Moose's Life loves and the bits in the middle

Beautiful day

2012-01-16T13:47:00.002Z

oh yes it is a lovely day, the suns out, the birds are chirping and you could almost be forgiven for thinking that springs just around the corner.... However...

I have a cold and to sitting right on my chest and im doing a good impression of having the dreaded "Man flu" its been a case of *cough cough cough - spit, cough cough cough -spit*and tbh nothing much is working at this point in time, I feel crappy.

On top of that i have just had my Dr on the phone telling me he has been on to some of his colleagues to find out what the score is with me stopping the anticoagulants to have a tooth removed and the concensous of opinion is to leave it as long as possible because if i stop taking them a heart attack is a real and serious risk of heart attack and non of us want that least of all me lol. So I guess ill be living on pain killers for the next 6 months(July) when i am due to stop taking the anti coagulants and will then be able to safely have the offending tooth removed.

The start of a new week

2012-01-09T05:32:00.006Z

And it will hopefully end up better than this morning is, 3 hours sleep and im wide awake now and dreading today.

Today i have to sort out a Dentist as i have a split tooth, its split from the top to the gum and im dreading having to go and have it sorted because i like a lot of others am absolutely terrified of the man in the white coat, i know its irrational and silly but they scare the crap outta me.

G-man popped round after work last night and we set my new bivvy up outside to check it out before use (would look silly if there were parts missing or broken) and i must say it went together easily and looks a very nice bit of kit with plenty of room in it, it didn't however come apart nice and easy in fact the air was blue with one particular pole that refused steadfastly to come apart until some severe brute force came into play, i just hope it will soon wear in when used and become easier to take apart. Overall though a nice bivvy for the money spacious and comfortable and it appears to be very sturdy too.

Bivvy, Books and lack of sleep

2012-01-07T05:33:00.004Z

Well the new bivvy (posh fishing tent) turned up yesterday so once again i am ready and and have the equipment for the job now i just need some fine weather to allow the ground round the lake to dry out so we can get to the water again, i also need to get the bivvy out of the bag and try to put it up so as to work out the quirks that no doubt will be there are happens when attempting to erect any new bivvy.

Still waiting on a couple of books from eBay both carp fishing related and im really looking forward to reading them when they do eventually turn up, i don't suppose they will make me a better angler but you just never know.

Not sleeping again so once again thank goodness for ham radio and the 80 mtr dx net and something to listen to.

2012-01-02T09:04:00.003Z

Well the new years been and gone and now its time to look towards spring though i suspect we still have some really crappy weather ahead of us over the next 12 weeks before things start to improve.

Anyway new year new Moose, for to long i have sat on my laurels so to speak and once again the saga of wanting to get fit and dare i say it healthy is forefront in my mind especially as at long last i don't have so much pain now in my chest when its cold, it still aches but hey i haven't dropped dead so im guessing as everyone seems to be telling me that its normal after having a stent fitted, though it sure as hell hasn't felt normal at times but one really cant dwell on such matters and as they say life's just too dam short to worry about it.

I have several targets to achieve this year and they are:-

to get healthy
to enjoy life with Rose (i would like to get married to, for the first time)
to do the stuff i want to do
do more photography
do more fishing
catch a few large carp
but mainly...
have fun fun fun doing it

Now don't get me wrong here i still have some pretty bad times with the depression and there are still plenty of times where i really don't feel like doing anything other than crawling into a ball and saying F*** life and give up once and for all but im learning to deal with that, slowly but surely and its a long path im on and that's for sure because just when i think i have it sussed it always without exception comes back with a vengeance to bite me on the ass but thankfully my Rose is always here to help, advise and tell me things will be ok even when they don't feel like it to me.

On a different tack if you take any notice of world events you can be forgiven for thinking the whole worlds going to hell in a hand basket, everyone's broke, violence is flaring up around the world governments seem to be breaking all the promises they made before getting in power and on the face of it there doesn't seem to be much good going on, just think though, we have all lived through hard times before and no doubt will again in the future so in the words of the song

Dont Worry, Be Happy

2012-01-01T12:49:00.000Z

Happy new year one and all

Dinner at Franks

2011-12-20T15:55:00.002Z

well Tuesdays here again and and as always lunch is at franks, it consisted of a beautiful roast beef with all the trimmings, yummmy.

After lunch Rose had a funny turn with her ears and lost her balance and generally felt like crap so i whisked her back home and got her tucked up in bed in the warm, lets hope she feels better later.

As im preparing this post im sat listening on my ham radios it seems once again there is propagation to the states on 10 mtrs and im also listening to some local traffic on 145.600 (gb3sr repeater) which is echo-link enabled enabling world wide communications either using a pc or by accessing the echo-link enable repeater using a vhf/uhf radio, it seems one of the local lads has connected to a South African repeater and is quite happily chatting to a gentleman from South Africa.

good and bad all in 24hours

2011-12-11T03:31:00.002Z

Today was the N.F.A.R.G. (Newhaven Fort Amateur Radio Groups) Xmas get together and what a pleasant surprise, no bad feeling rippling away, no bitching and arguing. It seems after the officers change at Septembers AGM there has been a revitalising of interest from the members maybe they were just as pissed off as we were with the inept, lazy and downright useless running of the group by the last administration. the king is dead, long live the king.

Im guessing the new officers must be doing something right as we have this wave of positive interest in the club again and subsequent membership increase which is amazing.

Anyway a good time was had by all.

this evening however I felt really knackered so went and crashed for a couple of hours only to wake after two hours sleep all moochy, maudlin and tearful after remembering that tomorrow is the anniversary of the death of my grand father, A much loved man in fact he was my hero and i miss him terribly even now after several years have gone by not a day goes by when don't think of him and the things he tought me, fishing, hunting and yes a little poaching too lol he was a true country man and bought me up in the same manner and with the same morals, yes i can kill, skin and gut animals for food and still see and appreciate the beauty of the countryside, im equally as happy stalking a wild rabbit or fish as i am sitting mesmerised watching a bird sat on my fishing rod or a wild mouse scurrying around in the grass by a lake or even just laying in the grass looking up at the clouds slowly moving across a summer sky, yes i am a dreamer, i love nature and Granddad that's all down to you. Thank you. Where ever you are i know your looking down on me going through life, i hope your proud of the man i became, i know im proud to be your grandson. I Love you.

7th Dec 2011

2011-12-07T06:59:00.000Z

GONE FISHING BACK FRIDAY

2 days @ long last

2011-11-24T20:00:00.003Z

finally after 4 years im back on the bank good and proper. Myself and my mucka Chain went fishing Tuesday morning to Wednesday evening not without some trepidation on my part too, but oh boy all fears and concerns vanished on pulling up at the lake it was oh so carpy it was untrue we all knew something was going to happen.

We finally decided to fish an area near to some rush beds chain fishing to some weed beds and myself fishing against the reeds and also towards a a weed bed.

Anyway the bottom line i got kippered(well done buddy top angling) chain had two one of 10lb on the nose and one of 12 1/2 lb both on small 12 mm pineapple pop ups even the G-man managed to bag a carp. I did find the new bedchair an absolute dream to sleep in but not so good to sit on i can now see the point of the seats that clip and seat across the bedchair.

Chain mate thanks for a great session roll on the next one and im gonna catch em next time lol.

Got home last night, showered and then crashed until 08:30 this morning and basically have spent all day chilling round the house and playing a little on the radio and computers.

til the next time stay safe
K.I.R.

bloody good day

2011-11-21T20:12:00.003Z

Yes today's been a bloody good day, slept like a baby for the first time in ages, had my 6 monthly diabetic check and things are moving in the right direction at long last and then went to do a little shopping for some new bits of fishing tackle then came back home and sorted my gear in preparation for my fishing trip tomorrow and i cant wait, 2 days and a night chasing ol' ciprinous carpio (i think i have spelled it correctly lol) this will be the first longish session for a number of years now so yes sad as it might seem, im excited at the prospect of getting into the fish maybe.

Also I am happy to note that I haven't had a depressive turn for a little while now, I dont for a minute think that this is the back of it cos when ever I think I have the thing under control it comes up behind me and beats me over the head with something else to contend with, but until that happens im going enjoy life and keep working towards full health again.

Till the next time

KIR

A little blast from the past

2011-11-20T01:45:00.002Z

A little bit of fun i wrote about 5 years ago, i hope it makes you smile it certainly does me.

I have been prompted to do this article after reading a thread on a fishing forum based on the tackle of yester year, now for the younger readers out there (old fart mode on) you just dont know how lucky you are with the standard of fishing tackle available to us now compaired to say the late 70's and early 80's(old fart mode off).

Lets make a start with rods and reels, rods made from fibreglass normally 1 1/2 lb tc or 1 3/4's and floppy, hell these things were so soft they were like a 90 yrs old privates (bet that creates an image that you wont shift all day lol) but if you were really lucky they had fuji rings and not the horrible cheap eyes that fell apart after a couple of seasons, reels were limited to either mitchells 300's or the mitchell match if you was really fortunate or the Abu cardinal 55 (which all serious carpers aimed at getting because they looked flash), as a kid i can remember saving up for a pair of mitchell 300 and thinking they were the dogs danglies, as i recall the line regulary got stuck under the spool and every now and then the gears would lock up solid, right when you where trying to play one of the few fish you caught that year, and as for playing a fish on the clutch well it never happend not for us anyway cos the 300s clutch was a bit of non clutch as i recall, ie it just didnt work.

Now onto bedchairs and shelters, the carpers bedchair was if i remember correctly bought from tesco's or somewhere like that with fold out legs they were adjustable though back legs either up or down depending on the level of the bank you was fishing on, the ratchet system for setting the angle of the back rest was wicked too on numerous occasions i can remember throwing myself onto mine and having the ratchet giving up, the net result was me ending up flat on my back ending up with a painful back and a nackered bedchair (spare rod rests came in handy here to prop up the back), they came in either bright blue or red (no realtree here) and the covers invariably rotted after a few trips getting wet much to the hilarity of all concerned when yours truly went through it in the middle of the night.The shelter consisted of a 45 inch brolly that usually leaked like a sieve and if it was raining you couldnt have your bedchair open up to lay on cos 45 inches just wasnt enough (who says size dont matter)so you would sit there all night with the front of the bedchair folded up up in front of you. Doing your damdest to keep dry and failing miserably, not saying that we were slow or anything but we just didnt think to get some plastic sheeting and make a pukka shelter heck we were having too much fun!!

Bite indication was also state of the art (yeah right and you moan about badger gear), we had heron bite indicators and the traditional washing up bottle top (if it was windy a HP7 (AA) battery shoved in the bottom served as additional weight). The heron was, and lets be honest here, a major breakthrough as it meant you could sleep knowing if you got a run (very infrequently) it would wake you up (yeah right), that was of course as long as it wasnt raining or even damp and misty that was when the bloody things got a life of their own and buzzed for no reason what so ever, or you had forgotten to set the head offset and they wouldnt go off at all. As for latching led's heheheh these things had a bulb alongside the buzzer in a plastic box with a red plastic lens cover over a hole drilled to allow the light to shine through, unfortunately this hole also allowed the wet to get in causing more false bites than anything else, so we modified them by nicking off my fishing partners mother some almost pupose built tupperware boxes about 4 inches square and 2 inches deep and tranfering all the electronics into these (one buzzer, one lamp, and one battery, told you they were state of the art didnt i) but they sealed and the damp or wet didnt become a problem again not from that end anyway, we never did solve incessent buzzing when wet though and we eventually moved onto optonic hi/lo's and wow what an improvment.

