377 20 #26 August 22, 2016 photognatWhat a fuckwit. You guys could have gotten him in trouble for that. Every person I've met who vehemently checks that everyone is licensed is a total twat. Tech licenses cost $5 and about 20 minutes of study time. If you have nothing better to do with your time than police your outdated hobby that nobody cares about, go jump off a cliff. -KJ6*** My son didn't want to wait in the car while I took my ham license exam so I invited him to sit for the test too. He (and I) had zero operating experience as neither of us had a ham license. I studied ahead of time and got lucky. I passed everything qualifying me for the top license, EXTRA class. My son, with ZERO prep, passed his TECHNICIAN class exam and got licensed. It's that easy. I've met a lot a wonderful people in ham radio but there are a few dickheads who can really ruin the experience. Ham radio operators get invited to work with law enforcement and firefighters providing backup comms in real and simulated emergency events. The dickhead hams like the "cop" aspect... they REALLY like it. Some go beyond the orange vest and try to dress like SWAT. A few even drive black Crown Vics with various antennas hoping they will be perceived as unmarked undercover. Believe it or not there is a market for ham radio operator badges that look similar to a real police badge. https://www.google.com/search?q=ham+radio+badge&safe=off&espv=2&biw=1674&bih=864&tbm=isch&imgil=F_JxQb2-7L02sM%253A%253B3wawmztkP5FqaM%253Bhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.reddit.com%25252Fr%25252Famateurradio%25252Fcomments%25252F2y439h%25252Fham_radio_badge%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=F_JxQb2-7L02sM%253A%252C3wawmztkP5FqaM%252C_&usg=__ubOvKhkPGQ-fUxq5B7ed5MlPlO8%3D&ved=0ahUKEwjjxanyj9bOAhUO9WMKHf3GAV0QyjcIKw&ei=soO7V-OkHo7qjwP9jYfoBQ#imgrc=F_JxQb2-7L02sM%3A https://www.google.com/search?q=ham+radio+cop+uniform&safe=off&biw=1734&bih=864&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi426bdktbOAhUL62MKHToyCrsQ_AUIBygC#safe=off&tbm=isch&q=ham+radio+uniform&imgrc=SYBwoxf9d2lYtM%3A Now that I've vented, I still like ham radio a lot. Two weekends ago I communicated with hams in Japan from under canopy in CA. It was a hop and pop from 13.5 to give max hang time for radio comms. They LOVED IT. I got a nice note from one who said "his [mic PTT] finger was still shaking". Good times. https://parachutemobile.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/qst-pm-article.pdf https://parachutemobile.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/dsc_0203_1.jpg 3772018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
photognat 0 #27 August 23, 2016 Haha, that's hilarious. That's really cool. Did you send anything to Parachutist? You should start adding jumpers at other Bay area DZs with just a 2M handheld and a repeater. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
377 20 #28 August 23, 2016 Photognat wrote: That's really cool. Did you send anything to Parachutist? Nah. I think most skydivers find this nerdy activity a yawn compared to head down, wingsuits, swoops, CRW etc. Its primary appeal is to ham radio operators who get really stoked about the novelty. There are very few intersections between ham radio and extreme sports so that draws many to seek radio contacts with our jumpers and help out as ground crew. Hams really love the unique QSL cards. https://parachutemobile.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/hf-qsl-card.jpg Our team members have done some good work on live video. We have tried many combos of cameras and transmitters (440 MHz, 1.2 GHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8GHz), towed camera rig for canopy shots without a camera flyer, APRS physio telemetry (HR and blood O2 saturation), etc. Hopefully some of that tech stuff can benefit the larger skydiving community that isn't into ham radio. One surprising bit of data is our heart rates as reported by telemetry during the jump. I've been jumping since 1968 and figured that I wasn't really scared after so many years and jumps. WRONG. My resting heart rate is about 78 on a good day before coffee. I've seen it spike to 168 during jumps. Two peaks are seen, one after tossing the pilot chute and waiting for a good canopy, the other during the final landing approach. 3772018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,340 #29 August 23, 2016 377Photognat wrote: That's really cool. Did you send anything to Parachutist? Nah. I think most skydivers find this nerdy activity a yawn compared to head down, wingsuits, swoops, CRW etc. Its primary appeal is to ham radio operators who get really stoked about the novelty... ...One surprising bit of data is our heart rates as reported by telemetry during the jump. I've been jumping since 1968 and figured that I wasn't really scared after so many years and jumps. WRONG. My resting heart rate is about 78 on a good day before coffee. I've seen it spike to 168 during jumps. Two peaks are seen, one after tossing the pilot chute and waiting for a good canopy, the other during the final landing approach. 377 NEVER underestimate the "nerd appeal" in this sport. Sure the "extreme" shit gets all the headlines, but the quirky, oddball, techy stuff will appeal to a lot more people than you probably would guess. We tend to be an offbeat bunch. Far more of the "techy nerds" than the "extreme sports" types. I'd shoot a message to Parachutist with an outline of an article and see what they say. Betcha a beer they are interested. I'm not surprised at the HR results. They wired up carrier pilots back in the 60s. HRs were higher during landing (especially night landings) than any other time, including combat/being shot at."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
