mashoo
2009-05-25 - 2009-06-26
contents
i just watched `the year of hell' episode(s) of `star trek: voyager'; it turns out that janeway, like ma, was born on the 20th of may; i enjoyed seven of nine's line about neelix's latest meal; `it is offensive; fortunately, taste is irrelevant';

earlier, i had spotted pauline mclynn in a non-mrs doyle role in the `flight into terror' episode of father ted; she played a nun in the background;

just had a look at the latest chilton fof2 plot; there was a fabulous spike over 7 mhz today at about 1500Z; and then a 6 mhz spike, before the usual evening rise and fall

00008d47 | 2009-05-25T22:56:00Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
dreams;

a hall like the one i played concerts in at rhydypenau; perhaps fewer windows; i was helping backstage, but there was no stage; it was all out in the open; clothes rails; a matador outfit; eventually, some proud old master emerged at sat at a grand piano; he was spanish or italian, i suppose; he began to play a simple tune, from a red, big-print book; i recognised the book from childhood and said ``it's the red book'' to pa, who, despite being at the end of a single row of seats, was unsighted, due to the angle of the piano;

perhaps the old master killed a squirrel, because then i did likewise, standing in the back doorway at home; it had entered the kitchen, and was darting around the wall, while i blasted away with a pump-action shotgun; i caught the squirrel just as it disappeared into the stairwell; it fell back, twitched and finally slumped; i was sorry;

i think the music was the theme from haydn's surprise symphony that had turned up in the haydn episode of `the birth of british music' on bbc 2 on saturday evening; i also recognise the squirrel, who had been regularly emptying the bird feeder of seed; i had withheld the seed, putting it out only for the birds; perhaps i should put some seed out for the squirrel; it enjoyed my bread the other day

00008d4a | 2009-05-26T08:00:17Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
bugger; my lost cell appears to have cost quite a bit of output power; on 60m just now, my field strength meter showed that the output power using the power pack is a third of what it is using the power supply; i'll call that one watt

00008d51 | 2009-05-28T16:50:45Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
i was nearly packed for a trip to church stretton to fly a wire when i went online to check train times and fares; the times looked okay, but the fares have gone up (it's that time of year);

perhaps, after a week or so, i'll have become accustomed to the idea of paying 18.10 for a return ticket, but today it doesn't seem a good price; i could have gone for 15.70 (still not ideal) a few weeks ago, and 12.20 (nice) if i had bought a ticket to shrewsbury and another from there to my destination;

now what will i do?

i have since realised that the fares have not gone up; the difference is that today i was searching for a return journey on the following day; hence a return fare instead of the day return fare i had been offered before

00008d53 | 2009-05-29T14:23:10Z | -no-label- | -mt4-

sunny azalea

00008d60.jpg | 2009-05-30T10:04:54Z | -no-label- | -mt1-

broken peony flower

00008d62.jpg | 2009-05-30T10:09:26Z | -no-label- | -mt1-
a little while ago, a goldfinch passed through the garden; i also saw a blue tit on the seed i had just put down; and then both robins ferrying seed to their nest in the tree across the road, the young dunnock having demanded that non-white winged robin feed it (it didn't get fed and, though it edged closer to the seed pile, it did not take from it)

00008d64 | 2009-05-31T19:24:54Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
on

00008d65 | 2009-05-31T19:30:58Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
3.5

00008d67 | 2009-05-31T19:30:58Z | radio > tx > power (w) | -mt4-
cw

00008d66 | 2009-05-31T19:33:12Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
20m

00008d68 | 2009-05-31T19:33:12Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
this band is jammed with the cq ww wpx cw contest

00008d69 | 2009-05-31T19:43:38Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
30m

00008d6a | 2009-05-31T19:43:40Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
on

00008d6e | 2009-05-31T20:15:58Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
10.120 (10.119918)

00008d6b | 2009-05-31T20:16:00Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
de je1sse je1sse k k

