944 she sank the 9,500 ton NISHU MARU carrying troops and tanks to reinforce Japanese defenders on IWO JIMA. The COBIA experienced her most exciting encounter during her fourth war patrol in 1945 in a running surface gun battle with two Japanese Sea trucks. The COBIA sent both to the bottom, but suffered her only casualty of the war, Ralph Clark Houston a 20mm gun loader. She was also responsible for rescuing 7 downed allied airmen. After the war the COBIA continued to serve in various missions until 1959 and then an additional eleven years as a training vessel for the Naval Reserve. Since her arrival in Manitowoc the COBIA has undergone an almost complete restoration inside and out to bring the submarine to her World War II fighting condition.

The “USS COBIA” is open for tour’s year round at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc,Wisconsin. Sleepovers on the sub are also available. Reference website: http://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/index.php for more information.

Photo: Bill Gonyo

Photos by LeeAnn

2011-10-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

I've always had a camera but I credit my wife for inspiring me to always look for the best angle in my photography. Here are some shots she took this weekend at Mt. Gilead State Park.

My Bike Shop

2011-10-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Road Bike Ride

2011-10-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

After three days of nonstop rain I finally ventured out for a ride on the Motobecane road bike. The temperatures were chilly in the lower fifties but I layered up accordingly had a nice ride. I rode the B & O rail trail, a spur line that connects Mansfield, Ohio to the north and Butler, Ohio at the southernmost end. As part of the expansive Baltimore and Ohio network this line once traveled much deeper towards Southern Ohio but the bike path ends at Butler. Riding the entire length of the trail both directions makes for a solid workout.

I remembered my camera but noticed when I turned it on I had forgot the memory card. Trust me it was a beautiful day with many of the leaves still remaining in late autumn yellow and browns. This year the fall colors came on quick and were nearly gone just as fast.

The titanium Motobecane felt super after a couple of weeks of mainly urban cruising and commuting on the general purpose bike. I did make one small adjustment to my seat. During my last few rides I felt a bit cramped on the bike and sure enough when I moved the seat back on it's rails about 1/8" I noticed an improvement. If there is one piece of advice I would give to cyclists its don't be afraid to take advantage of the adjustable parts on your bicycle. The small tweaks can have a great effect on your comfort going into the second and third hours on the road. It takes me about 500 miles on a particular bike to get everything dialed in and feeling natural and with this bike I think I'm getting close.

Richland County B & O Trail

Bike: Motobecane Le Champion

Ride Time: 2:33:00

Distance: 37.3 Miles

Average Speed: 14.5 MPH

Max Speed: 20.2 MPH

Motobecane Odometer: 330 Miles

35mm Film and Motorcycles

2011-10-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

In a previous post I mentioned my old 35mm film camera. It was just a simple Kodak point and shoot from the late 1980's with the door in the back to load the film canister. My mother gave me the camera as gift about the time I graduated from high school and I carried it with me during my military service. These pictures I took the summer of 1991 on the cliffs overlooking the Spokane Valley in Eastern Washington State. I've long since lost the negatives but the pictures themselves have stood up fairly well over the last twenty years. I thought I better get busy digitizing them and add as original content to my blog.

Pictured is my first motorcycle. I'm not just a fan of human powered cycles. I also like bikes with motors. Even as a boy I was motorcycle crazy. I had that plastic box and hand grip on my bicycle that made an engine revving sound when you twisted the grip. And of course I had the wind up Evel Knievel motorcycle toy, It was the seventies after all. Later as a teenager I subscribed to motorcycle magazines and grew quite informed in the world of gas powered two-wheelers. However there was one fly in the ointment. My mom would not allow me to have a motorcycle while I lived under her roof. I had some limited experience riding friend's mopeds and three-wheeled all terrain vehicles (remember those?) so the seed was sown and I would just have to bide my time.

1988 Yamaha XV250UC

Once I had established myself at my permanent duty station and saved up enough scratch for a down payment I bought this little cruiser brand new. I still remember riding it off from the dealer and putting 50 miles on the machine that first day cruising the Eastern Washington countryside. 20 years and 11,000 miles later the bike sits in my garage today looking very much like it does in these pictures with maybe a scratch or two to show for all that time.

The bike needs a carburetor rebuild and is not currently licenced so I'm not riding it at this time. The little V-twin doesn't take up much space in the garage and just seeing it in passing brings back a flood of great memories. I don't know how many times I've heard guys say "I wish I still had my first car" or whatever from back in the day.

I have a local mechanic whom I've relied on for years for help with more advanced maintenance issues so one day we'll get the bike back on the road.

Feld Hell Sprint -- Oct 15, 2011 -- A.R.S. W8MDE

2011-10-17T06:31:00.000-07:00

I had fun this weekend participating in the Feld Hell Sprint on amateur radio. Feld Hell or Hellschreiber as it was originally known is my favorite digital mode. I love the primitive appearance of the type as it scrolls out on the monitor and the peculiar sound of the incoming signals. I wrote a post about the history of this fascinating mode and it's inventor here.

Actual screen captures would have looked better on the blog but it was easier to just snap quick pictures with the point and shoot as I made contacts during the sprint. I thought this would make a good illustration of how the Feld Hell Sprint works. The contest exchange is simple and quick. Operators transmit a signal report, club member number, State/Country and grid locator. The goal is to make the most contacts in a 2 hour period.

Randy, K7AGE produced a great video on YouTube explaining Hellschreiber and shows the mode in action. Link here. Randy's videos inspired me to get into the digital modes on high frequency amateur radio. I highly recommend checking them out.

K3QIA - Berwick, PA

K3TXT - Edgewater, MD

W8MDE calling CQ and getting a bite

A nice 5 watt signal from K4RCH/QRP in Culpeper, VA

N8EWX - Hilliard, OH

KJ8O - Troy, MI

N9YDZ/ Mobile in Missouri not quite 599 but perfectly readable.

KD8GNC - Columbus, OH

Post Sprint QSO between KJ8O and KD8GNC

Solid copy - TG9AHM Guatemala City

I received excellent copy from Emmanuel, TG9AHM in Guatemala on 15 meters but try as I might I could not reach him.

Fall Hike at Clear Fork

2011-10-16T14:07:00.000-07:00

Once in a while I take a picture with my digital camera that reminds me of my old 35mm film camera.

Prehistoric Stone Point Found In Ohio

2011-10-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

While I'm out on my bike looking at leaves I'm not always looking up or riding. As I was walking along inspecting some bare ground my eye instantly recognized a familiar shape. I reached for the primitive stone weapon and nearly plucked it from it's rain worn perch before I remembered I had my camera. The next two pictures show the point in it's undisturbed position as I found it. The first photograph shows the edge of a small gully formed by rain runoff. The point rests on the edge atop a pillar of dirt shaped like the point itself.

An interesting effect of erosion

The second photograph was taken looking straight down. The lip of the gully is just discernible at about midpoint in the frame. The bottom of the gully (top of frame) is slightly out of focus.

This awesome find was expertly knapped from flint mined by prehistoric Native Americans in Coshocton County about 70 miles away from where I found the point in Crawford County. This fact shows the wide distribution of the dark gray flint stone. Even though the point has suffered some damage over the years it's still a great example of an "Ohio Blue".

Sharpest Tool in the Shed

2011-10-11T16:45:00.000-07:00

Titanium General Purpose Bike

"I like my wheel-brows low and frame tubes made of metal."

Bikes are made for warm fall days.

Antenna Testing At W8MDE

2011-10-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to set up the KD8JHJ 40 Meter Vertical Antenna in the back yard and perform some testing. Because I built this antenna during the past two years while I held my original call sign I've decided to refer to it by this name even though I now have a new amateur radio call sign.

During my last testing sessions earlier this year I was unable to attain a good match anywhere near the 40 Meter band (7 MHz). During this deployment I did one thing different and discovered why my initial efforts to establish resonance at 7 MHz failed. Because space is limited in my backyard I used some 16' 6" radial wires I had made up for another project. These radial wires I constructed with ring terminals at each end not only facilitating easy connection to the radial plate below the match box but also allowing me to anchor the other end of the radial wire to earth using a 8" steel spike. Using this method I effectively connected the coax shield to ground thus completing the antenna circuit allowing the antenna to resonate in the 40 Meter band.