Baits, well all i can say about baits until "the carp strike back" and "carp feaver" were published we didnt have a clue about boilies and were using every kind of pulse and seed we could think of, our favourites were (in no order of importance) black eyed beans, chick peas, red kidney beans, baked beans (out of the can), butter beans and of course sweetcorn all of these were duly soaked and cooked as needed and various experiments with mums colourings and flavours ensued, then after reading the above mentioned books we got more advanced with our baits using things like trout pellet paste stiffend with weetabix and flavoured with one capful of vanilla flavouring (worked ok-ish for the carp but the bloody tench on our local waters loved it)and then all of a sudden (i cant remember what year it was) Richworth boilies (tutifruiti) hit the shelves wow we were high tech then, boilies and the hair rig we couldnt help but catch those carp now .......... could we?

Note:
Reading through this again i must say i get a kinda warm feeling inside and also a realisation that we tried much much harder back then than we do today with our nice big comfy bed chairs, 5 season sleeping bags and Delkims, too much comfort and not enough enthusiasm are the staple diet of todays carp angler, and far far too much technical thinking, guess what? they are just bloody fish, they need to eat so they can be caught ....Simples just be in the right place at the right time and you will catch.

tight lines till next time

Woke up to find

2011-11-14T14:09:00.003Z

the Dr's on the phone ready to moan about me missing an appointment with the heart consultant and was most surprised when i told them he discharged me last Wednesday talk about the right hand not knowing when the left is doing no wonder the country is in such a bad state when simple things like this get messed up, on a positive note it gave me chance to book a blood test for my 6 monthly diabetic check-up.

Spend the last couple of day banging my head against Linux but Linux lost have finally got it running and stable on my dual monitor system and have got Ham radio deluxe running sweetly under virtual box im so glad im persevering with Linux because its a really good OS as long as your prepared to work at it and it truly blows windows into a cocked hat, so go on, give it a serous try you never know you might just like it. I know i did and im far from a computer geek.

no more hospital

2011-11-13T15:38:00.002Z

well its been a good week this week, had to see the heart consultant on Wednesday and he had discharged me from his care as in his words " we wont have any more problems with you now" so i left on a major high and a feeling of being able to take on the world once, shame cold air causes me pain in the chest though apparently its normal anyway roll on the fishing.

The radios been buzzing on almost every band though i have concentrated on 10 mtrs and been quite successful on the vertical CB antenna (CB did have some uses lol)

Been banging my head against Linux mint for a while now and I think I have now got tote point where i can use it without too much head scratching though i do still have to think about what im doing with it.

as i type this im listening to 27.385 lsb and its full yes full of yanks in fact there are so many stations out there that is just noise and takes a lot of listening to pull out any single station from the horde of american stations out there (only the biggest mouth and amplifier will win it seems so im off to the relative peace and quiet of 28 mhz to see what's going on there.

Peace

brrrr its cold

2011-10-22T01:22:00.002+01:00

Hiya all,

Brr its cold, i woke up this morning and bloody hell it was freezing, well it wasnt but due to 5 lots of anticoagulants a day by god am i feeling the cold nowadays, bang goes fishing for a while and i really wanted to try out my new mammoth bed chair 1.5 mtrs wide and bloody hell its comfy.

Anyway changing the subject im so glad i got the 10 mtrs vertical antenna up at home because the bands come into its own of late with high sunspot counts and stable solar activity means we in the UK have been having great conditions with Australia worked most mornings by stations in the southern UK an copious Japanese and American stations also being worked later in the day right the way up to 10pm local time or later.

As i write this im listening to HA9RT on 40 mtrs and he is 20db over signal 9 on my 20mtr long horizontal wire and the noise level is low at s1 or less here.

All in all feeling good and enjoying life starting to get busy with projects and all the various bits and pieces that need to be done by any vice chairman of a radio club Newhaven Fort Amateur Radio Group facebook page its an open group and all hams /radio enthusiasts are welcome to join in.

hope to catch you down the log 73

A hectic couple of months

2011-10-11T06:33:00.004+01:00

hello and welcome, again its been several months since I added anything to my blog and quite a bit has happened since my last post in June so bare with me here.

a few weeks ago I was sat watching the TV on a Saturday evening and started to feel most peculiar so thinking it was the usual grief of either high sugar levels or low ones and thinking I was about to have a hypo rushed for the tester only to find my sugars were fine, I on the other hand wasn't I started to experience pains in my chest and back and also running down my left arm anyway to cut a long story short I ended up getting Rose to call out a paramedic who came out very quickly and after doing some tests and giving me some GTN spray which stopped the pain very quickly I might add but decided that it was a case of "your going to A&E an ambulance is on its way".

Anyway one mad rush on the blues at 11pm to hospital and several test later the Dr decide I haven't had a heart attack but that I need to have an angiagram as a matter of some urgency.

Moving on 2 weeks u find me back in the hospital and undergoing the aforementioned angiagram where the Dr's found i had a totally blocked artery and to sort this out they fitted a stent and cleaned out the blockage (not the most comfortable of procedures tbh) and then sent me home with the instructions "walk for exercise for now always carry this bit of card with your cardio information on and oh by the way your on anticoagulants for the foreseeable future and you may experience some discomfort.

Ok i have been walking,i have been taking the meds (almost always cold now due to it too) been doing the cardio vascular exercises but and 9 weeks on it still bloody hurts and im sick to death of always feeling tired. The stent still hasn't settled down and after chatting to my GP about it it may not settle for a long time yet in fact probably not for 12 months or more so recuperation is going take some time and patience on my part.

I have decided to get back into fishing and joined a syndicate where i can drive to the waters edge which is nice but its hard and doesn't have many carp in it (its estimated 1 carp per acre)but i must say im enjoying myself being back on the bank be it day trips only at this moment in time.

Drs this afternoon for my yearly diabetes check up and found there is some god news in moose's world and that was

blood pressure = 120 over 60
cholesterol = 3.6
blood sugars = 10.3 <--getting better
and ive lost 2 stone in the last three months, Hey ho life.. its a funny old game

OH and im still not bloody sleeping either lmao

Good day

2011-06-07T00:58:00.001+01:00

Did a bit of retail therapy today and after a truly random visit to paradise park in newhaven i found an aussie type bush hat (been looking for one at the right price for ages) ...lovin it too

Heard nothing on the radio today well nothing apart from the usual european stations, i guess i wont be getting dxcc today lol.

I bought a samsung galaxy s a month ago and im lovin it, the apps are brilliant, the phone is great, well apart from the battery life which could be better but hey cant have everything i guess

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good day today

2011-05-09T18:05:00.001+01:00

Had a good day today a nice gentle start with a drive to kierans collage for a meeting followed by a trip to mums and dads where we had a spot of lunch on the spur of the moment (thanks mum i needed that)

After a most pleasent afternoon with my folks we had a really lovely drive home in the sun (god i love summer).

Anyway i have a couple of new toys to play with the first being a kindle and oh my what a toy it is. Its awsome and tbh i cant find anything about it i dont like, easy to use, easy to operate, a true pleasure tbh. If you read get one they are bloody briliant.

The second new toy is a samsung galaxy s and omg what a nice piece of kit the only thing i can moan about is the battery life but im also not surprised its not lasting well as im using it almost constantly, great apps and wicked fun and so far i havent found an app that doesnt work very well, more on that as i get used to it

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2011-02-17T21:28:00.002Z

Had a cracking day up the fort with Frank (g4pzu), Kerry (g0sif), Kieran and Tony (m6toy) conditions seemed a little flakey due in no small part to the massive solar activity this week There was an X class flare and multiple M class ones too which really boosted the SFI to 116 and sunspot count to 100 at one point but also caused some really freaky effects on HF.

Total Contact count was 65 on 20 and 15 mtrs

Countries worked were:-
USA, Canada, Russia, Greece, Sweden, Kazakstan, Kuwait, UAE and Indonesia to name a few

I warmed up our chosen frequency and then put Kerry in the ops chair while i went for a crafty smoke outside much to his consternation as he realised just how rusty he was when dealing with a pileup (never mind mate youll only get better with practice) but the grin on his face was something to behold (glad you enjoyed it mate)and im sure he will be champing at the bit to get back on the radio asap.

Opticians this afternoon for a checkup, thankfully no major issues yet next checkup in 6 months.

Ordered a seperation kit for my Icom 706mkiig, i thought id better before they stop making them completely and make them as rare as rocking horse dung but it was a bit of a shock to find a 5 mtr one was going to set me back 60 odd quid (ouch) should arrive sometime next week my thanks to Martin Lynch and Sons and Icom Uk for pulling out the stops to supply me with one (if you havent got one yet best be very quick as they aint making them for very much longer, weeks rather than months apparently).

DX DX and DX

2010-10-29T17:51:00.002+01:00

And thats about all i have been doing this month is dxing from either Home, Firle beacon or at Newhaven Fort Amateur Radio Group (NFARG), the fort is nice in so much as to be able to create a pileup of stations wishing to work GB2NFM but it must also be said that i have worked most of the list below under my own callsign as well either from home or /portable.

DX worked this month as GB2NFM and also using my own callsign (G7IBY) include

Indonesia, Brazil, Ascension isle, Malta, Saudi arabia, South africa, Togo,
Algeria, Thailand, Cyprus, America, Canada and of course most of Europe and Russia.

This weekend brings forth the CQ World Wide HF contest and no doubt it will be the usual madness and mayhem on the main HF bands but we will be up on the beacon working as much dx as we can and giving away loads of points to the big gun contesters.

Health wise, i have had my 6 monthly checkup and my blood sugars are down, blood pressure down, cholestrol down, eyesight is good, but weight is up a little and still im suffering from painful feet and hands and suffering what i call dropsy (where i loose sensation in my hands and drop what ever im holding)

Overall i think the diabetes is getting better controlled but time will tell.....

Noise grrr

2010-10-03T17:01:00.002+01:00

Its driving me mad, just when i think i have got rid of it it comes back as if to laugh at me, but let me start at the biginning.

Ever since i have been in the flat i have had problems with using my ham radio on the HF bands, first of all it was not being able to get an outside antenna up (no garden) then after carefull cultivation i managed to get permission to put my vertical antenna up in a neighbors garden which caused much happiness in my household and even though i had a constant s5 of noise i was able to work stations on HF.

Then i spent months trying to pin down the location of the noise never seeming to find it, turning off things like the psu, phone, pc, tv, xbox (xbox was noisy) etc working my way down through a mental checklist and finally coming to the conclusion that it was mains borne (i have a power mast right outside the flat)and as such not much i could do about it.

About a month or so ago i suddenly realised that the vertical antenna had broken lol the 4.1 vswr should have made me realise tbh but i got so used to useing an atu i didnt realise (duh what a dummy) it appears i have worked several stations including the USA on just the 20 mtr length of coax lol, anyway i quickly knocked up a windom (sort of) and slung that over the trees outside the flat window yup thats working but lo and behold still s7 of noise and cant hear much.

Anyway yesterday for some reason i turned off my pc (now baring in mind i had checked this numerous times before) and suddenly the noise vanished and i can hear stuff on hf hmmmm, ok move the pc over to the other side of the room maybe that will help, 2 hours later the flats tidy again and the pc is setup about 15 feet away from the radio and yup still got noise, so the only option i have is use the laptop for cat control, logging and eqsling and the pc only when wanting to do other things non radio related bit of a drag but hey ho needs must an all that.

