The Ticking Mind

Back to the channel…..

2011-09-12T12:30:00.001-04:00

This weekend Tim & I will be heading to the Lost Channel area. What makes this trip different than others is the fact that we will be trying to maintain a stealth-like existence whereas in the past, we were using ATV's to cover a large amount of ground in a very short period of time. Having a better understanding of the area from past trips, we know what to expect in the way of terrain and wildlife. The idea is to draw in whatever might be out there, to a decoy camp that is setup to monitor the surrounding area. As you may recall, we have a fantastic audio recording of "the breather" which has sparked much interest in this area and it will remain a prime candidate for future investigation until the origin of that sound is discovered, and even then, it will remain a major area of interest.

The drive to this place will be somewhat different this time around (at least for me). I will be coming in from the east, above the top of Algonquin Park, along Hwy 17. If things go as planned, Tim will already be at the site (of which we have yet to determine the exact location), and he will relay the coordinates to me via text messaging or voice call. There are several trails in the area and without a proper recon, we are unsure of the condition of some of them based on the data that we have, some of which is out of date. One other dilemma we have to deal with is the ability for us to even get a cell signal in this area. In the past we have had to use a repeater to get an adequate signal. Probably have to do the same again. For this, we use a Wilson Dual band amplifier with an external antenna. This is a full power 3 watt booster with a cradle that has a built-in stripline antenna, used to send & receive to the phone and to rebroadcast within the general area (so that passengers in the vehicle can also take advantage). The actual circumference of the coverage or "mini" cell system is about 20 feet or so.

Wilson "Signal Boost" System

Having been in this area before, we know that the weather can act up quite quickly, rolling off of Georgian Bay with some tenacity. Since we will be slightly further inland, we don't expect any issues but will be keeping our ears open for the weather alert system, in case of any unforeseen events.

Our camp setup has already been somewhat planned out, for our own benefit and for the sake of sourcing out wildlife that might get a little curious - in particular, fox, raccoons and bears. For this trip, we have planned our camp setup in such a way that we have sheltered ourselves not only from the elements but also from potential invaders. By using portable PIR alarms strategically located around the camp, we will be warned of approaching visitors and react accordingly. It might seem like a drastic measure but what it really boils down to is the ability for us to be alerted should we have the visitor that we really want to visit, hopefully it will do so and we can catch that infamous breathing sound again. Highly doubtful, but one can wish, right?

Here is the proposed camp setup

We intend to do a broadcast of SS radio from the field, providing we have a signal, should be a good time.

Home in the bush

2011-08-31T15:27:00.001-04:00

Tim recently wrote about the use of hunting blinds, not specifically for hunting, but more for observation / recording. I suppose they may also offer some security if it is a tree stand type of blind, or a tower blind. The idea would be that it would keep you out of harm's way when it comes to the critters running around the forest. (You can visit Tim's blog at http://thewildernesshunter.blogspot.com)

Convenient timing to bring up blinds, on one of my recent episodes of Simply Sasquatch radio I spoke about the use of a blind in the field while I was on a mini-trip. A home made setup - basically a small nylon shelter with a camo tarp over it. A little warm in the summer but it does the job. Problem is, when there is wind, it can be noisy. Not a good thing when you are trying to hide your presence or do some localized audio recordings. (Recall the infamous "breather" audio clip from Still River, you could hear the tarp blowing around).

If I were to select a blind I would ensure it was big enough for two people. In addition, I would also want to be able to rest / lie down in it if I had to. It would have to be weather resistant - at least waterproof and be able to be setup in a short period of time. People who frequent the same area for hunting or wildlife observation may benefit from a permanent homemade platform like this:

Pretty neat eh? During inclement weather it would be easy enough to tarp this thing , possibly even insulate it with some styrofoam. The point is, it’s an easy setup and with two people would probably not take too long to make. Thing is, what if you are transient, always moving around and having to carry your gear around? I guess you have to look at portable blinds. One such blind manufacturer that interests me is The Altan Safe Outdoors series ( http://www.altansafeoutdoors.com/index.html). In fact, as of writing this, Home Hardware has one of their blinds on sale until September 10. It’s called the “Hideout” and it is $50 off http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Outdoor-Living/Sporting-Goods/All-Season/Hunting/Accessories/BLIND-HUNTING-HIDEOUT-CAMOFLAGE/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I7638048?Ntt=Hunting+Blinds

For $89 I think it’s a great deal.

