Posts Tagged ‘amateurradio.com’
PLT Devices – Have I welcomed the Devil in to the shack?
January 1st, 2016 | 
Author: I joked recently about turning to the Dark Side, well my conversion really was complete after the Boxing Day sales.
I need to set up the ability to remotely operate the station via the internet as well as experiment with internet linking systems but the wi-fi link to the shack isn't fast or reliable enough. Now if I do a scan looking for wi-fi networks I can see well over a dozen, some of them quite strong and more are popping up all the time and I suspect this congestion is part of my problem.
The Samsung Smart TV in the house was also wi-fi linked but we were having increasing issues with the BBC iPlayer and Netflix with buffering or poor quality images because of poor signal and data rates.
Ideally I would be like to fit proper ethernet cables but it is totally impractical without major upheaval or unsightly trunking a definite no-no. In the end the only workable and affordable solution seemed to be to get some of those evil Powerline Transmission (PLT) devices.
I have suffered strong sporadic QRM myself which I have assumed were neighbours PLT networking devices as I'd read the horror stories, seen the videos and anecdotal reports of mains borne noise caused by them. So I hadn't even considered it until I saw a post and video by Dan Trudgian (M0TGN) about his experiences of using some Netgear devices and the apparant lack of interference to his radio activities. Some members of South Kesteven ARS had also started using them, so I took the plunge and ordered some Netgear ones reduced on Amazon in the Boxing Day sales.
Setting them up was easy, but the acid test was how much noise did they generate? I set up one device in the shack at the far end of the mains cable run to maximise radiation. Streaming internet radio and a HD movie on Netflix I then used the FUNCube Dongle PRO+ SDR connected to the OCFD to see what noise they were generating.
Here are my observations going through the various HF bands. Where noise is present I first stopped the streaming and then powered off the devices to eliminate them as the cause, where they were the cause it seemed eliminating the network traffic was sufficient to greatly reduce the effect.
While the antenna isn't optimised for 80m, signals can be seen as well as noise. Before you get excited this noise has been present for quite a while and isn't being caused by the new Netgear devices. This noise is what I suspected was generated by PLT devices used by my neighbours.
Shocking noise but again this isn't caused by my new devices, the noise has the same characteristics as that seen on 80m.
The band was busy, there is some noise again but not from the new devices, this was looking encouraging. I have also showed the adjacent broadcast band.
Again, largely noise free
Still largely noise free, the QRM that is present still wasn't due to the new devices
This was the first indication of QRM from the new devices, however it appears effectively filtered to leave the amateur allocation clear. The faint noise in the middle picture is not from the new devices.
Again this band was clear of noise
Showing the two ends of the band again the clear signal/noise from the devices again seems effectively filtered
While the amateur bands appear to be filtered, the transmission can of course can clearly be seen on some non-amateur bands and apart from 16 meters seems to avoid the broadcast bands.
This fairly rudimentary testing has largely given me confidence that they won't be any issues. The band conditions weren't brilliant when I did test, but even with the absence of signals on the band any noise would be evident as seen. Yes they clearly do generate QRM but thankfully not it seems in the amateur bands. I haven't heard any extra noise on any of the radios over the last few days so all is looking promising. I will keep you posted if there is any change.
I need to set up the ability to remotely operate the station via the internet as well as experiment with internet linking systems but the wi-fi link to the shack isn't fast or reliable enough. Now if I do a scan looking for wi-fi networks I can see well over a dozen, some of them quite strong and more are popping up all the time and I suspect this congestion is part of my problem.
The Samsung Smart TV in the house was also wi-fi linked but we were having increasing issues with the BBC iPlayer and Netflix with buffering or poor quality images because of poor signal and data rates.
Ideally I would be like to fit proper ethernet cables but it is totally impractical without major upheaval or unsightly trunking a definite no-no. In the end the only workable and affordable solution seemed to be to get some of those evil Powerline Transmission (PLT) devices.
I have suffered strong sporadic QRM myself which I have assumed were neighbours PLT networking devices as I'd read the horror stories, seen the videos and anecdotal reports of mains borne noise caused by them. So I hadn't even considered it until I saw a post and video by Dan Trudgian (M0TGN) about his experiences of using some Netgear devices and the apparant lack of interference to his radio activities. Some members of South Kesteven ARS had also started using them, so I took the plunge and ordered some Netgear ones reduced on Amazon in the Boxing Day sales.
Setting them up was easy, but the acid test was how much noise did they generate? I set up one device in the shack at the far end of the mains cable run to maximise radiation. Streaming internet radio and a HD movie on Netflix I then used the FUNCube Dongle PRO+ SDR connected to the OCFD to see what noise they were generating.
Here are my observations going through the various HF bands. Where noise is present I first stopped the streaming and then powered off the devices to eliminate them as the cause, where they were the cause it seemed eliminating the network traffic was sufficient to greatly reduce the effect.
80 Meters
While the antenna isn't optimised for 80m, signals can be seen as well as noise. Before you get excited this noise has been present for quite a while and isn't being caused by the new Netgear devices. This noise is what I suspected was generated by PLT devices used by my neighbours.
60 Meters
Shocking noise but again this isn't caused by my new devices, the noise has the same characteristics as that seen on 80m.
40 Meters
The band was busy, there is some noise again but not from the new devices, this was looking encouraging. I have also showed the adjacent broadcast band.
30 Meters
Again, largely noise free
20 Meters
Still largely noise free, the QRM that is present still wasn't due to the new devices
17 Meters
This was the first indication of QRM from the new devices, however it appears effectively filtered to leave the amateur allocation clear. The faint noise in the middle picture is not from the new devices.
15 Meters
Again this band was clear of noise
12 Meters
Showing the two ends of the band again the clear signal/noise from the devices again seems effectively filtered
10 Meter
I didn't observe any additional noise on this band, but unfortunately deleted the screen grabs ;-)So where was the QRM?
While the amateur bands appear to be filtered, the transmission can of course can clearly be seen on some non-amateur bands and apart from 16 meters seems to avoid the broadcast bands.
Conclusion
These Netgear XAVB5221 devices seem effective, indeed doing a speedtest in the shack was more than acceptable (the dire upload speed is a 'feature' of my cable ISP)This fairly rudimentary testing has largely given me confidence that they won't be any issues. The band conditions weren't brilliant when I did test, but even with the absence of signals on the band any noise would be evident as seen. Yes they clearly do generate QRM but thankfully not it seems in the amateur bands. I haven't heard any extra noise on any of the radios over the last few days so all is looking promising. I will keep you posted if there is any change.
PLT Devices – Have I welcomed the Devil in to the shack?
I joked recently about turning to the Dark Side, well my conversion really was complete after the Boxing Day sales.
I need to set up the ability to remotely operate the station via the internet as well as experiment with internet linking systems but the wi-fi link to the shack isn't fast or reliable enough. Now if I do a scan looking for wi-fi networks I can see well over a dozen, some of them quite strong and more are popping up all the time and I suspect this congestion is part of my problem.
The Samsung Smart TV in the house was also wi-fi linked but we were having increasing issues with the BBC iPlayer and Netflix with buffering or poor quality images because of poor signal and data rates.
Ideally I would be like to fit proper ethernet cables but it is totally impractical without major upheaval or unsightly trunking a definite no-no. In the end the only workable and affordable solution seemed to be to get some of those evil Powerline Transmission (PLT) devices.