This morning i finally thought i had it sussed, confused but sussed because when i turned on the pc to do some emails, No noise on HF! yes really no noise what so ever, eh! what! now hang on a moment what the bloody hells going on, yesterday noise now silence i really dont get this but bloody marvelous no noise. Well it didnt last, within about an hour of using the pc and no noise on hf (listening to stateside on 15mtrs) all of a sudden whoosh back it comes as if to tease and frustrate me, so i now suspect its a temperature related issue thats creating the noise and it most certainly in the pc, curing it could be virtually impossible. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

More dx on 15

2010-09-23T00:16:00.002+01:00

decided to go and sit up on Firle today for a few hours and what a pleasant few hours they were too the 15mtrs mobile whip is certainly doing the job splendidly.
stations worked today were:-
HZ1PS - Peter - 55/55 - Saudi Arabia
UY1IX - Alexi - 59/59 - Latvia (i think)
K1ESE - John - 59/57 - USA
SV1ICL - - 59/59 - Greece
WN4G - George - 59/57 - USA
VE3UUH - Bob - 57/59 - Canada
K3ARN - Charley - 59/57 - USA
2E0WMG/p - Kevan - 57/58 - UK
NY2R - Rich - 59/59 - USA
W3ICF -Philip - 55/55 - USA
HS0ZIN - Paul - 55/58 - Thailand

Had a lot of fun today, the fact i was working them from my mobile IC706MKIIG 100w into a mobile whip and my own callsign was a huge buzz compaired to when i work them using the club equipment and callsign

Good dx one and all i hope to meet you on the bands

DX on 40

2010-09-22T01:30:00.002+01:00

Well tonights been a shock, HB9 (Switzerland), YL2(Latvia), 9A(Croatia) and then out of the blue HZ1(Saudi Arabia)for a new country on the band not bad considering im in a pretty bad hf envoironment (no garden). Lets hope this is the start of the dx season for us in the UK and especially for me :)

Fort

2010-09-20T00:11:00.003+01:00

Up the fort again today and due to me struggling to construct a 4.1 balun (dodgy hands) I only managed to get on the radio for about 30 minutes approx but what a 30 minutes it was, first contact was into Thailand followed by Indonesia and then several contacts into the USA on 21 mhz what a band this is proving to be, totally different than 20 mtrs thats for sure even 5 watts into a dipole will work you real dx like Indonesia as my friend G7DWI has proved on a numerous occasions this yr.

Ham Radio, Traps, Contests

2010-09-12T00:03:00.003+01:00

Nothing much to add tbh today has been one of those "normal" quiet days with very little going on, nothing from K about my grand daughter, i guess no news is good news.

Did a little reading on traps and tbh im still more than a little sketchy on how you determine the possition of the traps in like a dipole antenna, but im sure ill sus it eventually.

This evening i tried to work a few stations on 20 mtrs from home and normally when there is a contest on they are trying that little bit harder to work people that are not running a kilowatt or more, points meaning prizes an all that, but no nothing today, still i did well last night working brazil and stateside from our local high spot which is always a major bonus of being up there.

N.F.A.R.G, counterstrike and mobile phones

2010-09-10T01:50:00.004+01:00

Well its been a lively couple of days including a visit yesterday from a couple of dear freinds who popped in for a coffee on their way to Newhaven Amateur Radio Group HQ at the Newhaven Fort Museum and of course i went with them, well it would be rude not to, wouldnt it? so what was only going to be a short visit turned out to be 3 or more hours just chatting to the other lads from the group some of whom i havent seen for ages (it was lovely to see you guys)

After the visit to the fort and due to excessive chatting i had to dash over to Eastboure to drop my youngest son off home after his induction day at collage over here, good luck Kieran i really hope you do well.

Once home and fed and watered it was really to late in the day to go play radio's on the local high spot so i decided to stay in and maybe play some counterstrike only to find that non of the clan were online or available to play (this lack of interest has been building for some time now)so i decided that i would fold the clan seeing as i dont think spending money every month on servers that dont get used is really a sensible thing, anyway no one has really bothered about it it seems, so i think its a case of game over for me apart from maybe a few friendlies on other peoples servers.

Today went much as planned tbh Fort in the morning, shopping in the afternoon and a little radio in the evening, well one thing that happened which tbh i wasnt really considering was i have ordered a new mobile phone, one of the Samsung Galaxy S which should be here next week so i am excited at having a screen that i can actually see to use easiliy (the screens 4 inch)and im looking forward to using some of the ham radio based apps on it too when i go portable. More of that once i have the phone and have had chance to play.

OMG

2010-09-05T01:30:00.003+01:00

Sugar levels hit 28.8 last night then 2 hours later the first of three hypos began, today i generally feel like death warmed up.

Sometime in the next few hours i shall become a grandad at 45 OMG now i feel old, should feel good about this but tbh but apart from the pride i have in my son for standing up and taking responsibility for his actions (he is only 16) frankly im saddened by the whole situation, why do the young of today seem to want to throw away their younger years by having kids when they are still children themselves and should be out enjoying life?

Nothing much heard on the radio today though have been investigating the contruction of baluns and traps for more antenna projects.

Played a couple of games of counterstrike but didnt really enjoy them again not really into it at the moment.

Blown Radio and 20mtrs

2010-08-31T00:27:00.003+01:00

Just a quicky tonight.

When trying to sus out an old atu (no instructions) my trusty FT 902 decided to cease functioning thankfully it was only the mains fuse and it is now back on form and working well.

Sorted out the teething problems with my new (second hand) car and have been playing radio on the hills and working stuff too, friday evening netted PA, UA1, KC, MM, EA, DL all worked on my experimental antenna.

Tonight i have managed to work from home Canada and Cuba (Cuba's a new country worked for me) so i am extremely happy with the antenna at home as well.

New car and Two Tone the UK Record Carp

2010-08-19T01:51:00.004+01:00

well it aint new but it new to me a citroen ax 1.9 tdi estate and it goes like stink and loads of room for all the dx-ers bits and pieces like poles, batteries, antenna, ropes and cables plus the added bonus its cheap to insure and run if any motor is cheap to run these days.

So tomorrow will be spend fitting radios, antenna and prepping for a much needed evening on the hills (its been a bloody long 8 weeks carless)

On a sad note i heard a couple of days ago that Two Tone the famous UK record Carp has died aged 45 of natural causes this fish has been the cause of dreams and nightmeres for many carp anglers in the UK, caught by few, wished for by many and a truly spectacular fish alas i have never had the chance or ability to pit my wits against this mighty warrior and for those who have had this fish hats off to you for your skills, perseverience and sheer bloody mindedness.

R.I.P. Two Tone "the dream maker"

Mid kent fisheries website

Hypo's, SSTV

2010-08-12T22:35:00.003+01:00

I give up with trying to deal with diabetes, just when i think i have it stable it comes back and beats me with yet another batch of hypo's, 4 this week and the one last night was the worst yet, i have felt like total crap all day and am starting to run outta steam with it all.

Had a bash today with setting up the transmit side of SSTV along with the helping hands of Screamer and Frank kinda almost got it right its transmitting but seems to be picking up some internal noise that causes the vox to keep triggering and as of yet its unresolved but we will keep trying.

Heard about the car now and im hoping to have it in my hands in the next few days and i cant wait, time to get back on the hills and working dx.

Net on 7.185

2010-08-11T01:33:00.003+01:00

As we speak im hearing a network on 7.178 that is mainly US and VE but the really strange thing is i can hear them but i cant hear Europe so im very pleased that the new antenna is working but im now wondering if its an out and out dx antenna created accidentally by myself, this will be mainly due to the low angle of radiation from it....... lets hope so

Today i have been experimenting with recieving SSTV and BPKS31 with some very good results too, so much so im now thinking about knocking up a lead so i can transmit as well as recieve and join the ranks of SSTV enthusiasts as it looks a lot of fun and is certainly different to just shouting for the dx on ssb.

Still no car on the horizon and i hate it...

Sugar levels all over the place again atm today they have ranged from 12 - 28 i bet im gonna feel crap tomorrow.....

A working antenna at last

2010-08-09T17:17:00.002+01:00

Well im blowed.

After 15 months of thinking my vertical antenna was working fine, good vswr on the tuner, hearing stuff etc it seems i was wrong and one or more of the traps may have gone snafu, this is as of yet undetermined as i havent taken it down yet but the vswr is showing 4.1 across the board which is clearly wrong on a resonant 5 band hf vertical antenna.

So as an experiment and after getting some advice from the chairman of our local ham radio club i decided to have a go with a 20 mtr long wire with 5 mtr long counterpoise, put it all together and added one 1lb fishing weight then launched it into the trees and blow me down it works, not only does it work im actually able to hear and work stations that i had thought i would never be able to from this location. So to say im chuffed to bits would be an under statement, had two contacts last night CT1 (Portugal) CN8 (Morocco) not much i hear you say and maybe not but after hearing very little and working even less a major boon non the less

Tonight i hope for more conditions and more stations to work.... watch this space

A funny old day

2010-08-04T19:45:00.004+01:00

Got up late after yet another hypo overnight and have felt like crap all day though i kinda think i may be due another one later as i feel really snappy and irritable (i could fall out with a stone when im like this) and thats one of those trigger signs for me that things aint looking good.

Still waiting on the new car, hopefully soon and i cant wait.

Bought a new keyboard and lo and behold my cs is improving had some wicked games the last couple of days.

I have just heard my son is on his way over to stay for a couple of days it will be nice to spnd a couple of days with him here :)

OMG How much stuff.....

2010-07-31T02:52:00.002+01:00

Well its mainly done and dusted now all Roses stuff is in and how much bloody stuff did she have, the poor old transit van moaned and groaned all the way back due to the weight oh and also because of the slight detour we made too, we miss read the satnav, made one wrong turning and nearly ended up in bloody wales (we were about 10 miles short) lol.

Anyway we left Dudley at 6 ish and got back home in Newhaven about 11:30, told you we took a detour, unloaded all the stuff by 1am and collapsed in bed surrounded by boxes bags and all the assorted gear that a move entails. Today we have got it all pretty much sorted and now the flat looks like a home and not just a flat for the first time in 16 months oh guess what we will be moving again shortly, well just as soon as we can get a larger place anyways and it will be start all over again *gulp*.

Our thanks go out to a dear friend T for helping so much with the move, Thank you so much your a star "Mate" seeya soon i hope, at least as soon as i get some wheels sorted anyway.

Played a little Counter strike sucked as per usual, why is it anyone you get a war with nowdays either cheats or lies about their skill levels i bloody hate it.

Franks over tomorrow afternoon and no doubt there will more stuff to either move or tidy up *sigh*

Todays the Day

2010-07-29T09:33:00.002+01:00

My life changes for ever.

In about an hour I will be off to Dudley to collect Rose and her stuff for the last time, yes she is moving in at last.

And this in itself has caused much fun and games, furniture to move in preperation to load up to take up for K 'n' S to help them start thier new life together, and having many computers and ham radios to relocate, OMG, how many bloody wires? and they call this wireless i dont think so. Anyway the flat now looks decidedly empty but not for long im sure.

Had another Hypo overnight, it wasnt too bad in fact nothing that half a bar of chocolate didnt sort, i do wish i could get my sugar levels stable, im hoping that the stability of my new life will help to resolve this.

Had an estate agent call yesterday with a property in mind for us, a nice bungalow in the local village which after looking at the info looks most interesting we will be setting up a viewing for next week as long as it doesnt go before hand.

Anyway must go, much to do and many miles to travel before todays over and done with so stay safe and seeya later

Cars, Cars and yes Cars

2010-07-28T01:45:00.003+01:00

Well my wonderful toasters gone to the scrappy and i also heard that the xantia i was looking at gettnig wasnt a goer after all, but on a good note one quick phone call later and in a fortnight hopefully i will be mobile again in another citroen, finger crossed.

Found this on you tube as well absolutely lovin it They must be Giants - Birdhouse in your soul oh what memories this brings

Old friends, trusty cars and hypo's

2010-07-27T00:46:00.004+01:00

havent done anything much today after having a hypo in the early hours i have spent the day feeling like i have been hit by a train.

Phone a chap about scrapping my trusty toaster (hyundia atoz) and he is picking it up tomorrow at 13:00 i shall be sad to see the old girl go, she has never let me down and put up with everything i could throw at her from fishing trips for 2 for a week loaded to the gunnels to trips to Dudley to see Rose and the cars never missed a beat... if cars have a heart and i think they do hers was the biggest and best...