Here are a few pics:

The question remain about safety and security when using a ground blind, ESPECIALLY when it is hunting season. It only take a few yards distance to lose sight and perspective, since the blind is camouflaged, it would be very easy for a stray bullet to pass by. you should definetly be cautious when you are in active areas.

One idea I have thought of is the use of warning posters to indicate your presence. Such a poster, which I have created, CAN BE FOUND HERE. Feel free to use it as necessary.

If your not armed and your worried about critters, the use of air horns, bear spray, tripwires with bells attached can be useful. Of course, the obvious – knifes, hatchet, etc are still very useful. Especially for those who do not carry / own a firearm.

Be safe out there!

Alternative power - Everything you need in a simple setup

2011-08-29T22:51:00.001-04:00

Batteries are really a nuisance to deal with when you head out for the weekend and find yourself changing back and forth between sets that you think are still good and one's that are questionable or dead. New LED lighting technology can make a set of batteries last a long time - easily cover a weekend with no problems, but eventually the batteries do die out and your left without light. Or whatever else you use your batteries in.

Solar technology has come a long way but we are still not seeing the price drops - at least yet, until it really catches. - in household consumer level stores (I.e. Walmart, Canadian Tire, Home Depot, etc), you are still going to pay several hundred dollars for a panel that might give your 40, 60, perhaps 80 watts. Ah hell, might as well just grab a few packs of batteries right? Yeah, I would do the same, but now I am starting to rethink this after a few experiments that have been quite positive.

As you know, providing there is sun, solar can operate quite a few things directly, but the majority of setups involve charging a battery bank while the sun is out and having your load run off the batteries. Seems easy enough, but what is realistic?

First - Don't have a closed mind. If you need area lighting while it is dark, think about your other options. I have seen packages of those garden / walkway solar lights on sale for really low prices - For example, I got a set of Westinghouse solar garden lights with two solar spotlights for $24.99, regular $69.99. A great deal, but moreover, a great way to light up your camp, with the spotlights being used for task oriented areas (eating / cooking / reading). They do last a pretty long time. Off during the day charging, on at dusk. Place a couple of the LED heads inside your tent or trailer and you have some nice subdued yet capable lighting that costs you nothing but sunshine.

Panels work well too and while people cringe at the cost, look at the alternatives. Quite often Walmart and Canadian Tire put their solar stuff on clearance or sale. You can get a 1.8 watt mini panel with alligator clips and screw terminals for $9.99 when on special. I've seen 15 watt panels at Walmart for $20, on clearance. Hooked up to a rechargeable lead acid battery or gel-cell, this will provide ample power to drive a strip of LED lights and charge a cellphone. (12 volt cig. lighter adapter cord for the charger)

In a pinch, you could also charge your high power spotlights, computer, iPad, etc. It's supply and demand. It's easy to setup and will last for a very long time.

So what about devices that use regular AA or AAA or any other type of battery? Your still stuck buying them, right? Yeah - perhaps - but look at what is available. There are a few electronic stores in Mississauga, Dixie and Matheson to be exact, that sell all sorts of stuff. A lot of it is cheap "crap" while some is considered very useful. One such item is a battery charger for AA & AAA battereies. A rapid charger, comes with a 110v adapter but also works off 12v power (with included 12v cig lighter adapter). Perfect. Run that off your panel and you are set. Just need a set of rechargeable batteries, something that I am sure we all have.

Markers are a good idea. What are markers? Well if you look at a airport at night time, there are lights all over the place, the landing strip is a prime example. They use red and white lights to indicate specific areas and boundaries. Placing one or two LED marker lights by your camp, perhaps in a tree - just a soft glow light, may assist in locating when it is dark and you need a visual queue or reference. Why you ask? Well, sometimes you just need to get your bearings and you would normally flick on your flashlight and scan the area, something you may not want to do if you are actively trying to be quiet - stealth like.

A few cheap panels bought on sale, hooked into a 12v gel cell or deep cycle battery, will provide a weekend of care-free power without breaking the bank.

An interesting side note to this is the rejuvenation effect on some batteries with a slow trickle. I tore apart a UPS once after the battery indicated a failed situation. The battery appeared dead and would not take a regular charge via plug-in battery charger, but after 2 days on a small solar panel it was up to 12.4 volts. I followed up with a conditioning charge via my "smart charger" for the next 48 hours and the battery has been great ever since (still using it!!) Funny, you would figure that the UPS would have a small trickle charger and monitors in place to keep the battery in prime condition but obviously not - perhaps because they want the sale of a new battery? C'mon.....(Actually...it did last 4 years. Yeah ok I got my money's worth).

