Bye Irene

Flooded area down my street.

Irene is history now leaving behind wind and very wet conditions outside but the sun is shinning. I am just keeping an eye on my basement for any water coming in.

The forecasters say total rain in my area was over 6 inches with wind gusts between 40-60 mph. Power remained on during the storm for me but thousands are without power across N.J. The flooding is a major concern for many residents and will be for those living near overflowing streams and rivers for the next few days.

Might be a good time to plug in a soldering iron and unwind from the stress of the past few days.

Jersey Shore Beach Cams

Check out the link below for two Seaside Heights, NJ beach cams and watch the storm first hand. The south cam shows the large ferris wheel.

http://www.seasideheightstourism.com/seacam/

It will be interesting to see if the ocean makes its way to the boardwalk. The Seaside Heights beach is fairly wide compared to other shore towns like Ortley Beach.

The major concern is high tide is due tomorrow morning along the coast and that is when the storm is due, plus the full moon does not help.

Quiet Outside

The current weather forecast as of 3:00PM eastern sounds better which is good news. They are calling for a tropical storm by the time it arrives here starting tonight.

We will still be hammered with massive amounts of rain, 5 to 10+ inches which is going to create major flooding and winds up to 75 mph. I am still ready in case we lose power due to falling trees, etc. The ground is very wet already from the rain we had this week.

Flashlights are ready and batteries are all charged up. If you went to check out local coverage of the storm here is a link for online listening.

1010 WINS or 880 WCBS

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/category/news/

Hurricane Irene

Photo courtesy of Accuweather

It sounds like New Jersey and New York are in store for a wild weekend. Hurricane Irene is due to visit here late Saturday and throughout Sunday.

The weather reports predict a category 3 storm hitting the east coast. Right now winds are 115 miles per hour. The latest track shows the storm coming right over South Jersey and riding the coast toward New York. The prediction is that the storm will be a category 2 by the time it gets here with 4-8 inches of rain and 40-60+ mph winds.

Tomorrow will be spending the day putting away outside chairs and securing everything. The batteries for the HT are in charge mode and will also be breaking out the transistor radio. I have a feeling the winds could take out power for sometime.

I was planning on spending the weekend at the Jersey Shore, looks like just staying home and taking cover.

NJ Gov. Christie just declared a state of emergency to mobilize National Guard.
Below is a storm tracker link to check out:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2011/graphics/al09/loop_5W.shtml

Heathkit Is Back In The Kit Business!

One of my friends mentioned Heathkit is getting back into the kit business. Being a fan of Heathkit I went to the website and read the good news.

http://www.heathkit.com/

The first kit will be a Garage Parking Assistant with other Do-It-Yourself kits coming soon. Heathkit is interested in learning what types of products kit builders would like to build? They are asking for kit builders to submit their suggestions.

It would be great to see some qrp kits!

On the weather front it is black outside with storms due to hit any minute. Looks like no radio tonight.

Enjoy your Friday night.

Future Hikes

A few weeks ago I did some fishing in a local stream here in New Jersey and was checking out a potential spot for some portable radio activity.

The only issue was the snake warning signs made me think twice. This particular hike might have to wait until the cold weather is here and everyone is tucked in for the winter.



Besides the snakes you have to keep an eye out for the black bears. I could see myself calling cq and hearing a rattle close by.

That might be an issue I would rather not deal with.

Simple Setup

Here is my simple set up for the yard:

Yaesu 857
Portable battery
A mess of cable
Small pad & pencil
Antenna is a Buddipole in corner of yard.
Set of ear buds
1 Lounge chair

I made a few contacts in the sticky heat yesterday.
As you can see it does not take much so get in the yard and have some fun.

Be sure to let me know how you make out!

Dark Silicon

This mornings NY Times Science section had some good reading on the problems designers are having with the large quantity's of transistors loaded on a silicon chip and the power requirements they require.

Without enough power for all of them, transistors are left in the dark, while others are working.

"The phenomenon is known as dark silicon."

Check out the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/01/science/01chips.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha23