Monday, May 27, 2019

New cycling tour

After 8 years it's time for another bicycletrip a bit different than the yearly ones. It's time for BUAB 2019 ! Starting in Venice Italy and cycling trough the former Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgary and Moldova to Ukraine. And after that who knows .. read more about it on https://on5rz.wordpress.com

Warp 9, Engange !
read you there, Raf.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Portland - Boston

Leaving Portland and it`s heavy traffic I went south along smaller roads and tried to see more of the shore. Weatherwise was still not perfect, rainshowers and grey skies but the wind was coming from the north so that was a ok. Hampton beach was very nice. Long beaches and curving roads similar like in Normandie, FR. I stopped near Groveland for the night at the qth from Dave KD1NA and XYL. I was impressed by his Elecraft and nice double setup/shack. We ate very good and I left in the afternoon more to the southwest to Peter in Harvard N1PQ and Pat his xyl. The weather was great, blue skies and warmer weather. Since Peter knew that that stretch as going to be the last for me, he welcomed me with balloons, Belgian beer, food and some time-off. The final numbers are 11527 km 703 hrs 17,6 kmh moving 11,9 kmh overall 123 days cycling .. pfft.. :-)

The next day 9/11 you couldn`t change a channel without watching a livestream from the ceremony. We went out to shop for some smaller thing and I packed and disassembled the bicyle in the carton box. That went smoothly and very relaxed, more so than on an airport, thanks Peter.

Peter is also a long distance cyclist and knows what it`s all about. On sunday we took the car to Boston and drove trough the city and did some sightseeing by car and on foot trough the city centre. We ate Italian in a resto and see the most important things in a nuttshell. Time to say goodbye back in the hotel and I expect Peter back in Belgium on day ! I crashed down and the next day I packed my bags in the HUBO afvalzak to be fittted on the plane.
The flight is the KL 6030 and leaves Boston at 17h local and arrives at 06h local in the morning in Amsterdam. Katia could be disturbing the latter part of the flight but I hope we go south of Ireland.

Track me on

Hope everything goes well and we will not be transformed in a submarine since I`ve got no VLF on board of the FT817d ;-)

A better review of this last trip will follow as a final comment on the whole journey when I`m back home, bye for now.

Van CANUS5

Van CANUS5

Van CANUS5

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Maine - Portland

I'm now cycling towards Boston over road number 1 to the south.
Weather isn't really in my favour but still it's only a good 250 km to go so, it isn't really a downer.
What surely is a downer is the driving habits that the drivers over here are showing off. It is not only during the extended Laborday weekend, what was as expected like unfriendly 'BA'-kind of people shouting towards you and driving barely next to you as they where going to hit you or just trowing a beer bottle to you.
It is actually happening also now during the first schoolday over here.
A greater number of lorry's and big trucks are passing all over and the road over here in the neighbourhoud of Brunswick and the road doens't really has broad shoulders.

Some scenery's along the coastlines are nice but I have seen nicer one's during the trip, sorry locals. Talking about the locals..
If they ask where I'm are coming from then I try to explain what I did during last summer (that has gone by now) and after explaining they just think I'm 100% crazy and I'm making things up. Difficult to maintain a normal conversation after that hahi.

From time to time I see a plaque or sign that shows that I'm cycling on the designated bicycling lane.. (the green sign with white bicycle) so I know I'm on the right track and not missing any smaller and nicer roads.
The GPS and maps are still trying to show me the best roads.
Radio-wise the WX isn't cooperative to hang up antenna's during the early evening and I already fulfilled the main goals. I try to be active maybe one more time during the evening on 40 or 20 if all goes well, I'll announce it on the twitter.

I encountered a few other bicyclers but not many as the summer season is closing down. The temperatures during the day are not exceeding the 20-25 degrees and during the night it's only some 8-12 degrees. The sun comes slowely up around 07 o'clock in the morning and it's only until 09-10 hrs when it's nice to come out of the tent. The sun goes down quickly at 1900 hrs so I have to find a place to pitch down by 1800 which leaves me only some 6-7 hrs of travelling during the day, not much. Compared to the Scandinavian summer - THE bicyling walhalla - days over there are sometimes 24 hrs long so time enough ! I'll go back to .se and .no next year, for sure.

I hope I'll make it safely at the final destination as I'm entering the heavy traffic Portland - Boston area.



Saturday, September 3, 2011

Fieldday ON4OSA

Yes ! I was able to contact my clubstation ON4OSA/p today on 20 and 40 meter during the local late afternoon 16:30 (20:30z) on 20 meters and 21:30 (01:30z) on 40 meters. They were really loud on 40 meters here at Phills station N1ED here in Maine in the little town in Milbridge. I saw the APRS spot from his friend N1DP but he was not at home and his daughter redirected me over here, very nice fron Phill to give me the opportunity to be active during the fieldday ! thx.
So, 5 more QSO's in total for the guys back home to add to the list and hopefully they get many more multipliers. As expected, Eddy ON6EF was doing the radio during the night and I got Mick ON4RAW during the daytime on 20 meters with the help from ON7DS Dirk who was very loud over here.
I worked the FT857d over here with the SteppIR vertical with 100 watts and it did the trick very good. Fingers crossed for the remainder of the trip towards Boston, weatherwise it will be rainy most probably the next days.
I'll add a video of the QSO with the station whenever I got the possibility to add it.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

QRV from Back Bay, NB

Qrv right now, 00:15 utc on 02 september on 7147 kc in Back Bay near Campobello island FM65ng on baseballfield. Going wry @0200utc, there is a coyote barking next to ny tent, I can't hear anything... Also from 1000 utc 7153 kc.