In past testing I secured the ends of the radials to plastic stakes using short lengths of poly antenna cord thinking that because the radials were elevated they did not need to make positive electrical contact with Earth. Obviously a vertical antenna needs to work against ground.

I had the vertical up and down probably twenty times this weekend as I optimized the coil observing the SWR on my antenna analyzer as I added or removed turns from the loading coil. Once I achieved the best looking curve I placed a length of heat shrink tube over the coil and sealed the upper end with black electrical tape. I left the bottom end open so in case moisture does enter the coil area it can dry.

Match box and radial plate

Parallel shunt inductance coil to match the antenna to a 50 Ohm transmission line

I connected the other end of the feed line to my antenna switch and with my transmitter set to the CW mode I sent out CQ CQ CQ de W8MDE using Morse code. For this initial transmitting test I set my power at 25 watts. I was pleased to hear K9VON answering my call. Ross, located in Peach Tree City, Georgia 517 miles away was copying my signal and reported a 359 RST. Before my next transmission I increased power to 50 watts and Ross then reported 579 reception.

Later at 7.032 MHz I heard the CQ calls of WA1HFF. I answered this call and promptly received a 599 report from Steve in Springfield, Mass. 538 miles away. I am very happy with these first two contacts using an antenna I made with my own two hands. To learn Morse code and use it in radio communications is an achievement in it's own right but to do it with my homebrew antenna is icing on the proverbial cake.

For reception testing I tuned around the band and using the antenna switch I could easily compare signals heard between the 66 foot end fed wire and the vertical. Most signals seemed to be about an S-unit less on the vertical versus the horizontal wire. Not a big deal as I could easily copy all signals on either antenna. Overall I am very pleased with the results of my first attempt at a high frequency radio antenna.

I don't have fancy antenna modeling software but using the MFJ-259B analyzer I can provide these figures which illustrate SWR curve.

7.180 MHz 1.2 SWR 7.292 MHz

7.129 1.3 SWR 7.308

7.090 1.4 SWR 7.353

7.031 1.5 SWR 7.370

6.889 2.0 SWR 7.485

For additional information click on the "40 Meter Vertical" label below.

Brandi Carlile -- The Kent Stage -- Oct 1, 2011

2011-10-06T04:43:00.000-07:00

For my wife's birthday we took a drive up to Kent, Ohio for dinner and a show. As I have noted before in these blog pages we are music fans and enjoy hearing our favorite artists play live. The Kent Stage is a small theater built in 1927. Operated as a movie theater for more than 80 years the Kent Stage is now operated by the Western Reserve Folk Arts Association whose purpose is to preserve and support traditional music and arts through, education, concerts, festivals and workshops.

This venue provides my favorite setting for live music. Because the place is smaller the amps don't need to be turned up to eleven and we were lucky enough to score second row seats. As my wife pointed out we listen to our favorite act's recorded music all the time. Its nice to come to a show and see their faces. I couldn't agree more.

Mountain Bike Ride -- Alley Scramble

2011-10-03T06:46:00.000-07:00

Yeti F.R.O. (chromoly steel) Single Speed

Has it been raining a lot or is it just me? Saturday afternoon the rain tapered off and I stole away for a little fat tired cruise. I have not been out on the Yeti in quite some time and even though I didn't ride any single track it was still nice to feel the buzz of the knobbies. I call this ride an "Alley Scramble" because it avoids pavement for the most part navigating around my town using the network of alley ways and rail road double track as shown in the picture. The ride also typically involves a lap or two around the up ground reservoir which contains my towns fresh water supply.

For this type of riding I run 40 psi in the front and rear tires and set the air chambers of my Rock Shox Sid to the prescribed recommendation for a 160 lb rider. My customary 32/20 single speed gearing is much to low for flat land cruising so I change out the 20 tooth cog for a 15. I have no computer on this bike but I imagine I top out around 10 or 12 mph with the 15 tooth cog installed.

Unfortunately a trip to the hills and woods to ride on real mountain bike trails involves loading up the car and driving. If I've got just a little time to spare and that knobby tired itch to scratch the Alley Scramble usually does the job.

News at Amateur Radio Station W8MDE

2011-09-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

It's been rainy so I've been getting on the air.

W8MDE is my new amateur radio call sign. My old call sign was KD8JHJ.

http://www.vanityhq.com/

Call Sign CW Weight Results

Call sign Weight

KD8JHJ 82

W8MDE 54

K8MDE 54

N8MDE 50 (shortest)

Weight is determined by the number of dots, dashes and spaces that make up a call sign in Morse code. The lesser the weight the less effort and time expended during sending.

Check out my new bio page at http://qrz.com/ put my call sign in the search.

Some recent activations:

September 2011 SKCC Week End Sprint

(last wes under call sign KD8JHJ)

7.057 00:47 N2WT MD John 4965T

7.109 00:57 KB2RAW NY Bill 6539T

7.111 01:01 W4NA VA Nate 5262T

7.112 01:06 K9SKC NY George 2836T

7.110 01:19 N0UMP MO Bill 659T

7.058 01:25 WA1lWS MD Hans 1933T

7.056 01:35 AC8JD MI Joe 8107C

7.054 01:40 K1LEE CT Lee 7246

7.052 01:43 W3OKC PA Steve 7186T

14.053 01:55 AD5VC LA Dana 1555T

7.057 02:13 NW3K NY Dean 7330T

7.055.5 02:25 W1LVT VT Len 3932T

7.052 14:15 WQ9Z IL Roy 325T

7.055.5 14:20 N4PGJ NY Ron 6869T

14.046 15:26 F6HKA FRA Bert 6069T

Crawford County Amateur Radio Club

50 Years of Service Special Event

I consider it near sacrilege to not activate a cw (Morse code) station at my club's 50th Aniversary Special Event. The weather forecasts called for rain and storms but we got lucky. I set up in the open and enjoyed an afternoon of rare sunshine. Went home and changed into shorts.

W8BAE

Whiskey 8 Bacon And Eggs

7060 14:45 N8KZH WV Ron

7060 14:51 KB3LGO PA Walt

7060 14:55 AB8EL OH Don

7060 15:26 WB3BIQ PA Rick

7060 16:00 W8DP WV Dallas

7060 16:30 KD8OTT MI Bryon

7060 16:44 K3PR PA Joe

7060 17:41 K9LWA IN Bob

7060 18:57 K8JV MI Jim

7061 19:30 KC9SNC WI Don

2 Sides Primed

2011-09-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

A break in the weather allowed me to get a coat of white primer on two sides of the shed. I was looking through my painting supplies in the basement this morning and found nearly a whole gallon of exterior white primer and a full gallon of exterior latex house and trim paint so that saves me about 40 dollars. With two sides done less than half a gallon of the primer is left so I may have to break down and buy another can.

This is the reason I went crazy with the gravel. The day the shed was built it rained on and off for hours. I took this picture the next day 24 hours after the rain had passed. The photo is a great example of how wet the back end of my property can be even days after torrential rains.

This is the shed of my next door neighbor Frank Horton. Frank's shed is over 20 years old and still looking good. A World War II veteran in his 90's Frank stays active still mowing his own grass and puttering around his property enjoying his retirement.

Shed Construction Complete

2011-09-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

At 6:45 am this morning before it was even light the shed crew showed up to assemble the components of the 8' x 10' storage shed. These two young men worked as a well oiled machine completing the building and off to their next job by 8:15 am.

I ended up needing two additional tons of limestone to complete the base providing a level surface for the construction. This brings the grand total of stone to 8,180 pounds or just over 4 tons. Every last shovel full transported by hand the 80 feet from the driveway back to the construction site.

The last task which only requires a couple sunny days will be a bit of caulking and painting of the exterior surfaces.

Urban Loop

2011-09-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

A little time to kill on a Sunday afternoon.

