Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Wolfgang]

A common point in many of the recent accidents was that ATC was unaware of them. The reasons for this vary, but another sensing tool might be a remedy.

If they are flying in uncontrolled Class G airspace, then ATControl don't need to be aware of them and actually don't want to have to be aware of them. Awareness -> control -> responsibility -> too much workload.

In GA, if you see another aircraft you normally alter course to get of each other's way. If you are following a common feature (motorway, railway) and you don't see the aircraft doing the same in the other direction, then hopefully you will both have the feature on your left.

In gliding, OTOH, if you see another aircraft circling and going up, you think "oooh, lets go and play together". In extreme cases in competitions you can have situations that I rather doubt ATC want to be involved with, e.g. ...



Sensible? No. Fun? Looks it!

Please note I've previously made a point about top glider pilots pushing the envelope, and what can happen.

I aknowledge that you have commented about flying on the edge and what can happen.
If a collision occurs (like recently in Germany) a SAR helicopter will come and fly the survivers (if any) to the hospital.
The SAR pilots are the most risk-adverse people I know because they have seen so much going wrong.
Murphy never sleeps, so play safe. Having fun is oine thing, being plain silly is another.

[Kosmic]

After reading Worsthorse's spare parts story, I decided to hit the local classified ads to try my luck.

Literally 25min before my search someone posted an ads for some RF and electronic parts with no description and few pictures. I quickly requested more pictures, then was able to successfully negotiate the price down and just picked up the lot 

So I was initially going for the nice Utica sma torque wrench. What I paid in the end was a fair price for the wrench alone 


Also got:

128 x GPIB female connectors
233 x Panel mount SMA connectors
150 x Amphenol 031-4237 Silver plated BNC Connectors
278 x Raltron 310Mhz 10ppm Crystals
3074 x 3 pin header


350 x Multimeter leads connector (2mm ?)


3648 x Small Heatsink
243 x 14 pins Female Header
1500 x 16 pins header male


Box and box of Microwave Power Amplifier. From 6 Ghz to 20 Ghz.


19 x 7Ghz RF Synthesizer

[Kosmic]

Also some random Oscillators, PLLs from some old transmitter.

[Kosmic]

So the seller used to work for our hydro electricity company over here, maintaining their communication system. At some point they upgraded everything and he kept the different RF modules and spare parts in his basement.

He initially just wanted to sell the connectors but included the RF modules in the lot since he wanted to make some place in his basement 

Now I need to find some info on those power amplifiers and flip them on the bay asap.

[tggzzz]

I aknowledge that you have commented about flying on the edge and what can happen.
If a collision occurs (like recently in Germany) a SAR helicopter will come and fly the survivers (if any) to the hospital.
The SAR pilots are the most risk-adverse people I know because they have seen so much going wrong.
Murphy never sleeps, so play safe. Having fun is oine thing, being plain silly is another.

I agree.

The whole topic of "acceptable risk" is completely subjective and context-dependent.

Personally I'm happy to subsidise the cost of other people doing things that are a risk to them, even if I think they are mad; cave diving, horse riding, and smoking spring to mind. OTOH I will fight against anybody hurting bystanders or stopping me from doing what I regard as acceptably dangerous.

The latter presumes the risk is spread across an entire society, not merely a small group in an insurance pool.

[Specmaster]

That's too simplistic. Gliders can and should do things that large commercial aircraft simply cannot.

Ridge running in a 747 is  highly discouraged. 

It's bad enough when the bloody RAF do it up the valley by Hardknot Pass. 

Oh come on, it's not the V-series anymore.

The last time it happened to me I think it was a Tornado, but I can't be sure. The buggers come in so low and so fast that if they're above your head you just have time to register their presence, but not enough time to do any aircraft recognition. Of course if they're below you, it's different, you have a fair change of figuring out what it was that just made your teeth rattle. Vis:



or:



Yes, he is banking hard at perhaps 50 feet (and he's climbing), and yes, that is a public road at most 400 m in front of him.

Nice photos, I have always wanted to go to the Mach Loop and get photos like that but I know the climb up would kill me, literally at my age and weight. Anyway, as the photos were not labelled and for the avoidance of doubt, the first photos is of a F15, Strike Eagle from RAF Lakenheath (USAF), and the second one is a Tornado and is almost certainly out of RAF Marham.

[Specmaster]

A common point in many of the recent accidents was that ATC was unaware of them. The reasons for this vary, but another sensing tool might be a remedy.

