base689

> Please now tell me if you use Cut Away toggles —————————————————————————————— I have been using Morpheus HPGB for at least 2 years now. My opinion is the following. Morpheus HPGB, if setup/installed/rigged properly, are impossible to have a failure or an unintentional release of the control line. I have never used them in the sense that I have never had a lineover and released of control lines using the release system of Morpheus HPBG. Once installed and rigged (PROPERLY), they are "no worries" type, you can behave as if they were "normal" big grab toggles. The pain in the ass of Morpheus HPGB, though, is the rigging up itself: to release the control line (pulling the aluminum ring at the bottom and retracting the pin) is very easy, the very difficult part is to place the control line loop inside the toggle and getting at the same time the pin INSIDE the control line loop. My first installation of Morpheus HPGB took me at least 1 h of swearing and of use of pliers, iron rod (the metallic part of packing power tool), my fingers and a goos dose of patience. Then I thought: "If I don't find a better/simpler/faster solution to rig them up, I am going to sell on eBay the Morpheus HPGB straight away!" I did the following. I took a dyneema 2.5 mm line, I removed the dyneema to have it thinner (I was left with the sheath only), then I sewed a loop of such a modified dyneema line, passing such a loop through the loop (or better call it "ring"?) of the pin. The dyneema loop is of "suitable length". When I have to release the control line I do as follow. I get the dyneema loop out of its place (inside the toggle somewhere where there the gap for pin to move), I pull the aluminum ring down retracting the pin, the controll line is released. I do whatever I have to do (assembling the slider, for example). Once finished, I stick the control line loop through the toggle grommet getting out on the side hole of toggle, pulling the dyneema loop I get the tip of the pin out on the same side of toggle, I get the pin through the control line loop and by hand i re-place such a lump of stuff inside the toggle (not so easy/not so fast...). At this stage, I pass my finger through the dyneema loop and pull it up, while trying to guide the pin straight up into its "natural" place. Still quite a hard work, but somehow doable, somehow repeatable. Then, when everything is at its "natural" place, I manage to stick the dyneema line (through the side hole) inside the toggle, which is a joyful pain in the ass indeed, but in the end I come up with a "clean" toggle with nothing out but the control line and the aluminum ring at the bottom. Once the Morpheus HPGB set up PROPERLY, it's a use-and-forget toggles (just take care that the bottom aluminum ring does not come way too down, way too out of the toggle, so having a possibility of snagging somewhere). By the way, forgive me if I say it here, but neither yourself nor anybody mentioned it, so I do it now. Let's suppose you have the Morpheus HPGB (or another control-line-release-toggle) installed on your rig. In case of a lineover on a slider up jump, you can release the (offending) control line by using the release system of your toggles, giving for granted that in the meanwhile you have stopped the spinning, checked that you are still high and not-too-close to your object. In case of a lineover on a slider off jump, the fastest and only way to go is to discard your toggles (or only the offending control line toggle and keeping the other) as fast as you can, throwing them outside/offside and up: in a slider off jump, we give for granted that the object is low and we give for granted that you are WAY close to the object, so there is no time to fuck up with ANY release system, just discard those fucking toggles as fast as lightning

That really sucks, Andrea. But I really feel for you and I wish you all the best

> More pics are on weekend photos —————————————————————————————— Thanks so much for sharing, Gail

> When I get some more, I'll share em! —————————————————————————————— That would be really nice of you!!!! I think I have on my home PC (I will access it next weekend...) a nice picture (...well, nice is for the pose, for the content I will let people judge it...) of myself just before exiting the BASE jump I did when I completed the word BASE jumping naked If you like, I can post it here in this thread (...removingthefaceforobviousreasons...) Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> Here's some pics! ——————————————————————————— You really rock, Gail Yourself naked among a multitude of clothed shy blokes, you are really brave

