"I was sitting at my desk when I heard a call on the 145.470 repeater today, the 21st of May, a emergency call, I got up and responded to the station WA4HSM Alvin from Knoxville who was on the Dragon, apparently a Biker took a curve a little fast and went down, and ran off the road, when Alvin stopped their was another lady there who was a medical person, the bike rider was unconscious, Alvin stated a emergency on the repeater, and requested I call for emergency services, which he had the phone number , called and advised dispatch we had a MVA, gave him my location and information and proceeded to advise the emergency,we relayed information between us and emergency units where dispatched to the scene..a little later Alvin called back and advised that Police ,Fire and EMS was on the scene, the man was conscious."
Saturday, May 21, 2011
470 Repeater and Ham Radio to the Rescue
People talk a lot about the ability of hams to help in an emergency. I'm glad we are not often put to the test, but it is nice to hear examples where ham radio has made a difference like it did on the Dragon today. From the 470 ARG web page:
Summer Reading 2011
Here are the books I've just picked up for my summer reading. Reviews to follow.
Here is why I am reading Ethics. I hope the rest will be fun reads.
Here is why I am reading Ethics. I hope the rest will be fun reads.
Friday, May 20, 2011
The Fate of Typewriters
The reports of the typewriter's death were greatly exaggerated... iPad meet the TypeScreen.
Via F5IYJ
Baofeng UV-3R: Menu Options - Video
And from my previous post...
| Menu # | Name | Description | Options |
| 1 | RXCODE | Receive Tone | Off, CTCSS, DCS |
| 2 | TXCODE | Transmit Tone | Off, CTCSS, DCS |
| 3 | SQL | Squelch | 0-9 |
| 4 | LIGHT | LCD Illumination | Off, On, Key |
| 5 | K TONE | Keypad Beep | Off, On |
| 6 | VOX | VOX/Handsfree | Off, 1-9 |
| 7 | POWER | RF Output Power | High, Low |
| 8 | DW | Dual Watch/UHF & VHF | Off, On |
| 9 | STEP | 12.5/25KHz | |
| 10 | OFFSET | 0-37.995, 0-69.995M | |
| 11 | SHIFT | 0,+,- | |
| 12 | STE | Squelch Tone Elimination | Off, On |
| 13 | W/N | Wide/Narrow | |
| 14 | SAVE | Battery Save | |
| 15 | TOT | Timeout Timer | |
| 16 | SCANM | Scan Memory | |
| 17 | RELAYM | Relay Message | |
| 18 | BCLO | Busy Channel Lock |
Life Lesson: Unload the Dishwasher from the Bottom
Unload the dishwasher from the bottom, so that you don't splash water on the lower dishes when moving the upper racks.
Blogger's Dead Man Switch
I read most of my favorite blogs and web sites using a RSS reader. One blogger I read is in poor health. He must have scheduled a good-bye post that he would continually update and push the date out. Except one time he must have forgotten or otherwise been unable to move the date.
I saw the post in my RSS feed, but when I checked his site, the entry had been pulled. It was eerie, sad, and beautiful all as the same time.
I am happy to report that he was still posting last week.
I saw the post in my RSS feed, but when I checked his site, the entry had been pulled. It was eerie, sad, and beautiful all as the same time.
I am happy to report that he was still posting last week.
Keeping Score to Motivate People
Can playing games drive the adoption of sales force automation?
We also used visual aids to promote good procedures. For example, we took turns manning the phones. We tried to maintain constant coverage, so when nature or duty called, we had to get someone to cover for us. We bought a stuffed Tux the linux penguin. Whoever had the penguin was responsible for the phones. The rule was that Tux could never be left alone. It made it pretty easy to toss the penguin baton to someone as you walked out the door.
The only similar thing my group does today is that I "hand out" blue Cisco console cables when the non-network guys help with a server or network problem.
"Recently, there's been a lot of research in the area of gamification: the process of adding gaming elements to a non-gaming activity to encourage action and participation."I'm pretty convinced that some people are motivated by keeping score and getting rewards while others are not. When I was a help desk tech, I would work as hard as possible to see how few tickets I could have open at the end of the week. I saw it as a game - some of the other guys didn't.
We also used visual aids to promote good procedures. For example, we took turns manning the phones. We tried to maintain constant coverage, so when nature or duty called, we had to get someone to cover for us. We bought a stuffed Tux the linux penguin. Whoever had the penguin was responsible for the phones. The rule was that Tux could never be left alone. It made it pretty easy to toss the penguin baton to someone as you walked out the door.
The only similar thing my group does today is that I "hand out" blue Cisco console cables when the non-network guys help with a server or network problem.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Skeet - After Action Report
I had been to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency Volunteer Rifle & Pistol Club John Sevier Hunter Education Center (TWRAVRPCJSHEC for short) once before to use the bench rest range.
My second trip was to the shotgun range for skeet shooting with some more friends from church - Red Beard and Hardhat. Slim was supposed to be there, but he had just gotten his nails done or something, so he sent his regrets. Being the good friend that he is, he did suggest that I tell Red Beard and Hardhat that I wanted to go "a dollar a bird" with them. About the shotgun range:
When it was our turn, they let us take six in our squad, since we had a newbie - namely me! There are two buildings that hold the target throwers - the high house on the left and the low house on the right (see pics below). You start under the high house. You must keep your shogun unloaded until you step up to the firing position. The range officer has a remote control to release the targets, so you just tell him "pull" when you are ready. From some stations, you shoot singles (one at a time) and doubles (two in quick succession). You can request, as I did, to get singles only. I lost track of the number of stations, but ultimately you are supposed to be shooting 24 targets. By moving around the field, you change the angle and speed at which the targets go flying by.
