This exists so I can keep track of my 2023-2024 temporary retirement

2023-12-14, reminder to write something about Semantic Infiltration

2023-12-12, flying at Flowerdale

It was't particularly windy and once we got set up at the takeoff we waited for a good northerly. Temperatures were rising through 34 degrees, so I launched with the first good puff. Must have mucked up something with my risers, had my left brake around a right A line. Sorted that out and got off the ground well enough

Obviously my ground handling still needs work.

Conditions were mildly thermic. Flew through thermic cells all the way down, had to brake to keep a control of surges in the wing as I pitched through thermals.

The Flowerdale landing zone seems to breed thermals, and over the paddock to the east I had strong sink, and had to turn in to land to avoid running out of space.

Landing was great. Flare went well. Wind was from the west in that minute to I approached from the north-east and turned about 45 right to land.

2023-12-11, protective measures around the house

My house site is very steep and the rataining wall at the back of the house is basically just a brick wall. I have known since I bought the house that the wall was going to fail, and rather than try to dig behind it I am reinforcing the glass surfaces at the back of the house.

For that I am using 50x200x2400 treated pine sleepers. I have built two layers so far but I will add at least a third in the north east corner, where the wall is weakest and highest.

2023-12-08, antanna tuning and paraglider repacking

SWR meter is working now.

My new paraglider bnag arrived and I spent some time repacking the Karisma, and fitting the new bag, along with the Nova harness into my APCO backpack. It fits, barely.

2023-12-07, building cables

Struggling with cable assembly. Probably finish tomorrow.

2023-12-06, get the radios sorted out

Bought parts to hook up my new SWR meter and started assembling them.

2023-12-05, looking at some robotics, working on radio cables

The new SWR meter has two female N-type connectors, while my older SWR meter has two female SO-239 connectors.

My radios all have female SO-239 connectors. This is the normal way to connect a UHF cable to a device, while the cables are male.

The SO-239 is the female counterpart of the PL-259, which is male.

So I need adapters to connect female N type connectors to female SO-239 connectors on the radio side, and a male PL-259 on the cable from the antenna.

I finished the power cable for my Yaesu ft-690R six metre transciever. I verfied that it recieves and transmits ok and experimented with some settings.

Also upcoming is an oil change for my Alfine 11 speed hub. Its all about getting both of my bikes in order. I am not cycling as much now so once I get these done it will probably be the last serious bit of work I do on them.

I have some gearhead motors for robotics applications and I am still looking at good ways to attach them to metal structures. Its possible that with a good mechanical connection, a metal to metal two part epoxy will do the job. I have had good results bonding clean aluminum under pressure.

2023-12-04, recovering from the weekend

I repacked my old Swing Mistral glider, so I can get the use of the backpack and then mulled over ways to pack my new harness with my wing. I normally leave the wing loosly packed in a light stuff bag, and I can further pack it into my APCO backpack. The Hike harness went in there ok but there is no chance with the Nova. It barely fits in the backpack on its own.

Its possible that a bigger, stronger stuff bag would solve the issue for fast turnarounds on the hill, which is my main issue. One possibility would be to keep the glider in the loose stuff bag and compress it there.

My UHF SWR meter should come from Aliexpress via Aus Post tomorrow so if its flyable I will be off, probably at Flowerdale, otherwise tuning my two UHF balanced dipole antannas and refining my VHF antenna.

2023-12-03, check flight at Broughton

SAFA notified me a few months ago that I didn't log enough hours to fly without a check flight so after trying for a while to line up a flight I was able to get it done at Broughton. It was a sunny day with light southerlies. The flight down was great and I also tested out my new Nova Ventus harness.

After the Apco Hike harness the Ventus is a bit heavy and wide. The Hike wraps around me to give a great connection to the glider and super smooth turns with weight shifting. The issue with the Hike is that it offers very little protection in a crash so as a beginner the heavier harness is better.

The Ventus is wider and I really need to adjust it properly. In this flight I had it almost uprght which gave me the feeling I was going to slide forward on the seat. I will tighten up most of the straps and recline it a bit.

I have been briefed several times on the conditions at Broughton. The tree line is a long way from the launch, which means that a long flight into the wind could fail to make the distance to the landing zone.

I settled on a straight line to the landing zone, and after crossing the tree line on to clear ground I turned right and flew across the training hill. I got useful lift from there which I could have tried to work but instead turned east again and started a base leg for landing. The LZ here starts just below the training hill with a fence to the right and a gully to the left, so there isn't much of an alternative to a landing to the SSW. I lined up and landed ok but the level fooled me for a bit and I finished up landing slightly down hill.

Many thanks to Olly at Updraft Paragliding for the check flight.

2023-12-02, organizing my workshop

I bought a bluetooth label maker. Its a bit puzzling to set up but once I got it going it gave me a reasonable set of labels for my document boxes and workshop storage.

2023-12-01, Antenna testing and tuning

Trimmed the two metre antanna by about 15mm top and bottom. SWR at 134Mhz has increased to about 1.5 and at 146 I am seeing about 1.9, which will do for now. SWR improved a bit once I lifted the antennas away from the steel roof.

Next job will be to shorten the conduit for the VHF antenna, and extend it again with removable pipe, Then I can iteratively shorten the antenna elements, testing for SWR as I go.

I bought a female SMA to F type male adapter and a F type female crimp adapter. I hooked up the 1090Mhz antenna using those adapters, connected it to my fligthaware SDR and had tracks displayed in a few minutes.

I have the power hardware for the 6m Yeasu and will get it going tomorrow.

2023-11-30, antennas today

Refactoring my antenna system. Bought three metres of triple strand, solid core mains wire, stripped it to access single strand. Bought three new BNC panel sockets and inline plugs.

Rebuilt the four antennas in my cluster. The elements are now made from the solid core mains wire, wired to the panel connectors. The 75 ohm coax is connected to the BNC inline connecters and plugged together inside the antenna structure.

Tested each antenna initially for short circuit, then shorted at the N type connector and tested for continuity at the antenna elements.

Tomorrow: testing the antennas. Terminate and test the 1090 Mhz mode S antenna.

There is talk of flying at Broughton in a few days. Keeping an eye on that. I need to do some ground handling with the Karisma first.