Keep an eye on solar products and grab them when they are on sale - you will find panels indispensable after you begin to use them and become familiar with how you can benefit from them. You won't be sorry!

Everyone's own way of doing things.....

2011-07-27T00:35:00.000-04:00

Everyone has a level of expectation when it comes to your own way of doing things - but in the eyes of others, that effort might not be good enough. If you set the bar at a certain point and say "I want to at least accomplish this" - your goal is set. When others look, they might reflect back upon their own goals and personal expectations and say that they are doing better.

Self improvement is something that we can chase after to make you a better performer. This is the basic principal behind education and actual work / hobby experience. I cannot say with 100% confidence that I am the best I can be - in fact, I don't think that many people can say that without having that little glimmer in the back of your mind saying "I wish I was like that person" or "I wish I could do that". We all have ambitions, dreams, etc. Making them work for you personally is a different story. You have to want to do it.

I look at some people who have really put a great effort into researching our "ever changing" great outdoors and I admire them for doing so - it helps to form some of the culture & behaviour when looking back at ourselves and others.

Why is this important? I think because we begin to take things not necessarily for granted, but we begin to make them habit.. Here's what I am eluding too.....Driving home one night, I stopped at the side of the road in a rural area because I saw eyeshine - as luck would have it the nightscope was in my jumpsack and I had my audio recorder with me. While I didn't really see anything, the point is that I was semi-prepared. Now, for someone who is a newcomer or not as informed as those who are, that eyeshine might have been ignored and the car would have just kept driving past. I'm no expert but all it takes is just a little bit of experience, education, wit and a desire to work with new things and you might find yourself a new interest. If the mere topic of BF is enough to make you squeamish.....Take another look - perhaps through anothers eyes. Ask questions - poke around.

I've received emails from my Simply Sasquatch listeners and my blog viewers saying that they appreciate the introduction to such a field / hobby / interest and some of the experiences it might bring. I really do appreciate the responses and I hope I can help you find your place on this shrinking planet. As I click "Publish Post"...it becomes available to the entire world. Something we couldn't do not so long ago. Information travels fast and there is a lot to share, even though sometimes it feels we have put everything on the web......then something new appears on the horizon.

Don't be shy or scared to try new things. You may gain the wisdom and knowledge that will be deeply satisfying, plus being able to extend your experiences to others may spark a fire within them.

TM

Absorbing change....

2011-07-07T00:26:00.000-04:00

Talk about circumstances, I have found myself in a position that really lets me see things in a different way. Actually - that should be plural. Yes, different WAYS. I've been on both ends of a situation or conversation and I can see how things, in most cases, end up turning out before it actually comes to fruition.

As a perfect example, do I heed my own warnings or wisdom? I like to think that I do but here I find myself trudging out into the bush looking for answers about things I think you might already know about. Even though I have committed myself to promoting safety in the field - curiosity, ambition and desire always wins us over. It is the reflection and review of past experiences that opens our eyes to some of the things that we have (or will) go through which consistently drives us to our goals.

Now something has changed and I know it is for the better. I'm perhaps a little bit wiser, more responsible, more committed to self preservation and most of all, more committed to longevity in things that I believe in and hold dear to me. "Off the cuff" seems to work for many and might do so for some time. Structured, methodical approaches to things also work, usually for the better - and this is what I have learned. If you take the time to think stuff out, it might make things much more clear. If not, move towards your thoughts, goals and ambitions at a slower pace so that you can begin to absorb and appreciate the outcome.

I havent blogged as often as I promised I would and now I realize one of the reasons why - my life and the way I live it is very important to not only myself but to the others around and with me. Blogging doesn's take too much time but it does if you really have to think about what you want to say without just putting a couple sentences out there about last week's news. Nope. That's not me. I want this to be fresh, genuine, straight from the heart and it will be just that. It's a Tickingmind of ideas, thoughts and opportunities.

To my followers, friends & acquaintances, I thank you for your patience and your patronage. My forthcoming blogs are hopefully going to be well received and I trust that growth is inevitable, not only in spirit but in knowledge and wisdom - the three cornerstones of a truly sociable and open environment.

