text:
TOR Radio: July 18, 2013 – Cartoon Villains and the Politics of Violence
Traces of Reality
July 18, 2013
Traces of Reality Radio hosted by Guillermo Jimenez
Episode 36: July 18, 2013 – Cartoon Villains and the Politics of Violence
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:05:32 — 45.1MB) | Embed
Guest: Danny Benavides
On today's Traces of Reality Radio: We discuss the curious circumstances surrounding the capture of the head of the Mexican drug cartel Los Zetas, Miguel Trevino Morales (aka Z40). We also get into the Stratfor/Wikileaks emails that suggest a plan for "extrajudicial targeted killings" of drug war villains, the proposed "border surge," armed drones within the United States, and much more.
Mexico captures leader of brutal Zetas drug cartel
What Follows Zetas Leader's Takedown in Mexico
No shackles on captured cartel leader? And who smacked around capo caught by Mexican marines?
"I was a Hit Man for Miguel Treviño" (VIDEO)
Grupo especial infiltró a Z-40 (Spanish)
Special Group infiltrated Z-40 (English Translation)
Are Mexican Drug Lords the Next "Terrorist Targets"?
Evidence of "Extrajudicial" Death Squads Emerging in Mexico
Mexican Special Forces Employed as Death Squads in Drug War, Email Records Released by WikiLeaks Reveal
Big Media Discovers US Special Ops are Targeting Mexican Crime Organizations
U.S. Military has Special Ops "Boots on the Ground" in Mexico
US Training of Mexican Troops Has Escalated in Step With Mexico's Murder Rate
Another Man Arrested at a Checkpoint for Doing Absolutely Nothing Illegal
Customs & Border Protection Considered Weaponizing Drones


