Martin's Site
  • Home
  • Ham Radio - K0BXB
    • Logging Contacts
    • The Shack
    • Operating Modes >
      • WSJT-X/FT8
      • DMR
      • D-STAR
      • Ultra Portable PSK/Digital
    • Antennas >
      • Comparing Antennas
      • The Artifically intelligent Antenna
      • Magnet Loop >
        • Mag Loop Overview
      • Portable Antennas >
        • 2 Meter Portable J-pole
        • Five Portable Antennas
        • End Fed Antennas >
          • End Fed Half Wave Antenna >
            • EFHW Summary
          • 29/35 foot end fed wire >
            • Balun or no Balun
          • 51 Foot End Fed Wire
          • 84 Foot End Fed Multi-band Antenna
        • Vertical Antennas >
          • Nine Foot Portable Vertical
          • Short Verticals >
            • DIY 40m -10m Short Vertical Antenna
            • QRPGuys DS1 40m -10m Antenna
            • Pac 12 Portable Vertical Antenna
            • Spiral Wound Vertical
          • 1/4 wavel 20 meter Veritcal >
            • DIY 6 Band Vertical
            • Make a KW4JM vertical
          • QRPGuys 3 Band Vertical
          • Silver Bullet 1000 TIA
          • Portable 17 ft. wire vertical
        • Other Portable Antenna Options
      • Dipoles/Inverted VEEs >
        • Off Center Fed Dipole OCD
        • Comparing the Trap vs. Fan Inverted Vee
        • Link Inverted Vee
        • Trap Antennas >
          • 20 & 40 meter trap dipole qrpkits
          • 40/20 Meter Trap-Inverted Vee
          • 17/20/30/40 Trap Inverted Vee
        • 40/20 Fan-Inverted Vee
        • 40 Meter Inverted Vee
        • G5RV
      • Base Station and General Antennas >
        • G5RV
      • Portable Masts
      • Antenna Test Gear >
        • NanoVNA
        • X5105 Antenna Analyzer
        • Field Strength Meter
    • Radios >
      • IC-705
      • IC-7300
      • XIEGU G90 >
        • G90 Go Kit
      • X5105 >
        • x5105 Go Kit
        • QRP (x5105) Statistics
        • Repairing Mic Cord
      • QRPLabs QCX Transceiver
      • Ten-Tec R4020 QRP Transceiver
    • Portable HF.... >
      • Pedestrian Mobile >
        • Ped Mobile Considerations
      • POTA - Parks On The Air >
        • Thots on POTA Activations
        • My Ideal POTA Kit
        • POTA - Lizard Mound State Park k-9704
        • POTA k-3383 Bald Mtn State Rec Area
        • POTA k-2314 Pine Lake State Park
        • POTA K-4429 Coronado National Forest
        • POTA K-4491 Superior Nat. Forest
        • POTA K-1440 Big Foot
        • POTA K-4265 Bong
        • POTA K-1437 Aztalan State Park
        • POTA - Ice Age Scenic trail K-4238
      • Ham Radio Field Days >
        • 2021 Field Day
        • 2021 Winter Field Day
        • 2020 Field Day
        • 2020 Winter Field Day-
        • 2019 Field Day
        • 2018 Field Day
        • 2016 Field Day
        • 2015 Field Day
      • 2020 Portable Ops
      • Thoughts on Portable Operating
      • Thoughts on Operating QRP/Portable
      • Portable Power
      • Portable CW Keys
      • Tuner/Matchbox >
        • ELECRAFT T1
        • Tuna Tunah II
        • EMTECH ZM-2 ATU
    • Going Mobile HF & VHF >
      • 2020 Mobile Installation
      • 2015 Re-install the Mobile
    • Miscellaneous Ham Radio Topics >
      • Baluns, Ununs, Etc.
      • Keeping wires and ropes untangled
      • Helping Others
      • Things Happen
  • Backpacking/Camping
    • 2020 Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • 2020 Oct Boundary Waters Trip
      • July 2020 Koehler-Andrea St. Park Birthday Camping Trip
    • 2019 Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • September 2019 High Sierra Camp Loop