00008d6c | 2009-05-31T20:16:21Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
rst 43 qsb

00008d6d | 2009-05-31T20:16:23Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
30m

00008d6f | 2009-05-31T20:41:25Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
off

00008d70 | 2009-05-31T21:39:57Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
the shed will come down tomorrow; we finished clearing it today, except for the bees' nest on the floor in the right hand part; i tackled that just now, when there was hopefully enough darkness for an easy ride; luckily, the colony was built on a large, unfolded cardboard box, which was easy to slide out and across the garden, with a large upturned plastic box on top to contain the beasts; it will be a dry night; tomorrow i'll try to make them more comfortable

00008d71 | 2009-06-01T21:13:12Z | -no-label- | -mt4-

my little pony / bees's nest in their new home by the trellis; the pony had to stay, because the nest is built on it; a broken plastic box lid keeps it off the ground; a plastic box covers it, with a wedge of wood at the front to allow the bees in and out

00008d79.jpg | 2009-06-02T15:56:26Z | -no-label- | -mt1-

frog by the pond

00008d7b.jpg | 2009-06-02T15:59:38Z | -no-label- | -mt1-
on

00008d7d | 2009-06-02T20:37:26Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
30m

00008d7e | 2009-06-02T20:37:26Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
usb

00008d7f | 2009-06-02T20:38:50Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
off

00008d86 | 2009-06-02T20:38:50Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
18.11447 (18.114323)

00008d80 | 2009-06-02T20:45:19Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
cq dx de ra3xdx

00008d82 | 2009-06-02T20:45:22Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
rst 59; very strong

00008d87 | 2009-06-02T20:45:24Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
g0vbc/qrp

00008d81 | 2009-06-02T20:45:52Z | radio > tx > callsign | -mt4-
g0vbc/qrp; vy ge; tnx fer call; rst 59; name igor; qth nr moscow

00008d83 | 2009-06-02T20:45:55Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
qrz? de ra3xdx

00008d84 | 2009-06-02T20:46:51Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-

ra3xdx cq

00008d89.ogg | 2009-06-02T20:52:16Z | -no-label- | -mt3-
off

00008d85 | 2009-06-02T20:52:52Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
i just rechecked my power output on the power pack, calibrating the power supply deflection to over 80%; the power pack reached over 60%, so i'll call it 3.5 watts

00008d8a | 2009-06-03T08:35:38Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
on

00008d8c | 2009-06-05T10:14:11Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
18.11447 (18.114323)

00008d8d | 2009-06-05T10:14:11Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
on

00008d97 | 2009-06-05T10:15:04Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
cw

00008d8e | 2009-06-05T10:15:27Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
18.0821 (18.081953)

00008d90 | 2009-06-05T10:15:28Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
cq de f5ozc/p eu64 pse k

00008d8f | 2009-06-05T10:15:29Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
5

00008d91 | 2009-06-05T10:24:57Z | radio > tx > power (w) | -mt4-
g0vbc

00008d92 | 2009-06-05T10:32:08Z | radio > tx > callsign | -mt4-
g0vbc tu 5nn

00008d93 | 2009-06-05T10:32:29Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
r 5nn tu

00008d94 | 2009-06-05T10:32:37Z | radio > tx > message | -mt4-
73 gl tu ee

00008d95 | 2009-06-05T10:32:46Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
off

00008d96 | 2009-06-05T10:33:40Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
deserve's got nothin' to do with it

unforgiven (1992)

00008d8b | 2009-06-05T10:39:22Z | quotes | -mt4-

out-of-focus sunbathing blackbird; don't trust automatic focus when there's a window in the way; this was just a backup exposure, in case i startled it when i moved closer; i had got quite close before fetching the camera, but this time i let the sun catch my bright trousers and the bird flew away

00008dd2.jpg | 2009-06-05T13:19:44Z | -no-label- | -mt1-
on

00008d98 | 2009-06-06T15:46:29Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
17m