I have suffered strong sporadic QRM myself which I have assumed were neighbours PLT networking devices as I'd read the horror stories, seen the videos and anecdotal reports of mains borne noise caused by them. So I hadn't even considered it until I saw a post and video by Dan Trudgian (M0TGN) about his experiences of using some Netgear devices and the apparant lack of interference to his radio activities. Some members of South Kesteven ARS had also started using them, so I took the plunge and ordered some Netgear ones reduced on Amazon in the Boxing Day sales.
Setting them up was easy, but the acid test was how much noise did they generate? I set up one device in the shack at the far end of the mains cable run to maximise radiation. Streaming internet radio and a HD movie on Netflix I then used the FUNCube Dongle PRO+ SDR connected to the OCFD to see what noise they were generating.
Here are my observations going through the various HF bands. Where noise is present I first stopped the streaming and then powered off the devices to eliminate them as the cause, where they were the cause it seemed eliminating the network traffic was sufficient to greatly reduce the effect.
While the antenna isn't optimised for 80m, signals can be seen as well as noise. Before you get excited this noise has been present for quite a while and isn't being caused by the new Netgear devices. This noise is what I suspected was generated by PLT devices used by my neighbours.
Shocking noise but again this isn't caused by my new devices, the noise has the same characteristics as that seen on 80m.
The band was busy, there is some noise again but not from the new devices, this was looking encouraging. I have also showed the adjacent broadcast band.
Again, largely noise free
Still largely noise free, the QRM that is present still wasn't due to the new devices
This was the first indication of QRM from the new devices, however it appears effectively filtered to leave the amateur allocation clear. The faint noise in the middle picture is not from the new devices.
Again this band was clear of noise
Showing the two ends of the band again the clear signal/noise from the devices again seems effectively filtered
While the amateur bands appear to be filtered, the transmission can of course can clearly be seen on some non-amateur bands and apart from 16 meters seems to avoid the broadcast bands.
This fairly rudimentary testing has largely given me confidence that they won't be any issues. The band conditions weren't brilliant when I did test, but even with the absence of signals on the band any noise would be evident as seen. Yes they clearly do generate QRM but thankfully not it seems in the amateur bands. I haven't heard any extra noise on any of the radios over the last few days so all is looking promising. I will keep you posted if there is any change.
I need to set up the ability to remotely operate the station via the internet as well as experiment with internet linking systems but the wi-fi link to the shack isn't fast or reliable enough. Now if I do a scan looking for wi-fi networks I can see well over a dozen, some of them quite strong and more are popping up all the time and I suspect this congestion is part of my problem.
The Samsung Smart TV in the house was also wi-fi linked but we were having increasing issues with the BBC iPlayer and Netflix with buffering or poor quality images because of poor signal and data rates.
Ideally I would be like to fit proper ethernet cables but it is totally impractical without major upheaval or unsightly trunking a definite no-no. In the end the only workable and affordable solution seemed to be to get some of those evil Powerline Transmission (PLT) devices.
I have suffered strong sporadic QRM myself which I have assumed were neighbours PLT networking devices as I'd read the horror stories, seen the videos and anecdotal reports of mains borne noise caused by them. So I hadn't even considered it until I saw a post and video by Dan Trudgian (M0TGN) about his experiences of using some Netgear devices and the apparant lack of interference to his radio activities. Some members of South Kesteven ARS had also started using them, so I took the plunge and ordered some Netgear ones reduced on Amazon in the Boxing Day sales.
Setting them up was easy, but the acid test was how much noise did they generate? I set up one device in the shack at the far end of the mains cable run to maximise radiation. Streaming internet radio and a HD movie on Netflix I then used the FUNCube Dongle PRO+ SDR connected to the OCFD to see what noise they were generating.
Here are my observations going through the various HF bands. Where noise is present I first stopped the streaming and then powered off the devices to eliminate them as the cause, where they were the cause it seemed eliminating the network traffic was sufficient to greatly reduce the effect.
80 Meters
While the antenna isn't optimised for 80m, signals can be seen as well as noise. Before you get excited this noise has been present for quite a while and isn't being caused by the new Netgear devices. This noise is what I suspected was generated by PLT devices used by my neighbours.
60 Meters
Shocking noise but again this isn't caused by my new devices, the noise has the same characteristics as that seen on 80m.
40 Meters
The band was busy, there is some noise again but not from the new devices, this was looking encouraging. I have also showed the adjacent broadcast band.
30 Meters
Again, largely noise free
20 Meters
Still largely noise free, the QRM that is present still wasn't due to the new devices
17 Meters
This was the first indication of QRM from the new devices, however it appears effectively filtered to leave the amateur allocation clear. The faint noise in the middle picture is not from the new devices.
15 Meters
Again this band was clear of noise
12 Meters
Showing the two ends of the band again the clear signal/noise from the devices again seems effectively filtered
10 Meter
I didn't observe any additional noise on this band, but unfortunately deleted the screen grabs ;-)So where was the QRM?
While the amateur bands appear to be filtered, the transmission can of course can clearly be seen on some non-amateur bands and apart from 16 meters seems to avoid the broadcast bands.
Conclusion
These Netgear XAVB5221 devices seem effective, indeed doing a speedtest in the shack was more than acceptable (the dire upload speed is a 'feature' of my cable ISP)This fairly rudimentary testing has largely given me confidence that they won't be any issues. The band conditions weren't brilliant when I did test, but even with the absence of signals on the band any noise would be evident as seen. Yes they clearly do generate QRM but thankfully not it seems in the amateur bands. I haven't heard any extra noise on any of the radios over the last few days so all is looking promising. I will keep you posted if there is any change.
Skeeter Hunt – NPOTA News
Several things:
First - The NJQRP Skeeter Hunt for 2016 is moving from the second Sunday in August to the third. So please mark Sunday, August 21st on your calendar for this year's Skeeter Hunt. There are two reasons for this. The most important is that yours truly has an outstanding monthly commitment each 2nd Sunday of the month. That's the Sunday I go help out at the soup kitchen in the next town over. I kind of blew that off the past couple of Augusts, and that's not right. There are some things more important than Amateur Radio, and this is one of those.
But hey, the organizer shouldn't go AWOL, right? (That's how I feel, anyway). So I have moved it back a weekend to the third Sunday in August, where it shall occur forever more. Another added benefit is that this makes the spacing between Flight of the Bumblebees, the Skeeter Hunt and QRP Afield and the Peanut Power Sprint a bit more even.
Second - I have gotten blessing from Sean Kutzko KX9X to incorporate NPOTA into the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt this year. Is that COOL or what? I'm not exactly sure how it's going to all work out. Maybe bonus points for activating an NPOTA unit for the Hunt - or possibly some special "memento" for activating an NPOTA unit during the Hunt. I'll have to ruminate on that one for a bit - but there's time.
Third - On a personal level, Sean announced some new NPOTA units the other day. This was a biggie for me, because in the Northeast, the Washington - Rochambeau Historical Trail was added. This is the route taken by General Rochambeau's French forces and General Washington's Continental forces as they both marched on towards the siege at Yorktown, which all but brought the American victory in the Revolutionary War.