Hi anybody!!! I am on vacation in my hometown and I have my PC broken down Presently I am digiting from an Internet point and I am checking mail and posts here on DZ after a good while. I collected the pending donations (when someone is donating me in USD, I have phisycally go into my ?PayPal account and clikc on "Accept" to convert them into EURO and get them accounted on my PayPal account. I will check my PayPal account also in the next days (even if once in a while). Please, keep on doing "small" donations, when "enough" money will be received by me trough DZ/PayPal, I will post to stop. I am thinking to buy a Davis Wireless Vantege Pro 2 plus a repeater (I think that the 120m-300m of allowance between sensor and console would NOT be enough, provided that sensor will be located "quite" far from console (which will be placed inside the bar), such a configuration is to cost about 750€ (all (=shipment, VAT, import duties, etc ) included), as of today tue 22 august 2006 I got from donations about 450€: when collected a "little bit more" I will post here to stop donations (the remaing will be on us (=Italian blokes)). In the meanwhile: A BIG THANK TO ANYONE WHO DONATED ANY SUM OF MONEY. THANKS!!!

Magot, if I will ever get to USA, would you mind to share your EXIT point with me? With a fellow BASE jumper?

Happy birthday from Italy, Joy!!!!! Take care

> How long does it take to hit terminal on a B.A.S.E. jump? —————————————————————————————— Confirming everything that has been already said by the other folks, I can say the following: You reach terminal velocity in a BASE jump exactly after the same time as in a skydive as well as in a balloon jump, which is: 1) theoritically: NEVER (you approach terminal velocity in an infinite time) 2) actually: estimating a terminal velocity of 54.402 m/s - 178.484 ft/s, you reach terminal velocity after 12" and 448 m - 1469 ft (conventionally, you CLAIM to have reached terminal velocity after a time when your actual speed is about 97÷98% of your ACTUAL terminal velocity (=determined by instruments when skydiving)) But why do you need to determine the time when you reach terminal velocity with ALL this accuracy?!?!?!?!? After 10" you are already going down pretty fast indeed (= 51.578 m/s - 169.219 ft/s after having fallen down 343 m - 1126 ft), as well as after 8" (48.680 m/s - 159.711 ft/s and 242 m - 796 ft). Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> More of a joke than something people actually do? —————————————————————————————— Well, actually, I never skydived naked, but I did 4 BASE jumps naked: I jumped one of each type of the 4 objects naked (I am Naked BASE #14 ) Doing BASE naked can be more "secluded", in the sense that you can choose the type of object and time of the day where and when there are around no other people than your mates, and in any case it is a HELL OF GOOD FUN. Well, the "no other people around" cannot be enforced 100% of times... we were doing our B (=Building) naked jump, when, once we were ready and rig donned and about to be ready to jump, it was about 1:00 am, nobody around but these two blokes with their car parked in the parking lot just below exit point (not the landing, which was (very) slightly far away), they were smoking a cigarette, talking, OUTSIDE their car. We were myself, #658 and #726. It was end of july 2002 (hot night, I would say). Our friend Willie was the getaway driver (he was dressed...). Myself: "#658, we are WAY ready to jump, what should we do?" #658: "...let's wait until those blokes are gone..." #726: "oh, yeah, indeed..." myself: "...yes, I agree..." ...minutes... ...minutes... ...minutes... The two blokes still there but perhaps moving/behaving as IF they were about to leave. myself: "#658, WTF, are we going to sleep here?" #658: "Yeah, let's move on. Start going on exit point and see what they are about to do..." (exit is the 1 foot thick wall on top of our B) Now the good myself is PC in hand, feet on wall, ready to jump, concentrating on the horizon line in front of me, only once in a while looking down. #658 is watching carefully the moves of the two blokes, still hanging out down there, smoking, talking.... Last minute briefing by #658: "OK, let's go: you #689 jump, once you are open and fly 5 seconds, I jump, open, after 5 second of flight, #726 jumps. OK?" Myself: "OK!!!" #726: "OK!!!" I jump. Beautiful exit, perfect opening, I pass over the heads of the blokes, I land downwind (...there was no other possibility...