text:
SB80(A) again for the same reasons.
I repeat: the high bands not interesting and the operator not in shape for 40+ hours of SOAB. You want to stay clear from 160 so it's between 80 and 40. I do well to very well on 40 but 80 is a challenge. If it goes bad, you can pull the 'tough band' card. If it's a success the reward is so much bigger. I just wanted to know what could be done on 80 and it would be nice to compare the CW part to the SSB part. If any comparison is needed.
The sun seemed quiet in the week leading to the contest weekend. Tuesday or so ON3DI told me that the solar forecast predicted troubles for the end of the week. The forecast and ON3DI's fear became a reality. Not much we can do. Fortunately the WX was supposed to be dead calm after last week's storm.
A few rough days
I must admit that the days before the contest were all but beneficial for the mental and physical condition of the contest operator. I don't talk about my personal and family life here but I'll break that rule for once. The week before the contest some apprentice driver bumped into the family's only car. No human damage except some bruises to the driver (XYL) but the car was declared total loss. Dealing with tow company, insurance, rental car firm, car dealer and the likes was stressful. As if an accident of this magnitude isn't bad enough. So it comes as no surprise that this situation had been nibbling on my energy levels. Heck, it bit off huge chunks during these past days.
My usual Wednesday off was spent putting the RX loop back up and hooking up the new 9:1 transformer and a coax to the short beverage. This little project gets a dedicated post soon. The loop is for JA/ZL and the beverage runs along the USA short-long path axis. The weather was really nice. That always makes me happy. And being outside in lovely weather doing various jobs charges my batteries. At dusk my youngest son decided to help me with the beverage while the oldest joined my wife to pick up the new (second hand) car we bought. We were /M again.
The car issue combined with a tough week at the office, made me feel tired and I even felt slightly ill. I still had to put the tower and 80m wire up for the contest. I planned to do that on Friday. It was Black Friday indeed. By 8.30 AM I had brought the XYL to the train station and the kids to school and upon my return I found the kitchen floor flooded. I don't want to turn this into a plumber's blog so long story cut short: problem with the water boiler on the first floor. Water downstairs, boiler upstairs. Get it? I'm sure I have never run up the stairs so fast in the fourteen years that we own the house. The recovery, the cleaning and the fix took about two hours, including a quick rush to the local DYI for replacement parts. This too really took a lot of my energy and added to the already elevated stress level.
I decided to crank up the tower now and pull up the 80m wire. That went without a problem, as usual. A quick test in the shack showed that everything was working, including the RX loop and the beverage. That restored my confidence. I had a biscuit for lunch and took a shower. Technically it was all systems go for CQ WW CW. I had a couple of hours to spare and the plan was to rest and hopefully get some pre-contest sleep.
I landed into the couch and then the 'you cannot have too many antennas' adage started spinning through my head. I had two switched RX antennas on the K3's AUX RF input. I use these for diversity reception with the 2nd RX. But I still had the plain RX input free. And a freed up coax from garage to shack. Input free + coax available = extra antenna possibility. Instead of resting the adrenaline kicked in and I went into the garden to deploy the DoG. The Dipole on Ground. Don't ask why but I decided not to throw the antenna on the ground. The dipole leg connected to the 'hot side' was guided through the low fruit trees about 120 to 150 centimeters high. The wire connected to the coax shield was put on the ground running underneath this wire. I didn't actually expect miracles from this. It was more a way to use really every input and option on the transceiver.
The rest of Friday was spent running errands, dining with the family and watching TV while counting down. I even tried some sleeping. I was up and early in the shack and I even made a few contacts.
The contest
The K-index was way too high, just like in the SSB part. I was having second thoughts about SB80. Wouldn't SB40 be better? It has been my best band in CQ WW CW. High rates and plenty multipliers. And 40 CW is fun as opposed to SSB. I was still weighting pros and cons five minutes before the contest. But I stuck to the original plan. I wanted to see what I could squeeze out of my limited 80m setup. So SB80 it is. My 2014 record hour was low in the band on 3505 so I settled there. Soon the rate exploded and I hoped to break the record of 210/hr. That of course was with SO2R and a bunch of interlaced 40m contests. I was SB80 now. In the end I logged 198 QSO after one hour and made over 600 contacts in the first four hours. I was pretty pleased despite not setting a new rate record. I was deeply disappointed about the number of American stations in the log. And those who did call, were weak. If W3LPL or K3LR is only S5 here on any band except 160, I know that propagation is worthless. Still I was thrilled to work ZM4T way past my sunrise on Saturday. I worked another ZL at my sunset and another two at Sunday's sunrise. Despite the propagation. Saturday's sunset brought another nice surprise: VK6LW. How cool is that? I missed a PY in SSB but quite soon logged one in CW. I was hoping for a LU and a JA for a double mult. I did work a few JA Sunday evening but never heard a LU or saw one spotted on 80. Bummer.
At one point Sunday morning things became all too slow. Combined with the lack of sleep I decided to get two hours of bed time. I was active again early before my sunrise but truth be told it wasn't spectacular. Even though the K value dropped to three or even two, the band didn't recover this fast. I tried and tried to score multipliers but it wasn't easy. My guess was that many people found 80m to be poor and went up to 40 or even 20. After sunrise I quit.
I gave some points to the DXpeditions on 40-20-15. Gosh 15 was poor. And ten was empty apart from one or two signals. Just two years ago these two bands were jam-packed until well after my sunset. For fun I tried 40 long path to z3 around my sunset. Long path propagation because I can't select a direction with my dipole. I only worked two but it was fun to hear their signals come up as the greyline terminator closed in. I then tired 80 again in the hope to reach 100 country multipliers. After all the Far East still had plenty potential. But it wasn't to be. There were spots for two Chinese stations but they were weak, didn't seem to hear well and the EU zoo was open again.
Later on I got called by a JA for a double mult. You finally work one, then more follow. I normally don't do this but I watched the 80m RBN in search of a few mults. It's allowed when being in the assisted class, but I don't see the point most of the time. It helped now: BV1EL appeared and was not yet spotted. Once again the proof what I have been saying: once a rare on is spotted on the cluster, it's game over if you're not willing to spend a long time in the EU mess. But he wasn't spotted so it didn't take long to have him in the log. I worked a few other multis (JT, 8Q and 6Y) and then the contest was over.
I'm quite happy with the result given the state of the ionosphere and my simple antenna. Of course when the scores on 3830 come in… How can I compete with yagis on a tower that is over a half wavelength high and 4SQ arrays? And possibly 3 to 5dB more RF power. So I'm just in it for the fun. Next year: SB40?
First storm of the season
" When the barometer indicates a storm, lamenting becomes the norm " – ON5ZO
Last weekend my plan was to raise the tower and participate in the LZ DX contest. For the second year in a row I had to cancel this plan. A few days before the weekend, the forecast indicated a nasty storm on Sunday morning. Not cranking up the tower then. And there is no fun in playing while being crippled antenna-wise. It was indeed a storm. One of my neighbors is missing a big chunk of Styrofoam. I don't know who but feel free to come and get it. Monday we saw a big trampoline upside down in the middle of a field! Someone must be missing one trampoline.
One particular gust around noon on Sunday blew away the covers of my compost bins. Including the weights I had put on top. This gust probably is to blame for the yagi to have moved again. Just like last year. The boom-to-mast clamp needs a makeover. I really should address that. I tilted the tower over earlier this week and yanked the boom to align the antenna with the rotator controller and to have the driven element parallel again to the 40m dipole. So obviously the clamp isn't too tight anymore. I know why and how to fix it, but I need a scaffold to reach it.
The good thing is that my homebrew tilt over mast didn't move an inch. Not even a millimeter. I designed the thing to put it horizontal in case of storms like the one announced but I didn't even bother. I admit I wasn't too comfortable and regularly checked how it held up. But it seems I did a good engineering job and my welding skills passed the 'medium storm' test.
The wireless hobby is a lie!
Wireless hobby? Yeah right! You should see my garage, the hub of all things cable here at ON5ZO. And behind and below the operating desk. When I got my VHF-only license I persuaded my dad to drill a hole from my bedroom to the attic to route one simple coax through it. My co-worker at the time (ON4BCB) chuckled: 'Only one hole? You'll soon find it to be insufficient'. How right he was. As soon as I got my HF-license, more holes had to be drilled for more antennas. One extra hole to bring the antenna count to two actually.
The same happened here in my own QTH. One of the first things we did while renovating, months before we moved in, was to make a hole in the wall with a big PVC pipe through it. One simple coax went out the shack through the pipe and into the garden. No wait, as I type this I remember: there was no pipe yet at that time. Just a hole. The coax bungled against the wall and ran over the ground. I put up a 10m fishing pole with a vertical wire and a bunch of radials. I used a SG-230 SmartTuner and ran an extension cord through an open window to feed it. It was the EU Sprint Spring SSB 2003. I was so glad to finally have my own QTH and had big plans and big dreams. The plans got executed, even more than I dared to think of back then. The dreams are gone because simply not feasible. I just looked up this contest on 3830. Zeppos passed away last June. Just like the EU Sprint contest itself: nothing is forever…
Back to the cables. Over the last fourteen years I probably spent the most time on cable and wires. In the air, underground, in trees, on the wall, in a conduit: EVERYWHERE. By now the plastic pipe from the shack to the garage is half full. Four coax runs, three general purpose 12-wire cables and the big rotator cable. For years I used one of the coaxes to bring the dedicated RF earth into the shack. Don't ask. But now I wanted to put this one to use for more RX antenna options. So I added two big green-yellow earthing wires and a stretch of RG-58 coax. More cables. And a few days ago I found myself making cable jumpers to match a variety of plugs (PL, N, BNC). I find my own jumpers more reliable and often cheaper than off the shelf adapters. And I hooked up a new control cable for an antenna switching job. Lots of cable and wire. Wireless hobby? Think not.
QRM from LED lights
A few weeks ago I installed a motion detector to switch my homebrew light cart. I want to illuminate the garden and the terrace when going outside in the dark. I bought a set of cheap no brand LED floodlights. Yesterday I was SWL'ing to test a new low band RX setup and I discovered that these lamps completely wipe out the bands. The QRM is gone from the second the lights turn off. Quite shocking. It sounds EXACTLY like the QRM that bothered me two years ago. Only then it wasn't my stuff. The good thing is that I can just pull the plug of these LED lights whenever I'm in the shack. The VERY BAD news is that if everyone starts putting up this shit, I'm knee deep into Shit Creek. New item on the to do list: buy a more expensive LED light from a known manufacturer and see if that makes any difference. Question is: what brand should / could be trusted not to pollute the bands? I wonder if there are any test reports on the matter. This one is worth noting: Eliminating radio interference (QRM) from LED (flood) lights by ON7EQ.
And OQ5M is too!
After more than a decade I have collected about twenty contest plaques from the UBA DX contest. CW, SSB, low power, high power, twelve hours, twenty four: I've done it all. I also cherish my 'special achievement plaque' for most QSO made with the OO-prefix in 2005 as OO5ZO. About 18500 CW only contacts or so. The engraved text should have read: 'no one else was crazy enough to spend so much time on the air'. I ran barefoot then too. And had no kids yet.
Back to the plaques. A field day victory was still missing on the wall. OT1A and I made second place twice, but our June 2015 effort paid off. Finally.
Hardly beginner's luck but third time's a charm indeed (2006-2011-2015).
A few weeks ago the mail man stopped and had two parcels. I immediately recognized the plastic envelope covered with Russian stamps. But TWO plaques at once?
Thank you RAEM contest! I'd love to be back this year but it seems to run on December 25. I'm not sure I can sell this to the Board of Directors. It seems to be a special day, apart from this very enjoyable contest.
SB80 just like last year. Reasons why? Just like last year: Propagation above 20m sucks. Twenty and forty are a splatter infested limbo of hell. So that leaves only 80 since I avoid Top Band whenever I can. Last year was fun and I was amazed by the result so why not again this year? Yes, afterwards we're always smarter… Little did I know that there would not be any propagation to suck!
My new work schedule since two years doesn't get me my Friday afternoon off. I had a few daylight hours to spare on Tuesday so I cranked up the tower then and adjusted the 80m ground plane from CW to SSB. With all the work done this summer I also used another stretch of coax (better cable = lower loss) from the coax cabinet outside to the 6×2 relay box. I hooked up the antenna analyzer right at the antenna which was seemingly fine. But on the transceiver's end it had SWR > 10:1. Darn! It turned out to be a bad N-plug on the new coax. Not badly soldered, it was just a type of plug that doesn't really fit the exotic RG-217 cable. The center pin was too far back to mate with the socket. That RG-217 cable has been discussed here before, mostly with topics as 'hard to find suitable plugs' and 'got into trouble with a nonconventional plug'. It's a good cable and I nailed a real bargain for a 100m drum, however it turned out to be a pain to find suitable plugs. I put the old coax back into action and the problem got solved.
On Wednesday I put up the terminated RX loop. As usual pointed to the US of A. That has helped me the past summer and proved a winner in this contest too. Thursday evening I prepared the shack. Updated all software and took out the headset. SSB voice keying and VOX were working fine. Super! Technically I was prepared. Mentally too: low expectations and only looking for amusement. The WX had been fine and was said to be calm and dry over the weekend. What could go wrong? The sun, for instance. K-values of 6 the days before the contest. I didn't know how bad that affects low band propagation. I do know now! We all do.
Friday night I went to bed and set the alarm a little late. On purpose since I was only in it for the fun and the first hour usually is very hectic. As soon as I launched my first CQ with the PC voice keyer, I was in for a nasty surprise. The audio from the PC sounded distorted on the monitor. I didn't test the voice keying with the amp on the other day… The fact that it sounds distorted on my side is not a problem. As long as it isn't distorted when it leaves the transmitter. But no one answered when I sent my call. Bad sign. One of the stations I sent my call to, complained about bad modulation. There you have it. Live voice into the microphone was OK. Now what? A round of troubleshooting, that's what.
- It's exactly the same setup as last year when the problem didn't occur. Did something change without me remembering or noticing it?
- The problem only went away when I transmitted at 50W or less. I'm not a QRP guy!
- The problem only occurred on 80m. Not on any other band. Just my luck with a planned SB80 effort.
- The problem persisted when I unhooked the RX antenna from the rig. You never know, right?
- The problem went away when I unplugged the MIC from the MK2R+. The WAV files played back clean just as long as there is no connection between the headset's mic and the radio.
So it was the headset's mic lead that fed the problem into the MK2R+. I twisted the lead around a clip-on ferrite core but that didn't help. At this point, it was almost one hour later. My bed was calling and the morale was far gone. I was about to quit even before I started.
I overlooked my options and noticed a 3.5mm jack-to-jack audio cable lingering on the 'electronics work bench' a/k/a the desk a/k/a messy heap of various stuff. I don't know why but I plugged it in the MIC socket and tried. That loose end didn't pick up the RF. As a last resort I took this lead, twisted it around three ferrites and looked in my audio-adapter box for combinations to get this between headset and MK2R+. I had a set of male/female professional audio XLR-type adapters that accept 6.4mm jacks. I had 3.5-to-6.4mm jack adapters. Eureka! This kept the RF away from the audio. This amazing piece of audio-gizmo's position on the desk was crucial. Sliding it to the left or right made things worse. And touching the metal case of the XLR-adapters with my finger, distorted the audio again.