00008d99 | 2009-06-06T15:47:00Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
usb

00008d9a | 2009-06-06T15:47:10Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
18.1441 (18.143952)

00008d9b | 2009-06-06T16:10:17Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
name jean-pierre; qth villedoux, small village, 10 km from la rochelle, near ocean atlantique; dm4xmm de f1dxt

00008d9c | 2009-06-06T16:10:18Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
off

00008d9e | 2009-06-06T16:17:35Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
rst 59; qsb

00008d9d | 2009-06-06T16:18:48Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
i think he has said he was using 80 watts

00008da3 | 2009-06-06T16:26:59Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
18.1441 (18.143952)

00008d9f | 2009-06-06T16:27:01Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
4.024678 (4.024645)

00008da0 | 2009-06-06T16:27:44Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
laser hot hits; rst 55 qsb

00008da1 | 2009-06-06T16:34:24Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
off

00008da2 | 2009-06-06T16:34:50Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
i have discovered a new favourite `seven of nine' moment; in the episode `night', she says `i am borg', before disabling a ridiculous tv show robot by opening a door in its chest and disconnecting a cable; that's great, but it's her `trying not to laugh' face at the end of the scene that's so lush

00008da6 | 2009-06-07T22:14:59Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
the robin was collecting moss from outside the sitting room earlier; i haven't seen it taking seed back to the nest in a while; and no sign of a young robin on the wing; perhaps something went wrong; perhaps they're trying again;

there have been more humorous lines in `voyager' lately (well, ten years ago), most of them involving seven of nine calling something irrelevant; and in tonight's episode `drone', b'elanna had a cool line about the borg abandoning assimilation in favour of just turning up looking helpless; i had forgotten how much fun this series could be

00008da7 | 2009-06-08T21:16:25Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
i forget most of this morning's dream, except that it was by the sea and that it ended with one of the male characters and i walking into a travel agents on the front; it was grey inside; one desk with a computer; at a right angle to it, two more desks end-to-end; a door to the rear; an insignificant poster on another wall; my companion was served; i took a chair to his right, at the adjacent desk

00008da8 | 2009-06-10T08:22:19Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
i was weighing 450 ohm ladder line a little while ago, in case i want a kite to lift some; i had done this before, but then neglected to write down my findings; the 5.15 metre length weighed approximately 7 ounces

00008da9 | 2009-06-11T16:43:52Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
A central-walesishness to the characterless W C Mainline. The driver forgot to stop at Watford and so has just transferred himself to tother end so he can reverse us back a cupla hundred yards! X

sms from pa

00008dab | 2009-06-11T16:47:46Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
this afternoon, the bees' nest appeared to have been vacated; it was dry in that it was protected from the rain, but it would have been damp compared to its original location on the shed floor

00008daa | 2009-06-11T21:19:01Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
i've been quite tired over the last few days; this morning, while dozing, i dreamed;

most of the strangeness at the cottage is proving difficult to recall, but i can remember one picture; i'm in the kitchen, by the sideboard; a piano and perhaps even a harpsichord are in the way of garden door, their backs facing me; perhaps pa comes and goes via a new aperture;

i don't know how much later; i'm in keith and caroline's kitchen; but not the one i know; it feels like it might be dylis' sitting room, but more light and airy; it's a warm, sunny day; beautiful; pa is seated; keith and caroline too; camille and sophie; the boys are around; all quiet;

i offer oats; i think pa says yes; no other takers; but then sophie comes on board; and now i'm looking at her; she is between me and the doorway, behind which is the hall and a sunny front door; by the look of her, it must be 2001 again; i ask her (something like) whether she'd like to add her own fruit or whether like me to do it; shyly, shinily, she says she'd like me to do it;

keith leans over to camille and, using the f word, orders her to behave; ``or you know what'll happen''; he goes to the front door to collect the mail;

and then i'm at the front of the room, where there is a bijou sink, circular on a broad wooden surface; i think i wash my porridge bowl;

and that's all i remember; it was good to see sophie so beautiful again; most things are somehow twisted in dreams, but this vision of sophie is exactly the way she was