Had a chat with an old friend tonight all radio related so i wont delve into that but it was nice to catch up.... roll on the next one mate and i have just worked out we have known each other for nearly thirty yrs. God now i feel old.

It seems my youngest is coming to see me for a few days well i hope so anyway havent seen him for a month and i miss him terribly, more so than his brother as i speak with Kean daily which helps a lot.

Played some Counter strike and sucked big time so gave up for the evening.

Its all coming together nicely

2010-07-25T21:58:00.003+01:00

Nothing much done today but have however got everything arranged for the big move on friday yes fridays the big day, my Rose is finally moving down this way and moving in with me, at last a new life with a new lady.

Still nothing on the new car but did find out yesterday that im only going to be paying about 40 quid a month for fully comp as apposed to 30 quid a month at the moment for 3rd party fire and theft so folks a mooseh tip dont assume third party will be cheaper as when i checked they were typically 2-300 pounds more expensive so i guess they dont want people on 3rd pary f&t any more.

All in im looking forward to this week and looking a lot more possitively about my future and all thanks to the love of a good woman...... Thank you Rose I love you.

How stupid have i been over the years....

2010-07-23T16:38:00.004+01:00

Well its friday and i have achieved nothing today at all, mind you i didnt get out of bed until 2pm, i know lazy but in my defence i havent been sleeping well and its caught up on me.

I was thinking though at just how stupid i can be at times, for years now i have been involved with ham or cb radio and often renew my membership to "the dim headlight brigade" a most common unofficial club within ham radio which as the term suggest means that there has been to much chatting and not enough recharging of the battery.

Anyway for years i have used an additional battery in the car, this time round its a boat one and its bloody huge and because its huge its also bloody heavy so we have been struggling to carry it the 50 odd yards to my flat to rechange it once it goes flat anyway chatting to the guys at the fort a few weeks ago one of them said "why dont u use a solar panel they are cheap enough nowadays and perfect to charge it in situ". duhhhhh now why the hell didnt i think of that years ago.

I am pleased to report that after a month or so of use it works exceptionally well my battery is always fully charged and ready to go dxing, never again will be a member of the dim headlight brigade and have to bump start my cars and the best of it is it only needs daylight not sunlight to generate electicity and save a fortune over time by not needing to use a plug in the wall battery charger.

Just think of the possible applications of this kinda thing eg, if you want a light in a shed for instance a 12v strip light or led lights from a camping store to a battery and solar panel to charge it all up cheap lighting and lets face it how much time does your average home owner spend in thier shed..... not much but lighting is always needed at some point, also how about a 12v lghting system to cover garden paths or driveways using modern led lights, a solar panel and a battery.. cheap and efficient use of a free resource and in theory this will still work during winter because they work on daylight not sunlight... food for thought maybe, I think so anyway.

Great day at the Fort

2010-07-22T16:34:00.002+01:00

Had a brilliant time up the fort today working on 20 and 17 mtrs, countries worked :-

VE,DL,OE,HB9,KC6,SM,PA,UA1,UA2,TA,ZB3 and last but not least VR2. Gottaways were JA,9M3 where i just couldnt beat the pileup even with the GB2NFM callsign and 400 watts. At long last it looks like conditions are improving again thank goodness.

hmmmm

2010-07-18T21:36:00.003+01:00

Well nothing much has changed i still don't have a car and i am still going stir crazy in the flat but i'm hoping beyond hope that this week i will be mobile again, i hope so anyway i miss sitting up on the hills playing radio and watching the sun go down and also sitting at the harbour watching the sea and the life around it passing me by.

Went up the Fort yesterday with Frank and Ian, couldnt play radios as there was an antenna problem that took us a while to kinda sort out but at least its all operational again and did have a bash with Ian at trying some SSTV which worked fine on rx but refused point blank when it came to transmitting a picture.... hey ho maybe next time.

Car, Ham Radio and Summer

2010-07-15T07:01:00.002+01:00

Ok things have been really quiet for me since my poor old car nicknamed the toaster (Hyundia Atoz) has finally given up the ghost after 4 yrs of trouble free and very cheap motoring, anyway i had never realised what an important thing a car is for me health wise, let me explain.

On top of my diabetes i suffer from depression either as a bi-product of the diabetes or im just naturally depressive (all i know is i have been a sufferer for years and it sucks) anyway i digress i also have an issue with wide open spaces and people which considering i often used to and sit up on one hilltop or another to play radios kinda makes the whole aggraphobia (sp) thing a little funny or so i thought, anyway after chatting to my Dr it seems im ok with wide open spaces when im in my car because yes its my safety zone/security blanket call it what you will however once out of that safe area all sort of nasty things happen like, panic attacks which include the shakes, vomiting, dizzyness and general unpleasantness. So yes you guessed it ive been virtually flat bound since the 26th of last month and that really really sucks and it made things a trifle difficult with walking star because now about the furthest i can take her is round the block and even thats becoming increasingly difficult for me but hopefully i wont be carless for long and relatively normal service can resume.

Ham radio activities

hf/6
Well apart from working a couple of stations last weekend during the contest i havent heard a dam thing, i have however cleaned up a beautiful (most of the internals like the roller coasters are silver) ATU i bought at the local radio fair and all i need to do is sus out the settings now as theres no manual for it and put together a dipole for 50mhz but when tuning and testing i kinda got asked by the next door neighbor if i was "using my cb as his tv was getting messed up" now i wasnt surprised as the dipole was literally perched on the window and one end hooked over some cable but i was hoping to be at least able to set the length / VSWR so as to be able to easily set it up on a fishing pole and use it should six open, *sigh* i guess ill have to take it up the fort and do the finishing touches.

v/uhf
Have heard nothing on the local repeaters at all for the last week or so which is most surprising tbh maybe ships passing in the night situation and im missing the activity though its on 24/7 so i wouldnt have thought id miss anything.

Summer
Where has it gone? the last few days have been overcast and this morning yuck cold wet and windy lets hope it hasnt gone for this year.

Morning has broken

2010-06-30T14:41:00.002+01:00

And so has my Arm....

Well not exactly but i have been suffering from a frozen shoulder for a couple of years and tbh it hurts so Dr's suggested Physio ok that cool but how long hmmm maybe 4 -6 months anyway Rose has been down for a couple of week long stints and during that time she has managed to keep the shoulder joint popped back in and relitively pain free, Thanks honey.

So up i get this morning, shower, shave, housework all done and hmmm coffee or walk the dog ok lets be nice and not make her wait while i drink coffee and smoke a cigarette, so off we toddle her like a demented Jack Russell in a rats nest and me like an old fart with barely enough energy and balance to stand vertical let alone deal with my little companion (she is a whippet terrier ie smallish, im 20 stone and nearly 6ft) anyway i digress there she is on her extender lead out to about 10ft and a guy on a push bike comes up behind me (i didnt hear him) Star (my dog) tries to protect me by attacking him, he laughs and I end up getting wrenched by her and falling over yup you've guessed it right on my arm which now feels like its on fire and all the good work done on it wasted, the bloke on the bike didnt even bloody stop and Star just sat there looking at me and wagging her tail as if to say "i saved you again arn't i a good dog"....... Argh why me.

A brief report on my radio activities.

Sitting here listening to nothing but noise on 20 mtrs again will i ever work any dx ever again, really dont know.

Thoughts on Football

2010-06-30T03:04:00.002+01:00

Well Englands out of the world cup (i know it happened days ago but ive been raving mad since then) and tbh after the pitifull performance by our national team we should hang our heads in shame, sack the lot of them and give up the sport completely, we were totally bloody useless in fact if our national football team where a business they would be so far bankrupt that the national debt would look like pocket change.

Now at this point i want to make it clear that i dont particularily like watching the sport but i am a patriot and always wish our team success BUT these so called football player should stop worrying about their hair do's and nails and where the next sponsorship deal is coming from and worry more about putting that little ball in the net.

Someone said something to me the other day which made a lot of sense, they said "as long as we dont have english players playing for premier league teams we would never win or even do well in the world cup" Now how about this as a thought too. We as a country dont source, train and encourage English lads from school age levels and we should, shouldnt we? why use player from other countries when we have so much untapped talent in this country all ready to be nurtured.

Hot Hot Hot

2010-06-25T17:15:00.002+01:00

And i love it Summers here.

Its been a while since i posted again but tbh there are long period of time i just dont have much to say or any enthusiasm to say it.

Bought a new Radio and im loving it, its an Icom 706mk2g (HF through to UHF) and even though its a discontinued model (just) its still one of the best radios i have ever had my hands on, for someone like myself who uses the radio mobile/portable and at home its a right little cracker. So ive been doing some dxing and also rejoined and participated in the UK Six meter group Contest which to fair was a shambles but we hadnt opperated a contest for 10 years or more and a lots changed since then, computer logging for one thing and oh my what fun that caused.

I have also bought the CAT interface for the 706 which enables me to use programs like Ham radio deluxe or the N1MM contest logging package which all makes using a computer alongside the radio an interesting experience what with Dxcluster support, Eqsl support, Log book, Grey line propagation support really goes a long way to improving a DX'ers life and helps speed up the whole Find em, Contact em, Log em, Qsl em procedure which is always a bonus should there be some rare country hiding away on some band or another.

My Son and I have also ressurected the Counterstrike Clan IoAG (it stands for Its only A game, you'd be suprised at just how serious some people take it ) and have been busy recruiting players, sorting matches and running game servers.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-04-26T12:03:00.002+01:00

I cant believe its been so long since my last post *slaps self for laziness* but it must be said ive been busy busy busy.

Ive have found and fallen for a lovely lady in Dudley so i have been racking up the miles (235 each way) to-ing and fro-ing to see her, plus playing on HF from her home which is ideally suited for HF operation 700ft asl and the ground slopes away in every direction.

I have also started to go back up the Fort again so while limited Ham radio ops happen from my home qth i have a far better chance from the fort, 400w into a full size 80mtr doublet sure does the trick .

Still no fishing but hey nothing new there i chop and change between hobbies and always have done.

Heath wise well its still crap the (depression) mood swings come and go and the diabetese is still very erratic to say the least still im not giving up on them and will continue to try and manage them.

Still no delivery

2010-01-08T01:54:00.002Z

Im still waiting on the delivery of both some clothes i ordered and the nokia 5230, i really hope this phone is worth the wait it must be said though i have had several nokias in the past and they really have been good, i guess im just getting frustrated at the wait and yes i know i ordered it on boxing day and nothing in this bloody country works over xmas but come on.

Havent done much today due to the conditions of the roads but i did have to do a mad run at 4pm to pick up kieran seeing as the schools are shut he decided he wanted to be with dad for an extra couple of days..... bless him though i wasnt blessing anything when i found my locks on the car frozen solid and that it was so cold the de icer was freezing on my winscreen as soon as i sprayed it on hmmm 30 minutes later i managed to get in the passenger side door and off i toddled.

Back home by 7pm with kieran, shopping and fish and chips, i really couldnt be bothered to cook tonight.

Sugar levels went through the roof after me stupidly drinking some fruit juice without reading the label Ooops glucose, dextrose and several other "oses" 60 units of insulin later and they are kinda getting back to normal again ill remember to check in future.

Things learned today

Dont rely on de-icer (it doesnt always)
Dont forget to read labels on food and drink and never assume fruit juice is made of fruit, you look bloody silly when the test meter says "HI" (no its not a greeting)

Brrrrrrrilliant NOT

2010-01-06T17:01:00.004Z

Cold and snow and my god do i feel the cold these days must be my age before some smart arse comments lol.

Havent done anything much today a bit of retail therapy online and still waiting for my new mobile phone to turn up however there is light at the end of the tunnel as i have spoken to them today and apparently it will be with me before the 9th cant wait, tbh im like a kid waiting for xmas

I wonder if i can sleep the next two days away :)

Croatia, snow and life

2010-01-05T19:30:00.002Z

Woohoo,

First contact on my HF radio yeah from my flat a 9A9A from Croatia not massive dx admitedly but pleasing non the less considering my dipole is housed in the loft, hopefully the first of many now i have some confidence that the antenna is working.