However I was back in business and I felt ecstatic. Not only could I do the contest but I also was satisfied with my problem solving capabilities. And glad I have a dozen boxes and containers full of extension cables, exotic parts, RF and audio adapters, plugs and what not. Once again my point was proven: you can NEVER EVER have too many of these around!
Soon I found that the sun's recent spasms didn't do any good for the bands. Signals were weak, if any. It was hard to get USA in the log. And those who made it were weak. Even the beacons like K3LR, W3LPL, KC1XX… who should peg the S-meter even on eighty meters. Over the whole period the best hour was between 2z and 3z. About 120 contacts logged. And one of only two hours of +100. The other being 18z on Saturday.
Around 4.45z on Saturday morning I had my fifteen minutes of fame. But no more than fifteen. During that short time span it seemed that central America and the Caribbean were doing S&P low in the band. They all called me and I was amazed every time. It's what I always say: keep running with a decent signal and the mults will come. I kept going for a while after sunrise but then quit.
I was home alone but I wasn't really tired. I spent the morning outside putting up a BoG. Yes, another RX antenna. After all I badly needed multipliers from the east. In retrospect this turned out to be a total useless effort. There was nothing from the east! See the map generated by Adventure Radio Log Analyzer and thanks to ON3DI for the link (new gimmick!).
I can't remember much more from the rest. It was boring. It was slow. I was a matter of bridging the ten minute gap between two contacts. Of course I encountered the usual German bulldogs from the German round tables. You know, the lot that owns a certain frequency to chitchat about the color of their socks. Like a dynasty, the QRG goes over from generation to generation. One of them even introduced the term 'Funkterroriste'. For my English audience: it has nothing to do with a booty shaking style of music! My frequency (the one I lease, not own) got invaded three times. Two times a simple and polite request to move on was politely answered, with apologies to boot. The third was IR3Z. His antennas and location obviously outgunned mine, despite the much lower power limit in Italy. Oops: spewing out irony again! Like the saying goes: don't wrestle with a pig. Both of you get dirty but the pig loves it (George Bernard Shaw). So I decided to be the bigger man and abandon my run. It had run dry anyway. Still I hate it when this happens.
At a given point I decided to catch some sleep. It wasn't really needed but the boredom got unbearable. One hour later I woke up very suddenly and got a bit mentally disoriented. I felt sick and my stomach was upset. I hadn't eaten in a while so it could not be food poisonging?I took a bucket with me to the shack just in case. Better safe than sorry. But I really didn't feel well. Then it dawned on me: I needed energy. I ate two bananas while leaving the dog out to answer the call of nature and ten minutes later I was just fine. In time for Sunday's sunrise. That one was even less productive than the day before. It bothered me that I didn't even work a single PY for a double mult. A LU had called me, and a CE. Then PW8T was spotted but the packet pile up was just too intense.
I slept some more on Sunday during the day. And I decided to play around on the higher bands. What higher bands? Ten was silent apart from a few Italians and Eastern EU stations. Fifteen was a bit better. A bit, but not much. I tried my luck on twenty. As soon as I got spotted I had a mini-pile up to the USA. That's the only thing I like about SSB: fast USA runs. The propagation treated me well between late 2011 and late 2014. Since then it hasn't been the same. But this time it was pure horror… The KC1XX operator lured me into a QSY to 28 MHz. I told him the band was dead. He said it was open. I wrote down their run frequency on ten meters. A few minutes later I went to listen there. Nothing of course.
I don't even remember what I did the rest of the day. Around sunset I moved into the shack again. Against common sense. Once in a while someone spotted me and I worked a dozen stations. Then it was slow… 'Slower than molasses in January' is what Redneck Rampage taught me.
Late in the contest MU0GSY and 7R7W called me for my two last multipliers. GJ2A was spotted but the pile up was just too thick and it kept being messy for quite a while so I never worked that multiplier. Not that it matters. The S5 guys who also did SB80(A) on 3830 seemed to have been in a different contest anyway.
My wife always asks 'how's it going upstairs?' It's hard to explain to my XYL why we do this. Obviously this wasn't for fun this time. Slow rates, hardly any DX, poor propagation. But a true blue contester just can't NOT be on the air. I've been forced to abandon my participation by storms too much over the last three years. So even this was better than not being on the air at all. I just don't dare to say that it can't get any worse than this. Suppose it can?
I don't know about CQ WW CW yet. SBxx for sure. But what band?
September usually isn't my most active month on the air, contrary to my professional activities. But I wanted to participate in SAC CW. Nothing serious of course. Just to hand out some points with the tower down. Of course it was easy on 40m. It was hard on 20m. It was a bust on 15m with only two contacts there. I did hear weak Far East stations calling the Scandinavians but from here the target area was unworkable.
Worth mentioning is that I had a co-op in the shack. My oldest son (6.5 y/o) wanted to help me out. He wanted to know how big the numbers were I got from the other stations. He was not impressed with hundred-something but guys handing out 1800 or more gained his respect. Not that he has a clue, he's just starting out in the reading and math business. But his enthusiasm was infectious. I opened the QRZ.com page for most of the logged calls so he could see who it was. Soon he recognized the OH, SM and OZ flags. Reading the country was hard at first because the English country names and spelling are not quite the same as in Dutch. I took a Y-adapter and gave him his own headphones to listen with me. I just had to tell him over and over again to keep his mouth shut when a weak signal serial number was sent to me. I might not let him discover SSB before he masters CW. Should he develop a serious interest in the hobby. I'm not pushing him. But I can't ignore his enquiries either. Furthermore operating a phone contest is impossible if he can't keep quiet. The VOX would trip with 100% duty cycle. It already does when the two brothers are playing in the other room!
About six weeks ago we visited my parents' place and went for a walk through my old neighborhood. I took a specific route because I wanted to see the QTH of a ham who settled there after I left town. This guy has a hex-beam on a pole about ten meter high. One of the SAC stations used a hex-beam too and put a picture of that antenna on his QRZ.com page. My boy yelled out: "Hey that's the same antenna we saw when walking in grandma and grandpa's town!". I was impressed with his antenna-memory.
Last weekend was CQ WW RTTY. Again I wanted to make a bunch of contacts, just to be active and join the legions. Saturday morning things went quite smooth on 40, even with the dipole only about ten meter above the ground. But RTTY soon grows old and the weather was just too nice. We had a great family day doing all sorts of things outside including a BBQ grill party. I keep on grilling as long as the WX supports it!
Sunday morning ON4BHQ picked me up for our annual visit to Belgium's biggest ham fest. And just like every year I notice almost all of the flea market stands have the same old junk on display. I also see many people haul stuff to their cars and can't help to wonder: all this stuff yet hardly any Belgians to be heard on the bands, seen in the contest results or in the clublog DXpedition lookups. They're probably all doing DMR on VHF or PSK/JTxx? I was glad the Mastrant boys came over from OK-land. They had a broad assortment of small pulleys on display. My local DIY store stopped carrying the right type of pulleys and all the rest here is too expensive for what it is, or useless for ham radio antenna purposes without modifying. So I bought a dozen small pulleys straight from the Czech Republic. Pulleys always come in handy for the field day style operator.
Late in the afternoon I decided to do some more RTTY. The sun had shaken up the ionosphere and propagation was hard. Again there wasn't much to be heard on 15. It went better on 20. And I even had a short modest run after a cluster spot. Huzzah! I really don't like RTTY. It's just clicking away. It gets boring after a few minutes already. Human input is almost zero, no challenge, nothing to learn. But I chipped in 160 QSO.
I'm glad to see the CY9C log keeper did a new upload to Clublog with the logging error fixed. My 40m QSO now actually shows up on 40 and no longer on 80. Time to pay my dues because it was fun working them.
ON4BHQ also gave me a small box of incoming QSL cards. This box contains one year of incoming buro QSL, and the box is pretty small. There was a time when this size of box came in every month! Guess what I will be doing the coming weeks?
Make that: had fun on the bands. My holidays are now over and I'm facing a very busy period with the start of the new school year. So back to the boring life of a civil servant trying to make a living. But that feeling is back. The last three weeks I was QRV almost daily. I renewed my pledge of allegiance to the HF bands.
To propagate or not to propagate…
That is the question. I must admit that these beloved HF bands weren't in the best of shape. There were days that there was hardly anything to be heard between dawn and dusk. I've been in the game long enough to know that we're facing a few rough years when it comes to the upper HF bands. And the lower bands are populated by vampires. They only come out at night.
The sun giveth and the sun taketh away. And with a K=5 the Big Brass Ball In The Sky took it all away. One day the RBN showed the CY9C expedition only picked up in W1+2+3 on the classic daylight bands. But we shouldn't blame the sun for it all. Many times the RBN picked up my signal on virtually every continent at once. On 30+20+17 meters of course. Not above. Yet there was hardly anyone on the bands. One day I badly needed someone on RTTY to answer to but there wasn't any RTTY to be heard! I plead guilty: I haven't been active a lot either lately. For over a year and a half my activity was limited to a weekend's contest. And even that turned out to be a lot less than I had hoped for. That said I hope to be more active again. The contests I entered made me very happy. Chasing DX and weird prefixes was fun again despite the lack of serious propagation. I hope for a storm free fall and winter so I can leave the tower up and play on the low bands. Maybe those will calm down noise wise and provide more DX?
Thirsty for Thirty
Between the summer contests, I decided I wanted to be active at sunrise and after sunset. I haven't done a thing this year on the WARC bands. My guess was that only 30m would be somewhat open and not 17/12. So I quickly made a simple 30m dipole as an inverted V with the apex at 15m above the ground. Of course that worked and as a bonus the SWR was 2.5:1 or so on 6m. There were a lot of 50 MHz spots but I didn't hear much on the 30m dipole. Nevertheless I worked a few new ones I think. I don't keep track of DXCC scores. It was all local stuff. Soon I discovered that there was life on 17 after all. So I decided to trade the 30m monobander for the WARC triband inverted V. That also presents a lower SWR on 6m so the amp puts out some more power. Not that I heard more, it is by no means a good 6m antenna. In three weeks I made 330 QSO with 66 DXCC entities. And a lot of weird prefixes for the UBA prefix hunt.
In the loop
I didn't take down the RX loop I made for WAECW. I must admit that this loop has helped me quite a lot. I wasn't active on the low bands, which was the main purpose of this loop but I was amazed how well it worked on the other bands. Especially on 30 and 17. On several occasions I could make S7 EU signals compeltely disappear when I switched from the inverted V to the RX loop. And on several occasions I could lower the noise on 10 MHz to make a JA or a K audible. Signals that were almost impossible to copy on the dipole could be copied right away with a bunch of noise eliminated. Impressive for its simplicity and price. I like this loop a lot but it will be hard to give it a permanent place. I will do some testing later this season when the grass doesn't grow anymore. I especially want to compare it to the not so cheap Wellbrook active loop. Which as a much smaller footprint, in its defence.
My last RTTY contact was made more than two years ago. I'm pretty sure because the MMTTY program was not installed on my new shack PC I assembled in July 2014. Not that I'm a big fan of RTTY but the OJ0DX guys were very active on that mode and loud too so I wanted to work them. Stepping outside the comfort zone. I didn't succeed because they were gone before I got RTTY going. I had tried lots of settings and parameters. At a given point I was afraid my second K3 had a broken line out circuit. It worked on the left radio. But that radio is hooked up to the big tube amp and I only use the 500W Elecraft amp outside of contests. So I wanted to get it to work on that radio. In the end it was a matter of setting the pitch parameter on the K3 to the same value as MMTY. DUH! Apparently I wasn't the only one because a google search combining K3, MMTTY and 'no line out' took me to the pitch issue. I had wasted many hours on that, trying so many things. I even made an audio cable feeding left K3 into right MMTTY input and vice versa. Since right channel MMTTY did decode left K3 audio but left MMTTY channel did not decode right K3 line out, I started to fear a broken K3. But there you go, all is fine in the end.
While looking for a solution I tried to find an RTTY signal on the bands. But there just wasn't any. The bands aren't great right now but it seems there isn't a lot of activity either. As I already pointed out. I found a YB station I called but I accidentally dropped a bunch of CQ's on him. The RTTY n00b that I am. I didn't select the right RTTY messages under the buttons. I think that's OK now. I once was a clown in CW too, so I more or less recall the feeling of trying that for the first time and messing it up completely. It's safe to say that most CW aspects have no secrets anymore. Except QRQ but I see no practical use in that except the QRQ itself.
I did make 50 contacts in the SARTG contest, including some DX from the east. I had to QRT when the bands might have opened up to the west. As always it grew boring fast because there just isn't any fun for me in clicking around on the screen. But you make contacts and occupy the bands and it's a break from the usual.
During my active period there was CY9C. I thought it was a new DXCC on the counter but LotW tells me I have already worked this one in 2005. On 30+20+17 CW. Now I also have 40CW. I don't have a mic attached outside of the occasional SSB contest but I couldn't resist calling them on phone. I set up my call and fi'nye wav files and hoped I would not be asked a question. I worked them first call on 20 SSB and my call and a report were all I had to use. Two simple function keys…
The day after I had to go out early but the web-cluster showed them active on 40 SSB just after my sunrise. I quickly fired up the shack. I had to use the PC for voice keying. I could have taken the headset too but I was just too lazy. My SSD PC boots faster than I can look for the box, unpack then headset and hook it up. I think it took two or three calls, in fact it took two or three pushes on the function key, and I got them on 40 SSB too. Although Clublog currently shows my second phone contact on 80. I sent an email four days ago but I didn't get an answer and it's still listed on 80. I'm sure it was 40 because my 80m antenna is down. I also tried to work them in RTTY but it seemed more like a lottery than anything else so I gave up after a few tries.
A lot of very rare and semi rare DXCC entities have been activated over the last two years but CY9C is the first one I actually bothered to look for and try to work. Just for fun. I don't give a damn about expeditions and DXCC anymore. Of course it helped that they were really close to EU. Nevertheless I will chip in a few dollars for this one.
So last weekend I lowered the tower and took down the dipole. There were some thunderstorms in the forecast but that turned out to be somewhere else. But I need to focus on my job now for a few weeks. That is also the reason I cancelled my Field Day SSB participation. OT1A accepted my request and agreed to join me but I decided not to do it in the end. It is a logistical burden and a weekend away from my computer and papers during one of the busiest moments of the school year. I have never done much operating in September.
The plan is not to get carried away too much by the job and to be active again later this month. Yes, that feeling's back!
Or: The one with the fishing pole support. No idea when and where but I'm sure when the day comes this thing will receive a warm welcome.
