KJ4FWN on the air!

Since we are not travelling much these days I have been participating in the local Amateur Radio Emergency Service supporting Orange County, FL. I have put together a portable radio station to be used in emergency activations, but also with an eye towards bringing it on the RV when we travel. Using this setup in the house with a limited antenna in the attic I have reached other amateur radio operators continents away. The furthest south was in Ecuador. The furthest east has been Ukraine. The way the antenna is oriented I have not contacted, or heard for that matter, anyone further west than Louisiana. My furthest north contact so far is Wisconsin, and that was on reduced transmitter power while on battery. I fully expect to make Canadian contacts from home when I have full power available.

Barbara and Nia followed me to Bill Frederick Park at Turkey Lake here in Orlando for an afternoon test run at setting up the station in the field and operating only on the battery I have built into the box. It was a wonderful afternoon, but a bit hot for spending too much time at the park. For the first time, Barbara got more mosquito bites than I did!

 

Thankfully there was plenty of shade.

For those interested, I am using a Yaesu FT-857D radio, LDG FT-100 antenna tuner, and Buddipole portable antenna. In this case, power is from the on board nine amp hour battery. The box contains a 30 Amp switched power supply for when 110v AC power is available. Automatic transfer from the 110v mains power to battery power is provided by a PWRGate PG40S, which also charges the battery when 110v power is available. This set up acts as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) similar to what many use with their computers.

Buddipole Vertical Antenna set for 20 meter band.

Monticello, FL

Not much to report today as we continue the drive towards home. It was a fine drive. The new tires are continuing to provide a smoother ride, although who knows; it might be just a mental justification for the expense of the tires.

We have stopped in Monticello, FL at a KOA campground. It is probably the most expensive overnight of the trip and one of the worst campgrounds. Transients are placed in the mud bog behind the rest of the campground. The mosquitoes seem happy to have me back, though.

Nia has resigned herself to a life on the road. She sleeps the entire trip and is ready for dinner on arrival. Being a city girl, she is not too happy with mud, or dust, or gravel. Here at least she has some grass, and that makes her potty breaks easier. Tomorrow she will need to readjust to her home and yard.

Barbara and I are enjoying hummus and pita bread with wine this evening. (Under the watchful gaze of Nia who thinks that if we eat, she should eat, even if she just had dinner) Just because we are in a bog does not mean we have to give up the civilized life! We are trying to eat as much of the leftovers as possible because we will be home this time tomorrow, and the less we have to schlep home from the RV the better. Those who know me will understand that this places me in pig heaven. (Emphasis on heaven, not pig) Leftovers and lots of them.

Back in Gulfport, MS

Our reunion with Jim and Phyllis Kaiserski here in Gulfport, MS was great. We crossed paths here. Jim and Phyllis were westbound in their Tartan sailboat and we were eastbound in our motor home.  The campground and marina are only four miles apart. It was perfect timing and a perfect location.

Dinner last night was at the Half Shell Oyster House. This turned out to be a very good choice. Dinner was great! Remember this one and drop in if you are in Gulfport.

Jim and Phyllis at Half Shell Oyster House

Gulfport was badly damaged in hurricane Katrina. New Orleans gets all the press, but the Mississippi gulf coast was just as ravaged. As a result, the shoreline, marina and buildings near the coast are all new. There is a great beach within walking distance of downtown, and you would be hard pressed to find a better marina.

We met Jim and Phyllis onboard their boat Sisu for coffee and muffins this morning, got to talk more sailing talk, and then wished them well as they sailed off on their return to Niceville, FL.

Bon Voyage Sisu and her crew.

One more stop and we will be home.

Iowa, LA

We had two Toyo M154 tires mounted yesterday afternoon and were on our way first thing this morning. We enjoyed our stay in Kerrville. The Texas Hill Country is a very nice area, and we will return. The new tires are pretty good. They even seem to offer a little softer ride at higher inflation pressures.

Ever wonder what the dog does on long drives?

At five this afternoon we rolled into Cypress Bend RV Park in Iowa, LA. It is a strange place. The campground itself is actually pretty nice. It is just a bit difficult to get into, or find, for that matter. You have to look closely. It is hidden behind a Shell station and a McDonalds. It is immediately adjacent to the off ramp from I-10.

Tight squeeze between Shell station, McDonalds and the offramp.

Not much to report today since it was all spent on the road, and nothing bad happened. Tomorrow we will return to Gulfport, MS and hopefully meet up with friends Jim and Phyllis Kaiserski as they cruise back to Niceville, FL on their sailboat. It will be nice to see them again.

