Updates

I have added a 'Quick Links' section along the right side of my blog. Here you will find links to noteworthy blogs on my site without having to sleuth through the entire listings. Those of you reading my blog on amateurradio.com will not see these but they can be viewed on my actual blog page here.
                                                                
Now that my two major outdoor summer projects have been done, the re-roofing of my yard shed as well as the woodshed roof, I can get back to concentrating on more benchwork soon.

The hardest part of the roofing job was stripping the old cedar shakes (23 years old) and then sheathing the roofs with plywood. The actual laying of the new asphalt shingles (Malarkey) went very quickly. This was my first exposure to shingling and I learned a lot ... hopefully growing some new brain cells in the process. It's a good thing that 6m hasn't been open much at all this summer as I'd still be up on the roof.


I've just checked the progress of Andy's PS-46 'PicoSat' balloon. It left the east coast of South Africa several days ago, streaking towards the Indian Ocean at 40,000 feet ...  however it has not been reported for two days now.

When last heard it was 500km south of Madagascar heading SE. It had maintained 27,000 feet after leaving the African coast but then suddenly starting losing altitude over a 7 hour period. It was at 6,000 feet on the last report.

Hopefully PS-46 is just in a radio-quiet zone in the south Indian Ocean and will pop-up again as it nears Australia. It was well on the way to completing its third circumnavigation of the planet but one wonders just how long PS-46 can go on.