Ride Time: 53:54

Distance: 10.04 miles

Average Speed: 11.1 mph

Max Speed: 22.3 mph

More Rolling Stones

2011-09-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

View North

View South

After a good soaking of rain I used the human powered roller and noticed that the limestone settled even more from just four passes. The back of my yard to the East has a very slight downhill grade. I decided that my shed base would follow this contour allowing rain gutters to drain the same direction as the surrounding ground. An extra two feet of gravel on each side of the shed will aid in runoff if I decide not to use rain gutters and spouts.

The weather this afternoon was bright and sunny but cool. 56 F / 13 C is nearly a 50 degree difference in temperature from the start of my shed project. I have to find my hat.

Shed News

2011-09-14T04:46:00.000-07:00

After three trailer loads I now have 4,180 pounds of number 57 limestone spread out for the base of my shed. It looks as if I will need another ton to raise the grade to the level I want. The wheel barrow has proven it's effectiveness in transporting every last pound from the driveway back to the shed site.

A sharp eye will spot fossilized remains among the gravel.

This cool tool is a human powered lawn roller that came with the house when we bought the property. I use this 300 pound steel roller to smooth out the ground before erecting the swimming pool and flattening lumpy turf in the springtime after the ground has thawed. I noticed that it works exceptionally well for compacting the stone of the shed base. Walking on the rolled limestone feels more like a paved surface than a loose pile of stones. After spreading out the final load of rock I will roll it some more and the result should be a very flat and stable foundation.

Things are progressing on schedule. I will order more stone today for delivery on Friday leaving me the weekend to complete the final preparations before the shed's arrival next week.

American Tower Company

2011-09-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Because I am an amateur radio operator I am always interested in towers, antennas and other apparatus that sticks up in the sky that I encounter during my travels. Not far from where I live I noticed a strange installation made up of six sections of tower each spaced few feet apart in a row paralleling a state route. Adjacent the array of towers is a parking lot and a large industrial building. I have been by this site many times and have only gotten away with a quick glance as I was always at the wheel and passing at 50 mph.

I've been meaning to stop and check out the towers and this past Saturday morning I had a little spare time so I grabbed my camera and headed to to the location. I have long surmised that the tower stubs must be part of a sales display of a tower distributor.

Affixed to each tower was a nameplate with a model number and nomenclature that read "American Tower Company" Sure enough when I returned home and Google searched the name I found that the place was not just a distributor but the site of the actual manufacturer.

American Tower Company
located in Shelby, Ohio makes everything from the lowly residential TV tower to gigantic commercial structures.

American Tower Company product display

As it turns out the tower attached to my house has seen better days and I fear it will soon require replacement. A couple factors have helped me to decide that when the time comes this may be the place where I spend my money. First and foremost my money would stay in the area helping the local economy. Just as important is the shipping issue. Four ten foot sections would easily fit on my flat bed utility trailer for the short 15 minute trip home.

A nice tower is every ham's dream or at least it should be. The antenna system is the make or break part of part of an amateur radio station. My current tower works fine for hanging wires from but the top pipe that holds the mast is shot and cannot hold the weight of even a small antenna. So if I wanted to experiment with any kind of directional antennae I will certainly have to put up a new tower.

Design on the Fly

2011-09-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

As is often the case when I am busy on a project other problems always seem to come along requiring solving. While I was building the retaining wall for my shed base I was realizing this space is going to hold a lot of stone. Using the bending brake at work to form simple corner braces for the retaining wall got me thinking what else these custom made aluminum parts might be useful for.

My utility trailer is a 2000 Nu Way (A Division of Martin Industries - Florence, AL) kit that I built myself ten years ago. I have used this trailer for a multitude of tasks hauling sea kayaks, camping gear, dirt, mulch, stone, lumber, furniture, firewood and even a motorcycle or two.

My end use design of this 1300 G.V.W.R. trailer was modular in nature. I used a 3/4" X 4' X 8' pressure treated plywood panel with rails screwed around the perimeter as a flat bed cargo deck. The side frame rails have numerous holes where I attached U-bolts for cargo strap connection points. On a second sheet of 4' X 8' treated plywood I constructed a double cradle rail system to support two 15' sea kayaks side by side. The plywood deck is secured to the trailer frame by six bolts making it fairly easy to reconfigure the trailer to another purpose. The kayak deck went with the boats when we found that the structure swapped smoothly over to the kayaks new owner's trailer. These days my old trailer has mostly been relegated to more utilitarian duty and the cargo deck has remained bolted in place.

The rectangular wooden structure pictured in the photographs is the latest modular add-on I have come up with to make my loose cargo hauling tasks easier. In the past ten years I have carried thousands of pounds of gravel on this trailer. My procedure was to spread out a poly tarp over the trailer and then have a load of stone dumped onto the deck. I would then gather up the corners of the tarp and tie up the whole package as if it was a giant bag of candy. Just to be sure I ran a couple cargo straps across the bundle. While this method worked it made me very nervous. I took it real slow imagining the fiasco if the tarp broke open in a turn spewing gravel out on a quiet residential street.

While I was locked in mortal combat with maple tree roots in the backyard a plan materialized in my mind's eye of an idea I've decided to call the gravel box. The next day I called my local lumber yard and ordered four pieces of 2" X 12" treated lumber cut to a specific size. Later that afternoon I fabricated the .063" aluminum corner braces and stopped by the hardware store for fasteners on my way home from work.

Wyatt assisted with the final assembly. He has noticed that his dad is always creating and building things and asks if he can help in some way. Needless to say I go out of my way to make sure he is included.

Removal of the gravel box from the trailer is easily accomplished. After loosening the four turn buckles and removing the bolts and lock nuts all the parts can be broken down to individual pieces for storage. The total cost of the materials for this newest revision of my handy utility trailer amounted to about $50 dollars. The satisfaction derived from a little shade tree engineering -well worth it.

1,290 lbs

Labor Day

2011-09-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Shed Site Preparation Continues

My trusty ax purchased in a hardware store in Banff Alberta, Canada 1993 for $15.

For us working stiffs who have projects at home Labor Day Weekend is aptly named. I spent the second and third day of my shed project in an epic struggle with the elements. On Saturday the temperatures soared into the upper 90's. I toiled for seven hours with shovel and ax stopping only once an hour to drink a pint of ice water.

Two big Silver Maple trees grow on each side about 15 feet from my shed site. I knew the ground would be intertwined with root networks from these two big old trees each with trunk diameters of 3 feet.

.060" Aluminum corner brackets

I fabricated these brackets at work and picked up some 1/4" zinc plated bolts and fasteners at the hardware store. These will keep the corners of the retaining wall perfectly mated. My experiment with this arrangement is to test how the composite decking material stands up to burial in a very moist area. The boards are made of recycled wood fiber (sawdust) encapsulated in recycled polyethylene, the plastic that gallon milk jugs are made of.

The decking material is termite and rot resistant and carries a lifetime warranty by the manufacturer (when used as decking of course). I've got a feeling it will work fine for my application.

If you've never had the pleasure of digging roots your missing out on a real treat!

I used a chain saw to facilitate the removal of a big 5" monster root.

By 4:30 PM I had all the roots finally removed from the space and the dirt excavated to a uniform 5 or 6 inches of depth. Luckily the clay layer begins about 6 inches down so I should be in good shape providing a study and solid base for my new shed. The next step is to fill the hole with gravel. I purchase limestone locally and use my utility trailer to haul it home. The trailer has a capacity of about 1200 pounds and I am estimating I may need two or three loads.

Shed Project Underway

2011-09-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

Over the years I've amassed a small collection of bikes, tools, camping gear and other assorted equipment that simply no longer fits in a one car garage. The car hasn't seen the inside of my garage in years. That space is too valuable to waste on something as mundane as an automobile. As a result circumstances have finally forced me into constructing a storage shed on the back of my property. I want to get the lawnmower, rakes, shovels and other messy tools out of this prime real estate to make room for more important tasks.

In the picture above is a 12 foot square area that my son and I dug by hand. After clearing the tree roots to a depth of about 5 inches I plan to construct a retaining wall made of composite decking material to contain the limestone that will be the base of my shed. If there is not a physical barrier between the gravel and adjoining sod the grass and weeds will quickly grow up through the stone.

The structure will be an 8' X 10' shed very similar to my neighbor's in the background. The 12' X 12' gravel base will give me plenty of room around the perimeter of the shed. This part of the property is the low ground and always wet during the rainy season so I wanted to make sure the building is up high and dry.