The Washington - Rochambeau Historical Trail is within a stone's throw from my house - literally. To make this situation even better, there is the Frazee house located on the trail in Scotch Plains, NJ - the next town over. Rather than try and explain the significance of the Frazee house in my own words - allow me to post something from the official Website.
"As the legend holds, after the Battle of Short Hills, General Cornwallis and his troops passed by the house while marching toward the Watchung mountains, located a few miles to the north. Known to the locals as a prolific baker, Aunt Betty was baking bread at the time. Hungry and tired, the troops smelled the bread and Cornwallis approached her stating, "I want the first loaf of bread that next comes from that oven." Betty is said to have replied, “Sir, I give you this bread through fear, not in love.” Evidently impressed by her courage, Cornwallis is said to have stated, “Not a man in my command shall touch a single loaf.” While history offers evidence that Betty lived in the house and did, indeed, bake bread, the story of the actual conversation is not authenticated by primary source documents. The words allegedly spoken by the principals are found in the earliest authoritative source on the subject, F.W. Ricord's History of Union County, page 513, which is one of the sources cited in the National Register of Historic Places filing that led to the Frazee House being placed on the Register."
I'll have to look onto getting permission to operate from the property that the house is on. If that's not obtainable, there are plenty of other locations that can be operated from on the Trail, right in my local area. In fact, right in front of the Ashbrook Golf Course, is a monument to The Battle of Short Hills.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
First - The NJQRP Skeeter Hunt for 2016 is moving from the second Sunday in August to the third. So please mark Sunday, August 21st on your calendar for this year's Skeeter Hunt. There are two reasons for this. The most important is that yours truly has an outstanding monthly commitment each 2nd Sunday of the month. That's the Sunday I go help out at the soup kitchen in the next town over. I kind of blew that off the past couple of Augusts, and that's not right. There are some things more important than Amateur Radio, and this is one of those.
But hey, the organizer shouldn't go AWOL, right? (That's how I feel, anyway). So I have moved it back a weekend to the third Sunday in August, where it shall occur forever more. Another added benefit is that this makes the spacing between Flight of the Bumblebees, the Skeeter Hunt and QRP Afield and the Peanut Power Sprint a bit more even.
Second - I have gotten blessing from Sean Kutzko KX9X to incorporate NPOTA into the NJQRP Skeeter Hunt this year. Is that COOL or what? I'm not exactly sure how it's going to all work out. Maybe bonus points for activating an NPOTA unit for the Hunt - or possibly some special "memento" for activating an NPOTA unit during the Hunt. I'll have to ruminate on that one for a bit - but there's time.
Third - On a personal level, Sean announced some new NPOTA units the other day. This was a biggie for me, because in the Northeast, the Washington - Rochambeau Historical Trail was added. This is the route taken by General Rochambeau's French forces and General Washington's Continental forces as they both marched on towards the siege at Yorktown, which all but brought the American victory in the Revolutionary War.
The Washington - Rochambeau Historical Trail is within a stone's throw from my house - literally. To make this situation even better, there is the Frazee house located on the trail in Scotch Plains, NJ - the next town over. Rather than try and explain the significance of the Frazee house in my own words - allow me to post something from the official Website.
"As the legend holds, after the Battle of Short Hills, General Cornwallis and his troops passed by the house while marching toward the Watchung mountains, located a few miles to the north. Known to the locals as a prolific baker, Aunt Betty was baking bread at the time. Hungry and tired, the troops smelled the bread and Cornwallis approached her stating, "I want the first loaf of bread that next comes from that oven." Betty is said to have replied, “Sir, I give you this bread through fear, not in love.” Evidently impressed by her courage, Cornwallis is said to have stated, “Not a man in my command shall touch a single loaf.” While history offers evidence that Betty lived in the house and did, indeed, bake bread, the story of the actual conversation is not authenticated by primary source documents. The words allegedly spoken by the principals are found in the earliest authoritative source on the subject, F.W. Ricord's History of Union County, page 513, which is one of the sources cited in the National Register of Historic Places filing that led to the Frazee House being placed on the Register."
I'll have to look onto getting permission to operate from the property that the house is on. If that's not obtainable, there are plenty of other locations that can be operated from on the Trail, right in my local area. In fact, right in front of the Ashbrook Golf Course, is a monument to The Battle of Short Hills.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
An interesting challenge
I saw this posted on the 4 States QRP Group e-mail reflector. I added NY4G's blog to the blog roll and am posting a link to his "challenge".
http://ny4g.blogspot.com/2015/12/qrp-dxcc-challenge.html
He calls it "QRP Wars - The Morse Awakens".
Cute.
Now the question is - can it be done?
My answer is, "Yes, I think it can." Even with the worsening solar conditions. But (and there's alway's a "but") I think this competition favors those who are retired and can send mondo amounts of time on the radio. It also favors those of us on the East coast, who are closer to Europe and the Caribbean. And with the ARRL DX Contest which is held in February, if you really put your mind to it, it should be possible to work QRP DXCC within 100 days.
Am I going to put my money where my mouth is?
Not sure at this point. I just might try it for fun and just may keep a "diary" of the effort here on the blog - just for the halibut. Let me cogitate on it for a while. I have a couple of days left until 2016 rolls around.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
http://ny4g.blogspot.com/2015/12/qrp-dxcc-challenge.html
He calls it "QRP Wars - The Morse Awakens".
Cute.
Now the question is - can it be done?
My answer is, "Yes, I think it can." Even with the worsening solar conditions. But (and there's alway's a "but") I think this competition favors those who are retired and can send mondo amounts of time on the radio. It also favors those of us on the East coast, who are closer to Europe and the Caribbean. And with the ARRL DX Contest which is held in February, if you really put your mind to it, it should be possible to work QRP DXCC within 100 days.
Am I going to put my money where my mouth is?
Not sure at this point. I just might try it for fun and just may keep a "diary" of the effort here on the blog - just for the halibut. Let me cogitate on it for a while. I have a couple of days left until 2016 rolls around.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Finer than a frog’s hair split twice
Elecraft AF-1 Audio Filter Kit
I've been working a lot of SKCC CW stations during the holidays and adjacent stations really interfere with my ability to use the vintage Ten-Tec Century/21. Its built-in audio filter is relatively effective if the band isn't too crowded but if I'm working a station and others pop up within a 1kHz on either side I have a real hard time keeping track of which QSO to listen to. I wanted some relief from the relatively porous audio filtering provided by the old girl.
A kit from Elecraft seemed to be the ticket to better signal isolation for my old radio.
 |
| Elecraft AF-1 Audio Filter Kit |
Building the kit
This kit is about $60 and is pretty easy to build There are a couple of ICs to solder so it will be easier if you have a temperature controlled, fine tipped soldering iron. Santa brought me a nice soldering iron for Christmas so this was my first chance to make some use of it. Everything about the kit is very straightforward and Elecraft has wonderful build instructions along with a well laid out board. Their instructions list components in the order that you will be installing them on the board, left to right and even include the color coding or numbering for resistors and capacitors right there in the instructions so you don't have to keep going back to look up the coding. I've only built one other kit previously and the Elecraft instructions are better.
My only gripe is that this kit has been out for quite some time, but for some reason they shipped me a Version "A" board that required a trace to be cut and a couple of jumpers installed to correct a board error. I would hope that they would ship new versions of the board but apparently you can get an old version. Next time I order a kit from them I may specify that I want the latest revision of the kit.