Today i spent some time rounds a friends place chatting radios, laptops and as always facebook, in fact we spent a very pleasant afternoon chewing the fat and listening to a couple of stateside stations that on 20 mtrs were booming in, thanks mate for the company, as always a pleasure

Oh yes once again we are due some snow they, the weather forcasters are predicting (i bet they have crystal balls) anything up to 12 cms in the southern part of the uk lol lets hope they can get it right for once, it must be said though the weather maps are looking fairly loaded with the white stuff.

Oh life keeps throwing shit in my path first of all kids related, why do they think its ok to lie and decieve then when they are caught out the dont like it and sulk or worst still (and this is the case for me ) refused to speak to well guess what son i managed without you for 3 yrs and can do it again. Also on an emotional level im getting more and more frustrated with life putting obstructions in the way of my happiness. So Life please gimmie a break for once as im not sure my heart can cope with it again.

Anyway enough of my diatribe for now, more to follow

Sleep, sleep and more bloody sleep

2010-01-02T21:48:00.003Z

Yes thats all i have done well not quite but nothing much been going on, knocked up a 40 mtr dipole now all i have to do is sneak it into its possition so my neighbors dont spot it, hopefully anyway (god i miss working hf).

Glad to see the back end of the holidays now maybe in the next week ill get all the stuff i ordered over the christmas break, mobile phone , clothes etc

Gotta take my son home tomorrow its been lovely having him stay over the christmas break but as always good things come to an end and i spose ill have to get used to the weekend visits again until the next school break.

It looks like i shall be reaching another cross roads in my life shortly and this is one im looking forward to.... more more of that as it happens

Happy New Year

2009-12-31T20:00:00.001Z

I hope 2010 is gonna be the start of good things to come for me and lets face it 2009 was the worst ever.

Onwards and Upwards ...... Happy New Year One and All

Nearly at the end of another year

2009-12-17T04:47:00.002Z

And thank goodness for that.

2009 must be listed as one of the worst years of my life what with relationships ending and health issues getting worse and worse but now im settled in my flat and enjoying my own company, got over my heartbreak (i never truly realized just how much pain that could cause and hope i never have to suffer it again) and have started to sort my health out, maybe things will improve and i sincerely hope that 2010 will be the start of the rest of my life.

Its also been over a year since i last went fishing too and i really miss that however its not easy to go fishing as most places dont allow dogs and i wont leave my precious star on her own for any length of time as its not fair on her so come the new year im going to be looking for a sydicate that allows dogs and will provide me with the quiet fishing i enjoy so much.

I have kept up to speed with my ham radio though this has and still is problematic as i cant get an antenna outside for hf use atm but im looking at some non sus ideas to rectify that particular problem, i can however use vhf/uhf with some success with an antenna in the loft and it seems to work well allowing me to get into repeaters some 30-50 miles away as well as having a uhf repeater coming online very very close to my home so from that point of view my ham radio is looking good and is most enjoyable.

I see my kids on a regular basis now and thats been a major help for me in those bleak times and i have got back in contact with my step daughter via facebook and found thats she is doing well in America, Stace i'm so very proud of you, love you and wish you all the success in the world.

I hoping to get back to this more often now that im back on my feet so watch this space.

Lifes changed AGAIN

2009-09-06T16:18:00.004+01:00

Yup the shit hit the fan.

One breakdown later im asked for space by phee and than told sorry its over i cant cope with your health issues (thanks a bundle hun so much for true love )

Anyway 4 months on im now in a new flat, living a new life and attempting to deal with the past and enjoy the future i have my good days and my bad ones of course i do but dont we all.

Anyway normal service has resumed so ill see you all soon

Stay safe and dont let the B*****ds grind you down

Feel like crap.......

2009-05-20T19:05:00.003+01:00

Well its happened again, depression the bane of my life its back with a vengance, i have been okish now for a year or more and tbh i thought i had it licked... I WAS WRONG so its back on a higher dose of antidepressents and try to wade through the cotton wool that is my head at the moment and try my best to ignore or at least control all the bloody awful things that run through my life and head during these periods, these consist of......

Being totally emotional, manic highs and extreme lows
Paranoia
Not sleeping
No enjoyment of anything i try to do
Living in a perpetual state of confusion and hatred of life and everything in it
Dispair and wanting to hide from everything real and imagined
Failing to find anything good in life and everything is a black swirly mess of emotions, fears and paranoia

As a suggestion, if you suffer from any 3 of these symptoms get and see a DR before it gets beyond control and ruins your life like it is trying to do to mine.

Hopefully normal service will resume as soon as possible

Thanks Phee for sticking with me through these incredibly trying times ..... I love you babe your the only stable thing i have at the moment

Mini Pile-up

2009-05-18T16:52:00.001+01:00

Did the fort today as per my usual monday routine this time however i was determined to have a serious bash on the radio rather than just chasing around working the odd stations one by one.

we get in the shack and fire up the dx cluster to see whats happining only to find 10 mtrs being spotted on a fairly regular basis so i spin up the dial to the mid 28's (about 28.650) and proceded to call and call then all of a sudden when i dekeyed the microphone all i could hear was wall to wall noise of stations trying to make contact with me.

After the initial shock and confusion of trying to work, log and check the stations i soon got into it and managed to fill about 2 pages of the logbook in the space of an hour. It was great fun so my thanks go out to all those stations who really made my day and to Shawn and George for helping me with the logging and checking after i got totally lost in what i was doing lol. Stations worked today were from Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, France, Italy, Sicily, Yugoslavia and Holland.

What an absolute pleasure today has been it has really made up for the crappy last few days i have had due to ill health

all quiet on the western front

2009-05-15T18:24:00.002+01:00

Which just about sums up how HF has been the last few days, i keep getting little blips of activity but they are short and sweet, my hope is that at some point i will get some propagation and be able to work/hear some stations other than close european ones.

I had kinda expected more activity on hf but the the dxcluster doesnt show many uk stations working anything either...

Up the Fort

2009-05-14T14:28:00.001+01:00

Back up the fort as per my usual weekly calender (Mondays and Thursdays) nothing much happening even HF very quiet though according to the cluster 50mhz was busy again with an opening via sporadic e.

Really need some more projects to do when up the fort either antenna wise or building something as i get very restless when i have nothing to keep my brain occupied.

The Law of Murphy

2009-05-09T01:19:00.001+01:00

I build a pc for Blake today out of spare bits and pieces that i had kicking around in my spares boxes so he is chuffed to bits for having his own PC at long last.

Popped to shawns as well to help him install a dish to hopefully enable him to be able to connect to the clubs wifi system.

And heres where the Law of Murphy comes in, I had arranged for a mate to come down for an evenings fun, frivolity and fishing chat, he turned up at 8 ish and so we started to, you know chat and drink T's then out of the blue i get a txt from Shawn saying "20 mtrs has gone mental, i have just worked a station in brazil, get on the radio" arghhhhh bloody typical i have been listening to nothing for days waiting for conditions to improve and now as soon as im busy doing other things the ruddy bands open up ..... MR Murphy you are a git.

Oh well maybe tomorrow

not a lot going on

2009-05-06T19:46:00.001+01:00

not a lot doing today, had a listen around on hf but to no avail as the bands were totally flat :( spent the evening playing around on my pc reinstalling software afer the fiasco that was linux.

long time no post

2009-04-27T00:11:00.012+01:00

Yes it been ages since my last post on here, life's been busy busy busy......

Shawn and myself finally got the 10 mtrs vertical setup and working up the fort to complete the antenna projects up there for this year, though there's bound to be ongoing antenna projects up there hmm hf tribander and 6mtr beam perhaps.

I am now running a 5 band vertical antenna from home and have been having a great time with it combined with the Ft902, i have worked stateside twice now along with plenty of other contacts all round the world which is a major buzz to be honest even more so as i hadn't managed to do it on the trapped dipole and whats even nicer is i have now got rid of all the wires from round the house and have just the one pole standing 5 mtrs high (much lower visibility than the dipole for the neighbors).

I have also been having some health issues at the moment as well, i wont go into details but suffice to say its diabetes related as always it seems these days, i do hope this isn't the start of some major health problems.

I haven't done any fishing but am looking forward to the 16th of June so i can get back on the river and continue my quest for a 40lb river carp.

And ..... I have gone over to the dark side and installed Linux (ubunto) on my main PC at home and what a buzz, its all working correctly and yes I LOVE IT its brilliant though its early days yet and i have a steep learning curve with it but i am getting a buzz out of the computer again like i did when first started back in the good old days of DOS.

Finally my lady (Phibbs) has often commented how i never post anything about her on my blog and i say its because i have the most wonderful partner in the world that i like to keep her to myself, which is true i might add but anyway........

Phibbs...... Thanks honey for putting up with my eccentric ways, my health problems, my ups and downs of which there are many and my Victor Meldrew impersonations when im having a wibble on and am ranting at the world.

I love you honey

May there be many, many more years of happiness in your company as you are truly my lover and best friend xoxoxoxox.

great weekend

2009-04-13T20:03:00.004+01:00

This weekend was the meet and greet for the seahaven amateur radio group, we all met up on our local hilltop (Firle beacon) for some dxing and having a chance to put some faces to voices.

There was a good turnout of local hams and some good dx to accompany the reasonable wx i managed to work several US stations on my 20watts from the SGC 2020 radio into a full size G5RV @ 20ft so to say i was chuffed to bits would be an understatement though the 820ft asl must of course help big time.

I had a chance to check out amateur TV which was very interesting though im not sure that it is something i particulary want to get involved in as im too busy working HF atm but hey who knows maybe in the future i might get involved with it.

I have just had the pleasure of working 7x4an from Algeria as well as a couple of italian stations on my new radio (ft 902 dm) as well so the bands look in fairly good shape at the moment that said i did miss out on Israel but he wasn't that big a signal so maybe another time.

Son on Hols

2009-04-03T11:07:00.002+01:00

Well my Son is on his half term holiday and he is coming over to stay with me and Phee for a week :) :)

Phee has a birthday tomorrow so ..................................

Happy birthday Baby

I love you.

Fort again

2009-03-30T19:03:00.002+01:00

Monday morning and off the fort we go again.

Now what to do, ah yes attempt to sort out why once again there is no Internet on workstation 2 (dam things still not playing ball) then sorted out and tidied up the safety fencing round the antennas which has given us more room to move about when we come to drop the poles for any antenna works that may need doing in the future.

Then over coffee i managed to contact a station in the USA and one in Israel

All things considered a good day with plenty of positive things going on making me feel much better within myself.

Tomorrow I'm off out with Phee to Bently wildfowl and motor museum for the day complete with a birthday dinner ok it should be saturday but hey who cares if its early

something worked and something didn't

2009-03-29T00:29:00.002Z

So off i trundled this morning up to my local high spot (its about 820ft asl) with the intentions of doing two things

1) trying my home brew g5rv
2) trying my home brew 8 mtr mast

Well first off the mast went up well with the guys holding it in the near vertical (and yes typically its blowing a gale up there) anyway i set up the kit, sit in the car thinking how bloody cold it is up there check the g5rv is tunable on all bands which it appears to be well all apart from 10 mtrs but this will have to be checked more closely, fired up the rig and found the bands humming with activity due to the wpx contest being on and managed in short order to work Russia, Hungary and a former Yugoslav state yes things are working well so i decided to have a smoke and a coffee while watching the world go by......

erm surely the mast wasn't that bendy before? no i don't remember it being that flexible as that when i tested it before (in the garden), then it slowly and gracefully bends and collapses in a pile of pole and guys looking very sorry for itself.