Good night folks, will be posting again soon.
TM

Garmin 2360LT. A dud? I think so...

2011-03-18T00:40:00.000-04:00

It would seem that Garmin has the upper had on mobile navigation. I assume that they have also cornered the outdoor market as well, with their handheld devices. The word GPS and Garmin seem to click & stick together.

I had the opportunity to try out a Garmin 2360LT unit and I really hoped that I was going to be treated to a pleasant commuting experience by this device. This is one of the newer offerings from Garmin and it comes with lifetime traffic and a free map update up to 60 days after first satellite acquisition.

What interested me about this unit? A few things at first, before actually being able to put my hands on it.
-Voice command (since in Ontario it's illegal now to play around with electronic devices while driving)
-Bluetooth
-EcoRoute
-Traffic Trends

So away we went, first trip. Ok, a bit buggy. Without going into details, I plugged in the unit and found that I had a few software upgrades to do. Ok, fine - done. Back into the car.
Routing, at best, is mediocre. Yes, it will get you from point A to B, but sometimes in a very weird way.
My profile was set to bring me home using the fastest route, without U-turns, toll highways, off-road and ferries.
Traffic trends and the traffic receiver were on.

The first route was wrong. So wrong. For the "fastest" route it had me driving through a major city to the south end of it, then jumping on the highway for the majority of the trip home.

I can see the highway bit, but when the traffic system shows a delay in the area planned out, you would think that the GPS would re-route. I can think of several ways to navigate the area of congestion. Nope, I had to deal with the traffic jam.

And how about those phantom ramps and backwards highway entrances and exits? The entrance to our local highway, according to Garmin, is on the other side of the road (opposing traffic) heading down the ramp that brings the offramp highway-people into the city. Perhaps this was the "suicide" mode because if I followed the directions I would surely be in a bad situation.

Voice command - A welcome addition but lacks in accuracy and features. Get's bogged down and sits there with a spinning hour glass. Ok I just asked it for the nearest Canadian Tire. It sits and spins. And spins. One of the SLOWEST route calculation / recalculation I have dealt with. Disturbing.

It's supposed to learn my driving habits and places that I go and build upon it, of which I have yet to see. For example, it ALWAYS suggests one particular route when I know that the route I take is shorter and quicker.

Trust me, this is not the end. I am putting this unit to the test. I do not want to see people spending their hard earned money on something that could have been had for less than half the price. Stick around, part two will be out in a little while and you can judge from there.

J

Out of town

2010-12-30T01:15:00.000-05:00

It was initially hard for me to wrap my head around the idea that being "out of town" or "out of the city" is quite an easy thing to do.
If you are confused, consider how long it would take you to be in an area that is surrounded by trees, a forest-like setting. Yes, you might have that where you are now, maybe even in a town or city, but what I am referring to is outside of a built up area.

When I first started playing with Google Earth, I was fascinated by the detail that some areas showed. Then, I began to explore locations that I thought seemed pretty small, at least, by looking at it from miles above, a forest can seem pretty small. That is, until you use the ruler / measuring tool. Dragging from one end to another of a wooded area, you can quickly see how much land you are dealing with. It might look small on the map, but inches on the computer screen can mean kilometers or miles. And this is what intrigued me. There are more wooded areas around town of significant size that I was only partially aware of. Having noted the location of some of these areas, I hope to visit them very soon.

I have, in the past, endeavored to visit some of the lesser known "local" forested areas and woodlands merely for the purpose of examining the habitat and environment, I've always marvelled at the deer crossing signs that I see on some roads, only to find that my closest dear is probably is a zoo, or even in a super market.
How close do you feel to the great outdoors? Has city living ruined it for you? Are you just itching to move into a more rural and laid back area? Well until you do so, take comfort in knowing that most people do not act upon their wishes, goals or dreams. Why? Well, money for one reason. The second is that I really do feel that we are a fat and lazy society of convenience and that we only do stuff if we absolutely have to. No, I'm not speaking for everyone, but again, it is merely just an opinion.

So when you get a chance, get out there. Enjoy it while you can.

J

Entourage CIS

2010-12-21T00:31:00.000-05:00

This is a neat product, called Entourage CIS. It's a GPS tracking device that is subscriber-based ($179 per year or $14 /mth). It uses your local GSM / GPRS cellular network to relay the GPS data to the control center (Blackline GPS) and allows you to track the location of the device anywhere in North America.
The advantage of having such a device became clear after hearing about the horror stories of people losing equipment, trail cameras, equipment trailers, ATV's, etc.