Performance
The board powered up and worked right as the last of the solder smoke was wafting away. I connected it to the Ten-Tec and tried to find some adjacent station operations to test against but the bands were not terribly busy tonight. I did manage to get a decent audio test on a calling station and created a video to demonstrate the board's capabilities.
Summary
This is the first kit I've built from Elecraft. It was a simple one. The instructions were excellent, the silkscreen layout on the board was straightforward and all the parts were in the bag. The kit does not come with an enclosure so it looks a bit unfinished and the knobs are a bit wobbly on their tall, plastic shafts. That is my only negative concern regarding the finished kit. Putting it in an enclosure would also require the battery holder to be moved to the bottom of the board to clear the shafts exiting the top of an enclosure. Certainly not a big deal but I would be willing to pay an extra $10 for a ready made enclosure because when I've tried to make them they look like junk.
But the bottom line is that if you have an older radio that lacks good filtering or you've built a homebrew radio that you want to be more usable on the air, the Elecraft AF-1 is an excellent addition. I think it is going to serve me well with my vintage radio. Now to find a project box to fit it.
That's all for now
So lower your power and raise your expectations
73/72
Richard, N4PBQ
A Christmas Rescue – Part Three
“Davey, I'm worried. It's getting close to eleven o'clock and not a word from your father.” Donna confided to Davey.
He didn't want to scare his mother, but he was starting to get worried, too. His dad had thought he'd be home by 9 o'clock and it was past that. Worse, there were no answers to repeated calls to Jason's cell phone. Each call went directly to voice mail. In his room, Davey had made calls on the TCARC repeater, trying to raise his dad. Those call resulted in no contact, either and that's what was concerning to Davey the most.
“Do you think we should call the police?” she asked Davey?
“Gee, Mom. At this point, Dad's only a couple hours late. I don't know if they're going to be able to do anything. But we could give it a shot if it would make you feel better.”
Donna made the telephone call, and within minutes the police showed up at the Bolton's door. Donna explained what had happened and Davey, making a split decision, had to set things right.
“Officer, my dad wasn't headed to work. He was headed to Pleasanton to pick up a Christmas gift for mom. He expected to be home by nine o'clock and that was over an hour ago.”
Donna gasped out, “What?”
“Sorry, Mom. Dad swore me to secrecy, but I thought it best the police know where Dad was really headed.”
The officer informed Dave, Donna and Maria that there really wasn't too much they could do at this point. Jason was only two hours overdue and generally a person has to be missing for twenty four hours before you could file a missing person report. But they took all the information about Jason Bolton's Jeep and said they would put a word out to the local police stations between Springdale and Pleasanton. They would inform Donna if anything developed.
The officer pulled Dave on the side. “You're involved with the Amateur Radio operators in town right, son?”
“Yes, sir. What are you suggesting?”
“Well son,” the officer started, “A lot of those radio people are involved in Springdale's CERT Team. Anytime we've asked for communications help, they've always stepped up to the plate. I can't have the OEM Director call them up for this, it's too soon. But you probably know most of them. Look, there's three roads that your dad most likely took – State Highway 9, Pleasanton – Spring Valley Road, or Old Post Road. Maybe if you and you're friends started looking on your own …......”
George and Jeannie Mason had come over to be with the Boltons. George had overheard the conversation between Dave Bolton and the police officer and had immediately said, “Say no more. Davey, you call Jimmy and get him over here. I am going to get on the phone and start making some phone calls. Donna, is it OK if I have the guys come over here as a meeting point?”
“But George, it's Christmas Eve! Do you think you'll be able to get anyone to help?” Tears started coming down her face.
George Mason reassured her. “Don't you worry, Donna. This is what we do, especially when it's one of our own. I think I can have a bunch here within the hour. The best thing you could do right now is get some coffee brewing. This might be a long night.”
As Donna went into the kitchen, Dave followed. This time, she really broke down. She hugged Davey so tightly, he thought he was going to break. “Oh Davey. When John died, I thought I was going to, too. How I managed to get through that, I'll never know. Then your dad and I fell in love and it was like my life was worth living again. I don't know if I can go through this again.”
Davey had a lump in his throat, but this was no time for weakness. He put the bad thoughts out of his head and took control. “Don't worry, Mom. We'll find him. Keep praying and let's just take it as it comes.”
Just as George Mason had expected, the phone chain had worked. Four members from the TCARC who were also CERT members had shown up at the Bolton house. They all met in the dining room, looking at a state map on the table.
George Mason got right down to business, “Thanks for coming out on Christmas Eve guys. I know you'd rather be with your families, bu this is for one of our own. Jason KD2JMJ had an errand to run to Pleasanton. He left at 6 o'clock and should have been home by 9 o'clock at the latest. That was over two hours ago. The police have been notified and are going to do all they can, but since it's been so recent, there's not much they can do. They suggested we get together.”
He continued on, “The police feel it's most likely that Jason took either State Highway 9, Pleasanton – Spring Valley Road, or Old Post Road. Maybe if we team up by two and head out to Pleasanton on the roads, we'll find out what happened.
I'll stay here and man the radio and act as a Net Control. John and Bob – you two take State Highway 9. Tim and Wayne, you take Pleasanton – Spring Valley Road.
Dave and Jim – you take Old Post Road. Be careful out there gentlemen, report back to base every 15 minutes or sooner if you see something.”
Jason Bolton had regained consciousness. Everything was kind of woozy, and his head hurt on the left side, towards the front of his scalp. He felt something warm against his face. It was Barney! Barney had gotten out of his carrier and miraculously, was no worse for wear. He had been licking Jason's face when he came to.
“Barney, good boy! It looks like we're in kind of a jam, boy”. Jason took stock of his situation after a few minutes. The car was on it's side in a ditch. The passenger side was “up” and the driver's side door was “down”. The air bags had deployed and something was pinning his left arm down. He could move and wiggle his hand, but couldn't free his left arm, and his left side hurt like blazes.
“OK, let's see. I can't free myself, but the radio seems to be working, thank God I hooked it straight to the battery and not through the ignition switch.” Of course he meant the Icom VHF radio under the dash. “If I can reach the microphone, maybe I can call for help. My cell phone's in my left pocket ….. I think. No way I'm reaching that.”
Talking to himself out loud had a calming effect. He knew that the very least thing he needed to do now was panic. He was able to reach into the center console and found an old rag that he kept to wipe the inside of the windshield from time to time. “Not exactly sterile. But I can use this to possibly stop this scalp wound from bleeding.” He placed the rag on his scalp wound and kept in place by gingerly putting on his ball cap. This makeshift compress worked and the bleeding slowed down to more of a seeping, instead of a free flowing situation.
“Now, let's see about the microphone.” He pulled on the coiled cord with his right hand only to fine that it was stuck on something. When he eventually managed to wangle it free, Jason saw that the microphone was smashed into bits.
“Great. The radio works, but the microphone doesn't. What now?”
Barney sat by George's side wagging his tail. He seemed to be happy to be with Jason, regardless of the circumstances and that fact alone buoyed Jason's spirits.
“Well, Barney, old pal, let me turn this thing on and hopefully, we'll hear something.”