The much touted (well… on these pages at least) portable mast system has solved many of our field day worries. One that remains: an easy yet stable support for the ten or twelve meter high fishing rods that keep the dipole ends up in the air. In our previous FD campaigns we hammered a wooden fence pole in the ground and put the fishing rod against it. Then clamp it down with a liberal amount of ty-raps. This often made the pole rotate around the wooden post and skew towards ground. Maybe my latest little welding project can help to set things straight. Pun intended.
Ingredients taken from my stock: one piece of angle stock 30x30x3 mm. Three ends of concrete rebar, each 30 cm long. And a steel car rim I kindly got for free from the local tire shop owner. Double the numbers for two items because even in these modern times, the Greek di still means two and a dipole still has one pair of legs.
But how to keep this thing on the ground? Concrete blocks? Not kind to our backs, knees and hips. Furthermore my trailer will already be close to its maximum payload without concrete blocks. What about steel bars bent in an L-shape jacked into the ground? Again more weight and physical exhaustion from the hammering. We're not quite in our twenties anymore. And even drifting far away from that. I came across the ultimate solution for this. It just seemed too crazy not to buy and use these:
Actually these are tent pegs. But aren't radio amateurs known for using everything in a way it wasn't designed for? I found these at Germany's biggest online ham store. The anchor points are three pieces of 5 or 6 mm thick flat stock that I welded to the rim. It pays to know how to calculate the circumference of a circle from the diameter and to scribble a long division on the back of a DIY-store receipt. The receipt was for a 25 mm drill I picked up earlier that day. That's the size of the hole to put the tent peg through and my largest drill bit was only 17 mm. A 25 mm hole through five millimeter thick plate isn't a joke. The drill bit is rather long and I couldn't lower my drill press' platform low enough. It took some thinking and fitting but I managed to make clean holes. I deburred the holes with my step drill and when it stopped raining that evening, I got out the stick welder and fired away. Not bad for a few hours of casual construction work. Most time went into drilling the six big holes.
About the audio: The camera has a very noisy autofocus and the camera was less than 1″ away from my mouth and nose. Not easy shooting this while doing that.
Below you can see the project's inauguration. It held an eight meter long fishing pole in the air. It's not perfectly straight but that's because of the terrain and I didn't bother to level the base. The L-stock is perfectly square to the rim. Or as this guy would say: 'close enough to close enough'. This finished product was used for a single RX loop in the WAECW contest. With two persons it should take about a minute to anchor the construction to the ground and strap the pole to it. Looks like a real FD asset.
WAECW: Love it or hate it. I love it. Always have since I accidentally got sucked up by it in 2001. What QTC? Why do they all send 'QTC?'? After that I got trained in copying QTC for 2002. Yes: the QTC game. Nothing more fun than copying a bunch of 36 WPM (or more?) QTC and not messing up. Don't expect high rates. It's a slow contest and for once it's not about rate. It's mostly about multipliers. There's always nice and rare DX on. And you get to work it. Even if you sometimes have to wait until the Powerhouse Rude Boys got their turn. And in the best of cases, that rare DX comes to call you!
I had the weekend more or less to myself and the WX worked with me. Once again it was nice weather with the right ingredients. I set up Friday afternoon. That is the same old boring routine. Crank up the tower, disconnect 160 for this one, put up 80 and reinstall the RX loop and the DoG (dipole on ground). Don't know if this RX stuff really helps. I sometimes think they do, sometimes it's noise all over anyhow. I might do a dedicated RX test this winter. I took the other DoG (pet) for a run while riding my bicycle along and enjoyed one of the most picturesque sunsets in a long time. Actually not El Sol was the star in the picture but the silhouette of my tower and antennas on a yellow background. That sight combined with the smell of harvested wheat and freshly pressed straw bales made me lyrical. I love living on the countryside. And you know it's WAE CW when the shack windows are open to create a breeze and you miss the weak QSB infested serial number when yet another tractor or harvester does a roaring drive-by.
For the third contest in a row (IARU and EUHFC preceded) I repeated my new mantra: no expectations, no targets, no pressure – just fun. And it worked. Add to that no strategic planning of the off times combined with a laid back attitude and I found myself having fun. And when it wasn't fun, I just took a break. A shower, a snack. Out for a walk with the dog. Watch a movie I recorded on the HDD. I watched in two sessions. I enjoyed a good 15m opening in between. But I need to tell you about the start of the contest.
I decided to sleep first and start later. When the alarm rang I hit snooze. When it rang again I just told the alarm to keep quiet. So it was 0215 UTC when I got out of bed. I was a bit cranky because of the brutal wakeup. I switched everything on and started to run on 40. Through the high isolation headphones I heard a rattling sound under my first CQ. A relay? What is it? The rig? The amp? It was the rotator controller! What? In twelve years it never missed a beat. Whenever I keyed the rig with more than 300W, the controller went crazy. I tried on 80: the same! Why does this device fail me now? It's never a good time for a hardware failure but please not now.
Engage analytic mind. It's only when more than 300W. Not below – clearly RFI. And when not keying, the controller works fine and the antenna turns. So the hardware is fine. I have never seen this in over ten years of QRO operation and there is no new antenna. What is different now than before? Two things: the RX loop and DoG – but I used both in IARU without a problem. Only now I use the underground coax instead of running a spare coax over the lawn. The other difference is: I left the electric tower winch's plug connected to the 230V AC wall socket outside. Long shot but it's one thing I normally not do. When the tower is up, I pull the power cord as an extra safety against eager little fingers – and there are twenty of those in and about the house. I disconnected the K3's RX coax. Didn't help. I went outside to the garage and did three things: disconnected the winch's power cord, unscrew and reconnect the RX coax line from the underground coax and unplug and reconnect the rotator's control line. I can break that one up in the garage when it's a thunderstorm. Back in the shack things got fixed: even with 1000 W the controller didn't click. What was the cause? My guess is that there was a more-or-less bad contact where the rotator cable is split in the garage. Pulling it apart and sliding it back together might have solved it. It never returned during the rest of the weekend and I was off to the races.
I enjoyed most of the contest. Conditions are what they are. But now that we have the RBN, I see that there is more propagation than activity. You might think a band is dead when no one answers. Yet my signal is received all over the world. VK4CT's skimmer even picks me up on 80 most of the time when there is a path of darkness between us. On 40 the RBN gives me good S/N from JA over ZL to PY. Yet I don't log much from that side of the world… Too bad.
Sometimes things were slow, even to WAE standards. Lower bands were noisy. Ten meters opened up to USA for a brief moment but enough to catch a dozen multipliers if you include the Canadians. Fifteen was quite good Sunday evening around sunset here. Even a few true Californians logged. No sixers from the east coast. This year just like any other I suffered the occasional EU caller. Some were persevering.
I mentioned the big gun hot shot spot hoppers before. And I might have also mentioned the follow observation. As soon as a spot appears, the second radio or mult station immediately and frantically starts calling. They have to outgun each other and in doing so they fail to listen and call too much. Then the DX sends '…5NN 123' and no one has heard to whom he comes back. If we're lucky it remains silent for the DX to repeat. But it also happens that the silence is used for someone to send his call again, to have the others do the same. Which takes us back to square one. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200 or a mult for this matter. It's even funnier when such a loud blind caller gets picked, and then has to ask for multiple repeats to get the serial right. More than once I happen to copy the serial the first time. Either I have better ears myself or my stations has. If that's the way to get more multipliers than me, if that is the answer to the question why they always get so much more multipliers, then I'm glad to settle for a few less.
Always a treat when DX calls me. Especially on 80 which is not the easiest of bands with a simple wire and in noisy summertime. Even better when the face behind the call turns out to be familiar (hi Nate @TI5W). Regular caller Rich K3OO only gave me one lousy QTC. A few minutes later he came back and offered me a full plate of nine QTC. Yeehaw! And thanks for the generous comeback. I think VO1MP sent me the fastest ten QTC of this edition. I was flirting with my copying speed limit but Yeehaw squared: flawless copy. That's the thrill I was talking about.
I am happy with the result: 930 QSO and 1400 QTC. I didn't operate the whole 36 hours. N1MMLOgger+ tells me I only operated twenty eight hours. That means I could have done eight more. Imagine that! I didn't plan my breaks so I guess I missed some prime time. I didn't go after every station. I moved only for mult spots. I didn't aggressively beg for QTC. Just a plain polite question. Great score from OR2F again with low power. Amazing.
Every year I consider doing this one in SSB too. But I just don't see the fun in this one on sideband…
The XYL is right (for once): I have done a lot of work since spring. First I finished the field day mobile mast installation in May. Early July I traded the X-frame base that holds a pole for a concrete foundation. Next I finished and installed the new small tilt over tower and *drumroll* I finally buried the conduit that takes a bunch of cables across the garden.
This last job was supposed to be done three years ago when we bought the extra lot. But the guy with the excavator broke his word and didn't come before the new fence was installed. Once the garden was closed, there was no way anymore to enter with a big machine. That left me three options: do nothing, dig by hand or find a smaller mechanized-motorized alternative. The last option would have to be mini because even a medium sized machine would damage the garden.
I'm not afraid of manual digging and I have done my share. Even as a toddler I liked digging holes in my dad's vegetable garden. Wearing a kid sized overall like the real workers. The record was as deep as I was tall. But this time it meant digging half a meter deep, thirty five to forty meter long through very dense and heavy soil. There are a few companies around that rent small trenching machines. That was it! The smallest fitted my trailer and could easily be driven through the gate and would not turn the lawn into a war zone. Another rental firm had a movie that showed the machine in action. A nice clean cut, a neat heap of loose excavated soil nicely on the side and apart from the trench, the lawn survived unscathed. Little did I know that this was quite a misleading infomercial!
I booked the machine for a day in June when both the XYL and me had a day off. I like some company and a helping hand. I booked the trenching machine for half a day. The trip to and from the company would take an hour to pick it up. And another hour to take it back. I planned an hour of digging and half an hour of pressure wash cleaning. I hooked up the trailer at sunrise and we left home early. We dropped the kids at school way before the bell rang. The forecast put showers on the WX menu but so far it was dry. All went according to plan and by 9 AM I had the machine in place in my backyard and the engine was roaring. It had taken me some time to figure out how to handle the beast but finally I was ready to lower the blade and slice through the dirt. And then it started drizzling. Which soon turned into rain.
To say that we had a wet spring would be an understatement. For a few weeks in May and June, record breaking showers brought liters of rain. This rendered the soil very wet up to more than half a meter deep. And the top layer was soaking wet. As soon as the blade descended into the hole I had dug as a starting point, the machine operator (that's me!) descended into hell. Unlike in the movie, the machine didn't bring up a nice portion of loose soil. Instead I got a sticky ball of clay. I hadn't moved an inch and yet the machine was dirty all over. And dirt all over the lawn too. Faint heart never won fair lady so full throttle and let the blade grind. It started raining heavily so I knew I was in for a muddy ride.
Next problem: there was hardly a ride! The wheels did nothing but slipping over the soaked lawn. The wheels buried themselves instead of moving backwards to dig a trench. No grip whatsoever. I started, no: I exploded into a raging fireball of cursing and swearing. Nothing I could do but try to move a bit, then go back and retry. Soon there was more damage from the wheels than anything else. The machine just sank into the lawn, creating huge holes. Frustrating. Suddenly digging by hand looked appealing. I could do that whenever it was dry and it would have left the lawn intact because I could put the clods with the grass on top back and have a clean garden.
It was then I realized I had been misled by the accompanying video. It's easy to dig a trench in light and bone-dry soil under a pleasant sun. Then shoot a movie to show how easy and clean it is. In the real world (the one I happen to live in) it becomes a mess when you do it in heavy soaked soil when it's raining cats and dogs. But the machine was here, the damage was already done and I needed to hurry. Hurrying usually isn't a good idea – more on that later.
I decided to move the machine to the other side of the garden, where I had planned to finish. That way I could take a clean start and advance in the other direction. The XYL kicked down an open door: "put some boards under the wheels". As if I hadn't thought of that myself but I didn't have anything that came remotely close to use for this purpose. Except for the ramps I rented along to get the machine on and off the trailer. That was it! I took the two aluminum trailer ramps and let the machine drive on that instead of on the lawn. I had to move forward every meter and a half to relocate the ramps but this way the machine actually moved and didn't dig itself into the ground. Once I had figured out the routine, I was able to finish the job in due time. Actually a little over the budgeted time but I had built in some leeway in the schedule.
During my muddy adventure the XYL had already installed the pressure washer. This was a vital tool as well. After all the terms of the rental stipulated I had to return it spic and span. It was a fairly new machine with the paint still shiny and clean. A least until I started my work. Now I needed to get all the dirt off and make it shine again. As with all jobs, this took longer than anticipated. The pressure washer only worked intermittently. I use this device only once or twice a year and just like always there were some small dirt particles clogging the nozzle. Poke it, wash it. Poke it, wash it. After a few poking cycles the nozzle got freed up and the pressure washer worked at full duty cycle. The dirt stuck stubbornly and huge chunks of lawn were flying around. Me: wet from the rain, wet from the washing, wet from the sweating. Once the trenching machine and the ramps were clean, I took a wet cloth and started wiping and drying the operating console and the joysticks. If I didn't want to pay for a whole day, we'd better hurry and move the machine on the trailer and get going.
I turned on (or off – depending how you look at it) the ignition safety and pulled the cord to start the engine. It took two tries, I yanked the starter a third time but the engine didn't start. Which was weird because it started right away the other times I had pulled the cord. I checked the fuel level – more than half full. I was getting pretty annoyed by the impending deadline to return this devilish machine. And so I pulled the cord with my typical enthusiasm and power. The engine didn't start but I broke the starting cord. Yet another round of profanity for all to enjoy. Now what?
My wife asked from a safe distance: "Did you move that switch into the on position"? Of course I did. "Then why is it still off?", she replied. Like a raging bull I ran to the machine, called her close and finger-pointed at the ignition switch which I had set in the on position. "No, not that switch, THIS switch here – it's still off". HUH? WHAT switch? As it turns out there is an emergency switch on the backside of the operating panel. I didn't notice it and I accidentally must have hit it with the cloth when cleaning the console. I did wipe the backside clean but did not look at it. That's why the engine didn't start when I yanked the cord. But Lady Hawk Eye had seen this switch.
