Wyoming B.S. Thread

Unfortunately, no viewing of the comet here. The clouds and rain are back. Same conditions predicted for at least the next 10 days. Summer is definitely over.

 

Been sunny and warm here. Might finally rain this week. Been a great fall

 

Me too don't worry haha

 

Wow it's huge. Looks awesome. I of course can't find my tripod...maybe tomorrow

 

Well no dice on the comet for me. Can see it but this tripod just isnt sturdy enough for this lens at this focal length for long exposures. Tried several times with a timer but even the shutter opening shakes it. I went with a decent (heavy) manfroto but it just isnt up for the task. Got a cool moon picture though. also got complimented on my "telescope" by two different neighbors LOL

 

Did you set it up low like I showed you last time? Or was it up high?

 

I had it low and wide, im not sure if i had some vibrations creeping through the roof, and there is a bit of a breeze. the movement is in the head from what i can tell. Ball mounts arent ideal for setups this big and heavy, but i do so little long exposure with it i dont feel the need for a gimble. for faster photography itll work fine as is. what i cant explain is the doubling going on in the lens, you can see to the left it doubled the light.

 

I seen this right at sunset, can't see it anymore, I assume it was the comet was due west of me

 

Venus. Comet was further to your right and took a while to show with the sun going down. Venus was bright as shit though!

 

Lol makes sense, I was like this comet is lame

 

It has a long tail that is easy to see

I may have to go out in the desert tomorrow with a smaller lens and give it another try. Hate failing!

 

Thanks for the pro tip carl, I'll keep an eye out for it. Wonder if there is a group of people hoping to catch a ride on it like Hail Bop lol

 

@Blackdawg @turbodb

Do you guys have a recommendation for a 2 meter/70 centimeter antenna replacement. I seem to recall that there is one you like because it is more flexible and shorter while maintaining an effective range.

This last trip put quite a beating on the setup I have been using. I am also considering putting a 2nd antenna up there for a GMRS radio.

 

I like both of my antenna's.

The Diamond is longer and more like your old one (folds down). Slightly longer range. I rarely use it anymore.

The one you're thinking of is the STI-CO. It's about 18" long and completely flexible. Can be tied in a knot. Range is less than the Diamond, but still good enough for nearly all of our uses. Not cheap.

Here's a comparison photo of the two from a length perspective... though of course, length on the STI-CO is sort of irrelevant: Ham Radio Antenna Getting Caught on Branches (resolved)

You don't need to put the GMRS antenna on the top of the truck. I put one in the cab and I can get many miles of range from it. Certainly way more than CB.

Adding a Third Band | GMRS for the Tacoma – AdventureTaco

 

That lil antenna seems too good to be true for GMRS, isn't it high 400mhz band? I'm surprised that doesn't gimp it down to like handheld HAM level of propagation. 50W GMRS?

 

Pretty sure the Midland is 15W. I can get about 2x the distance of CB with that tiny antenna mounted in that position. It's crazy good.

 

I should also add - the nice thing about mounting it there, like that, is that the ext cab window is right there, so if I ever did want to put it on the roof, I can just run the wire out the window and magnet it to the roof. I have no idea how that would increase the range, since I've never needed to do it, but I like the fact that it doesn't need another hole drilled.

 

Yeah, that's a pretty good sell, 15w radio and it works that well is nice too, much lower price than the 25/40w counterparts. Did that antenna come with the Midland?

Edit, I see it was included. Noice, I was just about to buy a GMRS, I have been giddy with the thought of drop kicking my CB radio

 

Yeah, the Midland came with everything necessary for installation, which was really nice compared to both CB and ham.

I would love to kick our CBs to the curb.

 

Thanks, that's the one. And I had forgotten that you won a giveaway for those radios.

I had been looking at 40/50 watt gmrs radios and was thinking on the roof to get that power output above the truck, above the level of my head. As old as it is, I don't care for the idea of pumping those broadcast waves thru my brain. I know my CB is at head height but that is only 4 or 5 watts.