Satellite Station Up And Running

And it was remarkably painless!
I was a bit concerned about using my newer laptop with Windows 7 this year. The 4-port USB-to-Serial converter I'd been using for years did NOT have Win7 drivers, so it forced me to get a newer version. Then Windows remapped all the ports compared to what I had been using on my older laptop, so after a bit of digging, I had the correct cable on the correct port, and was able to set up the radio, the tracking interface which tells the rotor controller which way to move the antennas, and my HP GPS clock.
And it all worked!
I could easily hear myself on the FO-29 downlink, and had a chat with a guy in San Diego. Not exactly DX from here, but the satellite's footprint was mostly over the Pacific, so I was lucky to have somebody to talk to.
FO-29 is a Grand Old Lady, having been launched in August of 1996. She's had some battery trouble, but the guys at JAMSAT have kept her running all these years. They've been turning it off during extended eclipse periods so the batteries don't go completely flat, and they've done a superb job.
Now I just have to wait for some more passes that are over this area, and see who else I can yak with.

Field Day Is NEXT Weekend

And I'm dragging all the stuff out of the garage and shack to do a dry run.
The picture is yours truly from 2010. The smile on my face is due to the fact that I'm in the process of making 35 satellite contacts....the best my club had EVER done!
In 2011 I made 45 contacts, another "record" for the club. This year we've lost a couple of satellites, AO-51, and HO-68. AO-51 was an FM only bird, but HO-68 was a linear transponder (SSB and CW), and I made about HALF our contacts on it last year.
AO-51's batteries finally failed after 7 years in orbit, and HO-68 suffered a failure of a relay used to switch things around, and has been beacon-only since January 2011.
Back later with more.....

New Flavor at Baskin Robbins!

From one of my friends.....

In honor of the 44th President of the United States , Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream has introduced a new flavor: Barocky Road

Barocky Road is a blend of half vanilla, half chocolate, and surrounded by nuts and flakes. The vanilla portion of the mix is not openly advertised and usually denied as an ingredient. The nuts and flakes are plentiful.

The cost is $92.84 per scoop...so out of a hundred dollar bill you are at least promised some CHANGE..!

When purchased it will be presented to you in a large beautiful cone, but after you pay for it, the ice cream is taken out of the cone and given to the person in line behind you at no charge.

You are left with an almost empty wallet, staring at an empty cone and wondering what just happened. Then you realize this is what "redistribution of wealth" is all about.
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Have To Agree.....

Courtesy of The Feral Irishman!

Help Find Out How Your Local PD Is Using Drones

The guys over at the Electronic Frontier Foundation have published a handy little guide of things to ask your local PD.

Here's their opening paragraph:

Since last month, when EFF released a list of the sixty-odd public agencies that have already received from the FAA approval to fly domestic drones, the issue of drone surveillance has reached front and center in many Americans’ mind.  Yet barely any information is known about what law enforcement agencies plan to do with these unmanned flying vehicles. So we want your help to gather this information into one place.

To find out more, head on over to the EFF website, and read the whole thing. 

If you don't want to read the entire thing, here's a link to the questions.

I've been an EFF member for some years now, and while I may not agree 100% with them, this is a worthwhile venture on their part.
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Colorado Fires *UPDATE*

Well, the stepson's GF heard from her Mom today.
Their house is still standing.
She said it's a bit scorched, and the deck is gone along with all of the outbuildings, but the house itself appears intact.
Her parents haven't been allowed back in the immediate area yet, so they don't know if it's habitable or not, but at least it's still there.
She's headed back today to help with the mountains of paperwork that come with a loss like this.

Colorado Fires....

My stepson's girlfriend is from the Colorado Springs area, and her parents had to evacuate their farm last week.
WELL.....she got the news today that their place is a total loss.
Her Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters, and the dogs and livestock are OK as they moved all that over the weekend. but the rest of their stuff is gone.
Thankfully, her parents carried a lot of insurance, as her Dad also ran his construction business and Christmas tree farm from that location, but she told me today very little is left.
If any 'good' can come out of a personal tragedy like this, it should be a sobering reminder to document all your "stuff" that wouldn't ordinarily be covered by your homeowner's insurance.
Serial numbers, descriptions, and photographs, and keep them in a safe place away from your home.
And if you have unusual items that aren't specifically listed in a rider on your homeowner's insurance, make sure you get supplemental insurance to cover them.
I'm right now in the process of documenting all my radio gear and test equipment, "Just In Case".

GROAN.....Finally Home

They (Da Management) posted our ETA at the Pilot Station three different times today, NONE of which were accurate.
Hit the Pilot Station at 1830, but they didn't get us tied up and drop the gangway until 2030. This is about an HOUR longer than 'normal'.
I swear, Longshoremen are the epitome of "I get paid by the hour".
Then, nobody told the marine crew we'd need a basket lift to get our luggage off the ship, so that was another 30 minutes.
And of course, my stuff was in the last load to be brought down.
Got home about 2200, and after I spend a few minutes winding down, I'm hittin' they hay!
See you all tomorrow.....

About 30 Hours Out....

We're at 29*40'N, 127*W @ 19knots.

ETA at Home Port is approx 1800 on Saturday.

Can barely wait to get off the ship, and back home......

The Union Creek Journal

Wonderful story, well written. I found it via a link posted by the good guys at the Western Rifle Shooters Association.
The site itself it a great one, but read the Journal in chronological order, then look at the rest.
Amazingly well done.

Quiet Night Off Hilo.....

Our Bell 212 took off about 45 minutes ago to take a sick passenger to Hilo. We're sitting about 12 miles off the coast on Dynamic Positioning waiting for them to return so we can get headed back to our Home Port in Long Beach.
There's some big whoop-de-dos going on in the bar tonight, but since I don't do bars anymore, it's a nice quiet time to sit at my desk and watch a movie.
Tonight's feature is "Ghost In The Shell 2.0" in Blu-Ray. I brought this one, and "Ghost In The Shell: Innocence" with me, which I watched Sunday afternoon. I think "Innocence" is a better movie as it goes into the characters more, but the first one is a classic, and I do loves my "classic" movies.
I also brought the entire collection of "Miami Vice" with me, but I'm a bit frazzled on those after getting through the first two seasons over the weekend!
Our re-revised ETA at Home Port is sometime Sunday, but we'll get a better ETA as we get closer to home.