Dog days in June

[kb3ouk]

I must be the odd one in all of this, I prefer having the windows open over running the A/C. Truck, car, house, anywhere. A few weeks ago I was in the shack with the amp running and on the air for almost an hour, lots of heat coming out of it. Just had the window open a crack and to me it was cooler in there than it was in the rest of the house that had the A/C on.

[K5UJ]

I prefer open windows too but when it is 85 or 90 or higher there's no benefit.  There's fresh air I guess.  I also like open windows because I figure the fresh air is better than breathing indoor air that's been trapped for who knows how long and may contain gasses like radon.  I sure liked outdoor air when that glass epoxy pc board burnt last winter even though it was 25 degrees outside  

Yes, we've all mostly adapted to A/C.  I have said for several years that we'd save a lot of energy if folks just got used to hot wx, opened windows and lived like they did 50 years ago.  Back then it was hot but we just dealt with it.  The exception would be hospitals and nursing homes and elderly folks or anyone in poor health in general.  

We lost electricity last night from 9:28 to 10:12.   Whole part of town I'm in was out.   I was pleased to see the backup power supply I bought surplus for five bucks kicked on and kept the computer running so I didn't loose all my open windows etc.  I'm gg back and get a few more of those.

Having said that, it is supposed to hit over 100 here Thursday!  Yikes    Get ready East Coast--this one may be heading your way.

[Bill, KD0HG]

Last four days in Denver. Today's 105 tied the all time high temp for the Mile-High city.
Tomorrow I get to try restoring a mountain top radio station that was burned by the fire near Ft. Collins. Having a National Guard escort, they want me up there by 6 and out by noon. Hopefully will have some cell phone pix.

I am soliciting contributions for my June home water bill.

Today Monday105
Sunday 102
Saturday 104
Friday102

[W3RSW]

Whew! Looks like your at the portal of H.. From what I've seen on the news.  Spent a few at USAFA so scenes like Garden of the Gods being closed due to fire brought back memories.
Hope you get the facility back on line.

[Bill, KD0HG]

Denver officially 105 again today,

[KL7OF]

I don't envy you guys the +100 deg temps.....What is the low at nite? what time of day does the the Hi temp start to drop?....Sounds like siesta time in the heat of the day...... and early mornings  to get the outside stuff done.....Nap in the middle of the day...Evenings outside when it gets cooler....I think we should try to adapt as much as we can  to the wx and the climate because the energy used to keep the human body in the "comfortable zone" is tremendous/costly ..People don't seem to be as adaptable as they used to be.....

[Opcom]

It was 107 in my back yard today. Regardless of the comfort or not, I don't think the temperature affects radio signals very much if at all. It seems to have more of a mental effect, making things seem more annoying than they really are, up to the point where illness begins.

Most gear is inside, but if the ambient is too high it is harder on some of it, especially that which can't tolerate a large rise like solid state gear relying on heat sinks and some LCD displays. I had a display go bad when its temperature hit 140 degrees. That's not a normal temp. for human beings, but it makes me wonder if at 110-120 degrees a display would begin to suffer slow or incremental damage.

I speculate that high temperatures is where tube gear can do well (assuming the iron is not cheap or under-rated). Many tube envelopes are rated 150 degrees C or more with full dissipation and it gives them an edge in heat differential over solid state stuff which frequently has little dissipation ability once it gets that hot. There is a case for using military surplus gear in the summer heat. During the time I was in the State Guard, I learned that air conditioning was for the radio radio gear we used and not for my comfort! It was about 80 degrees F in the communications enclosure. Not comfy cool but better than outdoors.

[K5UJ]

A friend of mine told my the VY0 operators reported two feet of snow on the ground when they landed to set up for Field Day in Nunavut.  Sounds wonderful to me. 

101 for the high here today     I heard on the radio that over 1 thousand records have been broken around the country which usually only happens in July or August.

[k4kyv]

3-digit temps predicted for this weekend.  Plus high humidity (yuck!).  It's been georgeous all week.  Sunny, blue skies, low humidity, tolerable temperatures, but dry as a bone.  Open burning restrictions are popping up everywhere, and in town, they have temporarily prohibited fireworks until further notice. QRN was low last night.  I actually got on 75 and had a fairly long QSO with Frank up in S. Dakota. 160 was also quiet, and I would have tried that if I had heard any signals on, but I rarely get any responses to CQs late at night on 160, even when QRN is non-existent.  40m sounded good as well, but I didn't hear any AM signals except for foreign broadcast.

