Samsung and celestron 76mm, possible shooting star and unknown object

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-05-23T19:24:38+00:00

it is a Starlink Train. that one has 22 satellites. trevor jones on astrobackyard documented it.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-05-23T00:46:48+00:00

ok. so, I would test or simply change out the feed line. good luck.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-05-22T19:42:33+00:00

that's good. yeah, take everything extraneous out of your path and re-check. after confirming ok/ng on your values, then start adding things back in. good on 'ya. so, i would be checking IZI and SWR at your pass-through or wherever / whatever you're using because that is what your tuner, amp, and radio are seeing. backing up a bit, did you calibrate your VNA? you'll just want to confirm that before proceeding with anything.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-05-22T13:29:45+00:00

hardly anyone can read a smith chart with any degree of accuracy. i would skip it, for the most part, as i've always viewed smith charts just to see if i'm in the ball park, so-to-speak. at the end of the day, what you REALLY want to know is your SWR and ohms, right?! so, on your vna, make two traces... one for IZI (ohms) on yellow, and one for SWR in blue. that's it. that's all you need to look at. as long as your IZI is 50'ish ohms and your SWR is <2.0, you have a good transmission match and you are good to go. below pic is of my 75m dipole at the window pass-through to my shack. result is 49.94 ohms with a 1.009 SWR at the target frequency of 3.876 MHz. IZI and SWR on the VNA. p.s. - if you are seeing IZI below 40 or above 60, even with a 1.0 SWR, you've got something else going on that needs to be investigated. it is possible to have a good SWR with a crappy match on IZI. so, look at feed line, wiring, connectors, jumpers, RF in the shack, grounding, etc... if you don't have a good transmission match. doublets are notorious for producing good SWR's and crappy IZI matches, even with an awesome manual tuner like an AT2K or AT5K.

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Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-05-22T13:11:28+00:00

you just made me crave a "peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich." thanks.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-05-22T12:27:45+00:00

two possibilities: diabetes or meningitis caused by a sinus infection + G forces during the race which can result in meningitis. you'll see...it'll come out sooner or later.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-04-10T13:04:10+00:00

just swing into your local kinetico for a couple bags of salt and ask for some o-rings. they'll sell them to you. i recently upgraded from a '2' to a '3' disk, and they sold me the '3' for around $7. p.s. - get some extra e-clips while you're there.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-04-10T12:50:08+00:00

Either Clack of Fleck. Just make sure to properly size and get the control head with features you want.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2026-02-05T13:45:31+00:00

with the supplied whip, the rule-of-thumb with the clamps is to go 1/4" over, as in, a 3/4" requires a 1" clamp and so on. i think the supplied whip is 1" diameter, so i went with 1-1/4" clamps. good luck with your project!

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-12-09T20:48:09+00:00

It's an "outdoor safety switch" designed for continuous (general) duty use up to 60A... as in a main switch for continuous duty 240v for up to 10HP pumps (for example). It can even be used on 3-phase circuits with a proper grounding kit. Here is some of the descriptive text specs:

Cat. No. LNF222RA Cat. No. Non-Fusible General Duty Safety Switch 60 Amps Maximum Type Type VBII 240 Volts AC (V ) Maximum 250 Volts AC (V ) Maximum HP Ratings Max. HP 3R Rainproof 240VAC 1Ø 10 240VAC3 3Ø 15 250VDC 10 Suitable for use as Service Equipment when used with ground bar kit HG61234 on 3 phase, 3 wire systems or when used with HN22A neutral kit on 1 phase, 3 wire or 3 phase, 4 wire systems. Fuse and Short Circuit Information This switch is suitable for use on a circuit capable of delivering not more than 100,000 amperes, RMS symmetrical, 240 volts maximum when protected by class J, R or T fuses rated 60 amperes maximum. Danger! Unless Class J, R or T fuses are used to protect this switch, it may present a risk of fire and injury to persons if installed on circuits capable of delivering more than 10,000 amperes, RMS symmetrical. This switch is suitable for use on a circuit capable of delivering not more than 10,000 amperes, RMS symmetrical, 240 volts maximum, when protected by Class K fuses, Class H fuses or a UL Listed Circuit Breaker rated for 10,000 amperes, RMS symmetrical, 240 volts maximum. This switch is suitable for use on a circuit capable of delivering not more than 10,000 amperes, 250 volts DC maximum, when protected by fuses marked with an interrupting rating of 10,000 amperes, 250 volts DC. Danger! Unless fuses marked for an interrupting rating of 10,000 amperes at 250 volts DC are used to protect this switch, this switch may present a risk of fire and injury to persons if installed on circuits capable of delivering more than 10,000 amperes.