      • August 2019
      • June 2019 Boundary Waters
    • 2018 Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • Oct 2018 Boundary waters
      • August 4-5, 2018 Wisconsin River Canoe Trip
      • July 16-18 Devil's Lake Birthday Campout
      • June 28-30, 2018 Backpacking/Camping
      • June 2018 ARRL Field Day Camput
      • April 2017 Ice Age National Scenic Trail
    • 2017 Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • July 2017 Camping at Timber-Lee Christian Campground
      • Cancelled Ice Age Trail Backpacking Trip
      • June 2017 Hiking/Backpacking/Camping >
        • Cave of the Mounds and Blue Mounds State Park
      • May 2017 Backpacking/Hiking/Camping >
        • May 19 Ottawa Lakes Campground
        • May 4-7 2017 Porkies Backpacking Trip >
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 1
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 2
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 3
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 4
      • April 2017 Backpacking/Camping/Hiking
      • March 2017 Hiking/Camping More Preparations
      • Feb 2017 Hiking/Camping
    • 2016 Hiking/Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • December 2016 Hiking/Camping
      • November 2016 Hiking/Camping
      • Oct 2016 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Trip
      • August 2016 Camping
      • July 2016 Hiking/Camping/Backpacking
      • June 2016 Hiking/Backpacking/Camping
      • May 2016
      • April 2016
    • Shelters >
      • Tents >
        • Reparing Tent Poles
      • Hammocks >
        • Hammock Stand >
          • Portable Hammock Stand
        • SnakeSkins or Sleeves vs. Stuff Sacks
        • Hammock Suspension
        • Keeping Warm in a Hammock >
          • Lite Top Quilt or Bag Liner
          • DIY Under Quilt
    • Glacier National Park 2015
    • Training for Glacier National Park Backpacking Trip
    • Backpacking Stoves >
      • Trangia 27-3 UL Stove >
        • Cooking with Trangia
        • ALOCS Trangia Look Alike Burner
      • Fancee Feest Stove >
        • Fancee Feest & Stanley Cook Pot
        • Another Cat Food Can Stove
      • DIY Alcohol Stove
      • DIY Igniter for Alcohol Stoves
      • Lexada Wood-Gas Stove
      • Wood Burning Backpack Stoves >
        • Emberlit Fireant
      • Gas Cannister Stoves
    • Backpacking Food >
      • Cowboy Coffee
      • Santa Fe Cheesy Beans and Rice
      • Healthy Instant Oatmeal Packets
      • Bacon Ranch Chicken Wrap
    • Other Gear
  • Adventures
    • 50th Anniversary In Alaska >
      • Day 1 Sites in Fairbanks
      • Day 2 Morning River Boat Cruise
      • Day 2 Afternoon travel to Denali
      • Day 3 Denali History Bus Tour >
        • McKinley Wilderness Princess Lodge Photos
      • Day 4 Coach ride to Anchorage/Whittier
      • Day 5 Ship Cruise at Yakutat Bay and Hubbard Glacier >
        • Photos of Yakutat Bay
      • Day 6 Galcier Bay
  • RC Planes
    • 2019 Flying Season
    • 2018 Flying Season
    • 2017 Flying Season
    • 2016 Flying Season
    • 2015 Flying Season
    • Great Planes Escapade - .40 size
    • T-6 Texan
    • Cessna 170
    • Fokker V.23 WWI Combat Sport Scale Plane
    • Great Planes PT-40 Trainer
    • Great Planes Combat Spitfire
    • Hobbico TWINSTAR
    • Other Planes >
      • Flite-Test FT-Cruiser
      • Micro Fokker Eindecker by Dave Robelen
    • Things I've learned....
  • About
    • July 12, 2017 Flood
  • Other....
    • Remembering Charles & Eva >
      • Feist Family Photos
  • KW4JM Contact Log