The makeshift search and rescue team set off from the Bolton's house, each taking their route to Pleasanton. It was going to be slow going as not only was it snowing, but each team wanted to make sure that they didn't become a casualty to the situation as well.
George Mason acted as the Net Control. He had the explicit permission from the TCRC leadership to take full control of the repeater for as long as this took. He made an announcement on the repeater, notifying all on frequency of the gravity of the situation and asking for their cooperation.
“This is George Mason N2EBA, Net Control. Search Teams, please respond when called for a radio check”
“Team One – State Highway Nine – how do you copy?”
“Net Control this is Team One, WA2CBA reading you loud and clear.
“Received, Team One. Team Two – Spring Valley Road – how do you copy?”
“Net Control, this is Team Two, K2RBC reading you loud and clear.”
“Received Team Two. Team Three – Old Post Road – how do you copy?”
“Net Control, this is Team Three, AA2AM, you are full quieting.”
“All teams, on my mark, it will be 12:00 Midnight, local time. I will call for status reports every 15 minutes. If you come across anything, at any time, report in as necessary. 1, 2, 3 …... Mark”.
While all this was going on, Jason Bolton had the under dash Icom on scan. Since it was Christmas Eve, there wasn't much activity on any frequency. Luckily, he heard the net being called up. He muttered a quiet prayer of thanks to God that at least people were looking for him. But in addition to not being able to talk through his microphone, he also noticed that the culvert he was in was deep enough that he couldn't see the road. If he couldn't see the road, how would they seem him? This was compounded by the fact that it was snowing just hard enough that any skid marks left on the road would soon be covered. And it was getting cold, very cold. Barney hunkered even closer to Jason to try and keep warm himself.
Dave and Jim, and the other teams were all more or less halfway to Pleasanton and didn't see anything. In between 15 Minute call-ups, N2EBA kept calling KD2JMJ.
“KD2JMJ this is N2EBA. Jason, if you're out there listening, please call in.”
At the same moment, Jason was thinking to himself, “I would if I could, George, I would if I could. This microphone is a mess …... no way I can call for help.” Then a thought struck him. If he could reach into his right rear pocket and get to the pocket knife he always carried, just maybe ….......
He slowly shifted in the car seat. It was tough going because he was on his side, and hardly had use of his left arm, which was pinned to his side, but he managed to get the knife out. He carefully brought his right hand to his left and then deployed the blade. He set the knife down in his lap, and then pulled the microphone over. With a bit of effort he cut the microphone cord, exposing the wires. He racked his memory, trying to remember which two wires were the ones he needed. He began toughing them together.
As the teams were driving, they noticed the static that had been plaguing the repeater was back. Davey got disgusted with himself. “Geez, I thought we cleared that all up. Now it's back when we need it the least!” Jimmy tried to re-assure his friend, “Take is easy Davey. Don't worry about that now. Just keep a look out for your dad's Jeep”.
Within another hour, the three teams reached Pleasanton. It was 1:00 AM, Christmas morning. They each met up at the address of the house where Jason had picked up Barney, and they all checked in with George before turning back towards Springdale.
Meanwhile Jason, kept “calling” for help by touching the microphone wires together. He heard the net's chatter about the interference, so he know he was being heard. But how to get them to notice that is wasn't the repeater problem that his son has fixes, but that it was him? He decided to keep doing what he was doing and hoped for the best.
Shortly after the six Hams had started on their return trip. George Mason made a call up, well before the scheduled 15 minute interval. “All teams, this is Net Control. I've noticed something about our static problem. It's not intermittent, like it has been for the past weeks. It seems to be coming in regular intervals. Davey, does your Dad know Morse Code?”
“Net Control, this is AA2AM. No, Mr. Mason, Dad doesn't know Morse Code. He always said he wanted to learn, but never seemed to find the time. What are you thinking?”
“All teams, stand by. This static is not like before. It used to be random. Now it almost seems to have a rhythm to it. KD2JMJ, this is N2EBA. Jason if you can hear me, give me one, I repeat, one long burst of static.”
Jason Bolton couldn't believe his ears! He was hoping against hope they would notice his attempts at a signal and not keep mistaking them for interference. It seems George N2EBA had noticed a rhythm to the static bursts.
“Barney old pal, we're not out of the woods yet, but maybe there's a light at the end of the tunnel.”
The dog noticed Jason's excitement, and let out a bay that beagles are know for. Jason though it was loud enough to wake the dead.
Jason touched the wires together for five seconds, and the stopped.
George waited. “All teams, stand by. I have to make sure. KD2JMJ, Jason, if that's you – give me two long bursts of static.”
Jason did as directed. You could hear the excitement in N2EBA's voice but he maintained a calm demeanor.
Davey nearly jumped out of the car seat. “Jimmy, that's my dad! He's alive!” Jimmy was glad for his pal, but cautioned him, “Chill Davey, this is good news, but we still have a ways to go. Let's give Mr. Mason some time to work on this.
“OK, Jason. I'm going to as you a couple of questions – one burst of static for “Yes” and two for “No”. Are you injured?”
Jason Bolton pressed the wires together once.
N2EBA came back, “Are you hurt very badly?”
Two static bursts came back.
The George continued on, “OK, Jason. Listen carefully, we have three teams of Hams looking for you. They've already made the trip from Springdale to Pleasanton and didn't see you. I am guessing your Jeep is no longer on the road. We have one team on State Highway Nine, one on Spring Valley Road and one on Old Post Road. Is one of those the road that you were on?”
One static burst came back.
“Good man, Jason, good man! OK, Jason, one burst for the State Highway, two bursts for Spring Valley Road and three for Old Post Road. Go ahead.”
Three static bursts came back.
“All teams, KD2JMJ is somewhere off the side of Old Post Road. Davey and Jimmy, that's your road. Drive slowly and keep a look out. In the meantime, I'll notify the State Police. Teams one and two, please cut on over to Old Post Road and help Team Three.”
The next thing George Mason noticed was Donna Bolton hugging him wildly. Tears were streaming down her face and she was speechless.
“He's alive Donna, and not badly hurt, or so it seems. We'll get him home.”
The next voice heard on the repeater was AA2AM. “KD2JMJ this is AA2AM. We didn't see any skid marks on the way to Pleasanton. They must have gotten covered by snow. If there's any way you can signal us, it would sure help us find you”.
One single static burst came back. Davey knew his father would signal them somehow, he just had to figure out what that signal would be.
Jimmy drove carefully and purposefully. They hastened their way through stretches of road where there was flat land on either side of the road. Anywhere there was was a ditch or a culvert, they slowed down. Davey had opened his window and had a hand held, battery operated search light sweeping the sides of the road.
They were practically half way back to Springdale. And Davey was growing impatient. “Take it easy, Dave. I know you want to find your dad, but we have to take this slow.”
“I know, Jimmy, I know. But I want to get him out of there and home.”
As they came to the next patch of road that had roadside ditches, Jimmy slowed down some more and Davey opened his window to sweep with the search light. That's when he heard it.
“Jimmy, did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“I could swear I heard a dog howling. Turn around go back up the road a few hundred feet.”
Jimmy did and they saw nothing on the side of the road heading to Pleasanton. They turned around and headed towards Springdale again.
“Jimmy, I heard it again. A dog howling. Stop the car.”