> How will the meteo readings be accessed? Via web? Via telephone? Or am I not understanding this correctly...? ————————————————————————————— As d_goldsmith said. The "display" (actually it is the meteo station itself...) will be placed somewhere inside the BASE bar across the street. Once on exit point, giving a phone call to the girls, they will read the display and tell you that there are 8 knots of winds coming from south or so. We were thinking about placing the station with disply somewhere (blocked with some spit/screw) somewhere AT exit point but: 1) exit is 2 km - 1.24 mi far from landing, I haven't found any non-professional meteo station this powerful 2) it would have needed a self contained solar power unit to supply power to the station 3) it would have required to place the station within some plexiglass case to protect it from weather (with some sort of sun shelter too) Too complicated. The best solution so far is to place sensor on landing and station inside the bar (...hope the girls won't be fed up too soon, tough... ) If in few years time it will come avaliable a wireless meteo station whose sensor piece and display pice are both self-contained/self-solar-power and can be placed 3 km - 1.86 mi far away, we could then give it a go and start another money collection Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

Hello there. I thought about posting our enquiry here. To make short a long story. A UK bloke gifted us a wired meteo station to be installed at our ITW; this station is NOT possible to be installed because the "sensor piece" is needed to be placed on top of a 2.5 m - 8 ft pole in the middle of the landing area (I already spotted the most suitable area, it's a small squared (already) fenced area, we need to ask for permiots but this is another story...) and CANNOT be connected to the "display piece": for those who know the place, it is NOT possible to lay a 150 m - 492 ft cable from landing area across the street to the bar. So, the only meteo station possible to be installed is a wireless meteo station. A suitable instrument for this purpose is the Davis Vantage Pro 2 Wireless: its "sensor piece" is a self-contained/self-power/self-transmitting sensor unit (solar cells/batteries/weather proof, whatever), its "display piece" has got the receiving antenna (up to 305 m - 1000 ft distance). This Davis Vantage Pro 2 Wireless costs about 600 € - 720 $. We started a money collection at our web site http://www.basejumper.it/muchobase/index.php, subforum I.B.A., thread "Colletta per stazione meteo wireless per parete terminale" (sorry, it's in Italian). Firstly, we were thinking about raising money among ourselves but we Italian folks are very few, so I thought that if there are US/foreign BASE jumpers that once in a while come and jump our terminal wall and wish to contribute to the safety of ALL the BASE community (knowing (once on exit point) which the wind is on landing is a very nice thing indeed, being wind strength the main concern when jumping ITW), they could throw in few money for the cause. If any BASE jumper would like to contribute to buy the wirless meteo station, he/she could send 10$ (or any other lower amount of money) to my PayPal account (username: base689 ; e-mail: base_689ATyahoo.com ), just specify in the notes that the sum is for Davis Vantage Pro 2 Wireless station (or just "meteo station ITW"). I thank in advance to all the folks who will contribute to the cause. When (or if!!!!) reached two thirds (or so) of the required sum, I will post here to stop sending money: the rest to reach the required amount will be taken care by our Italian folks. I will partecipate personally in installing the sensor piece as well as to installa the "display" piece inside the bar (I will do the calibration too). For sure, if it is needed to climb a tree to install the pole (for the "sensor piece")(not sure if we will get the permits to install it in the fenced "squared" area), I will happily let #726 to do that part, mainly because #726 is way younger than me and way fitter than me Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> Sophie Ellis Bextor was found... ———————————————————————————— Well well well, would you mind to explain to non-US living people who on earth is this Sophie Ellis Bextor, otherwise we cannot understand the joke?

