HF now in operation, ATU in place and a hash up of an antenna, managed a QSO with a station in Staffordshire 180 miles as the crow flies this evening and my first ever HF QSO with Mr Chain even though we have been amateurs together for 19 years now! Gives me more motivation to improve my antenna, I have bought some books and studied a little about the subject which has made me realise I do not have the space for a top quality antenna set up, but has given me a few options on making the most of the space I have available. One set up I have in mind involves a 5.5M mast at the end of the garden which I am anxious my neighbours maybe a little disagreeable about. Not sure whether to approach the neighbour or just put it up and see what happens?
I am a little concerned about noise levels which make listening to distant stations very difficult, the origin of this noise is ‘Unknown’ and may be the result of my dodgy antenna design but could also be due to local interference. There is an issue with power line transmitters for Ethernet communication over domestic mains wiring supplied by the likes of BT for support of their BT Vision services, this radiates interference widely over the HF and VHF spectrum. If any nearby households are using this “technology” I could be in trouble.
Back in the day I got quite enthusiastic about radio and that somehow petered off, now that I have invested in a system that allows a more long range alternative to what I had previously used, the enthusiasm may reignite! Although listening to all the crap at the moment I aint too sure.
On diet and what can I say? This may be the first time I have seriously taken it on without the aid of medicine and the results are quite profound. Have you ever been so tired you can hardly keep your eyes open let alone focus on a particular subject? Well that’s how it feels mentally when off diet with PKU all day. Don’t take my word for it, Have a look here.
I have often trialed the diet with the aid of antidepressants and had results, but I was never sure whether any of the positives were a result of the diet or the drugs. Now however, things have changed, I have tackled the lethargy and pulled myself out to attack this head on. Solidly on diet now for several weeks my entire perception is changing, I have more concentration and my view of things is a whole lot less depressive, you might say I am happier. Now for those of you who know me better, this may sound like another pile of bullshit but hang one, having been strictly on diet (before I may have cheated somewhat) there is a remarkable difference compared to when I have dieted before, not only with cognitive functions, but general awareness and overall contentment. So my aim is to stick with it, I have always been wholly conscious of the fact I do not metabolise protein well, and have adjusted my diet accordingly, I think maybe to reap benefits though, I must be strict, a different set of rules, wish me luck.
Knickers! Why are they a pair? Trousers again, a singular and a plural, unless used as an adjective: ‘I caught the Plumber rifling through my wife’s knicker drawer.’ Is it because we have two legs? Hang on, we have two arms right but we don’t wake up in the morning and put on a pair of jumpers (unless it really cold :P). It appears anything associated with our legs has an ‘s’; shoes and socks I can understand, if I was to get a pair of my old Levis and cut off a leg would it become a jean? No! AAAAHHHhhh!!!
What if North Korea is working for the USA? It wouldn’t be incredible if the powers in force have manipulated the North Korean government and have covert fundings in place for the continuation of their nuclear aims, and all recent events are just play acting towards the USA being able to deploy more military might in the Asian Pacific region. It does seem a little odd that such a small country would make such threats knowing if they were carried out their annihilation would be inevitable. We are led to believe that China are North Korea’s only allies securing a buffer zone between China themselves and the pro-western South Korea, but this could be part of America’s plan to get themselves on their border for a very likely military showdown. Recent events have already given the US an excuse to install hi-tech missile defense systems in the region and move in an aircraft carrier, this does look very much like a military build up against China. The world was forced years ago by the federal reserve that oil be traded in US Dollars, this made America the richest country in the world. Now however, countries are looking to trading in other currencies, notably China and Russia amongst others in Latin America and the Middle East (Interestingly Gaddafi and Mubarak were staunch adversaries to trading oil in USD). This is a serious threat to the US economy and their grip on world power, there is to be no doubt they are going to want to do something about it.
The outlook is that the US’s status as the world economic superpower is in serious jeopardy and it certainly wont want to share the wealth and will probably die fighting. These threats from North Korea, although only a small country, may have serious repercussions.
