While walking The Girl up at Washoe Lake SP, I paused to make this capture of the afternoon light on Slide Mountain. There is snow, but not enough for spring flows. We need more. Capture with Fuji X100vi and the standard film simulation, mostly SOOC (slight contrast adjustment).
I had The Girl up at Washoe Lake State Park yesterday for an outing. We walked after arriving about noon, then I setup the Yaesu FT-897D station to play radio for an hour or so. The bands were not very cooperative, but I still made about 30 contacts — more than enough for a POTA activation.
Then I got her out for a second walk. We are rebuilding the tissue around her knee to reinforce it. Her gait is better already and the trick will be to avoid damaging the repair until it is strong enough to handle the stress she puts on herself.
She is an all-in dog. That is my girl!
I made the capture on our second circuit of the field, after I put away the station. I am learning the new Fujifilm X100vi and it is a substantial upgrade from the X100V. I am enjoying it.
The Yaesu FT-897D transceiver used for the day’s activation of Washoe Lake State Park. Although a legacy radio, it is still capable.
Sunday morning came gray, threatening rain and wind. I woke late for me, about 0700h, but I felt better than I have in a while. I think I slept better for a couple of nights. That does make a difference.
I had talked to friends about possible activating Prison Hill, a low-point Summit (on the Air) hill that would be my first SOTA activation of 2025. But it was raining at 0800h so I thought maybe not.
I was engrossed in my coffee and in working on my Winlink/Digirig/VARA install on my station computer. After months of no attention, nothing worked anymore. Thank you, Microsoft. It is likely that there were more than one updates that resulted in a reset of the sound settings.
Why do I say this? Well, the settings I remember establishing for the Digirig were gone. I did not change them. No one else has access to the computer. Induct.
But with the help from another ham, who wrote an excellent how-to, the process was relatively straightforward and I had Winlink, the Digirig, and VARA FM talking once again. I was able to exchange email with the local Winlink gateway. It was not long before I had VARA HF talking to the Elecraft K3 and then WSJT-X and JS8Call followed.
So, I made another mug of coffee and some hot cereal for breakfast. That left me at about 0930h and the rain was gone and the Sun was shining. I decided to get out for an outing and maybe play some radio.
The Girl has not been out of the house but for the backyard to eliminate and to the vet for checks since her knee surgery about a month ago. She has asked to go with several times of late. I decided to take her with because she could be with me in the rig while I operated the radio and I could get her out for a little walk without endangering her knee.
Spooner Lake SP was full of tourists and we had enough snow that there was no good place to operate. So, grumpily, we headed back down the hill. I decided to go to Washoe Lake SP and play there.
What I did not know is that the wind was howling through Washoe Valley. The warning signs prohibiting high-profile vehicles were flashing. When we got the our operating point off Bellevue Road, I could barely stand to deploy the antenna.
I elected to use the Chameleon MPAS 2.0 in the vertical mode. I drove the spike well into the wet ground, affixed the counterpoise and matching transformer, then deployed the mil-extension and whip. The antenna leaned about 30-degrees under wind pressure.
I retrieved the Yaesu FT-897D from its case and the support equipment for it. This legacy radio is old, but I have 300Hz and 2.3KHz filters in it and it works very well. Plus there is not a lot of fiddling with cables and such. I also know how to run the rig.
Everything took longer than usual — a factor of the wind and the length of time since I last setup the portable station. But, after about 20 minutes, I had the station assembled and was ready to operate.
So, I said goodbye to Older Son and started hunting other activators. I used HAMRS on my iPhone for logging as well as reading spots from the POTA website. I made a couple of contacts and then started looking for an open frequency on the 20-meter band.
I landed on 14.290MHz in the phone portion of the band and called a couple of times to see if the frequency was in use. In between calls, I started a spot for myself on the POTA website. Hearing nothing, I pressed the spot button and started calling.
It took only a few minutes before the first few calls started coming in. For the first few minutes it was a steady stream, but no pile-up. Then ka-blooey! the frequency blew up and I spent nearly the next three hours working a huge pile-up. Sometimes there were so many calls I could not get even a fragment of a call sign.
I did not move from the frequency or change modes for about three hours. At the end of that time I had 206 contacts in the log. At the end, the calls trailed off. A last call brought a few more. Then the frequency went quiet. I offered my thanks and indicated I was ending my occupation of the frequency (QRT).
I shut down the radio, made a photograph, and then got out and began recovering the station. The wind had abated some so it was not as bad as when I deployed the station. But it was also cooler and the Sun had fallen behind the Sierra.
