Radio Vacation and Update.

Started by gil, September 12, 2017, 03:22:54 PM

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gil

Awesome plane indeed Bob! WOW!

I have a funny story about hand starting... Back in the day when I was towing banners I owned an "Airland" French ultralight, pusher 2.2L VW engine, a biplane. My starter motor was broken so I just hand-started it. Once I had the throttle opened a bit too wide...  ::) Now you see it coming... The VW fired up and the plane started rolling! Problem is, I was in the back and had to go around the wing to reach the throttle up front! :o



So as the plane is picking up speed I'm running alongside it trying to take it over, but it's not going well...  :o I then see the strut to my left, joining the two wings and grab it... The plane starts to turn and keeps turning with me pulling on the strut! After one turn I realize I'm going to eventually have to let go! So I choose to let the strut go when the nose of the plane points to the middle of the field... Fortunately, the plane had slowed down a bit while turning so I'm able to pass the wing and do a mad dive to the cockpit, pulling the throttle back! I then laid on the grass for a bit to catch my breath! Upon getting up I noticed a few people back at the hangars with incredulous looks in their eyes..  ;D  I always used wheel chokes after that...

Gil.

cockpitbob

Nice Hammerheads! 8) ;D
What a fun plane!  Unlike conventional bi-planes you aren't way back and between the wings where all you can see is fuselage in front and wing panels on either side.  The visibility in that plane looks fantastic.

You towed b.. b.... banners?!?!?!?  Wow!  That's some pretty hairy-chested stuff.  Low and slow but don't hook the ground(!), then grab extra weight and a ton of drag and fight your way back up to altitude. 


gil

I used to hook them between poles, but finally opted for taking off with the banner attached, in front of you of course... It was easy with a very light single seater powered by a 65hp Rotax 532. That plane originally had a 40hp 447. I had time to pick up speed a foot off the ground before reaching the banner and pulling up (50m rope). The airplane was way heavier. I broke the landing gear once after the banner dragged on the ground on a no-wind day. The banners, flag types, were 12m x 8m. It was dangerous work but you had to learn fast, by surviving your mistakes. I miss those days.

I am thinking already how long a dipole could I fit in that wing?!

Gil

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cockpitbob

Quote from: gil on September 16, 2017, 04:12:05 PMI am thinking already how long a dipole could I fit in that wing?!

Gil

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk
Go end-fed, maybe lol.  I met a pilot that flew some long over-ocean trips in a piper archer back in the 1970s.  He had a wire antenna on a crank spool that was mounted next to him in the cockpit.  The wire exited the tail of the plane.  He had a small funnel attached to the wire to provide drag to pull the wire out and, I assume, keep it from whipping in the air as he flew.  I suppose he would crank in/out the right amount for a good match on the band he was on.  I wonder if he ever forgot to crank in the antenna before landing :o

caulktel

Great video Gil, I can't believe you towed banners with a ultralight. My dad towed banners with his Taylorcraft with a 65 horse Continental for years over Chico CA. He would pick the banner up with it between two poles also, then when he was done he would fly low over the field an pull the release. We would have it all rolled up by the time he got on the ground and off to the Pub:-) One time he flew a banner with a guy proposing to his girlfriend, she said yes! It was in all the papers. Fun times.

Joel
N6ALT

cockpitbob

Quote from: caulktel on September 16, 2017, 05:25:35 PM
One time he flew a banner with a guy proposing to his girlfriend, she said yes! It was in all the papers. Fun times.

Joel
N6ALT
That's how I proposed to my wife 26 years ago!  True story.   We were in Fremont, CA and the banner tow guy (Belanca Scout) was based in Livermore. 
I really need to get my old negatives scanned.  Somewhere in a box in the basement I have a pic of the plane towing the banner.

vwflyer

On our C-206s we use a random wire running from the top of the cabin to the top of vertical stab to one wingtip. An Icom auto tuner is used for matching. It works pretty well even on 60 meters. I'm sure the altitude helps too.

gil

On the air now, check the RBN link above...

Gil

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gil

One good contact with England on 30m, using a 6m wire.

Gil

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cockpitbob

Looks like I missed you.  The last RBN spot was 2.5hrs ago. 18-21wpm.  You've knocked the rust off your CW skills.

gil

I am more at like 17 wpm right  now... I will be scouting other locations soon  :-)
Gil

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gil


gil

One contact with Romannia.

I'll leave the antenna up for a bit in case someone wants to try...

Gil.

cockpitbob

At 18:40 I'm hearing half of a long QSO on 10,117, but it's so faint and QSBing in and out that I haven't picked up any call signs.  RBN shows lots of hits, but none are across the Atlantic.  My DroidProp app makes lit look like 10m will open up between us a bit in the next hour.

gil

There was some USA/EU reports on the RBN for 30m... No long QSO on my part, only the one from the 17th, also on 30m, lasted 11 minutes...

Gil.