When I was a KTRU DJ in the spring of 1979, I was playing the first album by The Roches and one of my favorite songs was Quitting Time. Even then, I knew I’d be thinking of that song when I retired. Now, 45 years later, it is time. That song leads my retirement playlist, Rehearsals for Regirement. The name is taken from a Phil Ochs song, but that song is too sad for this occasion. Still worth checking out. What will I be doing in retirement? The categories in the sidebar here are a good guide—cooking, Scouts, amateur radio, volunteer emergency communication, hiking and backpacking, reading, al ..read more

I tested the FlipFuel fuel transfer device and it works well to consolidate partly full fuel canisters. It left about 6% of the original contents un-transferred (13-17 g), roughly enough to boil 3-4 cups of water. I’m OK with that performance. I started with six canisters ranging from 22% to 55% full and ended up with three canisters that were 74% to 81% full and three punctured, empty canisters in the recycling bin. I weighed all the canisters, decided which ones would be the recipients (the most full canisters) and which ones would be matched as donors (chosen to match the remaining capacity ..read more

And the list has some problems. Too many clothes, missing sleep clothes, filter instead of Philmont tablets, bear canister, and so on. Prompt was “make a backpacking gear list for Philmont”. Clothing and Footwear Hiking boots or shoes Camp shoes or sandals Hiking socks (3-4 pairs) Synthetic or wool t-shirts (2-3) Long-sleeve shirt (1) Hiking pants (1-2 pairs) Shorts (1-2 pairs) Fleece or down jacket Rain jacket and pants Hat and gloves Underwear (3-4 pairs) Bandana Backpacking Gear Backpack (50-65 liters) Sleeping bag (rated to at least 20°F) Sleeping pad Trekking poles (optional) Headlamp or ..read more

I like to try out new backpacking recipes at home before hitting the trail, so today I baked bread in the Banks Fry-Bake that I was given on Christmas. Very successful, it was tasty and I learned things for next time. I used the Basic Quick Bread from NOLS Cookery, because NOLS is pretty much the Church of the Fry-Bake. NOLS field-tested the Fry-Bake prototypes, then started using it for courses in 1979 and haven’t stopped yet. The Fry-Bake can be used as a skillet or as a backpacking dutch oven. I made the Italian variation of the quick bread, following the recipe (roughly) to add Italian sea ..read more

How do you find out which queries need the most improvement? Look at the ones that are underperforming compared to their expected number of clicks. If you look for low click-through rate (CTR), you’ll find underperforming queries, but they’ll almost all be in the long tail. Improving those won’t make an overall improvement. Click residual is a metric that combines CTR with overall traffic to give a useful number. To find the queries with the most impact, start with the click count. “Click residual” is the difference between the expected number of clicks and the actual number of clicks. When th ..read more

Want a base for your spiffy new Morse Code paddles with a magnetic mount? Try this jeweler’s bench block. It is 13 oz. (375 g), has a shiny surface that magnets stick to, and a grippy silicone base. Plus, it is only $10.99. The key is a UMPP-Academy made by GM0EUL. It looks like other 3D-printed keys, but it uses the same precision bearings that Begali uses. I have the extra magnets mounted on the sides of mine to increase the force needed to make contact. With the built-in magnets, it was just too touchy for my big, clumsy fingers. It is plugged into an Ultra PicoKeyer, which is more keyer t ..read more

This article was in the January-February 2020 edition of BSA Advancement News. That issue is not available in the BSA’s online archive so I’m republishing it here. Emphasis is in the original. The Power of Suggestion We’ve all heard of the ‘power of suggestion’ and how it can influence our lives and the lives of those around us. If someone or something suggests to you a specific outcome, your expectations can play an important role in achieving that out-come. The reason for this is that the way we anticipate our response to a situation influences how we will actually respond. In Scouting the ..read more

I’ve calculated some safe distances for RF exposure in typical emergency communication situations. These are for a 5 W HT (handheld radio) or a 50 W mobile, on 2 m and 70 cm, each with typical antennas. The results may also be useful for other VHF/UHF portable activities, like ARRL Field Day, Summits on the Air, or Jamboree on the Air. Very short version: The 6-7 foot social distance we’ve learned to keep is safe for a typical fixed or mobile em-comm deployment. This is the distance between any part of the antenna, including the radials, and a member of the general population. 5 W HTs are safe ..read more

I’ve written a series of articles about backpacking trips that work for Scouts ages 10 to 14. Some have a “split hike” possibility where older, stronger Scouts can take a different route to the same campsite. Sunol Regional Wilderness Preserve Coast Camp at Point Reyes Angel Island State Park Black Diamond Mines Berry Creek Falls in Big Basin Boulder Creek Scout Reservation Eagle Spring Camp at Mission Peak Black Mountain Trail Camp at Monte Bello Open Space Manzanita Ridge at Henry Coe State Park Castle Rock State Park Pioneer Outpost at Cutter Scout Reservation See you on the trail ..read more

The Hike Not especially well-marked if you want to make it a loop, but easy to follow on a fire road if you make it an out-and-back. This campsite is a couple of miles from the main part of Cutter, past the COPE course, down into a small valley. When you hit a decent-sized meadow on the downhill side of the road, you’re there. If you know a Scouter who’s taken the High Adventure Training (HAT) course at Cutter, they have probably hiked the whole loop. GPS tracks are available, if you ask nicely. Why Go Here? Who knew there was a backcountry campsite at Cutter? It won’t be booked up by tourists ..read more