Old Man Winter Visits North Carolina

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Certainly not a big deal to native New Englanders or folks from Syracuse, Colorado, and other places that get dumped on as a matter of course. But for NC, it's a big deal. They predicted flurries initially, we ended up getting 2-3 inches. 30+ accidents reported in the next county. And it was 70 here last week!

Gotta say, it looked nice falling on the quiet fields here as dusk approached. Had some Big Band holiday classics playing, a toasty house, any nothing particular to do. Quite relaxing, really. It no doubt helps to know I won't have to shovel any of it since it will be gone later today or tomorrow at the latest.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

It highlights the 80m dipole well, too. 

[W3GMS]

Nice pictures Todd.  Since we were there, I can relate to the nice views.  Up this way the snow blower is all ready to go!  Now that I am retired, its nice knowing that I don't have to go out in the stuff.  Martha Jeep Cherokee does well in the stuff, so we can always get out if we need to.
Regards,
Joe, W3GMS   

[w3jn]

any nothing particular to do. 

Git yer ass working on that 30K

[k4kyv]

It's supposed to get down to 14° early Monday morning.  And I am still trying to do antenna work.

[K1JJ]

any nothing particular to do.  

Git yer ass working on that 30K

Yeah and get that dipole center up off the ground. How we supposed to hear ya up here in that nest of alligators?  


Yes it's COLD! Got the coal stove going 24/7 as the temp hovers in the mid-20's and maybe teens tonight on JJ mountain.

T

[W3SLK]

Jim, K4VVV, sent me some pictures from Blacksburg, VA where he said they had 3" of snow on the ground. Hell, up here in PA, just a trace of a dusting. Nothing to get excited about. I watched the FSU/VT game last night and saw that they were all bundled up down in Charlotte, NC.

[kb3ouk]

All we got here was a d usting, too, which kinda surprised me.

[WA1GFZ]

I went out this afternoon to put up another KAZ and noticed my 80 meter dipole as tight as a banjo. Walked down to the stream and saw a big tree had fallen across a support rope. Good news was the old north dipole from the phased array was in the tree that came down. I got back 100 feet of coax and two insulators. The wire was an inch into the growth. No wonder I could never get it down.
I got some slack back in the antenna and freed the old antenna by the time I started getting cold. I was ready for the solar room by the time I got the kAZ
up. Still need to make a couple trips down to the streambut notw I can plan a 2 element array for 80 again.
Oil tanks are full, bring it on and get it over with.

[WQ9E]

Beautiful photos Todd!

We got lucky here with only 1.5 inches of snow but a short distance away there was a 5 to 6 inch snowfall.  But cold weather with near zero temperatures is on the way.   I mixed anti-gel into the tractor and pickup truck tanks, put the winter front on the pickup,  and mounted the blade and loader on the tractor so I am prepared (but not mentally ready) for winter.  We spent Thanksgiving in Townsend TN and it was 73 in IL the day before we headed south.

I am heading to Chicago late in the week to pick up a BC-610, HT-9, and RME-69 so I am more worried about the weather then.

[KA8WTK]

Beautiful pictures Todd. Good enough for a Christmas card.

[Opcom]

you lucky guys with the snow. Very calming images.

[KB2WIG]

"  you lucky guys with the snow. Very calming images. "

P,

 A six pack, an open freezer door, and you too can enjoy the calm.


klc

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

TNX for the compliments on the photos, guys. The wife said she thought one of them looked like Christmas card material too. I didn't think they were anything too special beyond showing snow coming down in NC. Joe, we've got my brother's Jeep Cherokee here now too while he's in Mosul, so if we get another HUGE storm like last year (6-8 inches, the state was paralyzed), we're set.

Git yer ass working on that 30K

Yeah yeah. I know, it kinda got slid to the back burner while we had company for Thanksgiving, then I got busy with another overdue project. Sent you a couple shots so you'd see I wasn't squandering my time too badly.    Will get the VFO/PTO info to you soon, hopefully tomorrow afternoon. Haven't found that coil I thought I had yet, so the hook-up will need some cypherin'.

Yeah and get that dipole center up off the ground. How we supposed to hear ya up here in that nest of alligators?   

I figured you'd pick up on that one pretty fast. Stevo took a look at it while he was down here for Shelby and figures we can get the entire system up another 20' or so. Looking at one of those MaxGain telescoping masts for a center support. Won't be ideal, but should at least get it to 50' or so and a bit closer to flat.

Sounds like you've got another mother lode lined up, Rodger? Let me know if you need piecesparts for the '610. I've still got some coils and meters kicking around, pretty sure all the tuning units are gone though. Still looking for a clean DB-20 to go with the nice RME-69 I got earlier this year from K1KW. Haven't even had time to play with it yet.

I watched the FSU/VT game last night and saw that they were all bundled up down in Charlotte, NC.

That was a nice game. Anytime FSU gets beat up on it's a good thing. Wife is a UF Gator, which makes me a Gator by marriage. It was a painful season this year.

Temps here are only forecast to be in the low-mid 40s days and 20s at night, so we're not too far behind the northeast. We don't see the single digits down this way as a rule, though it did get to 18 degrees last winter one night.

Perfect radio wx!

[K5UJ]

It's not cold until it is less than 3 degrees.  Why?   In 1994 we had a number of cold spells in Jan. and Feb. when the temp. got down to -25 or -30.   I remember one Monday at work when the high was -15.  Everyone was going out to the parking lot and running their cars at lunch time.  A few who had block heaters plugged them in with the few outlets available on lamp poles in the in the lot.   Everyone ran electric space heaters in their offices.   The first day it got above 0 it hit 3 when I got to work.  It was a heat wave.  I walked in with my parka unzipped and no hat it felt so warm.  a 28 to 33 degree warm up.  Ever since then, anything below 3 is cold.  Any temperature above isn't.

Now, I know there are some fellas on here from places like Yellowknife and Barrow who are all ready to say if your spit (I was going to write something else) don't freeze it's warm.   Go ahead, I know I live in the banana belt.

Don, whatever you do, don't handle any metal with your bare hands 


I've been operating 1880 lately, but there is some kind of local hash noise that sounds like a battery charger (based on my hearing of a motorola charger in one of those VE3HLS on line RFI recordings) that is 10 dB over S9 and I can't even null it out to a reasonable level.     It's making night time operating kind of unpleasant.   I'll try seeing if I can get rid of it by throwing a rx loop ant. null at it.  I need to get some serious DF gear in the car. 

[WA1GFZ]

a little snow in ct. this morning

[WD8BIL]

At the cabin!

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Reminds me of back home, Buddly. Those heavy snows that muffle all sound and blanket everything.

Should've kept my mouth shut about the temps. Tonight's forecast low is 18 degrees. And the wind is just a-whippin'.

At least it was purty for a day or so!

[Bill, KD0HG]

The long-range weather maps, and an ongoing La Nina episode seem to indicate a cold and wet eastern CONUS and a warm west are likely into the New Year.

After a few early snows, the ground is dry around here on the Front Range of Colorado. Been watering newly planted trees.

...And after I spent some big bucks on snow tires for the F-250. A guaranteed dry winter...Goodyear Wrangler Duratraks which have been excellent in off-road conditions.

[WD8BIL]

...And after I spent some big bucks on snow tires for the F-250.

Ahh....... nature respects no plans of mice n' men!

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

Down here we just stay in the house when it snows. All that experience gained through decades of driving in it up north is completely and utterly negated by the nut jobs down here to have no concept, yet get out there and put their foot down anyhow. Fortunately they are few and we are a couple hundred feet from the road.