Jimmy stopped and they both got out and walked along the side of the road.
“Jimmy, I can make out skid marks! They're almost covered by the snow!”
The followed the marks and sure enough, there was Jason Bolton's Jeep, on it's side on the ditch.
“Jimmy, I'll go check on dad. You get back to the radio and let Mr. Mason know we found dad!”
Dave scrambled down to the Jeep and gave it a wide berth. He didn't want to make the situation worse. Once he saw the car was stable on it's side and wasn't about it tip over further, he bent down hear the windshield and pointed his searchlight into the car. His Dad was sitting there and Barney was right by his side, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
“Dad, are you OK?”
“I'm pinned in here, Dave. I can't free my left arm and I have a gash on the left side of my head, but I think I'll live. Man, are you a sight for sore eyes!”
Meanwhile, Jimmy called back into N2EBA with the news that they had found Jason Bolton. He reported that they would need a wrecker, an ambulance and the crossroad they were nearest to. George called the State Police and everything was put in motion. It wasn't long before the Police, EMS and a Fire Rescue team arrived to do the extraction and transport to the hospital.
It was about 6 o'clock Christmas morning, when Jason Bolton arrived at St. Joseph's Regional Hospital, accompanied by Davey and Jimmy. While Davey went in to be with his dad, Jimmy sat in his warm car with Barney. A half hour later, George and Jeannie Mason and Donna Bolton and Maria all arrived at the Emergency Room.
In a short while, the ER Doctor on duty came out to the waiting area.
“Mrs. Bolton?” he asked.
Donna got up out of her chair. “How is he doctor? Is Jason going to be OK?”
“He's a very lucky man, Mrs. Bolton. He has a few cracked ribs on his left side and a bad contusion on his left arm from hitting the side of the car. And we think he might have had a slight concussion so we're going to keep him here today for observation. Just to make sure everything is OK.”
“Oh thank you so much, Doctor! Can I go in and see him?'
“Sure, But don't stay too long. We're going to be moving him upstairs to a room and he's pretty tired. He's probably going to sleep for a while.”
Davey, Maria and his mom walked into the Emergency Room cubicle.
“Oh, Jason. thank the Lord that you're going to be OK. You scared the living daylights out of me. And all this over a Christmas present? Don't ever do anything like this again!”
Jason tiredly smiled back at her and said, “He's not just a "Christmas present, Honey". Davey, where's Barney?”
Davey said, “Don't worry Dad, he's with Jimmy. We're going to bring him home with us from here.”
“You're just going to love him, Donna, He's such a good dog. He stayed with me the whole time. He's a rescue dog, you know.”
At that Davey laughed. Maria, and his Mom and Dad all looked at him quizzically.
“Rescue dog? Who rescued who – I think you might have rescued each other!”
He didn't want to scare his mother, but he was starting to get worried, too. His dad had thought he'd be home by 9 o'clock and it was past that. Worse, there were no answers to repeated calls to Jason's cell phone. Each call went directly to voice mail. In his room, Davey had made calls on the TCARC repeater, trying to raise his dad. Those call resulted in no contact, either and that's what was concerning to Davey the most.
“Do you think we should call the police?” she asked Davey?
“Gee, Mom. At this point, Dad's only a couple hours late. I don't know if they're going to be able to do anything. But we could give it a shot if it would make you feel better.”
Donna made the telephone call, and within minutes the police showed up at the Bolton's door. Donna explained what had happened and Davey, making a split decision, had to set things right.
“Officer, my dad wasn't headed to work. He was headed to Pleasanton to pick up a Christmas gift for mom. He expected to be home by nine o'clock and that was over an hour ago.”
Donna gasped out, “What?”
“Sorry, Mom. Dad swore me to secrecy, but I thought it best the police know where Dad was really headed.”
The officer informed Dave, Donna and Maria that there really wasn't too much they could do at this point. Jason was only two hours overdue and generally a person has to be missing for twenty four hours before you could file a missing person report. But they took all the information about Jason Bolton's Jeep and said they would put a word out to the local police stations between Springdale and Pleasanton. They would inform Donna if anything developed.
The officer pulled Dave on the side. “You're involved with the Amateur Radio operators in town right, son?”
“Yes, sir. What are you suggesting?”
“Well son,” the officer started, “A lot of those radio people are involved in Springdale's CERT Team. Anytime we've asked for communications help, they've always stepped up to the plate. I can't have the OEM Director call them up for this, it's too soon. But you probably know most of them. Look, there's three roads that your dad most likely took – State Highway 9, Pleasanton – Spring Valley Road, or Old Post Road. Maybe if you and you're friends started looking on your own …......”
George and Jeannie Mason had come over to be with the Boltons. George had overheard the conversation between Dave Bolton and the police officer and had immediately said, “Say no more. Davey, you call Jimmy and get him over here. I am going to get on the phone and start making some phone calls. Donna, is it OK if I have the guys come over here as a meeting point?”
“But George, it's Christmas Eve! Do you think you'll be able to get anyone to help?” Tears started coming down her face.
George Mason reassured her. “Don't you worry, Donna. This is what we do, especially when it's one of our own. I think I can have a bunch here within the hour. The best thing you could do right now is get some coffee brewing. This might be a long night.”
As Donna went into the kitchen, Dave followed. This time, she really broke down. She hugged Davey so tightly, he thought he was going to break. “Oh Davey. When John died, I thought I was going to, too. How I managed to get through that, I'll never know. Then your dad and I fell in love and it was like my life was worth living again. I don't know if I can go through this again.”
Davey had a lump in his throat, but this was no time for weakness. He put the bad thoughts out of his head and took control. “Don't worry, Mom. We'll find him. Keep praying and let's just take it as it comes.”
Just as George Mason had expected, the phone chain had worked. Four members from the TCARC who were also CERT members had shown up at the Bolton house. They all met in the dining room, looking at a state map on the table.
George Mason got right down to business, “Thanks for coming out on Christmas Eve guys. I know you'd rather be with your families, bu this is for one of our own. Jason KD2JMJ had an errand to run to Pleasanton. He left at 6 o'clock and should have been home by 9 o'clock at the latest. That was over two hours ago. The police have been notified and are going to do all they can, but since it's been so recent, there's not much they can do. They suggested we get together.”
He continued on, “The police feel it's most likely that Jason took either State Highway 9, Pleasanton – Spring Valley Road, or Old Post Road. Maybe if we team up by two and head out to Pleasanton on the roads, we'll find out what happened.
I'll stay here and man the radio and act as a Net Control. John and Bob – you two take State Highway 9. Tim and Wayne, you take Pleasanton – Spring Valley Road.
Dave and Jim – you take Old Post Road. Be careful out there gentlemen, report back to base every 15 minutes or sooner if you see something.”
Jason Bolton had regained consciousness. Everything was kind of woozy, and his head hurt on the left side, towards the front of his scalp. He felt something warm against his face. It was Barney! Barney had gotten out of his carrier and miraculously, was no worse for wear. He had been licking Jason's face when he came to.
“Barney, good boy! It looks like we're in kind of a jam, boy”. Jason took stock of his situation after a few minutes. The car was on it's side in a ditch. The passenger side was “up” and the driver's side door was “down”. The air bags had deployed and something was pinning his left arm down. He could move and wiggle his hand, but couldn't free his left arm, and his left side hurt like blazes.