Very small and drawing only 20mA of current @ 12 volts, this is definetely something that could run for a very long period of time in the bush, possibly forever, should you incorporate a small solar panel to keep your 12v battery charged.

The unit also incorporates an internal battery to give it a few days of run time should the external battery fail. A simply 2-wire hookup is all that is needed (positive and negative) and arming / disarming is done by a RFID key-fob that works up to about 20-30 feet away. Basically, the GPS device senses the presence of the key-fob and it disarms when it is near, and arms when it is no longer detected.

The monitoring costs might seem a little steep, but the features are plentiful. Through a web interface, you can see the exact position of the device, the battery condition (strength) and if the object is moving, the direction/heading and speed.

While it is still new, I am going to run it through the paces and see how well it performs.
It was a web deal from "The Source" that was being offered at an AMAZING discounted price of $49, regular $374 (The Escort GPS Site has it listed online at $399!!!!!)

Yes, it's not a typo - as of today, Dec 21, 2010 it is still available while quantities last @ $49. When I ordered mine I had it shipped to the store and it arrived 2 days later. Shipping to store is free of charge.

Here is the link:
http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=GPS_Locators&product=1914522

Life

2010-11-12T02:49:00.001-05:00

A chain of events took place yesterday, of all days, Remembrance day. And it is no indication of what has yet to come but disturbing non the less that the reminders are inherently built into the name of the day.

It’s a tough time of year, moving at the speed of life, sometimes things just creep up on you and yet sometimes your mind just wanders, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

Christmas is coming soon and its a time to reflect on past life experiences. Friends, family, joy & sorrow. A good friend lost his mother earlier in the year and it was a trying time for him to come to grasp the situation and work through it. He did it, but I’m still sure he feels pain, as anyone should.

And so we look upon our past experiences. Our friends. Our families. We are all moving at the speed of life and as we move on, that speed limit is being increased……day after day……Sometimes it’s refreshing to just put on the brakes for as long as you can and absorb and enjoy what is around you.

Something is out there….

2010-10-12T11:41:00.001-04:00

I took a bit of time to travel to an area of Ontario that has always intrigued me, so much so that I considered camping out for the weekend to try and come to terms with what was going on there. Do you ever get that creepy feeling – the feeling like you are being watched? You try to satisfy your curiosity for what might be out there by going back and confronting your weaknesses? Or do we even consider calling it a weakness?

I cannot say for sure that whatever is out there defies description and is not meant to be found. I think that at some point, we will come across a formidable being that has eluded us for years. Until this happens, I will always be wary of the fact that there is something out there, watching us. Why do I think this? Well, it’s that feeling I get, particularly in this one specific area. No other place in Ontario seems to do this to me. To the average person, it would just be a considered a typical heavily wooded area that is somewhat remote.

To me, I think that it is home….home to a being that thrives on being elusive, yet lurks just around the corner, keeping an eye on you.

Might sound silly, but I’m sure that we have all had that “feeling” that something isn’t right and something is watching you.

Hoaxing?

2010-08-10T00:20:00.000-04:00

No doubt one would seemingly want to get as far into the bush as possible to fire up their research on the subject we all want to learn about yet seem to know little about. Yup, our hairy friend. Why do we think it is drawn into the depths of the forest and that we have no other choice but to follow behind and find it in this habitat?

Well we do have a choice. And it certainly does not live in the middle of nowhere. We are getting sighting reports from all around the world of these things moving about - many reports occurring during the daytime, which begs the question, is this thing nocturnal?
Some of the activity we have heard about, whether it happened recently or long ago, has taken place during the night time. I can tell you that if I were a hoaxer, I would do the same - I would carry forward activities during the evening which would conceal my identity. So lets back up a moment - of all these reports we have received, happening during the daylight, why do we continually believe that Sasquatch may be a nocturnal being?

I do not think it is. I think that opportunity exists during the evening hours but our friend is well adapted to life abroad during the daylight hours.
But getting back to the hoaxing thing - where do we stand with this? Are we spending the time looking at photos or videos to observe this species, or are we simply dispelling it from the get-go and saying to ourselves "lets find the flaw in this and send it on to others".