As you may recall, I was shooting a beautiful over/under 20 gauge Beretta Silver Pigeon that was on loan from Hardhat. They require that you use #9 shot - something about the people at the bench rest range get antsy when pellets start raining down on them. (You do actually shoot toward the bench rest when you aim beyond the high house!) It really is a pretty gun and I can say, with reservation, it is the best shooting shotgun I have ever fired.
So, I think I hit about seven targets out of the 24+ opportunities. I know I had more than 24 targets as I never saw one leave the house, so they let me have another chance. At another station, the fastest one I think, the range officer sent one flying just for me track before trying to actually hit it. Red Beard and Hardhat provided a lot of support and good advice, but I am especially thankful for the coaching and patience of the range officer. I was so tense and uncertain about firing a shotgun for the first time that I'm not sure I even had a clue where the clays were flying. The other shooters were very friendly and supportive, too. (I guess gun people aren't all bad.)
I am proud that I got better as the round went along. I settled down quite a bit and quit worrying about making the gun go *bang* and actually tried to aim. As far as aiming, I was usually way ahead and had to wait on it or so far behind it that I was trying to catch up. Smooth is the key. Once you have smooth then you start thinking about how much you need to lead the bird. I also felt extremely cool when I opened the shotgun and snagged the shell as it popped out. I neatly caught it and dropped it in the shell bag. Also, I'm recording a minor victory for remembering turn off the safety every time.
It was a lot of fun and I hope that I will be better next time. There are seriously not enough hours in the day. Maybe we can setup a challenge where I try to shoot skeet from the back of moving truck. I bet I am the first one to think of that.
My second trip was to the shotgun range for skeet shooting with some more friends from church - Red Beard and Hardhat. Slim was supposed to be there, but he had just gotten his nails done or something, so he sent his regrets. Being the good friend that he is, he did suggest that I tell Red Beard and Hardhat that I wanted to go "a dollar a bird" with them. About the shotgun range:
"Shotgun ranges are open on Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-6:00 PM. Saturday and Sunday shotgun range shooters need to check in before 5:00 PM.We arrived at about 6:30 and got checked in at the front gate. Once you get to the shotgun range, you need to put your name on the waiting list. There are two skeet ranges and they take you through them in squads of about five shooters. Of course, hearing and eye protection are required. Between sessions, the range officers collect money for the targets and ammo (if you need it). You can buy single round tickets or punch cards for multiple rounds. If you don't have a shell bag, they will loan you an apron.
Shotgun ranges are open on Tuesday from 6:30-10:00 PM. Tuesday night shotgun shooters need to check in by 7:00 PM.
The range charges $4 for youth and $6 for adults for every 25 targets, in addition to the $5.50 TWRA fee."
When it was our turn, they let us take six in our squad, since we had a newbie - namely me! There are two buildings that hold the target throwers - the high house on the left and the low house on the right (see pics below). You start under the high house. You must keep your shogun unloaded until you step up to the firing position. The range officer has a remote control to release the targets, so you just tell him "pull" when you are ready. From some stations, you shoot singles (one at a time) and doubles (two in quick succession). You can request, as I did, to get singles only. I lost track of the number of stations, but ultimately you are supposed to be shooting 24 targets. By moving around the field, you change the angle and speed at which the targets go flying by.
As you may recall, I was shooting a beautiful over/under 20 gauge Beretta Silver Pigeon that was on loan from Hardhat. They require that you use #9 shot - something about the people at the bench rest range get antsy when pellets start raining down on them. (You do actually shoot toward the bench rest when you aim beyond the high house!) It really is a pretty gun and I can say, with reservation, it is the best shooting shotgun I have ever fired.
So, I think I hit about seven targets out of the 24+ opportunities. I know I had more than 24 targets as I never saw one leave the house, so they let me have another chance. At another station, the fastest one I think, the range officer sent one flying just for me track before trying to actually hit it. Red Beard and Hardhat provided a lot of support and good advice, but I am especially thankful for the coaching and patience of the range officer. I was so tense and uncertain about firing a shotgun for the first time that I'm not sure I even had a clue where the clays were flying. The other shooters were very friendly and supportive, too. (I guess gun people aren't all bad.)
I am proud that I got better as the round went along. I settled down quite a bit and quit worrying about making the gun go *bang* and actually tried to aim. As far as aiming, I was usually way ahead and had to wait on it or so far behind it that I was trying to catch up. Smooth is the key. Once you have smooth then you start thinking about how much you need to lead the bird. I also felt extremely cool when I opened the shotgun and snagged the shell as it popped out. I neatly caught it and dropped it in the shell bag. Also, I'm recording a minor victory for remembering turn off the safety every time.
It was a lot of fun and I hope that I will be better next time. There are seriously not enough hours in the day. Maybe we can setup a challenge where I try to shoot skeet from the back of moving truck. I bet I am the first one to think of that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)