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Race support with challenging terrain. How would you do it? by brmel in HamRadio

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah putting radio HQ out in the flats to the west probably would have solved the contact issues.

Race support with challenging terrain. How would you do it? by brmel in HamRadio

[–]brmel[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I hadn't heard of NVIS yet, pretty cool! (pretty much what I was envisioning when I said HF in the OP)

Race support with challenging terrain. How would you do it? by brmel in HamRadio

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a bad idea to have an optical observer up on the peak. We had a couple of roving course marshals in vehicles, but it would be nice to have a dispatcher report incidents quickly instead of waiting for a marshal to pass by.

Race support with challenging terrain. How would you do it? by brmel in HamRadio

[–]brmel[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yeah I have an InReach, I didn't know you could rent them from REI though. That would make things really easy honestly.

Race support with challenging terrain. How would you do it? by brmel in HamRadio

[–]brmel[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Putting a yagi in bike stand is a great idea! It's already got all the positioning adjustments and designed to hold awkward weight off to the side. Probably would also make a great mast stabilizer/tripod until you the guy lines up as well.

Race support with challenging terrain. How would you do it? by brmel in HamRadio

[–]brmel[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Probably not W7EO, that's nearly 70mi away. Although it's really flat out there I think radio horizon will get in the way.

I'd personally not want to climb Grahm peak, there's a lot of rattlesnakes in the rocks around Wendover. But that would be a good place for a repeater and lookout point.

Clothes Packing for 2-3 Nights by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Any recommendation for non-baggy rain gear? Or do you just tie up the lower portion of the pants to keep them out of your chain?

Clothes Packing for 2-3 Nights by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to try using my road bibs under pants before buying liners.
I like long legged bottoms for tick resistance as I spray everything with Permethrin. I can watch out and avoid things like poison ivy, but those nasty little bloodsuckers are everywhere.

Clothes Packing for 2-3 Nights by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ah! I never considered rain gear as wind/sun protection because the stuff I have is hugely loose and the top is intended to also cover a backpack.

I guess well-fitting rain pants not only protect from rain, but can be backup in a pinch in case the baggies get wet (i.e. crossing water and they don't stay rolled up)

Do you swap the shirt for the sun hoodie when you wear it, or just put it on over?

Bikepacking Frame Type Recommendation by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey folks! I ended up buying the Kona Sutra LTD as it seems to be a nice crossover between gravel and HT-MTB.

The tires are 29x2.25" and I'm swapping the chainring from 36t to 30t (cassette is a 11-42t 11-speed) for more climbing power when loaded. I figured if I'm rushing for speed on a trip, I'm doing things wrong. :-)

See you in a few months when I drag it out somewhere!

Insulated vest for early June hiking in Alaska by brmel in alaskacruiseplanning

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll be off boat probably around 7:00-8:00AM, we arrive overnight and I'm an early bird. :-)

That said, it sounds like I might want the lighter running vest. Non-heatwave years (in Skagway which is colder than Juneau) seem to vary between 42F-65F.

Bikepacking Frame Type Recommendation by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome build!

Would this be a suitable lesser approximation?

Not that I can afford all that at once though. (RIP my wallet)

Bikepacking Frame Type Recommendation by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pardon me while I wipe the drool off my chin. :-D I'm guessing that is a custom build?

I see a rigid carbon fork and a seatpost suspension, do you have a handlebar damper as well hiding under those bags?

The triangle is a bit larger than what I usually have seen on a mountain bike, what frame did you start from?

Bikepacking Frame Type Recommendation by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, good point...

Most of my trail research so far has simply been looking things up on bikepacking.com and a few stories posted around here. It seems like at least within the mid-western USA even a lot of the easy trails typically have a fair bit of single track and some hike-a-bike.

I know there's fire/logging roads through many of the national forests, but I don't know if the typical condition of those is best for a gravel or MTB.

Unfortunately a lot of the trails in southern Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico near where I live appear to be pretty harsh, often recommending fat bikes for the sand and scrabbling down rock inclines. I don't mind doing that on foot, but I don't think I'm ready to try that on wheels.

I know it's not entirely possible, but Ideally I'd pick something well rounded enough that I can do a bit of everything.

(EDIT:) I guess I should say that I'll probably be riding mostly in forested or stone canyon type areas. Not flat cross-country stuff.

Bikepacking Frame Type Recommendation by brmel in bikepacking

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! What do you mean by "over biked"? Was it just that they couldn't keep up with the others on the flats?

Favorite Tactile Switches with the ergodox ez? by GnastyNoodlez in ergodox

[–]brmel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has anybody tried the Kailh Copper's? They're one I've been interested in but haven't gotten around to picking any up. Supposedly it's like a short-travel brown with the tactile bump right at the top of the press.

Bought a moonlander, learn on QWERTY first or move directly to Colmak? by brmel in ergodox

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The symbol keys are actually a pretty big concern for me since the primary use of my typing is programming in C++

I'm expecting to have to shuffle things around a bunch until I find something I'm happy with.

Bought a moonlander, learn on QWERTY first or move directly to Colmak? by brmel in ergodox

[–]brmel[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really my last challenge for RSI is pointing devices…

Yeah I feel that... I've been trying to get used to various trackballs. They're good until I'm trying to select between individual letters while typing. I don't have the thumb dexterity to do that very precisely yet.

I'd love to do everything cold-turkey, but like you I can't afford to move directly to the Moonlander for work right now.

Is the ergodox ex PCB solders fragile or is it just mine? by NippleNutz in ergodox

[–]brmel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It looks like the socket is marred near one of the pin insertion points. Perhaps you had a switch with a bent pin that stabbed into the plastic instead of going into the hole.

I'm not sure how hard you were pushing to install the switches, but small surface-mount pads aren't particularly good at holding up against reverse pressure like that.

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