Returning the machine in time became impossible. Returning it at any point in time was impossible as long as the engine wouldn't start. I can hold my own in French but this time I asked my sweetheart to do the call. I was too effed up to talk in French. The rental company is in the French speaking part of the country and they don't speak any Dutch there. Hell, they speak nothing but French there. Apparently these guys weren't too eager to send a repair tech. Soon the talk got too technical and the XYL handed over her phone and walked away. Left to my own devices. They wanted me to unmount the starter, go there for a repair, come home to mount the fixed starter, and then load up the machine and take it back. That meant the rest of the day commuting and burning diesel. I got some quick guidelines over the phone on how to dismantle the starter. They must have taken me for an idiot because all it took was loosening three M8 bolts and take off the cover. My area of expertise does not cover combustion motors and I certainly don't perform surgery on a machine that isn't mine but for which I did pay a 300 Euro warrant. As it turns out, the part they wanted me to bring in for repair was a small spool with a piece of rope and the other piece of cord that broke off. If this is all there is to it, it's something I can fix myself. Err, no I can't. Fingers too fat and rope too small so I called in the XYL. She tied the loose ends together and wound up the rope. I reassembled the starter and tried starting the engine. Nothing to lose. All I can do is win. This time with the emergency switch disengaged of course. It took a few pulls because the rope was now shorter and it was hard to get the motor over the critical point. But I heard the engine was eager to start. I couldn't yank too hard because that would either break the cord again or loosen the knot. But then the engine started and I ecstatically drove it up the ramps and onto the trailer. In the end the company did only charge me half a day and did refund the complete deposit. Neither did they charge me for the broken cord. Which I guess is more the southern style of the country: laid back and relaxed. That's why I forgive them their monolingualism ☺☺
As it turns out, as soon as the digging was done, the sky cleared up and it stopped raining for the rest of the day. Apart from the bad start I was quite happy. In two places I had to deepen the trench a few inches by scooping out dirt with a pickaxe. And apart from the place where I didn't use the ramps to drive the machine on, the lawn was pretty intact. Now I needed to get the conduit in. I chose to put all the wire and cables in the conduit first before laying it in the trench. It was a gamble but I wanted to put as much copper in the 50mm tube as possible. That means: one RG-213, one RG-217 (1/2"), one 3G1.5, one 3G2.5 and one 'two pair balanced audio'. A remainder of my career as broadcast service techie. This is in fact two shielded twisted pairs. Good to drive some relays or so. I have no clue what I'm going to do with all this. But it opens up perspectives now that all these cables run from the garage to the most remote part of the garden. Out of sight and out of reach. The RX loop antenna had booked one coax already.
All this copper makes for a long and heavy sausage. I had to call in the XYL a few times to squeeze this copper baloney through the conduit. In retrospect I shouldn't have asked her that. She's strong but simply lacks the muscles for this kind of job. And I get cranky because can't see why something that goes for me doesn't go for anyone else. We had to do this job two times: once to get the whole length into the conduit and then the excess length into another existing conduit that I put underground when we rednewed the terrace in 2009. Even my wife, who is always friendly, reverted to world class Olympic gold medal winning profanity while she was cursing me and I quote: 'your F***ING cables'. I was proud that she finally swore along with me. I was the 'swearee' but that's a small price to pay.
The cables terminate into a metal powder coated cabinet. This is put in the concrete floor of the dog's kennel with four threaded rods size M8 and chemical anchoring. And two and a halve tubes of silicon sealant. I gave the cabinet two coats of quality paint and I put several cable glands on it. Even two big ones where I can put an RG-213 through that has a PL or N style plug already attached. That makes it easy to get runs of spare coax in and out of the cabinet without cutting and soldering.
My dad had half a trailer of dry, light and fertile soil in excess. I picked that up and distributed it on top of the closed trench and used it to fill the holes. This light dirt is ideal to get the lawn seed germinating. My youngest of four and a half helped me out to sow the grass. It took three weeks of daily watering to cover all the dirt with fresh green grass. Done!
This is one of the projects that take a huge amount of time to finish. I'm glad it's finally done and I hope to harvest the fruits of my labor in the coming years.
Finally a perfect contest. Everything was perfect or close enough.
This is the perfect contest format: only twelve hours so you're done before it gets slow and boring and before you fall asleep. It has CW for the real contester, SSB for those who don't know CW and mixed mode for those who like their shots diluted.
It's the perfect contest for those with limited antennas. No DX to be worked, only EU-EU so those with smaller and lower antennas get their share of fun too. And there is a lot to be worked, you never run out of stations to work.
It was the perfect weather here. Dry and no wind. Warm enough but not hot. No thunderstorms close by.
It was the perfect timing: I badly needed a perfect contest.
I wouldn't be myself if among all this perfectness I wouldn't point out some less perfect items. Like the QRN from thunderstorms to the east of me: Italy, the Balkan, the Baltic states. Which is exactly where I point the yagi from here (90°). Although the QRN was more pronounced on the low bands. And the propagation. At the start I thought I was without 10/15 but that more or less solved itself along the way.
But these two little beauty spots could not ruin my perfect contest. I never did so well in this one and broke my personal record from 2013.
- Best score: 390567 now: 432378
- Most QSO: 1289 now: 1378
- Most mults: 303 now: 314
I had a very slow start. I tried ten meters but it was almost dead. Not many callers and all weak signals. I didn't want to get on 20 from the start. I commuted between ten and fifteen meter but it was slow. I had come to terms with 2016 being a slow year with average scores and this contest would not be an exception.
I decided to use the online score board. Two of my fellow countrymen joined in: OP5T and OR5T. It drove me mad to see them run away from me. Especially OP5T built a big score. I knew this was only possible by running on twenty meters which seemed to be the only productive band. So I decided to let it go and continue my own tactic. That is: try to make the most of 10/15 because 20 will be good later on too. In the meantime OR5T and I switched positions on each update but OP5T ran away and was in the top 5 position. I was… top 20 material. I'm a nice guy and I grant everyone their pleasure and success but my contesting ego wanted to restore the Belgian pecking order.
The second clock hour was above 100. This was acceptable especially coming from a first hour of only 75. But not what it should and could be. Then the rate picked up and I was on a roll. I left both my Belgian friends behind and could focus on a few other calls and climb my way to the sub-top. You can say many things about the online score board but just like in IARU last month, it added an extra dimension and made me stay focused and active when things got slow.
After the slow start the rate picked up and stayed high enough. My personal benchmark has become: try to work 100 QSO/hr averaged over the duration of the contest. So this would mean 1200 QSO in 12 hour. It became clear that this goal was within reach and along the way I logged more multipliers and a higher score than ever before. So in the end I was very happy. I would have never believed this eleven hours earlier.
Each year the question arises: how do the top scorers get so many multipliers??? And why can't I?
I found Top Band to be very noisy and no skimmer outside of EU picked me up. I look at the propagation on the RBN and indeed: there was not a single EU-DX trace on the map. Only inside EU. This accounts for the lousy state in which 160m was.
After the contest I posted my score on 3830 and sent in the log because I was going away on Sunday. At night I went outside for a fresh nose and to flex the sore muscles. And a pee for the dog. The sky was clear and I got overwhelmed by a huge sense of satisfaction. This really was the perfect contest!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Table of Contents
- iTouchless Deodorizer Automatic Sensor Touchless Trash Can
- Nine Stars DZT-50-9 Infrared Sensor Touchless Stainless Steel Trash Can
- Nine Stars 13.2 & 2.1-Gallon Touchless Automatic Motion Sensor Trash Can Set
- BestOffice Infrared Touchless Stainless Steel Trash Can
- Levpet 13-Gallon Touch-Free Trash Can
- Conclusion
You can be amazed at what technology can do. Way back in the day, you relied on manual work to achieve anything. Nowadays, everything is automated and easy to work with for the sake of convenience. There are now trash cans that can be used without laying a finger on it. Touchless trash cans keep trash in, and germs off your fingers. It uses a combination of motors and sensors to achieve its technological marvel.
As mentioned earlier, touchless trash cans can keep germs and bacteria off of your hands and fingers. In doing so, you won't be bothered by spreading more germs across your body. Do take note that our hands and fingers are among the dirtiest areas of our body. "How is this possible," you may ask. Well, think about this – you touch anything from your computer keyboard, doorknobs, the sponge in your kitchen, or perhaps even your toilet seat. Now, if you factor in lifting a trash can's lid open to throw your garbage, then you're hands are breeding all kinds of bacteria.
With the advent of the touchless trash can, you have one less thing to worry about in your ongoing battle with germs and harmful bacteria. Hence, you won't be stressed all the time as you keep on reaching for cleaning agents (i.e. alcohol and hand washes) to disinfect your hands and fingers. After all, these trash cans aren't called "touchless" for nothing. Just make sure that you get the right product for your budget and your overall needs.
iTouchless Deodorizer Automatic Sensor Touchless Trash Can
Trash cans went from plastic or metal bins with a lid you can open then it became bins with step-on switches to open the lid. Today, some bins have automatic opening covers that not only keep your hands clean, it also has smart innovations such as a deodorizing functionality to maintain a clean and pleasant environment.
While today's touchless generation of trash cans add complexity by requiring a power source such as a battery and a motor for it to function, companies such as iTouchless made sure to keep the bin as simple as possible to keep the technicalities under wraps as much as possible. The iTouchlessTouchless Trash Can feature an automatic lid with a sensor that opens up once it detects you and the motion are quick and silent. The deodorizing function is provided by removable carbon filters that naturally eliminates odors. The sensor used in the trash can is accurate enough to correctly detect you and prevent any awkward moments where the lid would open on its own.
On the bottom portion, the trash can has vents to keep the trash bag from creating a vacuum making it easy to remove once the bags are filled. The body is made from a sleek and clean stainless steel finish that keeps fingerprints away and is easy to clean with a quick wipe. The sensors and motors are powered by four D-sized batteries that last for months or keep the can be powered up using a separate AC adapter.
Nine Stars DZT-50-9 Infrared Sensor Touchless Stainless Steel Trash Can
The Nine Stars DZT-50-9 Touchless Trash Can is a professional-looking trash can that is perfect to use in the kitchen where cleanliness has to be maintained all the time, especially on your fingers. Step on trash cans are great but stepping it up a notch or two with an infrared sensor trash can is the futuristic way to throw out the trash. The sleek body uses a combination of metal and plastic surfaces that are designed to keep stains, scratches, and germs away from the exterior of the trash can. The finish is treated with an anti-fingerprint coating that helps in making the trash can look clean and pleasant.
The bin's capacity is up to 13-gallons, and it features a redundant system that makes use of the infrared sensor to open the lid for you automatically, or you can push the open and close button manually to keep it open or closed for longer periods. The bin can accommodate a broad range of trash bags and is sealed to be of use with garbage containing liquids such as leftover food or empty juice boxes.
Thanks to a more power-efficient design, the DZT-50-9 uses four smaller C-sized batteries to operate the sensors and motors.
Nine Stars 13.2 & 2.1-Gallon Touchless Automatic Motion Sensor Trash Can Set
It's as if Nine Stars are having a sale of their automatic trash cans, this two-piece set of sanitation bins strike a pretty great deal when you think about it. Getting two different touchless trash cans for the price of a single unit offers excellent value. The package includes a 13.2-gallon large trash can that can be used in the kitchen or living room where it is expected to collect a lot of garbage. The included mini 2.1-gallon touchless trash can is ideal for use on bedrooms, office cubicles, and other applications where it only needs to collect one person's trash.
Both trash cans use the same sensor and motor technology developed by Nine Stars to deliver simple, efficient, and quite an operation. The trash cans are made from high-quality steel and plastic materials that are finished in a lovely stainless steel and matte black plastic exterior. The exterior is coated with the same anti-fingerprint clear coat the keeps stains and microbes away from the exterior portion of the bin maintaining cleanliness. On the inside, special hooks keep your trash bag in place while unique vents keep it from giving you a challenge every time you take out the trash.
Both bins rely on batteries to be powered on; the larger can uses a set of four D-sized batteries while the smaller 2.1-gallon bin uses three C-sized batteries.
BestOffice Infrared Touchless Stainless Steel Trash Can
Using a standard 13.2-gallon capacity the BestOfficeTouchless Stainless Steel Trash Can use clever geometry to keep the 13.2-gallon maximum capacity while the exterior stays at a relatively small footprint. The inside of the trash bin has a neat plastic bag ring which you can use to keep the trash bag secured while it tucks and hides the excess plastic from showing itself. This results in a tidy interior once you open the wide access port of the trash bin.
The exterior is made from commercial-grade stainless steel that's not only sturdy enough to handle bumps and scratches, it also adds to the bin's overall cleanliness by using an anti-fingerprint coating on the exterior. The 13.2-gallon space inside the bin makes it ideal for home use at the kitchen or living room, or you can buy these bins in bulk so you can use them at the office, or any other place with public access or heavy traffic.
The trash can's lid can be opened automatically by detecting your presence nearby or by pressing the open and close buttons manually. Also, the interface is designed to be clean and simple much like how the trash can looks from the outside. The bin is powered by four D-sized batteries which can keep the bin powered for months at a time.
Levpet 13-Gallon Touch-Free Trash Can
The Levpet 13-Gallon Touch-Free Trash Can uses a smart sealing technology that keeps the odors inside without using expensive filters to eliminate odors. While keeping the odors inside is not as effective as completely breaking down the foul odors and removing it altogether, it's a cost-effective way to maintain a clean and pleasant environment. If you're using this in the kitchen, you'd be glad to know that you won't need to wash your hands entirely after handling the trash can. That's because the touch-free operation does not require you to lay a single finger or even a foot on the trash can for it to give you access to throw out the trash.
The infrared sensors on the trash can work up to a predefined distance which opens up the lid automatically without any slowdown or noise from the motors. The motors also quickly close and seal the lid once you've left the predefined area where the sensors can detect you to prevent any excess odors from escaping out into the environment and possibly ruin the sanitary atmosphere of the area. Having the foul smells of garbage proliferate in a clean area may result in a feeling of disgust that may leave a few people to question the actual cleanliness of a zone. As such, odors inside the trash can should be sealed at all times.
The can uses four D-sized batteries that last 20% longer than any other automatic trash can that's powered by four D-sized cells in the market. The exterior is made from plastic and stainless steel and is coated with an anti-fingerprint clear coat to keep the trash can clean.
When choosing an automatic trash can, it all comes down to where you want to use it. The best ones always have extra features such as an easy to clean exterior or a deodorizer feature. When you're looking for a new trash can to upgrade to, make sure you consider the type of garbage it's going to be containing and how frequently will it be used. Going for cheap low capacity bins are limited to personal office use while expensive heavy-duty bins are more suited for public use such as hospitals or terminals and the like. With that in mind, take out the trash in style and comfort with Touchless Trash Cans.