Unfortunately the project is not allowing me much free time for fun stuff like bike riding but fall is just around the corner and I am now forced to work under a time table. It's not all bad though -digging, chopping tree roots with an ax and hauling around wheelbarrows full of gravel is a full body workout so the return on the investment is fitness. Besides a little hard work builds character.

Stay tuned for more exciting shed news!

Pipes -- Peterson's System 303

2011-08-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

One or two of my long time readers might remember I am a pipe smoker. Pipes are one of my hobbies and as such something I don't get to enjoy as often as would like. Moderation is key so I guess in this case it's not such a bad thing. Over the past year I have determined that my favorite tobacco bowl is the Peterson's System Pipe 303.

This Premier grade System 303 is the latest addition to my small rotation. I love the lighter stain and low gloss finish of this pipe. The left side of the bowl and shank have beautiful straight grain brought out in dramatic fashion by a late August sun.

I have enjoyed a few half bowls in the pipe smoking slowly to gradually expose the briar to higher temperatures. I don't have a set in stone method for breaking in a new pipe but for this classic Pete I am alternating between a favorite aromatic mixture and a brighter naturally sweet red Virginia and Turkish Izmir blend.

Un-Smoked!

The Peterson System pipe is a design over one hundred years old and still being produced and sold by the by the same company. Amazing! Just like my other 303's this one is a good smoker and a beautiful chunk of briar.

Lastly the following pictures show close ups of the right side of the bowl. This side of the pipe has birdseye and interesting character.

Cycling Update

2011-08-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

Late August signals the beginning of my favorite riding season. The oppressive humidity and heat haze of summer give way to cooler temperatures and crisp star filled evening skies. The changing of the fall foliage is still a month away but if one spends any time outside the signs of coming autumn are all around. The chorus of crickets have reached a fevered pitch both day and night. Woolly caterpillars make up a random slalom course for my bike wheels as they purposefully make their way across the road. It's the time of year when I suddenly realize that soon I will be donning a pile of outdoor gear; gloves, hat, jacket, tights and wool socks just to go out for a bike ride.

Saturday I was feeling a bit restless and although there was numerous chores around the house that needed done I opted for a ride. Cycling is my medicine. Equally good for mind and body.

A steady breeze was blowing from the North-East so I decided on a route directly North. A long skinny loop where I could enjoy a tail wind to help push me back home on the second half of the ride. I took my time enjoying the afternoon and took a few pictures. An old country church of stout sandstone and brick was the backdrop for this blog post photo.

Bike: HP Velotechnik Street Machine
Ride Time: 1:50
Distance: 25.6 miles
Average Speed: 13.8 mph
Max Speed: 25.9 mph
HP Velo Odometer: 1946.7 miles

North Central Ohio countryside

--

I have also realized my new Motobecane Le Champion titanium road bike has not been out as often as I wanted this season so I have made it a point to get some rides in on 700c wheels before the snow flies. Last Thursday after work I loaded up and took a short drive to the B & O Trail at Lexington Ohio. My goal for the evening ride was a time trial to see where my fitness level was after many good rides on the recumbent this summer. When I'm in the mood to hammer the Motobecane is my remedy.

B & O Trail 20 Mile Time Trial

Bike: Motobecane

Ride Time: 1:10

Distance: 20 miles

Average Speed: 17.2 mph

Max Speed: 29.2 mph

Motobecane Odometer: 292 miles

Signals from Space

2011-08-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

Amateur Satellites

I've heard about amateur satellites orbiting the Earth and read stories of hams out in their backyards waving antennas around scaring the neighbors. Sounds like fun to me. Curiosity about this interesting segment of amateur radio finally spurred me into action. I did a bit of research about an amateur satellite "Arissat-1" launched earlier this year from the International Space Station.

At first glance one would expect elaborate equipment with specialized antennas and knowledge to be required to receive telemetry from a satellite in space. This is not the case at all. After I dug out my 2 meter FM transceiver and charged up it's dead batteries I now held in my hand a tiny satellite receiving station. A programmable police scanner could also be used to tune in the satellites.
--
Finding the signals

On the Internet I found a wealth of information at the Arissat-1 website. Most useful was a Pass Prediction Application where I entered my location (grid square) and the satellite I was looking for. The program calculated the times that the next 20 passes would occur over my location allowing me to hear the FM transmissions. I printed out the page and clipped it to a clipboard for reference outside.

The first pass on my printout happened late in the afternoon while I was still at work. I had just picked up Wyatt from school so he was standing by also. I set the frequency on my little 2 meter rig to 145.950 MHz and opened the squelch control so I could hear the static as I had no real idea what I was listening for or how strong the signal would be. About a minute into the predicted window the static suddenly dropped and a voice became audible getting louder and more clear. I heard a female voice identifying the source of the transmission as amateur radio satellite Arissat-1 call sign RSO1S. The next thing we heard was a greeting in one of 15 different languages followed by the telemetry data, technical stuff such as temperatures and battery voltages and current. The last thing copied before the signal faded out in a rush of Doppler effect was SSTV or slow scan television. The satellite was transmitting back to Earth a picture from one of it's on board cameras.

Later in the evening we caught the satellite transmissions on it's next few passes spaced about two hours apart. This was a fun little experiment that required no more than to walk outside and is another first for amateur radio station KD8JHJ. After using the short and inefficient rubber coil antenna on my hand held I see now that the extra gain from a yagi antenna would be ideal for capturing the fleeting signals of these orbiting space travelers.

Under the "hardware" tab at the Arissat-1 website is lots of interesting information such as a Design Review that one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to understand. The points of the review are arranged into well constructed pdf documents. It is truly amazing the amount of effort put into this project by dedicated hams and a great example of one of the many activities that fall under the subject of amateur radio. One of the coolest hobbies on Earth and beyond.

Kid Rock -- Saturday August 20th -- Noblesville, IN

2011-08-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday my wife and I took a little road trip to the Hoosier State to catch a Kid Rock Show and opener Sheryl Crow. We arrived at the venue near Noblesville, Indiana just as the sun was setting on a beautiful summer day.

We walked around observing concert goers before finding our seats at the start of Sheryl's performance as night fell around the amphitheater.

Our vantage point was not the greatest for photography but the music sounded excellent from this location. After a shorter set of her more up-tempo hits to warm up the crowd Sheryl turned the stage over to Kid Rock and his unique fusion of hip hop and southern rock. The music was loud and clear. Kid's show covered all the bases with lasers, pyrotechnics, pole dancers, whiskey and big American flags.

Kid and Sheryl are an unlikely pair but the chemistry works.

I've always liked Kid Rock but until now I'd never had the pleasure of seeing him and his band perform live. He really sells his brand but if you pay attention it's readily apparent Kid Rock is a talented musician and showman. He played the drum kit, a piano and electric guitars on several songs as well as singing lyrics at the top of his lungs. What I found particularly impressive was a searing cover of Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever" with Kid playing the iconic opening licks on the guitar. Would I go to another Kid Rock show? Certainly.

Lastly I have to give credit to my wife LeeAnn who drags me (willingly of course) all over the Mid West on her Sheryl Crow adventures. If it wasn't for her I probably would only leave the house to ride my bike.

Friday Ride

2011-08-19T17:46:00.000-07:00

Local Loop

(Motobecane)

Ride Time: 1:34

Distance: 24.1 mph

Average Speed: 15.1 mph

Max Speed: 29.9 mph

Motobecane Odometer: 272 mi

Nice evening for a road bike ride.

News from A.R.S. KD8JHJ

2011-08-18T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a great summer. I spent some quality time working on and riding bicycles. As a family we had some adventures and saw a few new and interesting places. I've gotten back into reading with a vengeance since I got my Kindle ebook. And last but not least the old 9 to 5 that uses up the rest of my free time has kept me busy. All this has brought my radio-activity to very low levels but that doesn't mean amateur radio is not front and center in my mind. Ham radio is a great thinking man's hobby. Electronics, antenna theory, wave propagation and history are just a few of the related subjects that can keep an idle mind firing on all cylinders while away from the shack.