Once the station was put away, I got The Girl out and we walked around the site. She sniffed, peed, and pooped and had a good time. It is good for her to exercise her leg. She lost a lot of muscle mass from the starboard hip. It will take time for her to recover that.
With that out of the way, I picked her up and put her in the rig. Then I clambered in myself, started it up, and called my buddy in Montana. We both marveled at the run.
As usual, I learned a few things.
Deploying a portable station is a skill. I had no problem with the setup. I had everything needed in the rig with me. But, I was not as efficient as normal. That is a lack of practice.
When my deployment skills are fresh, I can deploy that station (FT-897 and Chameleon MPAS) in about ten minutes. This deployment took between 20 and 30 minutes.
My code skills might be a little slower than they were when I last ran a frequency. But I was still able to copy the callsigns and exchanges at 18wpm.
The mental game was pretty challenging. I had so many callers, sometimes five or more at the same time. During some of the busiest periods I could not even get a fragment of a call sign. Fortunately, if I just waited someone would put out their call sign in the clear.
That gave me an opportunity to pull one caller off the pile, work him (or her), and then let everyone know I was ready to take another call. (I called QRZ.)
The 20m band was hot and had legs. It was unusually busy and I was hearing callers from Southern California and Oregon. Normally those are harder areas to work. Arizona, Washington, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico were LOUD.
My noise floor was between S4 and S5, which is quite high for the location. There was some noise on the band. There was also some fading at times.
Recovery of the station took a little longer than I wanted. But, I was mentally tired after all that work. It was a good kind of tired.
I am well on my way to a second Kilo at Washoe Lake SP. That surprised me.
It was a good day, despite the wind. I was shocked at how busy I was.
It was a very good day. I am grateful. Life is good.
Most of the contact map for my activation of Washoe Lake State Park, US-2640.
A wrist check from a few days ago. I do not have many remarkable wrist watches, but this one is. Shot with my iPhone.
I have been busy the last few weeks. The weblog took a hit as a result, as well as my documentation of websites I have visited.
Roberts built a nice webpage dedicated to the Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm zoom lenses. It is definitely worth keeping around for review if you are a user of manual focus lenses. Vivitar made lenses for a wide range of cameras. I have a few of them.
I know I have posted the link to the Tamron Adaptall-2 webpages before. But, this is such a good resource that it bears repeating.
It turns out the Olympus OM-3 and OM-4 bodies have a small physical sensor on the lens mount to detect when the lens is removed and force a reset of the spot metering system. Tamron redesigned the Olympus OM mount to prevent damage to this sensor and labelled it OL, replacing the original OM designation, at least on later versions of the mount. Documentation is here.
My buddy sent me contact information for a couple of watch makers, Watch Tech and Watch Doctor.
Like all of the professional cameras, Olympus offered interchangeable focusing screens for their OM-series bodies. This link is a list of them and what they offer.
We had a bit of snow Thursday, with maybe five or six inches of relatively heavy snow. Although it was early (about 0630h local) and not very bright, I stepped out the front door (briefly) and made this capture with the Sony A7iii and a new-to-me Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 manual focus lens. I brought the brightness up slightly in post.
I need another mug of coffee, my second. I think I will go make one and take Sera outside to eliminate. It looks cold outside, so we will not be long.
OK, so I took her out and she peed. I am right — it is cold… but not too cold. Winter is good. The snow provides snowpack in the mountains and that means water in the spring and early summer. The cold reduces the insect population and helps maintain the ecosystem that I so enjoy here in the high desert. The capture is from Thursday morning when we had snow. I used the Sony A7iii and a new-to-me Olympus Zuiko 50mm f/1.2 at f/5.6 as I recall. It was quite early so there was not a lot of light. I had to bring up the exposure slightly and made the edit in my iPhone with Snapseed.
And… I have another mug of Joe. That makes for a good morning.
We had a good snow this week with five inches or so here in Carson and several feet in the high Sierra. Much of the snow in the valleys is already melted. That means some ice on the roads, but I do not plan to drive much today. I do see a grocery run in my day and I will probably have supper with an old friend.
I see a workout and a walk also in my day. I have a few chores on my to-do list as well. I think I will enjoy my coffee and then get on with it.