Back to the drawing board methinks....

Anyway once home and radios back in situ decide to have a quick flick about and worked in rapid succession Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Greece, Morocco and finally Tunisia all on 10 watts on 20 mtrs.......

Happy you bet your life i am.

The fort, antenna and home brew (kinda)

2009-03-27T00:13:00.004Z

The picture is the ever expanding antenna farm at the fort :)

Back up the fort today this time to dig out a antron 99 27/28mhz antenna to see

a) if it works
b) if the vswr is good
c) get some idea on where we could place it for a dedicated 10mtr vertical for when the band opens

It worked, it tuned and now all we have to do is see what reaction we get to the idea from the others before installing. oh by the way by removing the top section they are resonant on the 15 mtr band. hmmmmm.

After that i installed rx-clusse on the vhf/uhf workstation so when the bands open we have some idea of whats happening on the bands and from what direction.

This afternoon i built a connector for my portable antenna so i can add coax to the 300 ohm ribbon in true g5rv style, all i need to do now is find 102ft of wire and the 20mtr dipole becomes a g5rv ....... nearly there

This evening myself and Phee sat in front of the tv and chilled for a few hours while discussing what she would like for her birthday next week.

At the moment (00:29) i am sitting listening to D44AC (Cape-Verde) on 40mtrs he isn't strong here 55 ( signal 5, audio 5) but some UK stations are managing to work him oh i wish :)

Back up the fort

2009-03-13T00:35:00.003Z

Back up the fort today to tinker with the beams only to find they where now doing a passable attempt at being able to work EME (earth moon earth) yes from originally being horizontal after the blustery winds we have had this weekend the antenna went vertical, it turned out that one of the stabilizing brackets had folded up in the wind oh joy down it comes again.

Anyway we dropped the pole down and after some discussion decided on a different approach and stripped the array down to its component parts and rebuilt it in a stacked formation as apposed to bayed and then we found there was a fault on the feeder (vswr 3+ on vhf and 1.8 on uhf) which after several hours tracking it down with an antenna analyzer we finally found the problem (a dodgy plug) and fixed it, lets hope that's the end of the problems.

All we have to do now is relocate the vertical uhf and vhf antenna onto a new mast, sort out the antenna switching and we are done.....

Its been fun but frustrating trying to locate problems but now at least we can look forward to working some DX on 2mtrs and 70 cms when the band opens..

As i type this its 12:50 am and im listening to nothing but noise on 80 and 40 mtrs, roll on some propagation

Antenna, radio and sods law

2009-03-05T14:23:00.002Z

Its been an interesting couple of weeks considering how bad i have been, first of all the tablets were not working at all and i was finding it real hard to deal with the depression and then out of the blue i had my faith in human nature totally restored by a local Ham Radio Operator who i have been chatting to for a couple of weeks when he got in touch with me and offered me the loan of his SGC 2020 radio, PSU and ATU and also an antenna as well.

To say Thanks to John and Mary seems so inadequate because they have both really made my month as prior to their wonderful gesture i was starting to wonder if i would ever be in a position to operate HF from home due to finances and those usual every day things that have to come first before a hobby anyway once again John, Mary thank you so much for the loan of the gear and for restoring my faith in human nature you are both stars.......

Anyway the antenna is up the radio is working and guess what (this is where sods law comes in) the bands are in a lousy shape in fact i can hardly hear anything other than my usual test frequencies that are always busy. roll on when the conditions improve.......

Down Again

2009-02-16T23:35:00.001Z

Time to see the Dr again as the meds dont seem to be helping me any more...... a crappy day, really down and once again feel like giving up

Shopping and teenage hormones

2009-02-10T14:16:00.002Z

Up bright eyed and bushy tailed today to get the fortnightly shopping trip out of the way which thankfully was reasonably painless, well if you can call nearly 140 quid gone in the blink of an eye lol.

Can anyone tell why it is that kids are wonderful right up until they realize they have the power to make mum and dads life a bloody misery now i'm sure we were all like that but god i don't remember being quite so moody and out for an argument just because i was bored, hell as kids i don't remember us getting bored as we were too busy fishing or playing round the woods behind our house with our friends, nowadays if it ain't pc or games console related they don't want to have anything to do with it and boredom becomes the instigator of arguments, petty bitching and loud music in the way of teenage rebellion.

Roll on the spring i need to get fishing.

Wet and windy again

2009-02-09T23:55:00.002Z

God will this bloody winter ever end the weather man says "wet and sh1tty with continued wet and sh1tty to follow" well that's certainly the case today.

Felt ok-ish today after several real down days so off i trundled to the clubs radio shack didn't get any operating done but it was a good chance to have a chat with K and S and to sort the online e-qsl's (WOW the internet's back and working too which is a major surprise after all our fiddling last week with the network) and have a rummage in one of the buildings used for storage omg how many antenna just sat there unused and looking very sorry for themselves (both hf triband beams and vhf/uhf beams) note to self "must have a proper sort out with S and see whats serviceable and what isn't"

Played C&C Generals Zero Hour for a while this afternoon and then generally chilled in front of the TV this evening.

Strange, Kieran didn't ring me tonight which is most unusual for him.

A bad day

2009-02-08T01:12:00.002Z

Being a long term sufferer of depression and all the crap that goes with it i had thought i had seen all it could throw at me ........ I WAS WRONG .....

Today has been the worst i think i have ever had and its left me feeling hollow, emotional and dam right exhausted.

I pray i wake up tomorrow in a more stable frame of mind.

Stop the world i want to get off.........

Busy up the fort

2009-01-28T19:22:00.003Z

Well i have been busy busy busy lately, what with going up the Newhaven Fort Amateur Radio Group (nfarg) and helping out with maintenance and setting up the network server and working a bit of HF and family life i don't feel i have had much time for fishing which looking out of the window over the last week or so im quite glad, now don't get me wrong i love fishing but as im getting older its getting to be more of a chore to go out when its wet, cold and windy, yes im a wimp but at least im a warm and comfortable wimp lmao.

Today at the fort we installed the server and sorted a few plans for the future and i after 4 days of trying finally managed to make contact with VP8YLC ( the Falklands ) on 18mhz with 100w and i was and still am over the moon with finally making the contact.

I also have a new radio to play with its an Icom IC-T8E tri band handheld (50mhz, 2 mtrs and 70cms) and at the moment im am chuffed to bits with it, its a real nice piece of kit...

Enough for now so you all stay safe until the next time..

Happy new year

2009-01-01T01:45:00.001Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR
one and all

2008-12-25T21:42:00.002Z

Merry Christmas
******************

one and all
I hope you all have a wonderful new year

And for all those lads and lassies serving in the forces of our queen and county a big thank you and i hope you all come home to your families safely..... We are proud of you all

First DX on HF

2008-12-11T16:56:00.002Z

I was kindly asked by a friend to join him up the fort yesterday so as to play a little radio, it never ceases to amaze me at just how beautiful our country side is i absolutely adore living here with the high rolling hills and valleys, the sea/harbour and all points between while i was looking around outside the radio shack (having a smoke) i spotted a perigrim falcon hunting its breakfast about 50 meters away from where i was standing oh what a glorious sight.

Anyway after wandering back in the shack i found out that S had just had a chat with a VK station (Australian) and a JY4CI from Jordan so i didn't need much encouragement to "have a go" when the invitation was forth coming, oh what a pile up of stations trying to get hold of this chap and after 10 minute or so i gave up and had a scan around the frequencies only to find a station in algeria giving me a huge signal and no one trying to work him after a couple of call i heard those word i had been waiting so desperately for "G7IBY this is SX5RS, you are 55 -7 (signal report) how copy" YESSSS. What an incredibe buzz my first ever contact on HF and to work algeria was incredible, i followed him up by having another scan around and worked a 9H1VC from malta with 58 both ways and by now im desperately trying to think of any way i can get the required funds to buy a rig to get on hf from home and portable on the hills. There was one other station of note and he was a got away and that was VU2GEE from Pakistan which again was one hell of a buzz just hearing him (ill get you another time)

73 stay safe and good DX -.-

Playing with antenna

2008-12-08T16:48:00.002Z

I have spent most of today messing around with bits of wire and making insulators from plastic coat hangers, sorting out an antenna for up on the hills for both Swl and for when i finally get my new ticket and a HF radio to finally get to work some DX.

After a while a trip to a local hardware store had me wandering around looking at poles, copper piping and lengths of wood to use to suspend an antenna from, what i stumbled across was some 2.2mtr lengths of 2" plastic water pipe and next to it was some pipe that nicely slides inside to make a 4mtr mast for portable use (and its stiff too so bending in the wind isn't going to be much of a problem........ i hope) i also suspect that by using a couple of the thinner pipes as inserts i may be able to get a portable mast of approx 10 mtrs without there being so much flex that they become unusable /unstable.... ideal for supporting a G5RV or nested dipoles for hf. and all that for £1.28 and £1.48 each ( ah the spirit of ham radio lives on lmao)

If i get time tomorrow i might take the poles up on the hills and see how they perform...... more later

Visiting the Fort

2008-12-06T23:58:00.004Z

Well today Phee and myself decided to take the kids to Newhaven Fort for a mooch about (free entry) and i had the thought that the radio station GB3NFM would be active as the lads in the club never miss an opportunity to advertise ham radio and encourage people to get involved. I had the great idea that i could could slope off and have a chat about all things radio with the chaps there while Phee and the kids roamed round the fort and amused themselves :)

It was nice to be out and Blake, Kieran and myself had a wander round the WW1 exhibits while Phee headed in the direction of the arts and crafts type stalls, I think Kieran enjoyed it and was kinda interested but i think from an historical perspective he couldn't quite get his head round the fact that it actually happened, even when i told him about my great great grandfather being at the Somme it still whooshed right over his head bless him but then he is only 14 and history isn't that interesting at 14 now is it.

Back on the rods again

2008-11-23T15:49:00.002Z

Yes you guessed it i went fishing this weekend this time tides and weather were ok for access to the river so myself, Screamer and G-man decided to give it a bash and well what can one say...... I slept well, snuggled up in my bedchair covered from head to toes in my sleeping bags and thermal cover i had no action though, not ever a single solitary bleep from the delkims but i loved it, in fact the best nights sleep i have for ages.

There is something really beautiful about fishing during the winter the air is sharp and crispy the trees a mixture of browns, grays and dark greens, mother nature is sleeping until the warmth comes back to the world in spring and everything busts into colour and fresh growth as the eternal circle of life starts afresh for another year.

So today as i write this i am sitting here in the warm listening to the hf amateur bands, listening to various American stations chatting (rag chewing) but my heart is on that dark, peaceful and beautiful stretch of river with its fish cruising up and down and wild birds continuing their life's struggle.

3rd anniversary on the 16th

2008-11-12T16:03:00.001Z

Well its nearly three yrs since me and Phee first met and fell in love and as we do every year we spent today (i know its early but the weather was nice) in the place where we first told each other of our feelings and that place is the local reservoir and a more beautiful place you couldn't wish to be in.

So off we toddled this morning with lunch and a thermos of steaming hot coffee for our yearly 3 mile walk round the res watching the birdlife and the fluff flingers (trout anglers) as we enjoyed each others company and reconfirming our love for each other before ending up in the bird watchers hut to have lunch and watch the wonders of nature that surrounds us, and what could be better glorious sunshine, the sounds of nature and spending time with your lover and partner...... bliss.

Now i suppose to some of you it may seem sad that we do this year in year out but we enjoy doing it and it provides us with glorious memories to take with us when we get old and gray and hey who cares what you do its who you do it with that's important.

Phee I love you with all my heart, thank you for being my Princess.

Brrrrrrrrr

2008-11-11T19:53:00.001Z

Its cold and bloody horrible here at the moment still with my renewed interest in ham radio and Short wave listening it gives me a reason to stay in the warm :)

I did however go up to the local hill over the weekend to go meet up with some old friends and some new ones in the Ham world as a local group were having a "meet and greet" it was great to renew old friendships and listen to the guys working some dx.