[WQ9E]

Hit 102 here today with a little humidity.  Daughter and I spent much of the day in the pool and then I went for a shorter than usual (4 mile) run carrying a large bottle of frozen Gatorade.  It didn't stay frozen long

The heat is making the always territorial red winged blackbirds even more aggressive than usual.  It is fun to watch them drive hawks and other large birds out of their territory but there is one at the 1.2 mile point on my usual running route that swoops in tapping me on the head with his/her claws while making a loud squawking noise.  I am pretty animal friendly but this one is starting to push it.

[The Slab Bacon]

Sposed to be near 100 tomorrow, I am going to be standing over a grill, out in the sun, cooking most of the day.

now.............the question is, do I melt into a puddle or do I shrivel up into a raisin    I guess time will tell.................

[The Slab Bacon]

but there is one at the 1.2 mile point on my usual running route that swoops in tapping me on the head with his/her claws while making a loud squawking noise.  I am pretty animal friendly but this one is starting to push it.

Rodger,

Hmmmmmm................ Can you say pot of soup    

Or do you prefer your bird fried? ?    

[W3RSW]

Wow Frank, outside grilling and not even the fourth yet.  Big company and family I guess.
I'll think of yah as I hole up in the basement.

Yeah, gotta admit the A/C will be full on.  Lowest temp outside last night wa 80.

[K5WLF]

A couple of my co-workers made dashboard cookies yesterday. Took a few hours, but they were completely done. Thermometer in one of the cars got up to 170° and the OAT was only 97°. And summer's barely started.

[KZ5A]

Well this old fart is very thankful for an air-conditioned ham shack/shop, here in East Texas.  Last year the summer was just freaking brutal.

I've lived or worked all over the country at various times and the only place I've been where air-conditioning was truly optional (for me) was Capitan, NM at 6500ft elevation.   Even on the hottest days of summer it was still 50ish at night and sleeping with the windows open was delightful.  On the other hand it froze at night 6 months of the year.  The sunshine was intense, especially in the summer.   You could always tell who was a "tourista" because they were the only people who actually wore short sleeved shirts outdoors.

73 Jack KZ5A

[WA1GFZ]

friggen winter, I blew a brake line two nites ago going to the rear of my truck. It broke right at the fitting going into the hose. It looked funky last fall when I painted it. I'm yanking the bed hitting a boat place to get some high zinc paint and doing it up. Ordered stainless steel brake line kit.
At least when it is hot your car doesn't rot away going down the road. 

[K5UJ]

The first time I went to Calif. for my job around 20 years ago I could not get over how well preserved all the cars were.  People were riding around in old VWs, Saabs, Volvos, a few old Mercedes along with American makes and beemers.  it all seemed very weird to me.  Then one day on Hwy 101 south of S.F. a Mustang went by that was all rusted out and looked like hell.   I had thought maybe they didn't allow anything like that to be driven around in California.   As it went by I noticed it had Illinois plates and felt briefly back at home.

[KL7OF]

friggen winter, I blew a brake line two nites ago going to the rear of my truck. It broke right at the fitting going into the hose. It looked funky last fall when I painted it. I'm yanking the bed hitting a boat place to get some high zinc paint and doing it up. Ordered stainless steel brake line kit.
At least when it is hot your car doesn't rot away going down the road. 

Body rot and old rigs are the norm in Naknek...We are not on the road system....There is 13 mi of road once you get here and we use the beach as a road as well...It cost $2500 to barge a vehicle in here so we keep the old ones running ...I went out in the parking lot in front of the shop and took these pictures....

[KL7OF]

more

[WA1GFZ]

A couple years ago I noticed many old cars missing from Ca roads. Back in the 80s is was common to see '60s cars with only faded paint and fried dash pads but perfect bodies. I brought back a '78 firebird and just sold it.

[Steve - K4HX]

103 here yesterday. Over 100 predicted today but it topped out at only (?) 96.

Now there are tornados in the area. This is the third big set of storms with winds in as many days.

[Steve - K4HX]

And now marble-sized hail. 

[k4kyv]

108° here yesterday.

You often see severe wx along the northern edges of the high pressure system where there is a heat wave.

[Steve - K4HX]

Lots of bad stuff along the edge of this heat.

http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2012/06/30/mid-atlantic-storms-knock-out-power-to-nearly-2-million/?test=latestnews

[W1RKW]

Anyone monitoring their AC line voltage?  After a power flicker a little while ago I decided to connect the DMM to monitor the voltage.  Starting off at 121 after power came back I watched over a 30 or so minute period. The voltage dipped down to 109 for a minute or so. It's been bouncing between 116 and 118.  I imagine the 109 dip was due to everyone else coming online at the same time before things settled.  Would've been curious to know what the V was just prior to going out.