text:
This is my first experience with this company's products.
I use mud masks about 3 times a week and have very sensitive skin. This product felt a little burning/ stinging sensation when i applied it, although it didn't make my skin red or anything and i had a minor breakout after the 2nd application. It did however leave my skin very, very soft.
These reviews are the subjective opinions of ChickAdvisor members and not of ChickAdvisor Inc.


text:
Celebrating Earth Day 2016 with Our Employeesabril 22nd, 2016
Earth Day 2016 is on its 46th year and still inspiring people to action for the Earth, promoting emerging consciousness on environmental issues.
Earth Day – Dia de la Tierra 2016– was a big day for our members. This year, as ever year, our members sponsored employee education events across their facilities – from engaging employees in trainings to educating our employees' children at daycare to supporting Earth Day events at local schools.
The Alliance makes a suite of materials for Earth Day that all are welcomed to use. You can download a coloring sheet here, fun facts, and an Earth Day poster below (in Spanish).
But Earth Day is more than just a single day; this year we're going to make big stuff happen for the oceans. As part of our MSC certification process, we'll be using our voices to promote better management of tuna populations, to protect species, and to ensure that regulatory systems are supportive of sustainability. As ethical employers, it's our commitment to our communities.


text:
About Phil and Liv
The CurrentBody team are dedicated to bringing you innovative and exciting new products that will help you look and feel great from the comfort of your own home.
This blog is a place for our resident bloggers, Phil and Liv, to give you the inside scoop on all things health, fitness, beauty, sport and lifestyle. They'll also be be helping us highlight key products for you, whether it's a bargain which is too good to miss, or new technology you'll want to know about.
They're also here to answer any questions you might have about our products… just ask away!