I’m currently wondering what’s happened to the spring, having worked today in blizzard conditions over at Hastings and it being the 5th of April, it has kind of prompted me to post something. Driving to work I notice an odd show of rather sad daffodils, looking like they wish they hadn’t bothered. Other than that, glancing across the horizon and over the wooded hilltops there is not a leaf in sight, as if spring is emerging in slow motion. Wildlife is suffering with bird eggs remaining unhatched because of the cold weather, farmers have lost 100,000 sheep this winter due to either the inability to access them with feed, or they are being literally buried by blizzards, either way… they’re dead and not much cop, unless you happen to be hiking in Snowdonia with a shovel, a butcher and a backpack full of cooking equipment. These grey skies and bitter winds tend to suck out the serotonin and spring is welcomed by many with relief as the landscape explodes in to colour, the smell of blossom fills the air and longer brighter days evaporate away the mental mould accumulated throughout the long winter months, this year however, the mould lingers for many and the onset of warmer, brighter weather couldn’t come sooner. I could begin to babble on about my thoughts on whether or not I think this prolonged winter is a by-product of global warming, but my feelings are, that there are so many variables scientifically and such diverse opinion on the subject, it would be pointless. All I will say is, ‘The weather is different.’
Sit out in your garden and facing north this evening and stare up into the sky, astromoners are predicting that the Dranonid meteor shower could produce upto 1,000 meteors per hour, that makes it officially a storm. They will emerge form the constellation of Draco, hence their name – Draconids, though there are varying forecasts for the actual intensity. Ordinarily, the Draconid meteor shower is a “sleeper” with just about 10 meteors per hour. But this year, the Earth is forecast to pass through more of the comet 21P Giacobini-Zinner’s filaments than usual according to dust stream models used by scientists, These models simulate dozens to hundreds of meteors per hour, given this large range, the shower could be either quite a spectacle or a bit of a let down. ’21P Giacobini-Zinner’ is a periodic comet which returns every six years and four months.
One problem for potential spectators in the south of England is that it could well be cloudy when the peak is expected between 7pm & 10pm BST (1800 and 2100 UTC, these times varied a little in my research) but I am keeping one eye on the latest satellite forecasts in hope 😉
Update 1845: Err… complete cloud cover and no breaks looking at the satellite imagery, looks like a night in. 🙁 Update 2116: A clearing in the clouds and I saw ONE very bright Draconoid!
This photo doesn’t include the meteor, but it was taken in the same vicinity, about 67 degree elevation SSW.
Another week at work endured and a weekend that has passed before my eyes before I had a moment to blink, one thing I have managed to accomplish though is that I have repaired an old Roberts radio I have had my eye on in a local bric a brac shop for months. Apart from the broken pulley that guides the dial, it would turn on with audio for about 3 seconds then nothing. On dismantling I recognised the aroma of cooking silicon and pinpointed some very hot power amplifier transisitors, it turns out the thermal conduction to the heatsink was inadequate, and luckily the thermal runaway was controlled enough not to blow buggers to bits. A spot of heat transfer compound and a rearrangent of the bracketry and and a good tightening has done the trick. Radio currently on soak into hour number two 😉 Oh and a PP9 battery cost £4.95! Let’s hope it lasts more than a week.
On another level, my diet is improving. I couldn’t find the time to manage bloody prescriptions and surgery appointments that were necessary, so Lisa took control thankfully and things are getting back on track. My mood has been difficult to summarise as influences have moulded things uniquely of recent, which is a kind of pattern that ironically I can familiarise with, so I’m not discontented. Again it’s a head down and get on with it scenario, I occasionally lift myself up and catch a breath of fresh air, question the point of it all, see the insanity around me and quickly bury my head once again.
This is an awe inspiring picture. It was taken by the Planck telescope and it is the first ever full sky map of the cosmic microwave background. The satellite was launched by the European Space Agency in May last year and sent nearly a million miles into space to record the origins of the universe. It began taking data in August 2009, by the end of its mission in 2012, Planck will have made four maps of the universe.