I have probably posted a billion images from The Red Hut Diner here in Carson City. There will probably be another billion posted before my expiration date arrives. There is always an opportunity for street photography there. Shot with Fuji A7iii and a new-to-me Tamron 70-210mm f/3.8 Adaptall-2 zoom lens. Post processing on my iPhone to render a black and white image with a tiny bit of grain.
a best buddy just sent me a couple of images of he and his wife at Valentine’s Day lunch. It looks like they had bar burgers. I responded that I am a little jealous.
Had Wife lived, we would have done something special for the day, even if it was just lunch of bar burgers. Or, we might have gone to supper and braved the press. This was one of the things I loved to do — celebrate special days or special occasions with her.
I am sorry that those days are gone. It is not that life is not good; it really is. I am truly grateful for the days, even when they are difficult or I feel poorly. But that communal life was something that I deeply enjoyed and I miss it.
I had breakfast at The Red Hut Diner this morning, or probably better to say brunch. I did a bunch of work early and when the meeting ended I was hungry. I decided to treat myself to breakfast (and bring a treat home for The Girl). I did both. The biscuits and gravy were good, as usual.
I am enjoying the ducks that currently populate the linear parkway. Shot with Fuji X-T5 and Nikkon 300mm f/4.5 ED-IF. Post processing in DXO PhotoLab 7.
Wednesday I got out to walk shortly after noon. I needed some outside time and some Sun. I carried a small camera kit based on the Fujifilm X-T5, the Fujinon 35mm f/1.4, and a Nikkor 300mm f/4.5 EDIF from my inventory. I have been tracking the mallards that are currently populating the linear parkway that I like to walk between Roop and Saliman. I was hopeful for some Sun on the fowl because of the colors and shimmer that they carry.
It was a bit cold with the northerly wind, but I was warm enough moving. I really do not care for the city noise and should have put in my earpods and then them to quiet. But, I did not and dealt with the background noise until I hit the parkway.
Of course, a cloud popped up and blocked the Sun a good portion of my walk. I also should have set the ISO on the camera to 1,000 or so or should have set the shutter speed to 1,000th of a second as many of my captures were not quite sharp. I will get it next time.
Of the lot, this is my favorite capture. I did a little post-processing in PhotoLab 7 to bring the color up a little and sharpen the image just a little. I was not quite getting the hairy eyeball, but I was definitely being watched.
My buddy loaned me this vintage Wyler to wear for a week. It is lovely!
My buddy is really into mechanical watches and has been for several years. So, I am dabbling lightly and enjoying the camaraderie. I deeply enjoy listening to him talk about watches — something is very passionate about. Even if I am not so invested in the hobby (or obsession), it is interesting.
He loaned me this lovely vintage Wyler chronograph to wear for a week. I am enjoying it.
The makings for my morning ritual. Shot with Fujifilm X-E4 and a Voigtländer 27mm f/2 at f/2.8 using the HP5+ film simulation. SOOC.
Every morning, my day starts with a mug of Joe (or cup of coffee for non-aficionados). There is a ritual associated with my coffee and the tools (most of them) are displayed in the image. The tools comprise a kettle to heat water, a scale and cup to weigh beans, a press, a hand grinder, and a mug to receive the goodness from the press.
My process is:
Fill the kettle with cold water while allowing hot water to flow to the faucet to warm the press and mug.
Place a new paper filter into the filter ring.
Weigh the beans.
Moisten the beans with a fingertip dipped into the warming water of the mug.
Grind the beans in my hand grinder.
Empty the press of warming water and place the coffee into the press.
Pour hot water into the press.
Stir the mixture to wet all of the grounds.
Place the filter ring onto the press.
Set a timer for four minutes.
At the appointed time (or a little after), invert the press onto the mug and press out the newly extracted coffee.
Add some cream to the coffee and top off the mug with hot water.
Utter the required assent (Ahhh…).
Enjoy!
I have been using an Aeropress for a number of years now. It is easy to use and cleans up far more easily than a regular press. It has another positive characteristics — it is nearly indestructible. (Hat tip to DiL.) I generally use the inverted approach instead of placing it filter ring down on top of the mug. I think I get a better brew that way.
My current grinder is a Knock Aergrind with stainless steel burrs. It is a precise grinder that can grind very fine if desired.
My current scale is a Hario I bought from The Evil Empire. (Amazon…)
With the Peet’s dark roast, I am using about 15gm of beans to make 300ml of coffee. I am currently running 200ºF water (the boiling point at my elevation is about 205F) and four minutes for extraction. This gives me a nice rich dark roast that is very tasty with a bit of heavy cream.
I am grateful for coffee. It adds quite a bit to my life. Life is good.