Yeah I'm sure that happens every day.
Then you have one fellow come by (as it has happened in the past) who saw something - it moved, wasn't a bear - and video or photos were taken. GREAT!!!
That poor fellow; He already became stereotyped as a hoaxer the moment he clicked SEND in his email. What a shame.

There is stuff out there that is meant to be shared. Please have the strength and wherewithal to come forward with it. Those who laugh or dispel your information are shallow, if you are indeed sincere and honest. Share with us and reap the benefits of your discovery and knowledge.

Connected

2010-08-05T00:00:00.001-04:00

Being connected nowadays is a pretty easy thing to do. From social networking sites to cell phones, text messaging, email, VOIP & cheap long distance, we really have no excuse for not being connected.

Of course, we still need to respect the privacy of those who feel the need to stand back from all of this connectivity. It seems to be the baby boomer generation but I have also noticed that some of the younger groups, albeit only a few that I personally know, are stepping back from the stage and taking a deep breath.

It can be a tiring and time consuming process to stay connected. Some even go as far as losing focus on things that are more important than sending that twitter or writing on someone’s wall. It all adds up to what you actually want to achieve. If you are simply doing it just to gain status and make more friends, well maybe you should go back to the basics. Making a phonecall or sending a simple email then meeting up for a coffee or beer, or whatever you may have done in the past before this technology swooped down upon us, but now, we are letting it control our lives and literally mandate our decision making process and associated actions.

For those who take it all in stride and can control their exposure and adaptation of such new technologies, maybe even leverage them to their benefit while still "being yourself” – well my friends, kudos to you.

And for those who take all this technology and really look at it with a microscope, methodically breaking it down and seeing how you can make it work in ways that would really be beneficial or unique – that’s great too. I guess in the end, all I am saying is, don’t let it run your life. Your still an individual. You are unique. You are one.

I was encouraged to write this blog post by a situation that caught me off guard a little while ago. You see, I had been experimenting with urban WiFi radio links to try and get a better understanding of the concept of low power communications in an environment that offered some challenges. These challenges included localized interference, lack of line of site communications. Speed degradation due to link latency. My ultimate goal was to create a WiFi audio / video link between my home and my boat which is about 900 meters away – but in a location that has LOADS of wireless access points and routers, man-made and natural interference and of course, it’s close to being line of site but not exactly.

Now you may ask why? Well, if you work the common demons out during your testing such as those described above, transplanting your operations to the field – in the middle of nowhere, will certainly see a system that will perform extremely well in an ideal environment. No local WiFi, noise or other sources of interference. Nailing a solid radio link for 1km + should be quite simple. And I am happy to say that I have indeed achieved reasonable streaming performance over a link of that distance – in the city. So to imagine what I can do in the field, well, those wireless cam’s and data links to other camps might not be a pipe dream.

The next test is the LOS (Line of Sight) test where I will orientate the directional antenna towards the Niagara Escarpment, to the north of me, clearly visible and without any obstructions, to see if I can launch a signal via a 10dBi bi-polarized antenna with 600mw of power to a monitoring post that measures out to be roughly 18km or approx. 11 miles.

Now for those of you who have followed some of my work and perhaps Simply Sasquatch radio, you may recall that we did a radio test with some FRS / GMRS radios from my home to the same location (the escarpment) using Hi, Medium and FRS Low (500 mw max power). I was in communication with a fellow who drove around the escarpment to dispel the myth that manufacturer’s claims about range on FRS/ GMRS are over-stated. Nope – they are not – as long as you are line of sight (or literally line of sight). We could hear eachother perfectly on all power ranges and channels.

So given the fact that the walkie talkies are driving very inefficient rubber antennas that are not directional, we did pretty good with that test. Now, we are moving to a directional antenna system that offers gain – 10dBi – and a power outage that is slightly higher than FRS (500mw); We are going to be using 600mw – which would give us an ERP (Effective radiated power) of 3.6 watts or 5.63 dBW or an EIRP (Effective Isotropic Radiated Power) of 6 watts or 7.78 dBW.

Mind you, we are operating at a higher frequency which is something we need to consider because the radio wave does not travel, penetrate and bend like the lower frequency walkie talkie, but it is certainly worth the test – and if we are successful, it brings a whole new world of opportunity to field research and remote viewing / surveillance and communications.

Connected. Now this is to our benefit. This is something that will be neat to try and even better to implement as part of our research arsenal.