> ...other one said something too nasty to be tolerated —————————————————————————————— I am not sayint that it is acceptable/nice/whatever, but insults do happen since the beginning of history of soccer (and for sure other sports too), and, if caught, you are punished (by referee), what they are indeed NOT tolerated are physicalk reaction to fauls/insults/shirt-pulling/whatever, which actions are clearly visible and liable for yellow card/red card/disqualification/whatever. Those are the rules. Not made by me. Poulsen was NOT caught. Materazzi was not caught. Totti was caught. Zidane was caught. Italy in 1994 lost in final at penalty kicks with Brazil. Fine. It's the game. Honor to Brazil. Italy won 2006 World Cup at penalty kicks with france. Period. Italy is 2006 World Champion. All the rest is bullshit. > I think is was premeditated to lead him to make a mistake, like he did, and get him out of the way when it was totally clear they match was going to end in penalties —————————————————————————————— Possibly. Possibly as premeditated as Poulsen (Danmark player) insulted/provoked Totti in European Cup 2004 Italy-Danmark match, where Totti finally spit at Poulsen (Totti at the time was extremely in shape and fit and "central" to Italy team). That match went away, the Totti's spit was then noticed watching video recording, then FIFA disqualified Totti for the following match(es). Italy was kicked oput of the tournament. Yes, Totti not playing was NOT the only factor why Italy was kicked out, for sure such an event modified the course of Italy's following match. Totti was disqualified (for spitting), which was right. He apologized and regret his actions. Zidane has been disqualified (for head hit) instantly, he subsequently apologized but admittedly he did NOT regret his actions (=if they do it again to me, I will do it again), which is really unfair. Enforcing of the rules again: De Rossi hit with his elbow McBride in USA_Italy match, he has been disqualified for 4 matches, De Rossi has been capable of playing just the final. Fine. He deserved it. They are the rules. Futhermore. Zidane has been playing for Italy's Juventus for several years, and we know him very well. Zidane is the soccer star who once in a while does animal actions (another head hit to a layed down player, a "walk-over-the-body" to a Saudi player at penultimate World Cup, few heavy kicks in the legs to "layed-down-players", plus other pleasant actions here and there), so if you say that Marco Materazzi is an animal, Zidane is not that better Few soccer players are saints If you are caught, provoked or not provoked, you can only stick to the rules (again, not made by me)(=you undergo to yellow card/red card/disqualification/whatever). Blue ones to you too Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> You're right, until linestretch it's more like a single pendulum —————————————————————————————— No. You are wrong. BEFORE line stretch there no pendulum nor anything else. BEFORE line stretch there is no physical connection between jumper and parachute. BEFORE line stretch, non-stretched-lines CANNOT and DO NOT transmitt anything, nor forces nor movement nor momentum nor anything else. BEFORE line stretch, parachute is "simply" a piece of cloth trailing up there, completely indipendent from jumper's body. Immediately after line stretch, I agree that exist two pendulums, parachute (through stretched lines) transmits forces to jumper etc etc. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> I think the man is half insane —————————————————————————————— I have just watched the video. My opinion is: it's bullshit. It's completely bullshit that somebody assembles the worst of the worst actions played by any soccer player and produces a video with such actions. I would say that it is "slightly" biased, don't you think so? And then, video about actions talk by themselselves, but still pictures are simply "detouring" because what it lacks in this case is the perspective and depth of field (from a still picture, you will never know exactly where everyone was and if and how hard somebody touched somebody else). If don't watch regularly 1st division Italian championship matches (which I do once in a while), you cannot judge the quality of a player simply weatching a video assembled by a biased bloke. Just my 0.02€ Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> Great goal-scoring defender, but a dubious choice for the national team given his disregard for clean play ————————————————————————————— We won. All the rest is bullshit. Yes, perhaps Materazzi is a bit rough, but there are the soccer rules and there are the referees for enforcing same rules. Materazzi (substituting Nesta) played an outstanding World Cup. Outstanding ball-head-hitter (he scored the highest number of goals for Italy, together with Toni, and Materazzi is a defender). All the rest is bullshit. And rules are for everybody: in 2004, during Danmark-Italy match of European Championship, a Danish player (...very average player indeed...) provoked Totti insulting him. Totti was in outstanding shape and very fit, the joyful asshole of Francesco Totti spit at him as reaction, that match finished smooth, his (bad) gesture was seen on TV by FIFA officials and so Totti was kicked out of the Championship and, of course NOT the direct cause, but nonetheless Italy was kicked out of the Championships (remember that at the time time Totti was the "center" of Italian team). Totti got NO price for that spit, rather, he got few tons of shit (by newspaper, experts, people, whoever...) for having been kicked out that stupidly off the European Championships. Fine. Those are the rules: if your behaviour, either "direct" or as "reaction", is unfair/against the rules, you are sent off with a red if caught in real time during the match, or afterwards if caught on TV (in this case, you are disqualified either for one match or for more (this year De Rossi got 4 non-playable matches for his elbow hit US player McBride, which is right according to the rules, in fact De Rossi has beeen capable of playing only the final, which he did). Now, whichever thing has been said to Zidane by Marco Materazzi, could it be not nice, could it be unpleasant, but since the beginning of history of soccer any player has insulted any other player, and what is definitely NOT acceptable that you answer with violent actions against words. These are the rules. Not made by me. Zidane action was really aimed to cause real harm to Materazzi; Materazzi, after been hit on his chest, has really been "revolved" on the spot and fallen heavily down. Another player not as big and strong as Materazzi is (1.93m-90kg/6'4" 198lb) would have fainted for sure. So: 1) nobody will ever know what actually Materazzi said to Zidane (Materazzi has admitted that he insulted Zidane but nothing about his mom, sister or being born in Algeria neither being a terrorist, "Yes, I insulted him the same way and with same words I have been told myself at least a dozen times during a match") 2) there is no fucking excuse to hit another player with the head in the middle of the chest with such a violence, while the two being "out-of-real-action", hoping to get away with it (referee was watching playing action and such a (bad) gesture was only seen by the 4th man (=non-playing referee at field side), Buffon was the only player who noticed the head hit and went to the "side-referee" (sorry, I do not know the name in English) and told him to investigate with the 4th man). 3) Zidane is NOT deserving the price of "Best Player" of the World Championships: anybody capable of such a violent gesture should not receive ANY price, forget to be a symbol for young people playing the sport. Just my 0.02€ Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> That's the way my specially designed 49 inch pilot chute works. Very stiff tapes to cause it spring open —————————————————————————————— Would you mind posting (or PM) pictures and/or drawings of that special PC, please?