If they are flying in uncontrolled Class G airspace, then ATControl don't need to be aware of them and actually don't want to have to be aware of them. Awareness -> control -> responsibility -> too much workload.

In GA, if you see another aircraft you normally alter course to get of each other's way. If you are following a common feature (motorway, railway) and you don't see the aircraft doing the same in the other direction, then hopefully you will both have the feature on your left.

In gliding, OTOH, if you see another aircraft circling and going up, you think "oooh, lets go and play together". In extreme cases in competitions you can have situations that I rather doubt ATC want to be involved with, e.g. ...



Sensible? No. Fun? Looks it!

Please note I've previously made a point about top glider pilots pushing the envelope, and what can happen.

I aknowledge that you have commented about flying on the edge and what can happen.
If a collision occurs (like recently in Germany) a SAR helicopter will come and fly the survivers (if any) to the hospital.
The SAR pilots are the most risk-adverse people I know because they have seen so much going wrong.
Murphy never sleeps, so play safe. Having fun is oine thing, being plain silly is another.

That looks bloody dangerous to my untrained eye, what if someone has an emergency and has to navigate down through those gliders, accidents and fatalities awaiting there for damn sure.    Yes I know that display teams fly in even closer formation, but they train hard for that have to pass another flight test to do formation flying and they practise and practise almost daily to be able to do that safely, and they have to know the procedure for escaping in emergencies and absolute trust in the other pilots. 

[Neomys Sapiens]

The SAR pilots are the most risk-adverse people I know because they have seen so much going wrong.
Murphy never sleeps, so play safe. Having fun is oine thing, being plain silly is another.

Err, must I remind you of the Mannheim incident? SAR helicopter crew tried to play games and crashed at the foot of the tower taking several meters of the tip with them.
It was fully lighted. The inofficial take is that one of them wanted to step onto the platform.

[SilverSolder]

If they are flying in uncontrolled Class G airspace, then ATControl don't need to be aware of them and actually don't want to have to be aware of them. Awareness -> control -> responsibility -> too much workload.

You might be on to something here. But in this case I have to wonder why that hyperactive product manager / sales honcho had me work several months on it, as that guy has an ATC background.

There can be many speculations, from the positive to the negatice, with cluelessness in the middle

A lot of glider and ultralight people would rather die young than implement safety devices that cost weight, money or complexity.
The lack of all these goodies has a clear consequence on the accident rate (guess why they are compulsory on larger aircraft),
so its a deliberate decision to live with a considerable risk or leave it. I'm fine with that - as long you just kill yourself, and not some
other people. The sheer number of sad  glider and ultralight crash casualties per year should be enough to start you thinking, however.

Are they really much different than e.g. motorcyclists?  (FX: thinks fondly back to the days of cracking 4 throttles wide open on a 1200cc bike and making the horizon turn into a point, and everything else a blur...   sigh.  To be young again...)

... yeah, those were the days of Golden Earring: ... another radar lover gone, and the good die young.
Why are we still alive ? Was our mere lifestyle too boring sheepish and ordinary - We need to re-evaluate ourselves. 

Speak for yourself... I've been shot, stabbed, burned up, blowed up, and in a truck that flipped over sixteen times. I've fought, fucked and farted on 3 different continents... I never expected to see 30, much less fifty-somethin'. 

The bitch part now is I have to pay out all those checks I wrote on my poor abused body as a youth... 

mnem
"A misspent youth is better by far... than a wise and productive old age..."

I was so lazy when a youth, that my brother recently described my body as a "barn find of an old car with only 20K miles on it", LOL!

I've never been blown up, but I can sympathize with ravaging fair maidens on multiple continents.  The nationalist nativists just don't get what they're missing!

[ArthurDent]

The fan does sound like it's grinding walnuts. 

Don't get all squirrely about it.

Oh we take the sound of ground walnut shells very seriously and I remember reading about this when it happened. In 1982 in Mannheim, Germany, there was a U.S. Army CH47 Chinook helicopter crash at an air show that killed over 40 people that was caused by ground walnut shells. Here is what the news reports said:

"The failure of the Forward Transmission Input Pinion Capsule caused the Number 1 Synchronized Drive Shaft to rotate eccentric and contact the Forward Pylon structure, causing the shaft to fail, followed by the subsequent de-synchronization of the Forward and Aft Rotor Systems. The Forward and Aft Rotor Blades meshed causing the Aft Pylon, Aft Transmission and the Aft Rotor System to separate from the helicopter with catastrophic results. The entire crew and all passengers received fatal injuries. Failure of the Input Pinion Capsule was caused by Walnut Grit blocking the oil journals inside the transmission. Walnut Grit was used to clean the transmission during the overhaul process."