00008dad | 2009-06-12T09:07:58Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
seems i was wrong about the bees' nest; there were quite a few bumblies buzzing about in there just now

00008db0 | 2009-06-13T08:03:01Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
one of the dunnocks was collecting nesting materials earlier

00008db1 | 2009-06-13T09:35:34Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
the azalea was exhumed last week, to facilitate construction of the driveway; late this afternoon, in the sunniest place on the plot, i returned it to the earth; in the process of digging a hole (on the right, just before the front gate), i found a grub on my spade; a couple of inches long it was, and thick; it squirmed a little; not giving any thought to what it might become, or that i might set it aside and re-bury it by the azalea, i slung it into the front hedge, with however many earthworms and centipedes; it was as if i hadn't watched springwatch for the last three weeks; perhaps the robin got the grub; the robin was certainly in the hole when i returned from the back garden; anyway, it was only at the dining table with ma and pa that ma brought it to my attention that it might become a moth; that reminded me of the splendid lime hawk moth we came home to that time, and i belatedly went out to put things right; i found no grub, nor any other crawly thing;

some russian totty was a very polished cardiff singer of the world on tv tonight; but our favourite was the penultimate performer, a very womanly-sounding counter-tenor; the rossini aria performed by the bass before him was fun too; he had won the song prize; i'm not surprised

00008db2 | 2009-06-14T20:25:10Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
i just modelled a doublet for 1.8 to 8 mhz, with the intention that vertical gain on 2 mhz and 8 mhz be equal; 2.5 dbi at 1.8 mhz was another desired feature; and no dip in vertical gain throughout the range; the solution is a doublet 55 metres long at 12 metres high; a slightly longer doublet at 11 metres high was also acceptable, but a solution at 10 metres could not be found; an inverted vee of equivalent apex and end heights would be acceptable; copper or aluminium wire; average ground;

this is the antenna i would deploy if i were to compete in another exercise summer wine; i assisted my unit with the exercise each summer between 1991 and 1995; in the weeks and months before each exercise, i would spend my time dreaming up what i hoped would be a good antenna; some of the designs i used were okay, but i never got it right; perhaps now, with no plan to assist a unit any time soon, i have found perfection

00008db3 | 2009-06-14T22:25:29Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
i have posted my antenna musings to the acfccfsignals nrn forum; they now include a 100m doublet for the sub-3.5 mhz frequencies, the original doublet being slightly reduced to 50m; the two well-spaced (12m here) if parallel; at a right-angle if crossing;

an alternative single-antenna solution to the 55m doublet is an inverted vee; apex height 30m; end height 11m; ends 64m apart; width including support cord 100m (assuming no end supports); these dimensions are important in order to retain nvis from less than 2 mhz to 10 mhz and beyond; the apex height can be lowered (up to a point), but then the other dimensions must be adjusted too

00008dcd | 2009-06-17T08:32:32Z | -no-label- | -mt4-

the surprise well by the fig

00008dd4.jpg | 2009-06-17T09:48:04Z | -no-label- | -mt1-
while in the loft today, i came (!) across my copy of `a hand in the bush: the fine art of vaginal fisting'; i brought it downstairs, for amusing integration into ma and pa's book collection; there was just enough room for it on a shelf in the porch, next to a book of similar dimensions; i laughed out loud when i discovered that it was a home office research study into rape and sexual assault on women; i like to think my former underling matthew might also have a laugh at the fate of the book amazon once offered him;

i brought some other books down too; welsh and french dictionaries; a bird book

00008dd7 | 2009-06-18T14:16:14Z | -no-label- | -mt4-

a better view of the well by the fig

00008ddc.jpg | 2009-06-19T06:24:12Z | -no-label- | -mt1-
on

00008dde | 2009-06-19T15:11:04Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
4.024678 (4.024645)

00008ddf | 2009-06-19T15:11:04Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
having replaced the link-coupled transmatch with an l-match + choke balun, i'm testing it on numerous bands (whether it will provide a match)

00008de0 | 2009-06-19T15:11:06Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
29.600 (29.599759)

00008de1 | 2009-06-19T15:18:05Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
fm

00008de2 | 2009-06-19T15:18:05Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
?