> Zidane's mother was very ill in the hospital on Sunday and the Italian calling him "a son of a terrorist whore" as well as other racial slurs.... ———————————————————————————— My friend, please, don't swallow all the bullshit newspapers say.... Only Materazzi and Zidane know what they said to each other. There are NO official news about what Materazzi said to Zidane. According to islamic web site, Materazzi is going to be killed and similar stuff. Let's wait for official news (if official news will ever come to light). In any case, there is no fucking excuse to give a head hit in the middle of the chest of another player during a match while the attention of other players and referee is somewhere else. Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> I have to say I'm sick of seeing these guys (not just the Italians...although I think they are pretty bad) rolling around on the field like they are dying after light contact ———————————————————————————— OK, my friend, it's pretty obvious that you are NOT keen on soccer. Let's state it clear: yes, it's true that 50% of players moaning on the ground they are "acting" hoping" to get a free kick/penalty from referee. The other 50% of players moaning are really hurt. If you haven't really played soccer, nor followed it as a fan, you cannot imagine how easy is to get hurt in lower limbs in soccer. You play the ball with lower limbs, you "can" stop opposite player by kicking/contrasting them in the lower limbs, it is so easy to get seriously injured to your: shin/knee/ankle/thigh. In a contact game, as hockey/(american) football/rugby, you can stop opposite players by mean of phisycally stopping them but not exactly at their lower limbs (in hockey you are well protected), so, yes, in (american) football you can put opposite down but necessesarily kicking them in the legs; yes indeed, american football is NOT a sport for sissies, but there is no need of stopping a player by kicking him in the ankles or knees or similar. So, these above sports, being "contact" sports, it is quite obvious that you can get injured while practising/playing them. Soccer is NOT a contact game in the sense that according to the rules, you CANNOT touch a player if he hasn't got the ball, but obviously contacts they do happen, and often the offending player live in the subtle gray area of "opposite has got the ball"/"opposite is about to get the ball"/"opposite has NOT got the ball", and so in soccer contacts do happen. Finally, it is so easy for a "bad"/"crap" defender to stop an outstanding attacker simply kicking in the ankles. And once the outstanding player is nearly injured at his ankles, the above outstanding player becomes Mr. Nobody for the rest of that match...... It's NOT lack of balls, rather than it is so easy to get injured at your legs in soccer. So a "mild" contact sport as soccer can reveal itself pretty "bad" as far as lower limbs injuries are concerned. You wouldn't expect soccer has got so a high number of ankle/knees injuries. Just my 0.02€ Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