The bright horizontal band through the centre shows the Milky Way with streamers of cold dust extending above and below. But the interesting part to researchers is the scattering of yellow flecks in the red background. These are the oldest photons in the universe and are thought to have been generated about 380,000 years after the Big Bang, when matter was finally cool enough to start forming atoms. It is hoped data from here will help scientists seek out some signature radiating from a period fractions of a second after the Big Bang.
It may also confirm the existence of the “axis of evil” – a weird alignment of hot and cold spots in the emptier regions of space. Planck will also stare into an ominous hole in space that some physicists suggest is evidence that our universe is not the only one… Now hold that thought and look again at that photo…
“From the closest portions of the Milky Way to the furthest reaches of space and time, the new all-sky image offers an extraordinary treasure chest of new data for astronomers.” – Professor Peter Ade, Cardiff University
Touch screen, built in camera, scanner, GPS, MEMS, WiFi, google map/earth, google search, image search… all in one device. This way, when you can see a building through it, it gives you the image search result right on the spot.
Another Example:
Travellers? Students?
This technology is here now and there is a million other applications this could encompass.
NASA have forewarned of huge solar storms 2012/2013, interesting eh? It’s not just the National Grid in the line of fire, I wrote a post not long ago detailing the fragility of a society so heavily reliant on technology, Clicky Here to have read.
Knickers! Why are they a pair? Trousers again, a singular and a plural, unless used as an adjective: ‘I caught the Plumber rifling through my wife’s knicker drawer.’ Is it because we have two legs? Hang on, we have two arms right but we don’t wake up in the morning and put on a pair of jumpers (unless it really cold :P). It appears anything associated with our legs has an ‘s’; shoes and socks I can understand, if I was to get a pair of my old Levis and cut off a leg would it become a jean? No! AAAAHHHhhh!!!
I’m currently wondering what’s happened to the spring, having worked today in blizzard conditions over at Hastings and it being the 5th of April, it has kind of prompted me to post something. Driving to work I notice an odd show of rather sad daffodils, looking like they wish they hadn’t bothered. Other than that, glancing across the horizon and over the wooded hilltops there is not a leaf in sight, as if spring is emerging in slow motion. Wildlife is suffering with bird eggs remaining unhatched because of the cold weather, farmers have lost 100,000 sheep this winter due to either the inability to access them with feed, or they are being literally buried by blizzards, either way… they’re dead and not much cop, unless you happen to be hiking in Snowdonia with a shovel, a butcher and a backpack full of cooking equipment. These grey skies and bitter winds tend to suck out the serotonin and spring is welcomed by many with relief as the landscape explodes in to colour, the smell of blossom fills the air and longer brighter days evaporate away the mental mould accumulated throughout the long winter months, this year however, the mould lingers for many and the onset of warmer, brighter weather couldn’t come sooner. I could begin to babble on about my thoughts on whether or not I think this prolonged winter is a by-product of global warming, but my feelings are, that there are so many variables scientifically and such diverse opinion on the subject, it would be pointless. All I will say is, ‘The weather is different.’
Another week at work endured and a weekend that has passed before my eyes before I had a moment to blink, one thing I have managed to accomplish though is that I have repaired an old Roberts radio I have had my eye on in a local bric a brac shop for months. Apart from the broken pulley that guides the dial, it would turn on with audio for about 3 seconds then nothing. On dismantling I recognised the aroma of cooking silicon and pinpointed some very hot power amplifier transisitors, it turns out the thermal conduction to the heatsink was inadequate, and luckily the thermal runaway was controlled enough not to blow buggers to bits. A spot of heat transfer compound and a rearrangent of the bracketry and and a good tightening has done the trick. Radio currently on soak into hour number two 😉 Oh and a PP9 battery cost £4.95! Let’s hope it lasts more than a week.
Image: ESA,HFI and LFI consortia