text: Oh my goodness! I am in LOVE with these DIY His & Hers Glitter Stem Wine Glasses! Not only are the insanely EASY to make they only cost me about $1.25 each in supplies. Even better this entire project only takes about 20 minutes for both wine … [Read more...]


text:
Want more volume? How about 40% more? This weightless leave-in nearly doubles the fullness, plus detangles and adds insane shine.
KMS Add Volume Body Build Detangler is a leave-in, weightless conditioner. It provides up to 40% more volume while detangling and enhancing fullness to hair.
- Leave-in, weightless conditioner
- Provides up to 40% more volume
- Detangles and enhances fullness
Shake, spray into towel dried hair and comb through.
Ingredients: Water/Aqua/Eau, Alcohol Denat., Trisiloxane, Vp/Va Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Lactic Acid, Glycerin, Benzophenone-4, Cinnamomum Zelyancium Bark Extract, Eucalyptus Globulus Leaf Extract, Polyquaternium-11, Trideceth-9, Tocopheryl Acetate, Propylene Glycol, Peg/Ppg-14/4 Dimethicone, Di-C12-15 Alkyl Dimonium Chloride, Ammonium Hydroxide, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Sorbitol, Pca, Tartaric Acid, Pyruvic Acid, Malic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid, Fragrance/Parfum, Orange 4/ C.L.15510, Red 33/ C.L. 17200, Green 3/ C.L. 42053, Ext. Violet 2/ C.L. 60730., Bcc12-Base


text:
Filter Settings
Foreign newsreels 1981 № 6770
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Libya - Visit of the President of Czechoslovakia Gustav Husak in Libya.
Taken Libya with aircraft.
Tripoli - capital of Libya.
Report of the city.
The plane lands.
Gustav Husak meets Gaddafi.
Honorary motorcade passes through the streets.
Foreign newsreels 1986 № 7298
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Poland - Novotkovsky Mechanical Plant in Warsaw.
Craft Factory.
Release of engines for export.
Product packaging in boxes.
Sending in different countries.
Poland - Deblinsky Aviation High School
Preparation of the future pilots and technicians.
Foreign newsreels 1986 № 7314
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Science and technology - Special edition "History of aeronautics: airships and balloons."
Foreign newsreels 1987 № 7386
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Czechoslovakia - Charles Bridge in Prague. (Built in 1357).
Various plans.
France - The plot of the pioneer aeronautics - Louis Bleriot - (in a flying machine of his design has crossed the English Channel in 1909).
Art - The story of Marc Chagall (the 100th anniversary of his birth) - photo frames and kinoletopisi.
The works of Chagall, Chagall at work.
Czechoslovakia - The plot of the neurosurgeons, the founder of Plastic Surgery Arnold JirГЎsek - academician, Chapter I of the surgical clinic in Prague. (Born in 1887).
Algeria - a story about the struggle of the Algerian people for their independence.
Foreign newsreels 1988 № 7460
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Hungary, England - Special edition of "British Airways" airline.
Taken: Airplane British Airlines 'Boeing 737' takes off at the airport of Budapest.
Passenger service.
Representative airline Interview "British Airways" (measures to restore the profitability of the company).
Bureau airline in Budapest and London.
Foreign newsreels 1988 № 7536
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Hungary - Orthodox Church in the Danube town of Szentendre.
Church service.
Ancient icons.
Said director of the museum and the church archpriest of the role of the church to the Orthodox population of the area.
GDR - Newsreel: - Arrival at Berlin film star Marlene Dietrich.
Newsreel on the work of M. Dietrich, about her work in the United States.
Foreign newsreels 1989 № 7551
News, 4 footages, Duration: 0:06:25.058F 2/9/2016
Czechoslovakia - in the streets of Prague young skeytsbordisty.
Skeytsbordu competitions on the site - within a semicircle cement height of 4 m.
Figured skeytsbord and trampoline.
Foreign newsreels 1989 № 7571
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Austria - 1) Christmas Holiday before the town hall building (evening of 25 December).
Christmas tree.
Festively decorated shop windows.
2) Advertising movie.
3) In the heart of Vienna theater "Forum" - performances of music and dance ensemble "Gala Brazil."
Carnival (Brazil).
4) organization of waste disposal on the phone.
Foreign newsreels 1980 № 6492
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
France - Strasbourg City.
Palais de l'Europe.
The meeting of the European Parliament.
Interview M. Rumor (Italy); Margaret Thatcher (England); Brandt (Germany).
Foreign newsreels 1980 № 6493
News, 1 partF 2/9/2016
Japan - Meeting in Memory of the Victims of Hiroshima.
It takes a new cabinet.


text:
When it comes to filmmakers who have made a significant contribution to our culture in every facet, it goes without saying that Spike Lee is that man.
From socially conscious hits like "Do The Right Thing" and "School Daze," Lee has made his mark in history as not only the most popular and successful black film maker of our time but also the man who has taught us to think differently about media.
As the early onset of his career begin, Lee was doubted and often seen as out of his league. But even when doubted by the major studios who barely supported his work with funding he made some of the greatest hits happen such as, "She's Gotta Have It".
Lee has been known to think out side of the box when bringing forth racial, social, economic, and sexual issue to the spotlight. He never pigeonholes himself to being "that black filmmaker". Sure he embraces the the fact that he is a black filmmaker, making him in this profession rare but, he is multi-faceted in his ability to bring together a diverse crowd.
So we here at #PYNK we would like to applaud Spike Lee for his contribution to the culture of film, music, style, media, race, politics, and hip hop.
So follow us as we take a stroll down memory lane of our favorite Spike Lee Joints.
Photo Credit(s): Google, t3.gstatic, t2.gstatic, beautifullysmagazine.


text:
Let's make it simple: imagine you're flying on a business trip from NY to Munich. After arriving at the terminal, you swap dollars for euros and just like that you execute a Forex transaction. A few days later, on your way back to NY, you exchange the remaining euros for dollars, but at a slightly different rate then the one you got the first time. In your second transaction you executed an opposite action to the first and so closed a circle of buying and selling a pair of currencies.
That's how Forex trading works! Simple, right?
Forex is the buying and selling of currencies. Forex transactions always include two currencies — one is purchased while the other is sold. For example, in a Forex transaction, euros (EUR) may be purchased while US dollars (USD) are sold; or Great British pounds (GBP) purchased while Japanese yen (JPY) are sold. The two currencies involved in a transaction are considered a currency pair (e.g., EUR/USD or GBP/JPY) and each pair has an exchange rate.
Imagine the 2 currencies as a couple of heavy weight boxers, fighting an endless struggle. When one of them is ahead, the other is always behind, so first one, then the other, weakens and then gets stronger again; and on it goes forever. Each currency is indicated by a 3 letter symbol (the first 2 letters are the country it represents and the third comes from its name). For example, USD indicates the U.S. Dollar. The most traded currencies in the market are the USdollar (USD), the euro (EUR), pound (GBP), yen (JPY) and the Swiss franc (CHF).
The goal of Forex trading is similar to the goal of stock trading: "buy low and sell high."
Currency exchange rates fluctuate throughout the day, providing traders with the potential to profit from these movements.