[Wolfgang]

The SAR pilots are the most risk-adverse people I know because they have seen so much going wrong.
Murphy never sleeps, so play safe. Having fun is oine thing, being plain silly is another.

Err, must I remind you of the Mannheim incident? SAR helicopter crew tried to play games and crashed at the foot of the tower taking several meters of the tip with them.
It was fully lighted. The inofficial take is that one of them wanted to step onto the platform.

When was that ?

[0culus]

After reading Worsthorse's spare parts story, I decided to hit the local classified ads to try my luck.

Literally 25min before my search someone posted an ads for some RF and electronic parts with no description and few pictures. I quickly requested more pictures, then was able to successfully negotiate the price down and just picked up the lot 

So I was initially going for the nice Utica sma torque wrench. What I paid in the end was a fair price for the wrench alone 


Also got:

128 x GPIB female connectors
233 x Panel mount SMA connectors
150 x Amphenol 031-4237 Silver plated BNC Connectors
278 x Raltron 310Mhz 10ppm Crystals
3074 x 3 pin header


350 x Multimeter leads connector (2mm ?)


3648 x Small Heatsink
243 x 14 pins Female Header
1500 x 16 pins header male


Box and box of Microwave Power Amplifier. From 6 Ghz to 20 Ghz.


19 x 7Ghz RF Synthesizer

Dang. Interest in passing the savings onto me?  Kosmic’s Microwave Shop. 

[Neomys Sapiens]

The SAR pilots are the most risk-adverse people I know because they have seen so much going wrong.
Murphy never sleeps, so play safe. Having fun is oine thing, being plain silly is another.

Err, must I remind you of the Mannheim incident? SAR helicopter crew tried to play games and crashed at the foot of the tower taking several meters of the tip with them.
It was fully lighted. The inofficial take is that one of them wanted to step onto the platform.

When was that ?

1994

[Neomys Sapiens]

The fan does sound like it's grinding walnuts. 

Don't get all squirrely about it.

Oh we take the sound of ground walnut shells very seriously and I remember reading about this when it happened. In 1982 in Mannheim, Germany, there was a U.S. Army CH47 Chinook helicopter crash at an air show that killed over 40 people that was caused by ground walnut shells. Here is what the news reports said:

"The failure of the Forward Transmission Input Pinion Capsule caused the Number 1 Synchronized Drive Shaft to rotate eccentric and contact the Forward Pylon structure, causing the shaft to fail, followed by the subsequent de-synchronization of the Forward and Aft Rotor Systems. The Forward and Aft Rotor Blades meshed causing the Aft Pylon, Aft Transmission and the Aft Rotor System to separate from the helicopter with catastrophic results. The entire crew and all passengers received fatal injuries. Failure of the Input Pinion Capsule was caused by Walnut Grit blocking the oil journals inside the transmission. Walnut Grit was used to clean the transmission during the overhaul process."

I remember this one as well, but this fact has eloped my mind. That was a bad one. It was a parachute show team of the U.S.Army.

[Wolfgang]

The SAR pilots are the most risk-adverse people I know because they have seen so much going wrong.
Murphy never sleeps, so play safe. Having fun is oine thing, being plain silly is another.

Err, must I remind you of the Mannheim incident? SAR helicopter crew tried to play games and crashed at the foot of the tower taking several meters of the tip with them.
It was fully lighted. The inofficial take is that one of them wanted to step onto the platform.

When was that ?

1994

No games. The pilot did not see the tower in bad weather (3AM).
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernmeldeturm_Mannheim#Hubschrauberabsturz_in_Mannheim_1994
The tower lighting was renewed and the tip of the tower was painted in white/red.

[mnementh]

first licking smurfs and now into cavity searches.  a psychology major might read some things into that ...

You make it sound like there's something to infer; I'll state it bluntly: Ah'm futtinna'ead ann' ahh knows itt!!! 

mnem
I am not a pervert; I'm a provert. I get paid to be this way.

[mnementh]

   Fuck me i bought something!

Fluke 8050A with RF probe, original probes, battery option and case in excellent condition for not much. Looks ex military.  Only thing is it’s completely dead. Reckon the fuse is popped and the nicads are toast. Hopefully not crusty!  Edit 2: bet r26 is toast. 