The hunted

2010-07-14T13:22:00.001-04:00

The more I think about bigfoot and how elusive it is (much like my recent blogging - or lack thereof), the more I think about how intelligent it may be - more than we probably know.
I've been able to spend a lot of time reflecting on past experiences, not only that of which I have gone through, but those of others who have relayed their stories of a creature that they have - for lack of a betetr explanation - experienced.
As I sat on the train travelling through the Italian and Swiss Alps, I thought about that day when I heard the scream - a vocalization so powerful it stopped me dead in my tracks. And it was close - very close. I didn't see the beast but I knew it was there. I knew it saw me. I knew it was warning me. I knew....well.....I knew that right at that moment, I was vulnerable.
A master of disguise and perhaps deception, for I never saw or heard anything before hand. No, I was carrying on, minding my own business - all the time something was working around me. Moving - observing - perhaps conspiring to commit an act that may have seen me respond with defensive aggression. I don't know - but I can tell you one thing - you are just as easily deemed "the hunted" as the beast you set out to search for to begin with.
No, I wasn't looking for Bigfoot at the time. Far from it. I was simply washing my dishes in the lake when I heard the scream. I did not know what I was hearing - but it was very real and very intimidating. My curiosity got the better of me and had led me on a path of discovery. A path that would eventually lead me to the concept of bigfoot.
It seems that the more I look for it, the more elusive it becomes. Just when you think you've stumbled onto something, there's another curve to bend around. It makes the hunt ever more enticing and I will never give up until the the mystery is clearly and open & shut case.
The hunt is on....

Real World Trail Cams

2010-05-07T00:30:00.000-04:00

I'm sure many of you are already aware that the website http://www.chasingame.com offers reviews of trail cameras and associated equipment.

What you probably don't know is that many of their reviews are based on camera placements around feeders or baits and so a camera may see more intense activity than what it might normally go through, such as being used by people like us - who plant them, cross our fingers and hope that we get something.

The point is, stuff like battery usage & drain statistics that this site offers is based on the actual usage of the camera in the environment that they have set it up in. And it is these environments that drastically vary from our setups, which means we really should take some of the information provided with caution.

I can tell you that a camera in the bush that sees little traffic and has a good set of batteries in it will last longer than that specified by chasingame. Sometimes over 100% longer. I recall a friend mentioning that the batteries in his trail camera have been in there for quite some time. Now, I know it's not "consistent" use, but still, if you add up the days & hours it has been operating...this is when you start to see real world results

To me, battery life is very important because the areas that I want to research are at least a few hours away. These are places where I simply cannot attend over the lunch hour....no, these are areas where I have to set aside a half or full day to get up there, hike in, plant the cam, **Test the Cam**, then make the drive back. (Notice how I highlighted 'test the cam' ? Can't be overstated) .

So you see, to me, I want to be able to plant the cam and not have to worry about it running low only after a few days, otherwise it really doesn't make the trip worthwhile.

Mind you, some of us - me especially, will jump on a trail cam deal regardless of the performance and longevity in the field, but hey, thats what experimentation is all about. As we learn from our experiences, we pass along info to others so they are better informed!

In closing, I have a Wildview EzCam that chasingame had reviewed and they mentioned that after 12 days and 549 photos, the camera was done (batteries exhausted). This was using new "C" Energizer batteries in a baited area. The review is here: http://www.chasingame.com/index.php?id=106

What I wanted to do was put my camera to the test and see how it compares to their findings, based on different circumstances.

The differences would be: 1) A non-baited area and 2) different batteries
(When I say non-baited, it doesn't mean that I can't put the camera near a place that naturally draws animals, such as a blueberry patch. But putting out salt licks, seed, corn, anything like that -no, that is considered baiting)

And so, I have my EzCam deployed with a new set of Sony stamina platinum batteries as a comparable substitute to the energizers (These batteries have gotten reviews), no bait, in an area that I feel will offer average animal activity yet it is not a "deer highway".

The camera is sitting attached to a tree overlooking a clearing that animals may travel through. Trying to reduce false triggers, I ensured that I had a bit of cover above to prevent heat-based snapshots from the sun. I also made sure that I did not expose the camera to the easterly sunrise / westerly sunset directions as to further eliminate false triggers.

Now for the math. This is the part I find intriguing.
Chasingame says 12 days with 549 photos before the unit died. Well, the first thing we do is divide that number (549) by 3. Why? well, the EzCam has no adjustable settings except for the date & time. Everytime there is motion detected, the camera takes 3 pictures, each 10 seconds apart.