00008df5 | 2009-06-19T15:18:05Z | radio > repeater | -mt4-
de m0com

00008de3 | 2009-06-19T15:18:08Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
de mi0rtx

00008de4 | 2009-06-19T15:25:33Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
de g0unj/m in leeds; name chris

00008de5 | 2009-06-19T15:25:37Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
30

00008df2 | 2009-06-19T15:31:40Z | radio > tx > power (w) | -mt4-
i have added another capacitor in series, to get the capacitance low enough; i am de-tuning the capacitor to receive; not heard on transmit

00008de6 | 2009-06-19T15:32:08Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
10m

00008de7 | 2009-06-19T15:40:16Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
?

00008df6 | 2009-06-19T15:40:16Z | radio > repeater | -mt4-
usb

00008de8 | 2009-06-19T15:40:29Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
28.471231 (28.470999)

00008de9 | 2009-06-19T15:42:35Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
de dj3hj; qrz?

00008dea | 2009-06-19T15:42:36Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
g0vbc

00008deb | 2009-06-19T15:42:43Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
g0vbc de dj3hj; qsb; rst 57; name rudi; qth nr freiburg, sw germany

00008dec | 2009-06-19T15:42:55Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
rst 57; qsb

00008ded | 2009-06-19T15:43:05Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
beautiful copy; qsb; wolverhampton ok; tnx; 73; gl; dx; have a great weekend

00008dee | 2009-06-19T15:43:41Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
qrz?

00008def | 2009-06-19T15:44:00Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
10m

00008df0 | 2009-06-19T15:45:00Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
on

00008df3 | 2009-06-19T15:45:02Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
cw

00008df1 | 2009-06-19T15:46:26Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
off

00008df4 | 2009-06-19T15:49:36Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
on

00008df8 | 2009-06-20T08:05:30Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
10m

00008df9 | 2009-06-20T08:05:30Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
usb

00008dfa | 2009-06-20T08:05:30Z | radio > rx > mode | -mt4-
off

00008dfb | 2009-06-20T08:05:30Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
testing versatility of l-match on various bands

00008dfc | 2009-06-20T08:05:32Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
10m

00008dfd | 2009-06-20T08:23:44Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
on

00008dfe | 2009-06-20T08:23:46Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
28.49317 (28.492938)

00008e01 | 2009-06-20T09:12:48Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
2e0bgw de ik1fpk

00008dff | 2009-06-20T09:12:49Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
rst 59+

00008e00 | 2009-06-20T09:12:51Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
28.4673 (28.467068)

00008e02 | 2009-06-20T09:29:20Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
de iz5hpq; name marco; qth 36km from florence, pastoia

00008e03 | 2009-06-20T09:34:55Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
rst 59+

00008e04 | 2009-06-20T09:34:57Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
g0vbc 59

00008e05 | 2009-06-20T09:42:05Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
73; gl; qrz?