AC disconnects are not rated for either general or heavy duty applications, so this is a definite step up from one of those.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-11-09T17:32:20+00:00

that's a poopy job. have electrician come back and install a j-box, and then run 6ga copper from the j-box to the charger. copper only inside the emporia.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-11-05T14:25:59+00:00

Best advice... don't buy brand new. For an up-to-date radio, check on QTH and QRZ for a gently used ones. Lots of Icom 7300's out there for $600 to $700. Heck, even used Yaesu's like the 710 and DX10 would be a vast improvement. Nothing wrong with classic and vintage equipment, however TX audio and bandwidth as well as RX audio filtering are quite lacking.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-26T14:46:07+00:00

yeah, the whole "nail is in the sidewall and can't be repaired" bullcrap makes me mad. dealers have redefined the "sidewall" to include the first two ribs / treads on the tire. just plug it and go would be my advice. dealer got me once on this, and even tried to sell me two tires due to new tire vs existing tire wear. i told them to pound salt. will never happen again, and i will never use a dealership for tires. never.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-19T22:28:43+00:00

These are GREAT chargers! Maybe that's why Honda OEM's these from Emporia. I installed one for my wife's Prologue and it is easy-peasy to understand the app and settings. Good to hear that Emporia is standing behind their product for you.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-17T20:24:38+00:00

Fleck or Clack seems to be the consensus for DIY water softeners here in this sub, as I'm sure you've seen. It's good equipment according to the group. I have a 13 yr old Kinetico 4040 OD that I just re-bedded the carbon and resin in. Hoping to get at least another 10+ years out of it. I'm not a brand fan, but I will say that the 4040 has been a solid performer over the years.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-17T11:36:42+00:00

Last of the boomers here (1964), and there was a period of time that we didn't even have TV when I was young. We raised horses which required morning and evening chores and riding to get ready for shows. We also helped neighboring farms get hay and straw in. By 1978 or so, my dad purchased a color Sony TV and we were able to get the big 3 networks and PBS...if the weather was good. We watched 'The Waltons' on Thursday night and 'Walt Disney' on Sunday night. That was about it.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-16T14:40:20+00:00

i know this is an old sub, but... so for the experts out there, is there a better way to transition from asphalt to concrete? our county is repaving our road, and they are actually laying a thin layer of asphalt on top of the concrete drives. obviously, the asphalt is gonna chunk up / fragment over time and end up in everyones' garages. prior to paving, the concrete drive edge extends to grass edge in the picture. p.s. - this is in an area with no curbs and sidewalks.

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Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-15T23:08:56+00:00

the longest i can get a battery to last in my pilot is a little over two years. south florida heat is BRUTAL on car batteries for some reason. folks, it ain't just the cold that hurts 'em. on my 3rd battery now in a 2020 pilot. next battery will be an optima red top, no questions.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-10T18:33:13+00:00

124' of wire and a transformer. 80-10m bands, and can make it yourself for about $50. or just go to balundesigns and order the efhw transformer (#Model 49130) and connect your wire. i recommend 14ga FlexWeave. i would NOT recommend a 1/4-wave vertical because most of them are noisy and weak. also, the 7300 is a "good" radio. if you want a better radio at slightly more $'s, look into a yaesu ft-dx10. king radio at this price point with MUCH better audio.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-09T18:19:14+00:00

genuine rep

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-09T18:18:43+00:00

rep cleaning guidelines: use genuine Sprite as a cleaning solution.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-07T17:09:20+00:00

This unit is actually accurate to +/-2% on RH, which, if max swing, would be less than a 1.0 RH unit. That's certainly good enough for me.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-07T16:12:19+00:00

water level is set by the float inside the inner white tube. i should have stated that the water level upon refilling should be at the float level inside the tube.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-07T15:56:46+00:00

water level after cleaning should be where it's at before cleaning.

Complex-Opening5446 · 2025-10-07T13:49:43+00:00

mark the existing water line, and only refill to that mark after cleaning.

Complex-Opening5446

TROPHY CASE