Welp, the LCD isn't visibly bleedy even with the power off like so many we've seen... So that at least is hopeful!

mnem
 

[Kosmic]

Dang. Interest in passing the savings onto me?  Kosmic’s Microwave Shop. 

Good name for a ebay store, I should open one 

[Brumby]

Dang. Interest in passing the savings onto me?  Kosmic’s Microwave Shop. 

Good name for a ebay store, I should open one 

... ans maybe set up a background radiation counter?

[mnementh]

So the seller used to work for our hydro electricity company over here, maintaining their communication system. At some point they upgraded everything and he kept the different RF modules and spare parts in his basement.

He initially just wanted to sell the connectors but included the RF modules in the lot since he wanted to make some place in his basement 

Now I need to find some info on those power amplifiers and flip them on the bay asap.

bastahd!!! 

No, seriously; good score. If you can find the right market, I'm sure they'll buy you a car. 

         

Here's today's Thrifting score, in comparison... The RESMED CPAP is 2 or 3 generations newer than the one I'm using; I'll need to go through it and run the tank and everything that handles air through the dishwasher before I'll feel safe letting it pump air into my lungs.  But it'll be nice to let my old rebuilt-3-times beast become the backup, finally. Also you can see what should be the right remote for the 40" TV in the background, and a much better-quality 32" Panasonic being used elsewhere. I NEVER find the right remote!  Both of those were curb scores over the last couple months; the Panny appears to be 100% functional, while the Samsung is now in the repair que due to a random flaking out issue in the IR remote sensor.

The Radio Shack 4x4... poor Emmet thinks its his birthday.  These things are a weird cult thing in RC. 

They were never more than toy-grade, but they were some of the best toy-grade RC ever made; nothing like the New Bright crap that drove them out of business long before the Shack died. 480-size motor, 2-speed gearbox with dual-differential shaft-drive 4-wheel drive; some of the later models had full lighting and proportional steering/ESC. I've probably bought and converted 20 or so of them to "real RC" with the addition of a cheap 2.4Ghz controller and ESC; the existing integrated steering servo can be modded to work. This is the first one I can remember actually getting with the remote; maybe it'll actually work.    This is one of the nicest-shape I've seen in over a decade; like NOS almost with only a couple light scuffs and the rubber tires in near-mint condition. Both were real rare finds which is the only reason I was willing to deal with the assache right now when I'm getting ready for a move.
But still... nothing like YOUR haul.

mnem

[mnementh]

Signs that things may be approaching normalcy: While we still have about 1 in 10 fuckwits who still think they don't need to wear a mask in public places, I was finally actually able to just walk into a Px and buy IPA for my bench. w00t!

mnem
*toddles off to ded*

[mansaxel]

... ravaging fair maidens on multiple continents.  The nationalist nativists just don't get what they're missing!

Here, they're so incompatible with the rest of the population that they're importing wives from mostly Thailand, in order to get someone to rule over, since of course the husband shall rule his wife, etc ad infinitum idiot-babble.

This of course does not cover the "do Lebensborn again, now with DNA crusting" fraction of the extreme right, but those are quite few. Much like Brexit and Trump, winning for stupid right-wing-ideas here is done by confusing and inciting the ignorant, mostly using 1984 and Mein Kampf as manuals.

[Messtechniker]

At what cost?
Needed some IPA last week. 1 litre in Germany costs around 19 EUR.  I politely declined. Used to be 2 EUR some years ago. This stuff is produced in boatloads as industrial waste.

[mnementh]

CAD$12 for two .5L bottles, or US$8.82 or €7.74. IIRC, I used to pay ~US$5-6/qt before I left the states for 91% IPA; this is 99% and still the middle of a healthcare crisis, so 

   In comparison, I bought a gallon of 99.9% Methyl Hydrate at the hardware store a couple months ago for CAD$11; they had a shelf full because the marching morons don't know it's another name for Methanol.

Problem is there are a number of common marking pens and adhesives which IPA will cut but Methanol will not, so I wound up doling out my last half a pint of IPA very sparingly; until now I've been using the Methanol on a rag for sterilizing stuff and first attempts at cleaning parts, etc on the bench.

mnem
Just glad to have it again, m'self...

[DC1MC]

In Germany is not so bad:
https://www.ebay.de/itm/Propanol-Isopropanol-Isopropylalkohol-IPA-99-9-5L-5Liter/233609172307

4.60EUR/l shipping included.


 Cheers,
 DC1MC