00008e06 | 2009-06-20T09:42:10Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
off

00008e07 | 2009-06-20T09:43:22Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
i've just been monitoring the 10m band; cw beacons and ssb from all over europe, including norway, latvia, hungary, germany, belgium, italy, spain and france

00008e08 | 2009-06-21T10:58:18Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
on

00008e09 | 2009-06-21T14:09:20Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
28.44024 (28.440009)

00008e0a | 2009-06-21T14:09:25Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
off

00008e0b | 2009-06-21T14:09:26Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
de f4fpg

00008e0c | 2009-06-21T14:09:33Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
rst 59+

00008e0e | 2009-06-21T14:09:35Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
the girlfriend here is pregnant; normally when girls are pregnant they're difficult; so when she's pregnant she's more difficult; of course, she doesn't understand english; that's very great; 73 terry; gud weekend; 2e0taw de f4fpg

00008e15 | 2009-06-21T14:16:08Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
g0vbc de f4fpg; rst 55

00008e0d | 2009-06-21T14:16:45Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
name fabrice; sometimes 57 here; qth se france, nr lyon; band shorter skip than half an hour ago when i heard stateside; ant 2-el delta loop, beaming stateside; cannot turn it; pwr 500w

00008e0f | 2009-06-21T14:17:26Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
thanks for that; she's calling me to be quickly; 73; nice to meet you on 10; rst 59, sometimes 59+; qsb

00008e10 | 2009-06-21T14:19:52Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
73; qrz?

00008e11 | 2009-06-21T14:20:31Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
de g0mpr; name fred; f4fpg de g0mpr

00008e12 | 2009-06-21T14:23:54Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
10m

00008e13 | 2009-06-21T14:26:54Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
off

00008e14 | 2009-06-21T14:28:39Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-

this l-match + choke balun solution is intended for portable use, but i thought i'd try it with the skywire loop antenna; clothes pegs on standby for securing the capacitor; i later added a spark gap between the antenna end of the coil and earth

00008e18.jpg | 2009-06-21T16:24:44Z | skywire loop antenna | -mt1-
a brief scan of 10m; conditions not what they were over the weekend; a couple of voices just below 28.500; probably italy/balkans; one cw beacon in italy; iz3lcj

00008e1a | 2009-06-22T09:28:53Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
some vivid dreaming this morning; lots of interesting places; some nice people; some nasty;

the first person i recall was a girl just like sophie hall circa 1991, though her facial features were more rounded; in a narrow, winding corridor at a hotel; low ceiling; dark red carpet; she was in a small, raised area with an armchair and small table, wearing a party dress; i think she was waiting for the toilet; we chatted; she was lovely;

later, i was at a reception desk in an airy police station, about 12 metres from the front door; two familiar people with me; i don't know which country we were in, but the man who entered and shot the three of us in the head was the south american type; perhaps he was like the shotgun guy at the end of `scarface' (1983); it was punishment for something the police had done;

more crime on the streets; i forget the premise but remember the locations; a city at night; some decades before i was born; a whitewashed passage outside an old music hall; something going on inside; i think some guy was trying to rip off passers-by; i'm really not certain; perhaps he had a gun and we were wary of pursuing him; but we did; someone called for an ambulance at one stage; out of the passages and arcades, the streets were low and spacious; a bit like suburban leicester; the man tried to find an alley or shop to escape through, but could not; we kept our distance; waiting for the cops, i suppose

00008e1b | 2009-06-23T07:20:26Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
It's spectaclr we're on a balconey in the shade overlookig court 19 play abnv to start. Don 't know the players x

sms from ma; i wonder how much alcohol had been consumed by this stage

00008e28 | 2009-06-23T11:07:14Z | -no-label- | -mt4-

anne keothavong stands mid-court; other courts behind her

00008e3b.jpg | 2009-06-23T13:13:27Z | -no-label- | -mt1-
on

00008e1c | 2009-06-23T14:30:05Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-
10m

00008e1d | 2009-06-23T14:30:05Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
20m

00008e1e | 2009-06-23T14:33:26Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
on

00008e25 | 2009-06-23T14:36:57Z | radio > rx > pre-amp | -mt4-
14.27512 (14.275004)

00008e1f | 2009-06-23T15:19:06Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
de i6vpr

00008e20 | 2009-06-23T15:19:07Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
de jo7cvu

00008e21 | 2009-06-23T15:20:38Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
[de i6vpr] this is my first time japan; i am very happy; see you next time; bye-bye