2017 Flying Season

Summer is almost gone!

2017-09-02 I had my first flight today since in July 12 when we awoke to water flooding into our home. The largest amount of rain overnight had hit our area and our house being one of the lowest ones in our particular neighborhood got the worst of it. Obviously flying RC planes took a back seat to getting the house cleared out and dried out. It is now in the process of being rebuilt. My planes and radio were all fine so today I joined my son and four others at our Silver Eagles RC Flying Club field. I took my Apprentice, the only plane for which I could find batteries! I had two successful and relaxing flights. It was good to be back in the air. The weather was perfect, sunny with white fluffy clouds and a reasonably low, predictable breeze.
​My son, Charles, had two flights with his Hobbico Twin Star twin engined plane. It took us a long time to get them both ASP .25 engines tuned so they'd keep running. Then we discovered that one of the fuel tanks was leaking. The "cork" through which the pressure and fuel lines pass had worked loose. After fixing that they engines tuned reasonably well and he had two pretty good flights with it. On his first flight as he banked right after takeoff something white flew off it. Turns out the left engine nacelle cover had come loose, the same engine with the leaking tank. I guess the little screws had been removed and replaced too many times, stripping out the threads. He put some tape over the engine nacelle and flew it again. It flew well. One of the few flights where both engines keep running through the entire takeoff, flight and landing!
Chris, one of the other guys had a very nice, pretty large low winged plane with a SATO 4 stroke .80 engine. He flew it several times. I love the sound of those 4 stroke engines. Got to get my glo planes back in the air. My engines are almost all 4 stroke engines.
Paul, our club treasurer had a full sized Escapade, also with a 4 stroke engine. He flew it several times successfully. It is such a nice flying plane. I have the smaller version that I need to get in the air again. It was a good day for the Silver Eagles!

​Chilly, windy and Rainy Spring

2017-05-30 This has been a very chilly, rainy and windy Spring here in southeast Wisconsin. As a result there has not been a lot of flying so far. Last Saturday was an exception, an absolutely beautiful day. Almost no wind. Bright, sunny skies filled with fluffy white clouds. The airstrip was in about its best condition ever. So, my son and I and two other men went out to fly. I only flew my Apprentice as I have not even gotten my glow powered planes down off the rack in the garage yet! My son flew two of his glow powered planes. The third fellow just had one electric plane and the fourth guy just came out to watch! It was fun and I was happy that I still retain a semblance of flying capability. All flights ended up safely back on the airstrip. I didn't even flip over upon landing! Now today we're back to windy, cool and almost rainy!

First Flites of 2017!

2017-02-18  We are having amazing weather in Wisconsin this February. Today it was in the upper 60s, wind was barely above calm and the sky was bright and sunny. It would be hard to imagine better day for flying anywhere, anytime! So, I met my son and four other guys at our Silver Eagles RC Flying Club field at 1:30 today to see if I can still fly! The field was a little tricky as the warm days have thawed the top few inches of ground but is still frozen solid underneath. So we had to be really careful with our vehicles not to leave nasty tracks. But the pit and airstrip areas were fine or walking and the matted, wintered, dry grass formed a perfect flying surface! There is a good side to everything.
I took my Apprentice and three batteries and my Spektrum DX8 transmitter. I didn't take any pictures but was really pleased to make three flights for a total of about thirty minutes with no mishaps at all. I was a bit concerned as I've had left eye problems the past few weeks and wasn't sure my depth perception would be good. But no problems. Once again I am very impressed with the Apprentice. It is just a very nice flying plane. I suppose there are some just as good but this one is a real keeper. The perfect plane for a first flight after a long winter.
My son also has an Apprentice. His is the older model without E-flite' SAFE technology. He flew it a couple times then we worked together to get his RAV-4 plane going. It has an ASP .52 4-stroke engine. After a little trouble getting it going which turned out to be his glow igniter, it fired right up and ran perfectly. It was really neat to have the sweet 4-stroke sound in the air again!
So the 2017 RC flying season is off and running. Exciting!
Proudly powered by Weebly