I have got in touch with Ofcom to find out how to renew my lapsed ticket and once that's sorted i will be looking round for some transmitting gear.

CQ World Wide Contest

2008-10-26T13:30:00.001Z

I have spent a couple of days firmly embedded in the bedroom playing round with the HF receivers after realising that this weekend was the CQ World Wide Contest, a great time to hear some new countries on the ham bands, not to mention testing out the new antenna and comparing the two systems to see how they perform against each other.

This weekend I have heard 16 counties on 80 mtrs, 45 on 40mtrs, 41 on 20 mtrs, 2 on 15mtrs and 2 on 10 mtrs. most notable from my point of view were the western Sahara, Jordan, Kuwait, Japan, Bermuda, Thailand and Greenland.

Ok now maybe from a contest stations perspective the above figures are tiny but from my point of view considering I heard all those countries on two bits of wire 10 mtrs long connected in the middle with a chock block connector and a random length of 50 ohm coax to the rig which I hung from the bedroom window and sloping to almost ground level i'm well impressed with the results.

Where has it gone.......

2008-10-24T19:02:00.001+01:00

This months nearly left us and taken us to within a few short weeks till Xmas and all the madness, mayhem and worry that this time provides us, it seems like yesterday when I was looking forward to a summer of fishing and now its gone and i'm thinking "where the hell did it go". Still it will soon be spring :) time for me to hibernate.

One thing I have done this month and its pretty much taken me away from this PC is got back into SWL (Short Wave Listening) I have always been interested in radio and dxing (working long distance contacts) but I think I finally have my receiving station sussed at long last, and all it took was a gift of an old laptop from a neighbour and 20 mtrs of wire strung up round the garden and 160mtrs of wire strung round the loft trusses (Dunkirk has nothing on my loft)

I have two receivers one on each antenna the first is a Lowe HF150 ( on the 160 mtr dipole) which works great on the 160 and 80 mtr ham bands and an Icom PCR-1000 computer controlled receiver (on the 20mtr dipole)

Up until now i have always struggled with horrendous noise levels when I have tried to use either sets down by my computer but now with the aid of the laptop I am able to use the equipment upstairs and lo and behold a low noise floor and yes i'm actually hearing stuff for the first time in ages.

From listening to Broadcast stations all over the world to long haul aircraft flying high above the Atlantic heading to the states and Ham radio stations from all over Europe, Russia, USA, Africa and Asia the child like buzz I get from hearing these "Hams" with their " you are 5,9 qsl via the buro" even after 30 yrs of being an SWL and Ham myself never lessens and I doubt they ever will.

73 Till the next time

Shopping

2008-10-14T19:02:00.001+01:00

Decided to take a trip into our local town today and as is always the case I just couldn't walk past the fishing tackle shop, "I just wanna pop in here for a couple of bits love" well a couple of bits later and "jesssus" 33 quid spent, I was shocked I can tell you, what was worse all I bought was some beads, amnesia (line), hooks, pva tape, rubber sleeves, esp rear rod rests and some rubber float stops. Now I cannot believe it cost that much to manufacture and supply this stuff to shops so I can only assume that we the consumer is being shamelessly ripped off, ok I needn't have bought it I suppose but I needed the stuff for specific jobs and there weren't cheaper alternatives or i would have got them....... so come on retailers stop screwing the public and sell the stuff at a reasonable price.

Sorted my gear out for tomorrows trip and checked the weather monster, oh joy its gonna be raining ...... again.... just perfect.

Books and a little more geekyness

2008-10-09T15:20:00.003+01:00

Thought of the day :-

Just because you are paranoid it doesn't mean they are not out to get you.

As I read a lot, hmm, loads actually I thought I'd list some of my favourite authors (just to show that I do actually have a life away from fishing) and yes sometimes I can even manage a conversation without fishing being mentioned once.

*Takes deep breath*

Terry Pratchett

An awesome author, ok he is barking mad but they say genius and madness are close bedfellows and he is pure genius.

Terry Pratchett books.com

J.R.R Tolkien

who doesn't like lord of the rings-a timeless classic

The Tolkien Society

David Eddings

I love his writings, his characters leap out from the pages right from the start and hold on to you till the very last page,leaving you wanting to know more (his novels are the only ones I have sat and read from start to finish in one hit)

Eddings chronicles

Tom Clancy

I have 20 or so of Clancy's novels and find them a totally enthralling read, full of twists and turns and his characters leap out of the books to become "real" and have you holding your breath while waiting for the next twist or quirk of fate...... Clancy knows far to much about the way American government works to be healthy :)

A bibliography of Tom Clancy's books

Patrick Robinson

Another brilliant author, I have several of his books and read them over and over again his knowledge of submarine warfare and tactics is awesome.... a brilliant read.

A bibliography of Patrick Robinson's books

Dale Brown

I found his books purely by accident in one of my frequent trawls round the charity shops (i love em) again military based but then as an ex pilot you just know they are going to be good.

Dale Browns website

More to follow:

Indoors in the warm

2008-10-08T18:20:00.001+01:00

Started off wanting to play poker today but that soon came to an abrupt end once I realised I was tilting badly.... sometimes I hate the game I really do.

well with nothing much else to do today, i'm still trying to get a document repository to work in e107 and its being stubbornly vindictive and refusing to work, I have been messing about with my PC, looking through various app's that sit in the side bar (boredom's a wonderful thing) on vista, well, well, well, there was one that will be useful a tides monitor and ooooh a moon cycle one as well, so on the system they go sitting pretty and probably wasting loads of resources.

Tried with no success to install C&C 3 Kane edition but my machine really didn't like it or more likely my brain couldn't cope with having to install from within alcohol....... so gave up for now.

I keep looking out of the window and wishing i was fishing again but tbh most of my stuff is probably still drying out in the cupboard and I really cant be doing with wet gear when I start to fish it ruins an otherwise lovely experience..... ok I admit it i'm chicken and its cold.

Short overnighter

2008-10-07T14:41:00.002+01:00

Well we were back on the river again this time for a short overnight session of about 15 hours.

We blanked (no surprise there then ) lol, got thoroughly wet and blown about by the wind and yes we blanked but on a plus i did get a good nights sleep with the sounds of nature ringing in my ears, wel actually it was the sound of rain battering the bivvy but hey.

Stats:-

Rod 1 - Salmon popup free running lead roving

Rod 2 - Black pepper boilies FS margins fished over pellet and crushed boilies

Rod 3 - Fake corn over pellet NS margins

New Lake new challenge

2008-10-02T17:34:00.001+01:00

Well the tides are full on and tbh I didn't feel much like fishing the Ouse so I decided to have a go on Decoy and things didn't exactly go according to plan.

There I was up bright and early and raring to go, the weather demon had forecast clear to start but with heavy rain later with high winds ok so the cars all loaded and i'm ready to do something that takes a lot for me and that's to go fishing over night on my own (the last few trips I have had some severe hypos which has scared me to death of being on my own when it happens)

So anyway I digress cars loaded say good bye to Phee and off I go stopping first at the garage to get some coffee whitener, that's done and off down the road I toddle 5 or so miles down the road I see traffic backing up " oh god what's happened here" ok I can hear sirens heading our way so I guess its an accident? yes, not 500yrs away from the new roundabout someone is really having a bad day...... OK now what, now the roads closed ? I know might as well go back home for more coffee and keep an ear on the radio so that I will know when the roads been re-opened so I can make the mad dash to the lake and get my self sorted (that happened at 11:30 am).

Midday i'm at the lake, grab the bait bucket " jees that's bloody heavy" as I waddle the 200 yards or so the the water so i can pick a swim. Have a mosey around and a chat with a couple of chaps who were happily fishing away and finally pick peg 11 for my home for the next 24 hours or so. so back to the car I wandered set about sorting the barrow and gear and started to walk back to the lake and lo and behold the weather monster was spot on, it chose that moment to start raining and boy didn't it just i got soaked as did my gear.

Anyway to cut a long story short I got set up double quick and slung my gear under the bivvy in an attempt to try to keep it dry-ish while I got the rods out and baited up some likely looking area's.

Rod 1) Fake corn fished over particles to an overhanging tree close in

Rod 2) Black pepper and Sesame seed boilies fished to the reed beds

Rod 3) Salmon popup started using this rod on the 1st (at midnight)

Well for the first 14 hours nothing, not even a twitch but at 8 am the next morning it went mental and I ended up with 12 carp in 3 hours both mirrors and commons with two doubles, one scraper @ 10lb and another at 13lb ish and much to my surprise every single bite came to rod 1 with the single grain of plastic fantastic on it.

So was it a success? you bet it was it was such a nice feeling to get the rod bent and even better to fish on my own again with nothing untoward happening health wise am i looking forwards to the next one hell yeah i'm back on the river next week and I cant wait, the tides are good, the fish are there, can Mooseh catch one of the illusive 30lb + river carp? well only time will answer that one but one things for sure........

I love my lady, my life and my fishing and alls well in the world ......

Nearly winter

2008-09-27T14:11:00.002+01:00

I have noticed over te last few days the weather is on the turn with bright sunny days but cold, nippy nights (time for the sleeping bags and winter skin when fishing) and tbh my favourite time of year for fishing the carp are in thier best condition and having a munch up in preparation for the winters lack of natural food.

I have changed fishing venue again and am now fishing a tidal river and oh boy this is gonna be a steep learning curve as i havent ever fished a tidal river before but wow what a buzz im getting from it even more so as the first trip i did i managed to bag a lovely looking mirror carp not huge at 9lb but to catch first time out was amazing.

The main thing i have noticed as i mentioned in my previous post is the peace and quiet, no car sounds, no one else fishing just the sounds of nature doing her own thing day in day out. its absolutely blissful.

roll on the next trip

Fishing at last

2008-09-14T15:51:00.001+01:00

For the first time in months i have finally got out there and doing some and oh what a buzz it was too, myself and my mate G-man have found a lovely stretch of river and though it might not be stuffed full of carp the ones that are in it go to 30lb+ so that's my target now a river carp personal best and even if i don't capture a single fish the peace and quiet and freedom from other anglers still makes it paradise.

Yesterday i sat by the river not caring if the buzzers signified a bite just happy and content to listen to the water burbling away as it followed its long path to reach the sea, revelling in the sunshine and watching a pair of kingfishers dashing and darting around like a pair of fairies in some mythical paradise. That is exactly what this place is to me........ paradise found

Health again

2008-09-02T16:12:00.001+01:00

What can i say i haven't been posting of late cos there aint really nothing to post apart from the fact i feel awful most of the time. In the Pink Floyd record "brain damage" it says "there's someone in my head but its not me" well folks that's how i feel, totally disjointed and detached from reality, like walking through cotton wool yeah that's a good description lol .....

Stop the world i want to get off.

Dodgy health

2008-08-07T08:32:00.001+01:00

Well it happened again last week of I toddled fishing planning on being at the waters side for at least three days and had a bit of action 3 caught (biggest was a scraper double) and three runs missed, anyway 18 hour into the session I had a total meltdown, its hard to explain but I lost all energy (it took me 5 hours to pack up and get home) and was walking around like a bloody zombie, my head full of cotton wool and very emotional, in fact even now I have very little recollection of how I got home or for that matter the next three days after that event.

I'm really not sure why this keeps happening to me but I am now starting to think about changing things in quite a drastic way which will hopefully resolve these problems and enable me to be comfortable and happy fishing rather than twitchy and fearful of attacks like this.

Last night we sat through what can only be described as the most extreme weather I personally have ever witnessed, about 20:45 the rain started along with lightning and then the rain became the biggest hailstones I have ever seen (baring in mind its August) and loads of it for about 15 - 30 minutes everything was flooding and for the next 4 hours we witnessed the most amazing lightning storm and heavy rain showers. it was amazing and would have made some wicked photo's but the shutter speed on my digital camera isn't fast enough for that kinda shot.