I still get on the air when I can and as the summer winds down and turns to fall the shortening days will curtail my outdoor activities and leave more time for radio pursuits. On the 14th of August the SKCC Week End Sprint was held. I always try not to miss this event so I got on the air with my straight keys and handed out a few numbers. The most notable contact during the sprint was a 2,080 mile cross country connection with Jake KK6L, who lives outside San Francisco, California. Jake is a very active and enthusiastic ham who is 9 years younger than me. There is a few of us younger guys out here passionate about radio. We will keep the brass pounding tradition alive.

KD8JHJ August SKCC WES log

7.056 W3OKC Pennsylvania
7.053 W1LVT Vermont
7.057 K8EE Ohio
14.048 KK6L California
14.053 N5RKD New Mexico
7.052 K4ZGB Alabama
7.053 K4BAI Georgia
7.113 N0UMP Missouri
7.050 KI0I Missouri
7.048 W9DLN Wisconsin
7.055 W4FOA Georgia
7.053 N4RE North Carolina

--

On the digital side of the radio desk

Unanswered Feld Hell CQ's on 20 meters

In my last ham radio post I mentioned that I was wanting to make some DX contacts using my favorite digital mode Feld Hell. When I have the station fired up I usually send out some CQ calls to see what happens. Most of the time I get no responses. Hellschriber is an obscure mode with a smaller following than the more common digital modes on the airwaves like PSK-31 or RTTY.

On the 21st of July I was parked on 14.080 MHz and after my second CQ call I was shocked to see SP5APR, the callsign of a gentleman named Stan returning my call. From 4,569 miles away in Warsaw, Poland Stan copied my Feld Hell signals and reported them 599 and perfectly readable. Fine Business indeed.

Last night I was sitting at my desk stamping some envelopes for QSL cards. If I am not monitoring the CW frequencies for Morse code I like to set my rig to the PSK-31 "watering hole" on 20 meters. This is a great way to see how propagation is working. PSK stations are operational nearly 24/7 these days on 14.070 MHz. My software (fldigi) has a feature called "psk browser" that when enabled tracks and decodes all the signals in the 3 KHz passband of the receiver in a seperate window. At a glance I can follow up to as many as ten or twelve QSOs all happening at the same time. The program will highlight the incoming text in red if a certain key word or phrase like CQ CQ CQ is decoded. Clicking on the text with the mouse will automatically tune the software to that exact frequency and with another click my reply is transmitted digitally out into the ether.

I noticed while watching the psk browser the station IR2ITA advertising a special call. He was working other European stations but his signal was strong and providing nearly perfect copy to my lowly wire strung outside to the tree in the backyard. I assumed "special call" meant special event station so I waited for an opening and clicked a transmission in response. Franco in Italy got my signal solid and I now have another unique special event station in the log. I posted a screen shot of our actual QSO under the IR2ITA qsl card image below.

KD8JHJ in qso with IR2ITA using PSK-31 digital mode

--
Earlier this week I was reading the SKCC websight and I noted an announcement by Stan, WB2LFQ. Stan planned to operate a special event station as a single op QRP using CW only (Morse code) commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, NY. What a cool special event I thought. I am a huge music fan and many of my favorite classic rock acts were new up and comers that performed at that legendary 3 day show. I saw that the event was underway so I set my receiver to the specified frequency on 40 meters. Soon enough I heard the "CQ CQ de W2S" special call. The signal wasn't booming in but it was perfectly readable. 5 watts, 500 miles -No problem! I exchanged info with Stan at a crisp 20 words per minute using my ZN-9A paddles.

I've already sent off my SASE 9.00" X 12.00" envelope and I am looking forward to seeing how Stan designed his unique special event certificate. The info for the event is still posted on QRZ.com under W2S. Stan posted the log from the event on his site Here. I found my call in this log contact number 23 out of 155 stations worked by Stan over 30 hours of operation. Pretty impressive for a one man qrp effort to say the least.

I've read lots of articles and blogs written by experienced hams who describe how our tastes in different aspects of the hobby change over time. I don't doubt this but for now catching these one-of-kind special event stations has become my favorite radio activity.

Shop Notes -- Carbon Boom Installed

2011-08-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon after grocery shopping was done and the provisions stored away I had a couple hours free to work on the recumbent. When I have new bike parts laying around I can't resist the familiar siren song for too long and I just have to get my hands dirty.

HP Velotechnik with stock aluminum boom.

The first order of business was to cut the shifter cable and pull the front derailleur and chain out of the way. The computer mount and cable also were removed and tucked safely out of the way. The Truvative crankset is held on to the bike by an 8mm self extracting bolt on the non-drive side. My hex key is about six inches long allowing me to provide just enough leverage to loosen the fastener and free the crank arm. A couple taps with a rubber mallet on the hollow steel tube that is the axle of the crank and the whole assembly slides right out.

Once the crankset is removed only the outboard bearing cups remain in the bottom bracket shell. This is where my new Park Tool BB-19 proved itself indispensable. The cups were pretty tight and I had to call on the services of one of my favorite tools the big 12" adjustable wrench to coax the cups from the shell.

Every so often I discover another advantage of the recumbent bicycle. While straddling the main tube and facing forward the bottom bracket is in the perfect position for loading torque on the parts while at the same time holding the bike steady. I found this experience much easier than working on the bottom brackets of diamond frame bikes stuck in the work stand.

Upon my initial inspection of the carbon boom while holding it up along side the bike I noticed that it seemed too long. There is a slight bend in the main tube just forward of the head tube/steerer weld. This bend only lets the boom be inserted so far. Sure enough when I laid the two booms side by side the carbon tube was a couple inches longer.

The telescoping boom is a unique feature of many recumbent designs that allow the manufacturer to produce just one size frame and then the end user can customize the reach by sliding the boom forward or aft. Finally pinch bolts on the main frame tube are tightened securing the fit.

If I installed the carbon boom as is it would bottom out and place the pedals too far forward. Now I had reached the point of no return and chucked up a cutoff wheel in the dremel. I cut off the end of the boom just behind the tape as shown in the photograph. I have to say I do like working with carbon fiber. The high speed rotary tools cut through the material like the proverbial hot knife with none of the jerkiness, heat and exploding cutting wheels I experience when working with metal tubes. I swapped the cutoff wheel with an abrasive drum sander and cleaned up the raw edges of the boom and it was then ready for installation.

Before I started I measured the distance the boom protruded from the main tube so I could set the distance of the new boom perfectly. Notice the clever use of a V-brake style "macaroni" to guide the front derailleur cable up through the boom. The work proceeded quickly downhill from here. I attached the crankset in reverse order of dis-assembly, reattached the front derailleur, ran a new cable, screwed on the computer mount and was shortly off on a test ride around the block.

Good fun!

Shop Notes -- Park Tool BB-19

2011-08-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

At my local bike shop I picked up a Park Tool BB-19 bottom bracket tool for an upcoming project. I now have three different bottom bracket tools hanging on my tool board. The older ones are for the square taper fixed flange cartridge type BB and the newer hollow splined axle versions. All my bikes use the cartridge style bottom brackets so I have no experience with the old school cup and lock ring stuff from the vintage days. It may seem irritating to have to buy three different tools to do the same thing but I have been wrenching on bikes for more than 20 years and in this time I have seen the components evolve and improve.

Bottom bracket technology is an area that has seen a dramatic reduction in weight and because of the shift away from the heavy solid steel square taper axle the tools have had to change to accommodate the dimensions of the newest designs. Progress marches on and being a gear head I don't mind having to buy a new tool once in a while and learn how the new stuff works.

My recumbent bike is the first bike I have owned that uses the 16 notch external bearing BB cups so this is the reason for the BB-19. A parcel finally arrived the other day from the Hostel shoppe containing this awesome carbon fiber boom. The boom was a special order from HP Velotechnik in Germany. I can't wait to see it installed on my bike.

Nothing quite like carbon weave in the sunshine

Not A Race

2011-08-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not a regular rider of charity events but what enticed me to do this fun ride was the unique opportunity to ride my recumbent bike on the world class Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. The weather forecast called for a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms but the actual conditions couldn't have been better. Temperatures in the mid 80's and lower humidity than usual made for a great afternoon workout.

The pictures I took from the cockpit of my recumbent cycling machine as I made my way around the 2.1 mile road circuit. The lay of the land looks relatively flat in my photographs but I assure you this is not the case. The track was designed using the rolling hills of the Clear Fork valley and as a result one lap is divided fairly even between uphill and downhill. The only flat segment is along pit row. The back stretch is a good half mile of steady decent where I easily hit 30 mph in top gear. Following the strait away was an S-curve and then a sharp 90 degree turn both of which I was able to negotiate at 30+ mph without touching the brakes.

Summit Therapy & Performance put on the event to benefit the fight against MS. They did a nice job and I will look to support their cause again in the future. It's been a while since I did anything for a cause and I have to say I do feel good about helping out.

Porshe's are a dime a dozen on this track but I'm going to claim the first ever run of another fine piece of German engineering: the HP Velotechnik Street Machine unless someone can prove otherwise.

Ride Time: 1:50
Distance: 27 miles/ 13 laps
Average Speed: 14.6 mph
Max Speed: 35.8 mph

Shop Notes -- Rollastand

2011-08-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

I have decided to participate in a charity event next week for MS. I've been needing an excuse to clean my recumbent bike so I set to work this fine Saturday afternoon in the garage. By nature recumbent bikes have unconventional frame shapes which will not fit the clamp of the typical bicycle maintenance stand. Unfortunately this means getting down to ground level to work on the wheels and underside of the bike.

A few years ago I bought this handy device called the Rollastand. Although designed specifically for motorcycles I have found the Rollastand is perfect for use with the recumbent. The two black rollers turn smoothly on heavy duty cartridge bearings. I can easily rotate the wheel and gain access to the hub, rim and all the spokes. Inspecting the tire and applying preservative is likewise a breeze.

I also have a padded four wheel creeper like the auto mechanics use that I sit or kneel on while performing my maintenance tasks. For working on diamond frame bikes the Park stand can't be beat but with a bit of ingenuity I have found ways to make working on the recumbent somewhat comfortable and easy. And as a result more fun.

I Drew A Picture!

2011-08-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

This beautiful piece of artwork is actually a light table tracing I made from a photograph of my recumbent bike. (One of my favorite subjects.) My medium was black Sharpie on paper. I photographed it and then adjusted the exposure to achieve a floating in the clouds look.

Heavenly.

Kindle

2011-08-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

I've always been a bit behind the curve when it comes to adapting new technology. For about a year now I have been thinking about the Kindle ebook reader. I had not seen one of these things in real life until the other day when I came upon the display in an office supply store. As I played with the simple controls of the display unit I was impressed with the user-friendliness of the device and clarity of the screen. As luck would have it the store was offering a sale and I walked with my new Kindle for twenty dollars less than the advertised price.

The curmudgeon in me used to say I like paper books I don't need another infernal electronic gadget. In my first week I have finished two books and have three others started. I can unequivocally say that I love this thing. Being able to change the font and size of the type is an incredible feature. One-handed operation is a breeze allowing me to eat popcorn or smoke my pipe while reading. And believe it or not I don't know everything so I find the on board dictionary and ability to quickly look up the definition of a word a godsend. In the summertime I do a lot of reading on the patio and I used to hate when the wind turned the pages of an old-timey paper book before I was done reading. A problem no more!

All of these things have quickly won me over and stole the wind from the crusty curmudgeon's sails. I purchased the Kindle with the hopes that it's convenience would encourage me to read more and it certainly has. With the features offered by the Kindle and a good book downloaded it seems easier than ever to lose myself in the movie in my head as the virtual pages effortlessly click by.

"My Insulator" A poem by Dwight Dodge

2011-08-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

I belong to an online club called ICON or Insulator Collectors On the Net. Icon is a great club full of resources and people very passionate about the insulator hobby. I suscribe to the club's message board in digest form so that it automatically downloads to my email everyday. I am just a lurker mostly and don't post much to the ICON board but I very much enjoy the discussions about all aspects of the Hobby. This weekend I saw this poem submitted to the Icon site by Mr Dodge of British Columbia. The poem resonates with me and I believe captures the magic perfectly. Great Job Dwight!

-Recumbent Conspiracy Theorist

My Insulator

I have an insulator

That gleams so very fine

Whenever sunlight streams upon

This glassy jewel of mine.

There upon the window sill,

It captures ev'ry beam.

It stores them up and sends them out

Much richer, it would seem.

Just feel it's solid beauty.

The lines are round and clean.

You touch a part of days gone by

In molded glass of green.

I would like to know just what

It heard when it was young;

When the wires whispered to it,

While on the pole it hung.

Just perhaps, it heard about

The death of some one grand.

No doubt, it heard about a war

That raged across the land.

All it heard, I cannot know.

The present I can see.

It warms the heart to contemplate

What beauty there can be.

Dwight Dodge

Recumbent Ride

2011-07-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

July 23, 2011

For days after my big hike in the Shawnee Forest my legs were incredibly sore. My bike riding keeps me very fit cardio-wise but I was not prepared in the least for the type of exertion I encountered during during that 8 mile jaunt. By the end of the week I was feeling good and was once again itching to get out for a bike ride.

I decided I would head straight west from town and ride 20 miles before turning back. I loaded my bladder with ice cubes and water placed it in the seat bag. The relentless heat wave was into its second week and again I took off on my next adventure in humid 90 degree temperatures. I often wonder how endurance athletes managed to stay properly hydrated back in the days before wonderful invention of the Camelback. On hot days I routinely consume the entire 70 ounces that my pack holds. I suppose I should pick up a 100 ounce bag for my longer days out.

The 20 mile turn around point put me at a rural crossroads with a small pizza joint on one corner. That is the green and white storefront in the photograph. By this time of the afternoon storm clouds were gathering from the intense heat and I could hear rumbles of thunder even though the sun was still shining. After a short break I got back at the controls of my recumbent cycling machine and pointed myself to the east.

For the next 8 miles I cruised across the flat agricultural lands and watched a huge dark gray storm cloud ahead of me. The storm was moving from the south to the north and I was hoping it would slide on by but I kept encountering the big fat raindrops that often precede a deluge. The drops would taper off and stop altogether then resume. Finally the heavens opened up with a massive downpour complete with vertical lightning bolts and thunder crashes. I kept cranking the pedals and the rain actually felt great but after a mile the precipitation was falling so hard that visibility or lack of it was beginning to be a problem. One of the few downsides to riding a recumbent is riding in heavy rain. On an upright bike one can lower their head and only look up briefly to maintain course. This works very well if you have a helmet with a visor like on a mountain bike helmet. Unfortunately on the recumbent my face was looking directly into the storm and I could not lower my head even if I did have a visor. I suppose if I was wearing goggles I could have kept going.

Luck was on my side and I spotted an old one room brick school house along my route that offered a bit of shelter. I rode out the rest of the storm with a piece of farm equipment stored in the school house. Being out on the flatlands during a thunderstorm always makes me nervous so I was thankful to at have a least half a roof over my head.

Through the hole in the far wall cornstalks are visible bending violently in the wind.

These one room schoolhouses are all over the surrounding countryside. Many are decaying like this one but others have been preserved and turned into homes with additional structure added by the owners. It is amazing to think that at one time in the not too distant past this was the institution of primary education in rural America. Each township had it's own schoolhouse because of course with no cars or school buses the classroom had to be accessible to all children.

After the storm passed I got back on the road and finished up the last 10 miles of my ride watching the lightning show to my left as the storm receded to the north. I noticed on my cycle-computer that the temperature had gone from 91 degrees before the storm to 72 degrees. Nearly a 20 degree difference.

Out and Back

Bike: HP Velotechnik Street Machine

Ride Time: 2:32:24

Distance: 40.00 miles

Average Speed: 15.7 mph

Max Speed: 28.00 mph

Insulator Post -- Glass in the Air -- Southern Ohio

2011-07-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

Click on photograph for a closer view.

Having been interested in antique glass insulators for a few years now I don't get overly excited when I spot an existing line during the course of my travels. It has even become a sort of game between my son and I to see who notices old glass on poles first. All of these lines that I have seen in various states of disrepair are old signal circuits running along rail road right of ways.

This photograph taken in the Scioto Valley a few miles upstream from the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio Rivers. The Scioto lies between the trees and line of distant hills in the background.

Deep in the hills of Adams County I noticed a railroad and it's accompanying poles and wires as we made our way to the Serpent Mound Memorial. The road was curvy and I was not able to get a good look at the insulators but it was fun to watch pole after pole of green and clear glass glinting in the sun as the miles ticked by. Later that day as we retraced our route back to the campground I could not stand it any longer and I had to stop the car and snap a few photos.

Many of the insulators were the common CD 154 Hemingrays that were used up into the 1940's and 50s but after I got out of the car and got a closer look I noticed that each cross arm had a couple CD 145 "Beehives" still installed. This got my attention because I have never seen a beehive up in the air before. My experience with beehives consists only with the ones in my personal collection and those on display at the shows. The only thing I know for sure is that Samual Oakman patented the style in 1884.

I have no way of knowing how old the beehives are that we saw along this line. I have California beehives that were made between 1912 and 1916 in my collection so I know the style was being produced as late as that time frame. Looking around online I could not find a date when production of the CD 145 style stopped but its a fair assumption to guess that some of the beehives we saw could be nearly 100 years old.

Macro Photography

2011-07-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

When one walks into the forest with the intention of taking a few interesting pictures two options present themselves. 1. Photograph the trees. (I think I've got that covered.) 2. Press that little macro button and get down on the ground.

Theres a lot going on two inches off the forest floor.

Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio

Day Hike

2011-07-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Family Campout -- Episode 4

While looking at the park map I noticed a seven mile day hike that looked like fun. Great! I thought. Having decided not to bring the bikes along on this trip I figured we would have a good opportunity to enjoy some quality hiking for something different.

We planned to do this hike as a family but unfortunately the weather got hotter and more humid each day. In the mornings we rose early around 7:30am and by 9:00 it was sweltering. On the scheduled day LeeAnn and Wyatt decided to bail on the hike and spend the day at the Park Lodge swimming pool. I can't say that I blame them and then I realized this arrangement would let me attack the loop at my own pace and get in the zone as they say.

I filled my camelback bladder with 70 ounces of water and stowed a bag of pistachios as a salty snack. I set out into the forest sometime before noon. Extreme heat does not seem to bother me and long ago I learned how important it is to stay hydrated. I enjoy the cleansing effect of a good sweat brought on from intense physical exertion. I certainly got my fill of both this day.

The trail followed densely wooded ridge tops where a cool breeze always seemed to be blowing and descended into steamy and moist ravines where the air was stifling and still. I knew it was hot when I saw the exposed tops of rocks buried in the trail sweating like water pipes on a humid day.

At about the three mile mark I encountered a young woman hiking the opposite direction. We exchanged a quick greeting and continued on each going our separate ways. I was beginning to think I was the only one hardcore or perhaps crazy enough to be out on a day like this and not relaxing poolside or in the lake.

I continued on pushing the pace enjoying the much different physical challenge offered by this hike as opposed to my usual cycling efforts. Climbing is tough be it on a bike or on foot but descending steep rocky trail is extra strenuous and taxing all the while using caution to avoid turning an ankle. I love the solitude of being out in the wild on my own but at the same time I am well aware of the risks.

In the distance ahead of me I began to here the distinctive sound of a chain saw. This did not surprise me as had I read a small sign posted near the trail head warning that work was being done by the forestry department. As I drew nearer I could hear the saw suddenly idle down followed a sharp cracking sound then a dull ominous thud. Hearing it in person has much greater impact than watching that show on the discovery channel.

Rounding a bend in the trail I came upon the work crew sitting down taking a break. When I reached them one of them asked "A pretty hot day to be all the way back here isn't it?" That's funny I thought to myself as they were decked out in work pants, hardhats and heavy leather chainsaw chaps. Being on the clock though they had a reason for being out on such a hot day. They were good guys and even offered me some water from their big orange water cooler.

With my senses heightened from the exercise the smell of the freshly upturned soil was intense. Walking on the loose ground did become annoying when I had to periodically stop to remove chunks of clay and pebbles from my lowtop hikers. mosquitoes, flies and gnats attacked each time I came to a stop.

At about five miles the trail split right down the middle of a huge black raspberry patch. I had walked almost half way through the patch which sat on the top of a long ridge before I noticed it. I was busy looking for photo opportunities and nearly missed the berries all together. This unexpected find made the whole day worth it. Some of the fruit was just coming ripe.

I gathered and ate four or five handfuls of the delicious fruit and within minutes I felt the energy from the natural sugars coursing through my body.

The trail followed raspberry ridge steadily downhill and with a few more ups and downs I finally found my self nearing the end of the loop. I passed this odd stone structure shortly before meeting back up with the short connector leading back to the trail head. A chimney maybe but strange with no mortar between the stones.

Everyone has their own idea of what an "epic" day is but for me this was it. After putting in an all day effort like this I have a new found respect for those who carry their gear, hike, camp and then get up the next day and hike some more. Back at the campground I put on my bathing suit and took a long cold shower. Returning to the campsite I sat down and enjoyed a beer happily reflecting on the days events before starting my spaghetti dinner at sunset.

Highlands Nature Sanctuary

2011-07-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

Part III Family Camping in Southern Ohio

On the afternoon of our first day spent exploring the area we discovered the Highlands Nature Sanctuary. This 2000 acre preserve is located in eastern Highland County along the Rocky Fork between Rocky Fork Lake and Paint Creek.

A short foot trail winds to the bottom of a dolomite gorge carved out by the Rocky Fork. Outstanding examples of Ohio's geology and diverse plant life abound in the park.

Climbing down into the gorge I could not help the feeling of being transported back in time. Seeing this part of Ohio as it would have looked through the eyes of Native American inhabitants or early explorers as they mapped out the details of the Ohio territory many years ago.

The Great Serpent Mound

2011-07-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is part 2 of my series documenting our family trip to southern Ohio.

Thanks to my keen interest in history I noticed that our campsite was about 20 miles away from the Great Serpent Mound effigy built by the Native American Fort Ancient people roughly a thousand years ago. Thanks to Harvard archaeologist Frederic Ward Putnam for recognizing the important historical significance of this site over a hundred years ago and seeing to it's preservation for future generations to experience.

At the bottom of my post are links to additional information about this most interesting Native American earthwork.

The Serpent Mound was not a burial mound but most likely constructed as a ceremonial site. The snake was a popular effigy among Eastern Woodland Indians as well as other ancient cultures around the world. At 1,330 feet long Ohio's Serpent Mound has the distinction of being the world's largest effigy mound.

--

Near the Serpent Putnam did excavate two conical burial mounds. By studying the human remains and artifacts buried within he was able to attribute these burial mounds to the Adena People who lived in the area preceding the Fort Ancient peoples. Excavations and radio carbon dating done in the 1990's proved the Serpent Mound to be younger than the burial mounds and indicates that the builders of the Serpent could have adapted the existing burial site to their own uses. The following pictures from the museum located in the park show how the burial mounds would have been constructed building up a conical shape as more graves were added over time.

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2223

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpent_Mound

Family Camping

2011-07-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

Turkey Creek Lake, Scioto County Ohio

I had fun messing about with my tent during Field Day last month so I thought it would be fun to take the family out for a few days of real tent camping. My wife LeeAnn usually handles the logistics and planning for our adventures away from home so I left it up to her to search out a destination and secure reservations at one of Ohio's many State Parks. We have not done much camping in the past few years but because our son is ten years old now we thought we better let him in on the fun. I grew up experiencing the magical adventure that is camping and I would deeply regret not giving the opportunity to my son.

LeeAnn chose well and got us a great spot at the Shawnee State Park Campground through the State's Department of Natural Resources website. We have our favorite locations that we have returned to over the years but lately we have decided to visit some of the other parks in Ohio that we have never seen. The park is located in the middle of Shawnee State Forest a 100 square mile expanse of public land located in Scioto and Adams Counties and bordered to the south by the Ohio River. As I was studying the map I noticed to my surprise that the nearest town was Portsmouth, Ohio which was once the terminus of the Ohio and Erie Canal I blogged about earlier this year.

The rugged and hilly topography of the area was created by thousands of years of erosion as surface water made it's way south to the Ohio River Valley. This is as close to mountains as we get here in the buckeye state and I love spending time in the hills of southern Ohio.

Years ago I tired of flimsy and leaky department store tents so when we go as a family our home away from home is the Cabela's Extreme Weather Tent. Our model is a 10' X 10' square dome that stands 7 feet tall on the inside with a huge rain fly I like to call the turtle shell. The tent has numerous guy points and uses 45 tent stakes to keep it firmly planted to Mother Earth. The Cabela's literature boasts that in testing the tent withstood a 75 mph blast from a jet engine and I believe it. I have weathered a couple storms under the shelter of the tent and always felt safe and secure.

The tent was furnished with high quality steel tent stakes but to cut down on weight I substituted generic orange plastic stakes. The bag of 45 steel stakes alone probably weighs 30 pounds. Although we are not backpacking I like to take it easy on the aging 4-cylinder of my compact SUV.

When we are not out engaged in some outdoor activity our favorite pursuit is camp cooking of course. A staple at our camp is something we call "Campy Potatoes" This is a hearty dish packed with Carbohydrates and fresh colorful vegetables that satisfy after a long hard day afield.

The recipe is very simple and requires only a sharp knife and your imagination. In this case we diced up our potatoes and red bell peppers. When we were shopping for provisions we spotted carrots in the grocery already chopped so we saved a little effort there.

Next combine the pieces onto a sheet of aluminum foil with spices and a dollop of butter. The possibilities are nearly limitless with this recipe. Onions, broccoli, cauliflower, corn and even mushrooms could be added.

Fold up the edges of the foil into a loose packet and wrap again with another sheet of foil. Repeat this procedure until you have four layers of foil to protect the goodies and plop the package down on the grill. If the fire ring does not have a grate simply position the pack right in the hot coals at the edge of the fire and periodically rotate to prevent hot spots.

While our foil packs cooked we grilled some filet mignon to add a little protein to our feast. The potatoes take about an hour to cook depending on their placement in the fire and this allows ample time to cook and eat the meat leaving the vegetables for a delicious second course.

On the last night of our four day excursion I prepared my old standby Spaghetti with meat sauce and fresh mushrooms. It's extra work carting along the pots and pans but well worth the effort. Why is it that food just tastes better when enjoyed in the great outdoors?

As an interesting side note the Coleman camp stove and matching cooler in the background are the first pieces of camping gear my wife and I bought together 20 years ago. They look new in the photograph but they have dings and scratches from use over the years. Most importantly they still function as flawlessly as their first time out.

Recumbent Ride

2011-07-15T05:01:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 14

I've been watching the Tour de France on satellite television and needless to say this little bike race across the French countryside inspires me to ride. I planned to ride today after work and even had my route picked out. Earlier in the day I was thinking of riding the Motobecane road bike but by the afternoon I settled on the recumbent as my machine of choice.

Ideal weather conditions with calm air and lower humidity made for a good ride. As my loop progressed I continued to feel strong so I kept pushing the pace and increased my average speed by half a mile an hour over the last half of my ride. I rarely reach speeds as high as 16.5 mile per hour average on the recumbent so I am pleased with my performance. Keep in mind that average speed calculations take into account slowing down for stop signs and sharp turns and accelerating back up to cruising speed. Much of the ride was traveling well above the 16.5 mph speed.

If I were a serious racer of bicycles I would certainly include these recumbent rides into my training regimen. The HP Velotechnik weighs in at 33 pounds or about 15 pounds heavier than the Motobecane road bike. I'm sure its no illusion that when I hop on the road bike I feel like I can really fly. I guess one could train with a bowling ball or two in a backpack and ride the race bike but that would not be fun or comfortable.

Local Loop (extended)

Bike: HP Velotechnik Street Machine
Ride Time: 1:27:33
Distance: 24.22 miles
Average Speed: 16.5 mph
Max Speed: 30.00 mph

News From A.R.S. KD8JHJ

2011-07-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

After the crazy logistics of Field Day I finally got my amateur radio gear returned to my basement ham shack and back operational just in time for the SKCC Week End Sprint on July 10th. With the heat and humidity of summer settling into the Ohio valley the cool climate controlled environs of my "man-cave" is the place to be.

July's sprint theme was QRP low power. QRP operation is encouraged with extra bonus points but not required for participation. I really did not feel like turning my rig power all the way down or using my QRP specific transceiver so I just left the power set at my usual 50 watts and had fun all the same.

Conditions on the air were a mixed bag with great regional propagation Saturday evening on 40 and 80 meters. Sunday morning and midday received signals were very low and hard to copy. I held out as long as I could and then went swimming with the family. By the last few hours of the sprint as the sun moved closer to the western horizon signals got louder and activity increased as SKCC members flushed out those last contacts.

SKCC July 2011 Week End Sprint Log KD8JHJ

7.120 W1LIC Maine

7.117 K4CNW South Carolina

7.110 NE0S Missouri

7.057 K5KV Louisiana

3.551 NW2K New York

3.552 W1LIC Maine*

7.055 AA9L Wisconsin

7.111 W5ZR Louisiana

7.118 AC2C Maryland

7.108 KB4QQJ North Carolina

3.549 N3WT Maryland

3.548 AC2C Maryland*

3.550 NG3V Virginia

3.554 N8AMM Michigan

14.046 AE5VB Louisiana

14.049 W4CU Florida

14.052 W5ZR Louisiana*

14.048 K4CNW South Carolina*

3.551 K9SKC Michigan

7.114 NW2K New York*

7.055 VE3FUJ Ontario, Canada

7.050 WA1AR Massachusetts

7.050 AK3X Maryland

7.053 W4NA Virginia

*Denotes multiple band contacts

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Digital Goings-on at KD8JHJ

e-qsl received from K4VO confirming our excellent Feld Hell ragchew on 20 meters

After nearly two months of CW (Morse code) only operation I have been feeling the urge to boot up the laptop and generate some digital transmissions. With three years of ham radio under my belt I am a dyed in the wool CW nut but sometimes I like to give the decoder between my ears a rest and let the computer do the work.

Yesterday after work I powered up the station and was purusing the digital watering holes around 14.070 MHz when I came upon the unmistakable cricket chirp of Hellschreiber at 14.074 MHz. I quickly switched modes in the software and tuned in the station. Mark, K4VO in Birmingham, Alabama and I exchanged 599 signal reports and then had a pleasant keyboard conversation for half an hour. With only 550 miles between us reception was very clear and strong using the 20 meter band. I have been looking forward to playing with Feld Hell now that we have at least a few sunspots increasing the solar flux value. I would love to make some DX contacts with other Feld Hell stations in Europe where the mode originated. I have one or two in the log already from the past couple years but now with solar cycle 24 heating up even if only lukewarm I believe I will try a little harder and start sending out some CQs.

Bike Ride with LeeAnn

2011-07-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

In a stroke of brilliance my wife came up with the idea that we get up early on Saturday and go for a ride on the B&O Trail. Our son had spent the night at a friend's house so we had a rare opportunity to go cycling together by ourselves. The greenways of the bike trail were cool and peaceful and we even got to see a whitetail deer crossing the path ahead of us.

After a solid 20 miles I loaded up LeeAnn's Cannondale onto the bike rack and I took off on my own for the 16 mile trip back back to town from the trailhead. By that time the temperature was soaring towards the 90 degree mark but breezes were light so I was able to keep fairly cool and maintain a decent pace along the smooth pavement of Ohio St. Rt. 97.

Near a small village called Blooming Grove I passed the birthplace of America's 29th President Warren G. Harding.

As I rolled into town I spotted this perfectly good 8mm spanner and had to swing back around to pick it up. It even says "Goodwrench" right on it. One of many tools in my box I have found while out on the bike.

B&O Trail w/ LeeAnn 20 miles

Ohio St Rt 97 solo 16 miles

Distance: 36 miles

Ride Time: 2:41:42

Average Speed: 13.3 mph

Max Speed 28.3 mph

Motobecane Odometer: 248 miles