“OK, let's see. I can't free myself, but the radio seems to be working, thank God I hooked it straight to the battery and not through the ignition switch.” Of course he meant the Icom VHF radio under the dash. “If I can reach the microphone, maybe I can call for help. My cell phone's in my left pocket ….. I think. No way I'm reaching that.”
Talking to himself out loud had a calming effect. He knew that the very least thing he needed to do now was panic. He was able to reach into the center console and found an old rag that he kept to wipe the inside of the windshield from time to time. “Not exactly sterile. But I can use this to possibly stop this scalp wound from bleeding.” He placed the rag on his scalp wound and kept in place by gingerly putting on his ball cap. This makeshift compress worked and the bleeding slowed down to more of a seeping, instead of a free flowing situation.
“Now, let's see about the microphone.” He pulled on the coiled cord with his right hand only to fine that it was stuck on something. When he eventually managed to wangle it free, Jason saw that the microphone was smashed into bits.
“Great. The radio works, but the microphone doesn't. What now?”
Barney sat by George's side wagging his tail. He seemed to be happy to be with Jason, regardless of the circumstances and that fact alone buoyed Jason's spirits.
“Well, Barney, old pal, let me turn this thing on and hopefully, we'll hear something.”
The makeshift search and rescue team set off from the Bolton's house, each taking their route to Pleasanton. It was going to be slow going as not only was it snowing, but each team wanted to make sure that they didn't become a casualty to the situation as well.
George Mason acted as the Net Control. He had the explicit permission from the TCRC leadership to take full control of the repeater for as long as this took. He made an announcement on the repeater, notifying all on frequency of the gravity of the situation and asking for their cooperation.
“This is George Mason N2EBA, Net Control. Search Teams, please respond when called for a radio check”
“Team One – State Highway Nine – how do you copy?”
“Net Control this is Team One, WA2CBA reading you loud and clear.
“Received, Team One. Team Two – Spring Valley Road – how do you copy?”
“Net Control, this is Team Two, K2RBC reading you loud and clear.”
“Received Team Two. Team Three – Old Post Road – how do you copy?”
“Net Control, this is Team Three, AA2AM, you are full quieting.”
“All teams, on my mark, it will be 12:00 Midnight, local time. I will call for status reports every 15 minutes. If you come across anything, at any time, report in as necessary. 1, 2, 3 …... Mark”.
While all this was going on, Jason Bolton had the under dash Icom on scan. Since it was Christmas Eve, there wasn't much activity on any frequency. Luckily, he heard the net being called up. He muttered a quiet prayer of thanks to God that at least people were looking for him. But in addition to not being able to talk through his microphone, he also noticed that the culvert he was in was deep enough that he couldn't see the road. If he couldn't see the road, how would they seem him? This was compounded by the fact that it was snowing just hard enough that any skid marks left on the road would soon be covered. And it was getting cold, very cold. Barney hunkered even closer to Jason to try and keep warm himself.
Dave and Jim, and the other teams were all more or less halfway to Pleasanton and didn't see anything. In between 15 Minute call-ups, N2EBA kept calling KD2JMJ.
“KD2JMJ this is N2EBA. Jason, if you're out there listening, please call in.”
At the same moment, Jason was thinking to himself, “I would if I could, George, I would if I could. This microphone is a mess …... no way I can call for help.” Then a thought struck him. If he could reach into his right rear pocket and get to the pocket knife he always carried, just maybe ….......
He slowly shifted in the car seat. It was tough going because he was on his side, and hardly had use of his left arm, which was pinned to his side, but he managed to get the knife out. He carefully brought his right hand to his left and then deployed the blade. He set the knife down in his lap, and then pulled the microphone over. With a bit of effort he cut the microphone cord, exposing the wires. He racked his memory, trying to remember which two wires were the ones he needed. He began toughing them together.
As the teams were driving, they noticed the static that had been plaguing the repeater was back. Davey got disgusted with himself. “Geez, I thought we cleared that all up. Now it's back when we need it the least!” Jimmy tried to re-assure his friend, “Take is easy Davey. Don't worry about that now. Just keep a look out for your dad's Jeep”.
Within another hour, the three teams reached Pleasanton. It was 1:00 AM, Christmas morning. They each met up at the address of the house where Jason had picked up Barney, and they all checked in with George before turning back towards Springdale.
Meanwhile Jason, kept “calling” for help by touching the microphone wires together. He heard the net's chatter about the interference, so he know he was being heard. But how to get them to notice that is wasn't the repeater problem that his son has fixes, but that it was him? He decided to keep doing what he was doing and hoped for the best.
Shortly after the six Hams had started on their return trip. George Mason made a call up, well before the scheduled 15 minute interval. “All teams, this is Net Control. I've noticed something about our static problem. It's not intermittent, like it has been for the past weeks. It seems to be coming in regular intervals. Davey, does your Dad know Morse Code?”
“Net Control, this is AA2AM. No, Mr. Mason, Dad doesn't know Morse Code. He always said he wanted to learn, but never seemed to find the time. What are you thinking?”
“All teams, stand by. This static is not like before. It used to be random. Now it almost seems to have a rhythm to it. KD2JMJ, this is N2EBA. Jason if you can hear me, give me one, I repeat, one long burst of static.”
Jason Bolton couldn't believe his ears! He was hoping against hope they would notice his attempts at a signal and not keep mistaking them for interference. It seems George N2EBA had noticed a rhythm to the static bursts.
“Barney old pal, we're not out of the woods yet, but maybe there's a light at the end of the tunnel.”
The dog noticed Jason's excitement, and let out a bay that beagles are know for. Jason though it was loud enough to wake the dead.
Jason touched the wires together for five seconds, and the stopped.
George waited. “All teams, stand by. I have to make sure. KD2JMJ, Jason, if that's you – give me two long bursts of static.”
Jason did as directed. You could hear the excitement in N2EBA's voice but he maintained a calm demeanor.
Davey nearly jumped out of the car seat. “Jimmy, that's my dad! He's alive!” Jimmy was glad for his pal, but cautioned him, “Chill Davey, this is good news, but we still have a ways to go. Let's give Mr. Mason some time to work on this.
“OK, Jason. I'm going to as you a couple of questions – one burst of static for “Yes” and two for “No”. Are you injured?”
Jason Bolton pressed the wires together once.
N2EBA came back, “Are you hurt very badly?”
Two static bursts came back.
The George continued on, “OK, Jason. Listen carefully, we have three teams of Hams looking for you. They've already made the trip from Springdale to Pleasanton and didn't see you. I am guessing your Jeep is no longer on the road. We have one team on State Highway Nine, one on Spring Valley Road and one on Old Post Road. Is one of those the road that you were on?”
One static burst came back.
“Good man, Jason, good man! OK, Jason, one burst for the State Highway, two bursts for Spring Valley Road and three for Old Post Road. Go ahead.”
Three static bursts came back.
“All teams, KD2JMJ is somewhere off the side of Old Post Road. Davey and Jimmy, that's your road. Drive slowly and keep a look out. In the meantime, I'll notify the State Police. Teams one and two, please cut on over to Old Post Road and help Team Three.”
The next thing George Mason noticed was Donna Bolton hugging him wildly. Tears were streaming down her face and she was speechless.