Stay safe.

Yippee

2008-07-26T11:51:00.001+01:00

Yes the builders have finally finished and buggered off, we have our home back again and its all nice and sparkling.

As my previous post goes into all the work that we have had done I wont go into it again but suffice it to say I am so glad to have my home back again and sorted/tidy and be able to get my fishing gear out and sorted and yes I'm off fishing next week, bugger everything else its been a long 6 or 7 weeks.

25 days and counting

2008-07-19T15:44:00.001+01:00

we have earmarked 25 days to complete the job from start to finish

That has to constitute the biggest bit of bovine manure I have ever bloody heard we are now into day 27 and still no end in sight.

When the builders started our kitchen, bathroom and downstairs loo that's what they told us, now ok they have had to rewire the kitchen totally, as well as check the whole household wiring to bring it up to EU standards, as well as fitting the kitchen, tiling, decorating and putting down the new floor, and that's where we have run into problems and run out of patience

Ok the bathrooms kinda finished (it just needs the flooring done) but and hopefully they have now sorted a slight problem with the bath, erm um well its like this when I get into the dam thing it drops by like 10mm ok so I shouldn't be such a fat git lol but it also does it when Phee gets in the bath too and she only weighs in at about 8 1/2 stone so something's wrong with the floor, now why the hell wasn't it spotted that the floor was bolloxed when the plumber was fitting the new bath hmm now let me think ah yes "the floorings a chippys job guv not a plumbers" so anyway they have now laid 3/4 inch ply under the baths legs and said "that should sort it" but we will see, hmmm, excuse me guys if I don't sound convinced of the effectiveness of this workaround/ bodge

Ok getting back to the overall job well most of the guys have been brilliant, hard workers and good for a laugh which is always a bonus when they are invading your home for any period of time so anyway this is what we have had done so far.

Work in the Kitchen

Kitchen removed

Old wiring removed and new wiring fitted

New Kitchen fitted

Tiling

Decorating

Flooring <--- snigger snigger

Downstairs loo

Remove old toilet and sink

Fit new toilet and sink

Tile splash back (4 tiles by 3 tiles)

Decorate

Fit flooring <--- ok this is done

Bathroom

Remove old bathroom suite

Fit new bath, sink, toilet and power shower

Make good the tiling (we have floor to ceiling tiles)

Decorate

Fit flooring <--- hahahah don't make me laugh 3pm on Friday he wanted to go home

So the floor fitter has now spent two days here and all he has done is swish some self levelling latex that takes two hours to dry, on the floor in the kitchen and downstairs loo then buggered off home and on day two fitted the lino in the downstairs toilet (6ft x 3ft) and then due to the flooring being on another van that never turned up, guess what, yup he buggered of home again on top of that our kitchen had to have everything removed from it which of course meant that it had to be put back Friday uncompleted and will have to be emptied again Monday bloody morning so he can finish it (grrrrr)

What a month

2008-07-13T07:39:00.001+01:00

well its been an interesting month one way or another.

The new batch of basemix turned up just in time for me to put it away as the builders turned up to rip out our kitchen, bathroom and downstairs lavatory for a refit and redo the electrics and fit a new fuse box,i am sure you can imagine its been mayhem, with half a dozen blokes in and out all day every day for the last month its not been easy for me to get on the PC as by the time they have left the house in the evenings i have been nackered (the early mornings killed me).Anyway the guys working in here have without exception been brilliant, a great laugh and good to be around (just as well tbh or it would have made it most unpleasant) in an otherwise awkward situation, we are now just waiting on having the flooring done and the little loose ends tied up then its job jobbed and we can reclaim our lives and get back to the routine and me out fishing yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Phee bless her has been stripping the paint from anything and everything that is wood and varnishing it (i must say it does look dam good though), she has always been house proud but since having the nice shiny new kitchen, bathroom and loo she has had a new lease of life and is driving me potty with what can only be described as virtually an OCD with cleaning, redecorating and making our home like a palace, the poor old Dyson has nearly committed suicide due to total exhaustion :) :) :) (and as im typing this she has just walked past with cleaning products in hand and started again (its 07:30 on a Sunday morning for gods sake Phee slow down its bloody spotless anyway)

Star the wonder dog has been brilliant through all this upheaval as well with strange men roaming about the house and the front door being left open she has taken it all in her stride never once getting snappy or going out the front in fact i think the dog handled it better than we did as i for one found it most unsettling what with the disturbed routine and lack of peace and quiet.

The other really unsettling but brilliant thing to have happened is that after nearly three years of being unable to see my kids i have finally been allowed to have the boys (hostilities with my ex seem to have ceased) and oh what an emotional whirlwind that has been for me with every kind of emotion from joy when i see them through to despair when i have to drop them back off at their home, still at least i am safe in the knowledge that it wasn't my doing and that the kids can now have their father back be it weekend visits and phone calls.

Health wise, i have been having a few hypo's and my blood pressure has been all over the place again, the doc has added another set of tablets to the already copious amounts of medication i have to take on a daily basis, lets hope it sorts the problem.

Yesterday i bit the bullet and decided it was about time i formatted my PC and did a fresh install and WOW for the first time ever it installed correctly and worked perfectly, that's screwed it, i bet the thing will die on me now lmao.

Ramblings and thoughts

2008-06-14T13:04:00.004+01:00

As i was laying in bed last night i suddenly had a thought (i must have read this somewhere) "that immortality was easy to accept when one realises that we don't exist" now this started the old brain chugging at what can only be described as terminal velocity.

With it came the thought that maybe, just maybe we are minuscule and in fact the universe as we know it is no bigger than a particle of dust in the vacum cleaner of existence, in fact the images of "god" looking through the clouds that we see in pictures is no more than a celestial cleaner about to empty the hoover (bagless of course), maybe one of us somewhere just happened to look up at precisely the right moment to get "a vision" of this celestial cleaner as he checked the fullness of his hoover.

If we then start to accept that this could be true (in potential) then it could also be true that trolls, dwarfs, leprechauns and elves also could really exist in some kind of alternate reality and not just in our imagination along with ghosts could they just be on a sister particle? (a doppelganger perhaps) that due to hitting a rip in the fabric of time and space that has somehow become attached to ours so we see them as being grey, fuzzy and see through due to the phase shift. The doppelganger theory would kinda make sense as well if everything on the doppelgangers world was, as has been suggested in the past, the opposite to ours then maybe where we have colour they have monochrome, thus the ghostly hues and lack of colour.

Alternate theories or lunacy? i'll let you decide

More fishing with Screamer

2008-06-13T18:51:00.003+01:00

Well Screamer had a few days off work so once again we were heading off down the lake for three days and to put it mildly it was fun 5 fish a piece and most of those came off the surface which is always a hell of a way to catch them in fact i dont think there is a more exciting way, anyways out of my 5 five fish i had a couple of doubles, 1 of 13lb 1oz and the other a 14lb 10oz all the carp i had were commons this time but the plan we were trying is seemingly working though still very much an experiment and only time will tell. Oh i did also manage to have my sleep disturbed by a huge eel of certainly over 4lb but we wont go into that (yuck, horrible slimey things)

I was going to bore you all stupid with the technical stuff like rigs, baits, positions, temps etc but we have the builders in atm (having a new kitchen and bathroom fitted) and my fishing stuff along with my diary is buried in a cupboard somewhere with the rest of my fishing gear (i can hear you all sighing with pleasure at this news) probably never to been seen again or at least from the next month depending on when they finish the job (they recon 25 days but some people round here are at 9 weeks + and still waiting completion)

Anyways enough waffle from me, you all stay safe and what ever it is that lights your fire do it with passion as tomorrow may never come.

Done and dusted.... and no pain

2008-06-06T13:42:00.005+01:00

Well my ladys trip to the dentist went incredibly well, a 15 minute job and within hours she was back to earth (its good stuff they use for sedation) and considering the work she has had done i find it hard to believe she has no pain but bless her she is adamant that nothing hurts at all, Anyway she has gone into our local town today to get some ideas for our wedding next year and we all know that when the girls are into retail therapy mode they dont feel pain which is more than can be said for our poor old wallets eh lads.

Not sure if im fishing this weekend as im expecting a phone call to let me know that the 30 kilos of basemix has arrived and is ready for collection maybe ill sneak out for a couple of hours surface fishing later.

Good luck for tomorrow

2008-06-04T15:40:00.002+01:00

Yes tomorrow is nearly here, the day my princess (Phee) goes to be knocked out by the dentist as she is having root canal done because ever since she had her teeth worked on (caps fitted and teeth sorted) a couple of years ago she has periodically had problems with one tooth getting very painful abscesses which would only clear up temporarily then flare up again and again...... so honey good luck and just think tomorrow will soon be over and "touch wood" no more problems or pain for you

Balmy nights

2008-06-02T14:07:00.003+01:00

Yes you guessed it fishing again this time its a weekend with Screamer both of us in pursuit of some fish.

We arrived at about 18:30 friday evening and after much walking the bank looking for some signs of fishy activity we decided on fishing pegs 5 and 6 full of enthusiasm of a couple of fish filled days, boy were we wrong.

my set up consisted of:

Rod 1 = running lead with mono hooklinks the bait was black pepper and seseme seed fished near side margin lilly bed
Rod 2 = Roving rod with helecopter stiff hinged rig and salmon popups
Rod 3 = running lead with braided hooklink ( Fox delude) Chocolate Orange flavoured boilies fished to a far side lilly bed
Rod 4 = set up for surface fishing just in case they showed on the top

After a very warm and muggy Friday night and Saturday with no action i decided to have a go at getting some action on the surface so reeled in my rods grabbed the surface rod and toddled up to peg 8, three dozen pouchfulls of chum mixers and 2 hours later the carp are slurping their heads off (very satisfying to watch them do that) anyway to cut a long story short i managed to winkle a couple of real bonus fish out, the first was a 13lb 4oz common closely followed by a 9lb common which to be frank saved me from blanking because other than one run Sunday morning (03:00) which resulted in a small common of about 6lb we had no action.

All in all the weekend was fun even though the fish were more interested in spawning (they started big time Sunday morning) we spent some pleasent hours feeding a very tame and obliging robin (the little bugger spent more time on my bait bucket than i did) and having a laugh while enjoying the great outdoors which is just as it should be.

I Quit

2008-05-25T12:09:00.003+01:00

Yes after many months of thinking about it, i have finally quit looking after one of the lakes for my local fishing club and i wish the new water keeper (whoever it may be) all the luck in the world, i hope they enjoy their time with it as much as i have for these last couple of years.

It will however be nice for me not to have to worry about things like eel traps, poachers and trying to keep things running sweetly between the fishermen and the rest of humanity, there is public access to most of the lake and that in itself caused some fairly interesting issues at times of which i have always tried to deal with using common sense, compromise and a polite word.

I have been doing this for one organisation or another for 14 yrs now so as you can probably imagine i'm looking forward to the break and just being an angler for a change.

Roll on the fishing ..........

Bad Week

2008-05-24T14:39:00.002+01:00

hi ho hi ho off fishing i went planning on a four day session 24hrs into it i had managed to catch a 10lb + common but very little else but i was happy with that then all of a sudden at the end of day 2 i had a real funny turn, my sugars crashed, hot sweats, nausea, instability and major panic set in, i just about managed to make a "help me" phone call to phee and had her rushing back down the lake to make sure im ok and not needing an ambulance or possibly worse, she told me screamy was on his way over to help pack my gear up and get me home but tbh i was so out of it i wouldnt have cared less if i had to leave my gear at the lake and now as i look at it in the cold light of day its a scary thing to have to deal with when your on your own and im not sure i will be able to fish solo ever again.