photography/video

Hilltop Hamming at Kings Gap

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I think I am blaming myself for this weather. I bought that ice fishing shelter and the weather turned warm. I have only used it twice this winter so the warm winter must be my fault. The shelter and the propane heater. Oh well. It was a beautiful day. SWMBO and I set out to do an activation and went to Kings Gap, K-4361. The usual spot where I set up was usurped by a crew that was cutting wood and grooming the forest so we went next to the mansion. It didn’t take long to set up and the activation was legit within a short period of time (18 minutes) on 40 meters. I did a little band hopping but my best results were on 40 though I did manage to work an Italian station on 20 Meters. The most surprising contact was on 15 Meters when I was contacted by a station who was mobile and about 4 kilometers (straight line) away. I worked 3 park-to-park contacts and had no encounters with lions, tigers and/or bears; it is a good idea to have an owl with me. My long suffering wyfe did a great job with the logging and we really make a good team. Anyway, I made a total of 24 QSO’s and the important thing is that we had fun. Namaste for now kidlets.

The ever vigilant Zarathustra
CQ POTA CQ POTA CQ POTA

 

And the Days Go Bye

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Wow, what a day! We didn’t set out to do it, really we didn’t. We started out having breakfast at the Newville Diner in Newville PA. Our intent was to have a breakfast and, while eating, decide on a destination in Cumberland County to activate. Easy enough, we did. We set out after breakfast for Kings Gap Environmental Education Center, K-4361. This is a very pleasant hilltop with a stone mansion and a lot of areas to operate from. I like the place as it is nice and peaceful. While we were there we were approached by a man with a pair of binoculars. He was a bird-watcher heading to the mansion and was curious. He understood ham radio but was wondering about the owl on the hood of my car lol. I chatted with him for a few before going back to hamming. Between 40 and 12 meters I worked 29 contacts including Italy and Sweden on 12 meters. A good day indeed. But wait! There’s more! My long suffering wyfe said, and I quote : “Hey! Let’s go to the ATV lot!”. Well, there was nothing to do but to comply, after all, I call her SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) for a reason! We quickly packed up and trolloped (yes I use Trollop as a verb meaning to travel or move) off to the Michaux State Forest ATV lot (K-5471) on Piney Mountain. It did not take long to settle in there and get set up with some coffee. The ATV lot is located on Bendersville Road at the top of Piney Mountain above Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Between 17, 20 and 40 meters we worked 38 contacts and had a great time. Today we worked a total of 4 Park-to-Park contacts of which 1 was a double so 5 really. With the temperature around 11C it was a very comfortable day for February. We even had to open the car door as it was getting too warm in there. Well I am going to close for now. Have fun and stay radio active, kidlets. Namaste!

Ptolomey guarding us at K-4361
Ptolomey on overwatch at K-5471
calling CQ and getting an answer

Always have a plan “B”

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Once again it was too nice a day to waste, so my long-suffering wyfe, my owl Ptolomy and myself set out to activate a park. I wanted to get a new one (at least new to me) in the books so we headed to Col Denning State Park, just on the other side of Doubling Gap. It was a great day and it did not take long to get set up. Unfortunately I was unable to make more than one contact. He was mobile and in RI so I know it wasn’t my antenna. Just circumstances, I guess. There was no internet signal where I was so I could not see if I was spotted, nor could I spot myself. Oh well, such is life and ham radio. On to Plan B. Not too far away is the Three Square Hollow Vista in Tuscarora State Forest, which I have worked from before. It is a beautiful location with an outstanding view and good radio visibility. Within about 1/2 hour of operating I was able to make 29 contacts including some park-to-parks which helped ease the sting of an unsuccessful attempt. All in all it was a great day. I even got to chat a bit with some of the other hams out there. I am attaching the obligatory photos of Ptolomey, my radio and the view from both locations. Namaste, kidlets, until next time.

Ptolomey watching my 6 at Col Denning State Park.
Yes, that is a thermos of coffee.
Ptolomey at Three Square Hollow Vista blocking my view of Cumberland County PA.

Tuesday the 10th vs Friday the 13th

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This is a tale of 2 activations, 2 owls and one park. On Tuesday, Oct 10th, My long suffering wyfe and I set out to Kings Gap (K-4361 for you POTA types) and I activated the park. This consists of setting up my radio and making a minimum of 10 contacts. I was able to make 34 contacts in the time I had to be there and enjoyed the day. Everything went smoothly. I got my antenna line over a tree branch in one throw and was set up in less than 15 minutes. My wyfe wandered around taking pictures and also spent some time on the interwebs and enjoying the weather. It was a great afternoon. As I said, everything went smoothly. My owl decoy, Ptolomey (pictured below) kept watch for bears and made sure we weren’t bothered by insects or other pests. Then there was today, Friday the 13th. My wyfe, on the spur of the moment, decided that she wanted to do some videoing up at Kings Gap and since we would be going up there I decided to bring my equipment and activate. First, I had to turn back 1/2 km from home as I had forgotten to barricade off the area of the house where the cellar stairs are. I rather prefer not to return home to our Rhoomba on its back at the bottom of the stairs screaming for help and being circled by well-meaning cats. Then the small store at the bottom of the hill at Kings Gap did not carry the brand of chips my wyfe wanted. Once we go to the top of the hill where the mansion is, there were workmen doing various and sundry things preparing the place for the upcoming fall/winter seasons. My wyfe settled herself in to doing her thing and I started setting up my radio. Yeah … On the 4th throw, my throwing bag wound 3 times around a branch. I stood there, about 15 or so meters below staring at it and uttering lots of nsfw words. There was no way I could leave an weighted throwing bag attached to several meters of florescent twine attached to that branch. Finally the thought hit me: The twine has 2 ends!! I took a convenient stick and tied it up with the other end of the twine and threw it over the branch 3 times. This unwound the throwing bag. Unfortunately, my wyfe had wandered over to observe the spectacle and almost got hit with the bag when it came loose and plummeted to the ground. Now 3 more throws got it over the branch and I was able to raise my antenna. My usual 15 minute set-up took me almost 45 minutes. Now my owl Tootsie was able to scare away any bears but the gnats were another story. They ignored him and swarmed me. I did my best to ignore them. I made 55 contacts and had a very successful activation in spite of Friday the 13th and Murphy. Feel free to look at my pictures and to laugh at me. 🙂 Pic 1 is Ptolomey, Pic 2 is Me on the 10th, Pic 3 is Tootsie and Pic 4 is me on the 13th. Namaste Y’all