“He's alive Donna, and not badly hurt, or so it seems. We'll get him home.”
The next voice heard on the repeater was AA2AM. “KD2JMJ this is AA2AM. We didn't see any skid marks on the way to Pleasanton. They must have gotten covered by snow. If there's any way you can signal us, it would sure help us find you”.
One single static burst came back. Davey knew his father would signal them somehow, he just had to figure out what that signal would be.
Jimmy drove carefully and purposefully. They hastened their way through stretches of road where there was flat land on either side of the road. Anywhere there was was a ditch or a culvert, they slowed down. Davey had opened his window and had a hand held, battery operated search light sweeping the sides of the road.
They were practically half way back to Springdale. And Davey was growing impatient. “Take it easy, Dave. I know you want to find your dad, but we have to take this slow.”
“I know, Jimmy, I know. But I want to get him out of there and home.”
As they came to the next patch of road that had roadside ditches, Jimmy slowed down some more and Davey opened his window to sweep with the search light. That's when he heard it.
“Jimmy, did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“I could swear I heard a dog howling. Turn around go back up the road a few hundred feet.”
Jimmy did and they saw nothing on the side of the road heading to Pleasanton. They turned around and headed towards Springdale again.
“Jimmy, I heard it again. A dog howling. Stop the car.”
Jimmy stopped and they both got out and walked along the side of the road.
“Jimmy, I can make out skid marks! They're almost covered by the snow!”
The followed the marks and sure enough, there was Jason Bolton's Jeep, on it's side on the ditch.
“Jimmy, I'll go check on dad. You get back to the radio and let Mr. Mason know we found dad!”
Dave scrambled down to the Jeep and gave it a wide berth. He didn't want to make the situation worse. Once he saw the car was stable on it's side and wasn't about it tip over further, he bent down hear the windshield and pointed his searchlight into the car. His Dad was sitting there and Barney was right by his side, his tail wagging a mile a minute.
“Dad, are you OK?”
“I'm pinned in here, Dave. I can't free my left arm and I have a gash on the left side of my head, but I think I'll live. Man, are you a sight for sore eyes!”
Meanwhile, Jimmy called back into N2EBA with the news that they had found Jason Bolton. He reported that they would need a wrecker, an ambulance and the crossroad they were nearest to. George called the State Police and everything was put in motion. It wasn't long before the Police, EMS and a Fire Rescue team arrived to do the extraction and transport to the hospital.
It was about 6 o'clock Christmas morning, when Jason Bolton arrived at St. Joseph's Regional Hospital, accompanied by Davey and Jimmy. While Davey went in to be with his dad, Jimmy sat in his warm car with Barney. A half hour later, George and Jeannie Mason and Donna Bolton and Maria all arrived at the Emergency Room.
In a short while, the ER Doctor on duty came out to the waiting area.
“Mrs. Bolton?” he asked.
Donna got up out of her chair. “How is he doctor? Is Jason going to be OK?”
“He's a very lucky man, Mrs. Bolton. He has a few cracked ribs on his left side and a bad contusion on his left arm from hitting the side of the car. And we think he might have had a slight concussion so we're going to keep him here today for observation. Just to make sure everything is OK.”
“Oh thank you so much, Doctor! Can I go in and see him?'
“Sure, But don't stay too long. We're going to be moving him upstairs to a room and he's pretty tired. He's probably going to sleep for a while.”
Davey, Maria and his mom walked into the Emergency Room cubicle.
“Oh, Jason. thank the Lord that you're going to be OK. You scared the living daylights out of me. And all this over a Christmas present? Don't ever do anything like this again!”
Jason tiredly smiled back at her and said, “He's not just a "Christmas present, Honey". Davey, where's Barney?”
Davey said, “Don't worry Dad, he's with Jimmy. We're going to bring him home with us from here.”
“You're just going to love him, Donna, He's such a good dog. He stayed with me the whole time. He's a rescue dog, you know.”
At that Davey laughed. Maria, and his Mom and Dad all looked at him quizzically.
“Rescue dog? Who rescued who – I think you might have rescued each other!”
The End
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Repaired my ATU
Merry Christmas!
Not wishing to contend with an evening of dire XYL style Christmas TV (Strictly Come Dancing, Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey) I escaped into the shack and decided to repair my Vectronics VC300DLP Antenna Tuner. I got this ATU second hand last year and while it has been serviceable it had become temperamental of late. The units rotary inductor switch had become stiff and suddenly I was unable to match the OCFD on some bands so it had clearly broken.
I had a 12-position switch (rated at 5A) and knob, originally sourced for an abandoned project and hoped it would be suitable. The existing switch knob on the ATU wasn't an original, I'd assumed it had replaced one lost or broken. When I removed the cover it was clear that the whole switch had already been changed at sometime.
I also noticed a prominent burn mark inside the inductor coil, caused by a clear break in the insulation of the wire which was resting on the grounded bottom plate.
I know the previous owner of the ATU has a 300W RM BLA-350 linear amplifier, whereas I only normally operate around 30W maximum at my QTH, so not sure how much of this arcing I had caused but it needed sorting! A little over half an hour with the soldering iron and I had replaced the switch and slipped some heat shrink over the broken insulation and re-soldered the wire, lifting it off the ground plate.
The ATU seems to work well, now fitted with a new knob (just missing a cap at the moment) the switch turns nicely. I also cleaned up the SO-239 connectors on the back as they were tarnished and oxidised. I used a small bit of contact cleaner on some cotton buds to clean up the threads and the centre pins, removing a surprising amount of crud. The patch and antenna leads now screws on much better.
With the Mother--in-law staying with us over the festive period I suspect I may be in the shack quite a bit, I have plenty of jobs and half finished projects to keep me busy!
Not wishing to contend with an evening of dire XYL style Christmas TV (Strictly Come Dancing, Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey) I escaped into the shack and decided to repair my Vectronics VC300DLP Antenna Tuner. I got this ATU second hand last year and while it has been serviceable it had become temperamental of late. The units rotary inductor switch had become stiff and suddenly I was unable to match the OCFD on some bands so it had clearly broken.
I had a 12-position switch (rated at 5A) and knob, originally sourced for an abandoned project and hoped it would be suitable. The existing switch knob on the ATU wasn't an original, I'd assumed it had replaced one lost or broken. When I removed the cover it was clear that the whole switch had already been changed at sometime.
I also noticed a prominent burn mark inside the inductor coil, caused by a clear break in the insulation of the wire which was resting on the grounded bottom plate.
I know the previous owner of the ATU has a 300W RM BLA-350 linear amplifier, whereas I only normally operate around 30W maximum at my QTH, so not sure how much of this arcing I had caused but it needed sorting! A little over half an hour with the soldering iron and I had replaced the switch and slipped some heat shrink over the broken insulation and re-soldered the wire, lifting it off the ground plate.
The ATU seems to work well, now fitted with a new knob (just missing a cap at the moment) the switch turns nicely. I also cleaned up the SO-239 connectors on the back as they were tarnished and oxidised. I used a small bit of contact cleaner on some cotton buds to clean up the threads and the centre pins, removing a surprising amount of crud. The patch and antenna leads now screws on much better.
With the Mother--in-law staying with us over the festive period I suspect I may be in the shack quite a bit, I have plenty of jobs and half finished projects to keep me busy!