My Javelin J4 C16 + Sabre 190 + Tempo 170 + Cypres weighs 22.2 lb - 10.1 kg Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> Anyone know what's up with Apex and when they'll finally launch their single pin container? Presuming they already haven't; according to their website it's still in development. —————————————————————————————— When I was in the process of buying an Apex DP water rig, I also asked about Apex SP (it was end of 2005); I spoke on the phone with Todd. He told me that while the Apex SP was "OK" with size for parachutes up to (let's say) 260 (OK means it closes OK, it looks nice after closed), when manufactured to fit parachutes (let's say) from 280 on, Apex SP showed "not nice looking view", it showed not pleasant creases with parachute inside. I can understand this problem, because when I close my Prism (single pin rig), there are the stiffeners along the edge of side flaps that "suffer" a little bit to keep a straight and nice shape of closed container (my Prism was manufactured for a "standard" Fox 245, I got it modified with Vtec+valves later, which modification added a little more bulk). As you add more volume of parachute into a single pin rig, even if having the right inner volume, same single pin rig shows difficulties in keeping in "proper" shape the edge of its (long) edge of side flap, because you have the grommet/loop/pin exactly in the middle of edge of side flap, and what keeps it in shape is the stiffener, at the end you reach a maximum length (of edge of side flap) beyond which you simply cannot keep it in shape; in fact, I am wondering which the biggest size is of a Prism ever manufatured by Apex (formerly Basic Research). While Todd admitted that he was working on it, he told me about 3 options: 1) once solved any single problem, to release Apex SP for all sizes of parachutes 2) if "big parachutes issue" is NOT possible to be solved, to release Apex SP only for sizes of parachutes up to (let's say) 260 3) if "big parachutes issue" is NOT possible to be solved, to NEVER release Apex SP for sale. IMHO, any of the above three options is perfectly acceptable and shows the behaviour of a very serious bloke/company

> I have little , boring boobies... Please, let us decide if they are boring or little > no pictures exist... I don't believe it > The boys like boobies regardless of size.... right boys???? Exactly: personally, I like the shape of boobies, not just the size. Quality, NOT quantity Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> is that 6-8 guy inches or 6-8 girl inches? —————————————————————————————— Ehhmmm, ...perhaps you are assuming that 6-8 guy inches are WAY LONGER than 6-8 girl inches?!?!?!?!?!? Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com

> You take your pilot chute and grasp it in your right hand. Raise your right hand as high up and as far behind you as possible. Launch head high and agressively. Wait till the PC is ripped out your hand by the deploying canopy then let go. ———————————————————————————— Sorry. I didn't understand how the whole thing is rigged up. Who/what is going to get the parachute out off the container, if you hold the PC?!?!? Is there a SL with a break cord "somewhere"? Stay safe out there Blue Skies and Soft Walls BASE #689 - base_689AT_NO_123_SPAMyahoo.com