text:
Disclosure: I was given nothing for this giveaway, The Life of a Home Mom is not responsible for said prize.
Have You Tried Inlight Organic Skincare?
How many of you could use a great skincare regimen? Now is one lucky reader's opportunity to enter and win themselves an Inlight Organic Skincare kit. Wait a minute did I say kit? You actually get 3 of the kits! Woo hoo!
Inlight Organic Skincare Giveaway Prize:
Selected winner receives 3 of the following Inlight trial kits valued at $29.99, $32.00 and $39.00 FOR FREE!! When you have selected a winner simply e-mail me and we will handle fulfillment. Contest open only those in the US.
Do you have a certain skincare routine? I'd love to know. I must admit I'm not very good with having a routine because washing my face and using lotion. I know I'm bad. Hopefully you aren't, or if you are maybe you'll win this and get into a great routine.
What's new in organic skincare for holiday 2016?
Anyone looking for true 100% organic skincare to address acne, anti aging, wrinkles, cellulite, cracked heels, dark circles, eye area, hands, joint muscles, oily, sensitive, or dry skin, sundamage, rosacea, rashes, eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, peeling, skin issues during pregnancy, stretch marks, scarring and shaving irritation, Inlight Skincare is the real deal.
The Inlight line of 100% Organic Skincare takes only the finest, ethically-sourced, natural, and organic ingredients and harness them at their most potent to create a gourmet, artisan, sublimely luxurious diet for your skin. Inlight organic skincare contains the finest and most effective organic food-grade and cold-pressed oils, herbs, the purest essential oils and beeswax. That's it.
Using only certified organic ingredients, with 100% organic accreditation from the Soil Association as a further guarantee of quality and integrity; Inlight trusts their uncompromising standards, and their ethical principles reflect our own. Inlight is also proud to be the very first UK skincare company accredited under the new European-wide standard, Cosmos, streamlining the various national standards under one umbrella.
The Try Me Collection ($29.99):
Our essential trio of products in miniature to cleanse, tone and moisturize for beautiful, radiant skin.
o Face Cleanser 0.17 fl. oz.
o Floral Face Tonic 0.17 fl. oz.
o Daily Face Oil 0.17 fl. oz.
Cleanse, tone and moisturize with this essential Inlight trio, offering your skin just the right nutrients to keep it well nourished and silky soft and smooth. Make Inlight part of your essential daily regime and see the difference for yourself.
100% organic* (100% of the agricultural ingredients in our Floral Face Tonic are organically produced; however water cannot be certified organic)
How to use: Take up a pearl size of cleanser with the spatula and massage gently into the skin for several minutes, allowing the warm fragrances to soothe your senses. Wipe away the balm using a cotton wool pad dampened with a few drops of tonic and feel the silky soft texture of clean skin. Repeat every evening, and morning also if desired. Apply a few drops of Face Oil onto the face every morning, taking care to smooth from the chin upwards, and from the center outwards. Your skin will stay moisturized and fresh all the day


text:
Results of Tags "Crossing Point 2016 watch online"
A young American couple in love, Michael and Olivia vacation in Baja, but things take a frightening turn when Olivia is kidnapped by drug dealer, who demands that Michael smuggle…
When becoming members of the site, you could use the full range of functions and enjoy the most exciting films.
Watch HD Movies Online For Free and Download the latest movies. For everybody, everywhere, everydevice, and everything ;)
We will send a new password to your email. Please fill your email to form below.


text:
According to William Wordsworth, what role does the faculty of the imagination play in poetic recollection and creativity?
- print Print
- list Cite
In his famous poem "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood," William Wordsworth suggests (as the very title of the poem implies) that our memories of childhood intimate that human souls are eternal. They exist before we are physically born, and they survive after we physically die.
This idea is especially suggested, for instance, when the speaker asserts that
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting
And cometh from afar;
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home . . .
In other words, we come from heaven and (if we are fortunate) we return to heaven. While we are alive here on earth, we never entirely forget the place from which we came. Despite the various earthly influences, man never quite
Forget[s] the glories he hath known,
And that imperial palace whence he came.
Instead, our
shadowy recollections,
Which, be they what they may,
Are yet the fountain-light of all our day,
Are yet a master-light of all our seeing;
Uphold us--cherish--and have power to make
Our noisy years seem moments in the being
Of the eternal Silence . . . [emphasis added]
It is thanks to our imagination that we can mentally see the past and participate in it:
Hence in a season of calm weather
Though inland far we be,
Our Souls have sight of that immortal sea
Which brought us hither,
Can in a moment travel thither,
And see the Children sport upon the shore,
And hear the mighty waters rolling evermore. [emphasis added]
As these lines suggest, imagination allows us access to our past (both the past of childhood and the past that preceded our childhoods). Our "shadowy recollections" of both kinds of the past feed and sustain our imaginations and our very lives.


text:
LEGISLATIVE THEATRE – Theater is not enough to change reality, we all agree. LEGISLATIVE THEATRE is the utilization of all forms of the Theatre of the Oppressed with the aim of transforming the citizens legitimate deires into Laws. After a normal Forum session, we create a space similar to a Chamber where laws are made, and we proceed to create a simular ritual of lawmaking, following the same official procedure of presenting Projects based on the spect-actors interventions, defending or refusing them, voting, etc. At the end, we collect the approved suggestions and try to put pressure upon the lawmakers to have those laws approved.
Augusto Boal, Rio de Janeiro 2004 (Via the International Theatre of the Oppressed Organisation)


text:
Are you looking for Oxford Bail Bonds? Bail Bonds Network makes it simple to locate and get in touch with a licensed bail bond agent in Oxford, New York. Many Oxford NY bail bonds companies can bail you (or another person) out anytime day or night in Oxford NY. At your convenience, many bail bonds companies will come pick you up privately. Payment plans are often available depending on case by case basis.
Upon arrest anywhere in Chenango county, a person is usually processed at the Chenango county jail. To be released from jail, a few steps must occur, including being booked into jail and posting bail. When the bail amount is decided, a bail bond agent comes to post the bond at the local jail. Now the jail release procedure begins and typically can take anywhere from one to two hours to be completed. Although cash bonds are allowed, it is normally not frequently done due to it's high expense.
Oxford Bail Bonds agents can aid you with all your bail needs:
- Property Bail Bonds in Oxford NY
- Immigration Bail Bonds in Oxford NY
- Federal Bail Bonds in Oxford NY
- Surety Bail Bonds in Oxford NY
Bail Bonds in Oxford NY
3403 State Route 1668, Mohawk, NY
48.39 miles away
Phone: (315)866-5709


text:
Monday, October 8, 2012
He is going to college after graduating this year from high school and is joining the workforce. He has had a job at a restaurant for about a month and by all accounts appears to be working quite hard at it.
He also has a friend who is currently starting a new job.
Both of them had a hard time meeting all of the new requirements for a new job. Having to show proof of residency, show an actual Soc Sec card, etc. They are working at different places and in different industries.
I have not started a new job in 15 years and do not remember ever having to do any of this.
My question is, is this because of immigration laws? Are there new requirements for employment to make people prove they are citizens and therefore keep illegals from working?
If so......
why the Hell are we letting all of the illegal immigrants stay and work?
Are we really harassing people born and bred in the US, who are trying to work in this horrendous economy, at the same time that we are turning a blind eye to the illegals the above mentioned laws were meant to stop?
Finally, are others seeing this or am I crazy?
10 comments:
From Z at her work computer:
Yes, Chuck, that's infuriating, isn't it. WE are checked and checked but illegals are not.
Our laws seem to be working against us in many ways these days.....who knew?
- October 9, 2012 at 11:58 AM
- Chuck said...
Z, maybe we are the "illegals" now huh?
- October 9, 2012 at 6:25 PM
- Always On Watch said...
A friend of mine -- an RN for nearly three decades -- has decided to return to work to the same hospital from which she retired a mere three years ago. She's having to jump through similar hoops! It's maddening! And the process is taking forever.
- October 9, 2012 at 6:54 PM
- Chuck said...
AOW, incredible she has to do this at the same job.
- October 9, 2012 at 10:59 PM
- DaBlade said...
Don't forget the drug tests... I'll never forget getting cheek swabbed in the human resource office of the newspaper job I took in Wisconsin a few years ago. Not that drug tests are a bad thing. Maybe poll cheek swabbing in lieu of photo ID should be implemented.
- October 10, 2012 at 5:18 AM
- Brooke said...
Chuck, you're not imagining it at all! It is beyond belief!
- October 10, 2012 at 2:23 PM
Being crazy doesn't mean what you say isn't true.
You have to have more ID to work serve food than to vote.
- October 10, 2012 at 3:08 PM
- Chuck said...
DaBlade, I think I had to take a drug test 15 yeas ago when I hired in?
Brooke, sad isn't it?
Chuckie, unfortunately sometimes the people who serve food are smarter than half of the voters.
- October 10, 2012 at 9:03 PM
- Right Wing Theocrat said...
It's probably because they're honest young men looking for honest work and willing to pay their taxes, obey the law and generally be productive members of society Chuck.
It's the way of the west these days, the useless sponging parasites are well looked after while the productive are punished in every little way possible.
- October 11, 2012 at 9:01 PM
- cube said...
My daughters had to show their driver's licenses and their social security cards prior to being hired recently. Not too bad really, but when I had to renew my driver's license, there was no end to the documents I had to produce.
I remember my first job required a polygraph as well, but this was back in the late '70's. No illegal immigration problem back then. They were screening for habitual drug usage.
- October 12, 2012 at 11:08 AM


text:
composer and sound artist
New commission for LACO!
New commission for the Los Angeles Master Chorale!
Ellen Reid is an Artist in Residence at National Sawdust!!
Buster's Mal Heart premieres at Toronto Film Festival
Buster's Mal Heart features music by Ellen Reid
Reid's Push | Pull featured on LA Phil's Noon to Midnight with LAPQ!
October 1, 2016
Ellen Reid composes for Brooklyn Youth Chorus' Silent Voices
In Development
My upcoming projects include:
The Colony
a feature film with Sarah Adina Smith
dreams of the new world
with Los Angeles Master Chorale


text: well, i guess android just aint for me, im not going to call the tablet , it is good solid quality but is noway worth what i paid. it lacked in a couple of ways, one being the flash not being stable and froze the tablet and i had to switch off the phone this happened a few times. the other was lack of streaming online which i was quite dissapointed with, but guess the phone wasnt up to it i loved the fact when the flash was ok it played demo fruit machines on skyvegas! i loved that loads of them too, i will miss that lol maybe if the price drops some more i will get another i did notice at cpw they now have 32gb version at the same price as i paid for the 16gb


text: Hi Guys, I have joined this forum today and would like to be a part of this great team. Hope I have I have a nice and meaningful time here. Btw I have also posted another thread on this forum regarding some issue I am facing with my Fiat 1.3 Active. Please have a look http://www.teamfiat.co.in/technical/11745-loss-mileage-power-punto-1-3-active.html Regards Ashish


text:
We've got delicious burgers that will make you smile! At A&W, we're on a journey to source simple, great-tasting ingredients, farmed with care. We're proud to have high standards when it comes to our food and you can taste it in everything we serve. It's all part of our commitment to serve you food you can feel good about.
Mall Location: