Last Commute of 2011

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

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!



Special Event QSL Card



News from A.R.S. W8MDE

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

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

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

 

 

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

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



Friday Ride -- Indians and Insulators

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

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

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.