00008e22 | 2009-06-23T15:20:55Z | radio > rx > message | -mt4-
20m

00008e23 | 2009-06-23T15:24:57Z | radio > rx > frequency (mhz) | -mt4-
off

00008e24 | 2009-06-23T15:26:18Z | radio > on/off | -mt4-

ana ivanovic (ooh yeah) prepares to serve in an unconvincing but pleasing first round victory

00008e37.jpg | 2009-06-23T17:13:47Z | -no-label- | -mt1-
in this morning's dream, i was in the field east of dyffryn farm, by the lane, picking something from the base of the fence; it was an ordinary wire fence where the hedge is in the waking world; stunning weather (as it is this morning);

as i was working, a girl rode a horse down the lane; i looked up, saw her face (short hair; lean, monkey features) and said `hello' in a leslie phillips stylee; and then i noticed her father or someone on the saddle behind her; nevertheless, i pursued my line; `toot toot';

soon, the farmer, who was not aneurin, was visible at the bottom of the field, looking in my direction; he had two sheepdogs with him; i stepped across the fence and began to walk up the lane;

so there were new people in dyffryn; i think i had further experience of that part of the world during my dream, but i don't remember it; good, mystical stuff though

00008e27 | 2009-06-24T05:28:37Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
more dreaming this morning; dave and gramps encouraging me to improvise some craziness on the piano; it sounded pretty good;

later, sylvester stallone and two other humans were racing the `predator' up the steel steps of some industrial complex; the alien just beat them, but sly's attitude was commendable;

my post-piss dream was about another beautiful girl; monkey-faced again, but dusky this time; i recognised her from a movie she had been in some years back, called `honey moon', i think (but i don't know that film now that i'm awake)

00008e29 | 2009-06-25T06:46:05Z | -no-label- | -mt4-
having taken the field strength meter to each conductor of my skywire loop feeder and found them to be different (regardless of which one was connected to which half of the transmatch coil), i have questioned the balance of the system and conducted experiments on dipoles of lengths 20m and 5m on different groups of frequencies (i think the right feeder wire is the one that goes out across the garden);

with 5 metres of ladder line as feeder, the link-coupled transmatch matched the 20m dipole (strung loosely around the shower room and adjacent bedroom) on 160, 80, 40 and 20 metres with what seemed (at one position) to be good balance on the feeder; coax radiation was low, except on 40 metres;

having found imbalance on the line on 60m using the l-match, i found the same using the link-coupled transmatch;

5m dipole; same feeder; imbalance on (and radiation from) the line using the link-coupled transmatch (using just the centre of a coil large for such high frequencies) on 17, 15, 12 and 10 metres; with l-match + balun, neither imbalance nor radiation; later however, with the same dipole strung out in what seemed to be a straighter line, the l-match + balun system showed increasing imbalance on 15, 17 and 6 metres, having shown good balance on 10 and 12 metres (where the feeder is about a half-wavelength and the dipole likewise);

i dare say these test dipoles were not balanced; perhaps altering their position/length would have balanced them (testing them outside in the clear might be a good thing);

i would like to try the 20m dipole again (using each matching system) on 60m, attempting to fix the imbalance by altering the length of the dipole and, if that should fail, restoring the 20m and altering the length of the feeder; actually, considering the paucity of switchable ladder line for such a frequency, perhaps a 10m dipole on 30m would be better; not that one would expect the same conflict at that frequency, the 5m feeder being essentially different there

i have since read that checking for balance by sampling the ladder line does not account for phase (http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive/Rec/rec.radio.amateur.antenna/2007-08/msg00027.html); better restrict my experiments to trying to make the l-match + balun behave like the link-coupled transmatch on the lower frequencies

00008e2a | 2009-06-25T06:58:17Z | radio > comment | -mt4-
contents
mashoo, g0vbc, my bedroom, wolverhampton, still photograph, audio clip