WOW!! Where did September go???

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It has been a busy month, I guess. I have really been into the whole POTA thing and between that and work and keeping my life from falling into the usual chaos, it has been one amazing fun filled blur. I mentioned in my last post that I had activated 2 parks on 3 September. Well, just the other day, 1 October, I went out to the same place, Big Spring State Park, located in Tuscarora State Forest and activated again. I made a total of 49 contacts in an hour including several park-to-park contacts and was able to withstand the constant bombardment of acorns falling from the trees. It was a beautiful early autumn day and I was very happy to be out and about. I will include a picture or 2 below. I prefer to go out on nice days as I do not want my radio rained on. There are pavilions I could use, I guess but I do prefer the open air and sunshine. It doesn’t take me long to set up and I can be on the air within 15 minutes of pulling into the park. I prefer to use a G5RV Junior antenna as it is a good multi-band antenna and works well as an inverted vee. Right now the only limiting factor in my setup is my power situation. The battery pack I use just isn’t up to the job which is why I am going the pick up a LiFePo 12V 20ah battery tomorrow which will allow me to run my rig for a much longer period of time. You can expect a more contacts listed from my next activation report. well kidlets, enough for now. Namaste, you’all.

Not a Good day, a Great day!

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It was a great day today. The weather was beautiful and it was a very nice day to be off. One of those Sundays that come along once in a while that make you want to go outside and do things. Today my wonderful wyfe and I went out to a State Park about 15 miles down the road and did a POTA activation. POTA stands for Parks On The Air and is a program for ham radio operators to get out and be active in the public, operating in State and Federal parks, Forests and Game Lands. The park we were at was Big Spring State Park ( POTA Number K-4355) which is located on the western edge of Perry County PA. As I said, it was a beautiful day. It only took me about 15 minutes to set up. I put up an inverted Vee antenna with the apex up about 30 feet. My radio is a Yaesu FT891 and I was using my new LDG Z11 Pro II tuner. The setup worked great and I was able to make 26 contacts in less than an hour of operating before the bugs drove me out of there. In the meantime, my wonderful and long suffering wyfe was enjoying herself making videos of nature and of me operating. All in all, a good time was had by all. Following is a pic of me operating and my setup. The random hunks of tree bark on the table were still there when we left. 🙂

Not so long ago in a galaxy next door ….

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Today the weather turned out nice. It started out rainy but then turned sunny. I was able to beat Satan’s Putting Green into submission and we planted some gourd seeds in the hopes of obscuring part of the yard in vines for most of the Summer.

A funny thing happened this past Saturday. My wonderful wyfe has been wanting an all black kitten for ages. I finally found her one. After doing some schedule juggling we arranged to meet up with the nice lady who had such a kitten and she brought us a choice of 2 10 week old all black male kittens. Of course we took both of them. Meet Dipper and Kalamazoo:

Trust me, they are a lot cuter in person.

I have also come to the realization that I really do live out in the sticks. Here is my proof:

So until we meet again, happy snails and Namaste!

Death and other fun topics

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This entry I am going to talk a bit about cemeteries. Cemeteries are our legacy. They chronicle the passage of time and can give a feeling of loneliness and/or insignificance. They could also give a feeling of peace and tranquility. Back around 100 years ago or more, people viewed cemeteries as parks. holding picnics or taking leisurely Sunday strolls down tended paths. They did not fear the dead, they respected the grounds and treated it with an awe filled reverence. Lovers would sit under the trees or lean on the stones dreaming of things to come. Poets would be inspired by the atmosphere of serenity.

There is a true equality in death and it doesn’t matter the size of your stone. Below you will find some pictures I took today in one of the cemeteries in Carlisle PA

Looking SE
Another view
A view west
There is a lot of symbolism on the older stones. I have even found one on which the finger is pointing downwards. That one is in a cemetery in NH
Here is a monument to Molly Pitcher, a Revolutionary War Hero.
The texture of a broken and aged stone can remind us of the fleeting significance of all we do.

Next time you pass a cemetery give it a look. You never know what you might find … even if the only thing to find is peace of mind. 🙂

A Confession!

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I like goldfish (Carassius auratus). Some in the aquarium hobby would see them as common or plebian, but I like them. Don’t get me wrong, I like all kinds of tropical fish such as plecos and corys and neons, but I have always had a soft spot for goldfish. I actually prefer the simplicity of the common types. I rescue feeders from pet stores and give them a chance. Right now my biggest is about 4 inches. He started out black but has since turned gold.

I do like the fancy ones, the orandas, moors, reiku, etc, but i prefer the simple little comets and feeders.

Here is a picture of one of my tanks. The picture quality could be better but it was taken with my fone and fish tend to move around.

There is a simple pleasure I derive from watching them swim around. It is relaxing and has an almost therapeutic virtue to it. More nonsense to come later.