Kerrville, TX (Finally)

Uh oh?

 What was going to be a long day on the road turned out to be a REAL long day on the road. We got off to an easy early start and everything was going very smoothly. We even got right in to the truck stop for fuel without a wait. The trouble came midway between Ozona, TX and Sonora, TX. Go ahead, look it up on the map. There is nothing there except cell service, thank God.

Barbara was driving when the front left tire blew. We have heard horror stories of the problems that can happen when this occurs, and we thought ahead and installed a steering stabilizer (Safe-T-Plus) right after buying the coach to help in this situation. Barbara handled it with a professional calm, kept the bus pointed straight ahead, slowed gently and pulled to the shoulder. Fantastic job, Barbara!

Yeah, there was a little body damage, too.

We called our roadside service contractor who, in turn, arranged for someone to bring a tire and get it mounted. While waiting for the guy to show up I kept thinking that the price quoted for the tire was way too low, and about the time I called back to confirm that they knew to bring the correct tire the truck shows up. I was expecting one of those big semi truck wreckers, but got a pickup. Sure enough he had the correct size tire, but it was a used tire. A WELL used tire. I did not like the looks of the thing and we discussed and cussed a bit. It obviously had been sitting outside and had water stains inside. The sun is low on the horizon and this is Saturday night of Easter weekend. The nearest tire would be at least two hours away. Towing the coach would have the potential of more damage and would be hours waiting alongside the interstate waiting for the truck, let alone the actual tow. Where would he take us?

Well we decided to take the used tire and limp to Kerrville, TX one hundred and thirty miles further down the road. It was our intended stop and we had a tire dealer recommended there that would help us Monday morning. We carefully drove at a lower speed while monitoring the pressure on the suspect tire. I found that the motor home is pretty good at night. We avoid night driving like the plague. At eleven PM we arrived at the Kerrville campground where we had reserved space. We found it to be a very nice, clean, large campground that earns the name “resort”. Not all do.

We got in our space and set up as quietly as we could, then broke out the wine and had chicken tacos for a late supper. It looks like we will be here at least one extra night, but it looks as though it will be a very pleasant place to while away the time.

Las Cruces, NM

We finally hit the road. We were delayed for two days due to jeep repairs, but did leave Tucson this morning. We were sad to leave since we really liked Tucson, but we need to get home to Barbara’s mom. The maintenance delay cost us a second visit to see the grandkids in Dallas, though.

Our intent was to drive to El Paso, TX and stay at the military campground at Fort Bliss. While driving east this morning I called and found that they only had one space left for tonight. They do not take reservations or I would have made one days ago. It was highly unlikely that the one open space would still be available by the time we would arrive, so we opted out and called the Hacienda RV Resort in Las Cruces, NM. They had room so we booked a spot. It turned out to be a top notch RV park. Very nice. We may regret this tomorrow, because stopping short of El Paso today just adds time to an already long drive tomorrow. I suppose we could have found something on the east side of El Paso, but we did not want the hassle of El Paso rush hour at the end of a long day of driving. Tomorrow is Saturday and a morning pass through town should be uneventful.

Las Cruces has some interesting history. The original settlement of La Mesilla was once the largest community between San Antonio and San Diego. It was a stage stop for the Butterfield Stage Lines that ran the Overland Trail. We showed you a portion of that road when we were in Fort Davis. Yep, the same long road. Billy the Kid was tried for murder here.

The Gadsden Purchase was completed here.

The Basilica

The plaza is the typical meeting place adjacent to the Basilica.

We were only a mile from the old town of Mesilla so we decided to walk there. We did a little shopping (we, in this case, should be interpreted as Barbara) and stopped in to an old Mexican restaurant. Great setting, OK margarita, not so great food. 

All the locals were excited that it started to rain. Drought, you know, but they had driven there. We walked home in it. Thankfully, it was not too bad.

We will try for an early departure, but you know how that goes with us. First there is the coffee, then the paper, then…

Tucson, AZ - Day Ten

OK, we have the jeep fixed. Well, at least the work is completed and the new axle is installed. It will be a few miles down the road that we will determine if it is “fixed” or not. Sure hope so.

Old Right Rear Axle Shaft. Seal kept leaking, so we are trying new shaft.

We are set to leave in the morning. Our next planned stop is going to be Fort Bliss and the military campground there. Fort Bliss is in El Paso, TX. From there we will continue east on I-10 and hope to find a campground along the interstate as the day draws to an end. The campgrounds are not numerous in the middle of Texas, but I am sure we will find something.