This means that in those 12 days, there were 183 detections or 15.25 (I will round it down to 15) detections per day if we average it out across all 12 days.
So, it will be interesting to see how my deployment works out. I wonder if we will surpass these figures? Here is what I think. My daily detections will be minimal, say 3 or 4 per day, but my runtime will be longer, say 18 to 26 days? Maybe longer? I don't know but it will sure be interesting to find out.

And what about you other folks? How do your cameras compare to what has been reviewed about them? Are the reviews accurate? What has your testing shown?
I will share my results as soon as they are in, hopefully with some great pics!!

By the way, I did catch a deer at about 3am passing by, but it was the only animal I captured. Attached are the pics. You can see the eyeshine and the rump.

EYESHINE MIDDLE, slightly to the right

RUMP, walking off to the right of the screen

Certainly not the best photos, especially given the fact that they are only 1.3mp, but in a pinch this camera works well and I ahvent had any operational issues with it.

One last thing....if you've lasted this long on this long and winded post ( )
I discovered what might be a little known secret gem (of course, I am not sure at this time but I am checking into it.....)

You know the Bushnell Trophy Cam - it's received some excellent reviews, has a great small size, long battery life, great trigger time and overall gives really good performance. They range from about $160 onwards, usually you find them for around $180

Well, Tasco is owned by Bushnell. And Tasco has a 5mp infra-red cam that is little known. Looks almost identical to the trophy cam. It is model 11-9215C but trying to find anymore than just some really general specs is like pulling teeth. I can't find a manual and I have emails into Bushnell to find out more about this camera since they dont have any resources on their site.

Why is this camera so appealing? Well, it can be had for $89 - $99. Yup, at that price, I might get two if the specs are in line with the nearly identical Bushnell product.

J

Reflections..Or stuff you want to forget!

2010-03-24T23:07:00.001-04:00

With all that has been going on lately in my life and those around me, I haven’t been finding much time to reflect on what is on the horizon and what has already come and gone.

And for the few moments that I did find the time to do just that – “reflect”, well, it was this ONE particular moment – a traffic jam in front of the Ford Plant in Oakville- I smirked and thought to myself “Oh yeah, I TOTALLY forgot about that!” as I mindlessly crawled forward at 5km/h. Yeah, that’s right, 5km/h. I can walk faster than that.

So let me draw you back to when I ventured out for a 3 hour trip north, to my old stomping grounds once again.

I knew I was in for quite a hike – as to be expected, but I felt confident. At least until the point when the car disappeared from sight. Then, that confidence seemed to wither away pretty quickly.

And so you know what made me think of this while I was stuck in traffic? My stereo. You see, I have this channel on XM radio called “Chill” and it’s a relaxation station that plays soft, ambient music to help calm the nerves. Something that I need after a long day at work and a grueling drive home.

Yeah, it was my stereo; as soon as I tuned it to chill, I had a flashback about that hike into the bush – the car was out of sight, and the first thing I did was grab a small portable radio from my knapsack and I tuned it to whatever I found comforting, playing it at a volume that was loud enough to say “I’m here” but not loud enough to be disturbing. And it was those voices – other people talking – that had such a calming effect over me.

Now I’m not saying that I became totally oblivious to my surroundings but It gave me that extra “umphhh” I needed to get me into the woods to the point where I was going to try and plant a trail camera. Yeah, the little radio was the company I needed and it was welcome. You see, this place is pretty desolate. In fact, a lot of areas of Ontario can be downright intimidating and spookey.

So as I approached the area , I turned down the radio and took a peek at the GPS. I was within 100 meters of the small clearing where I was going to mount the cam. I looked up after viewing the GPS and that’s where I saw a flash of Red and the soft chatter of humans not so far off in the distance. I was stunned at first - “People? Here? Why?

I did not believe they noticed me so I immediately retreated to take cover and try to observe the group with my binoculars. I just couldn’t get a good enough view through the bush, but I could hear them. At this point the radio was obviously off and I just waited, huddled down to see if they were transient or locked down to that one area. It seemed to be the later, so I decided to backtrack and reconsider a different area to plant the cam.

Now the thing is, I had never seen anyone is this area before. No signs of life (humans), nothing. To see this was quite unusual and I felt compelled to find out what they were doing, which meant that I had to get within viewing range of these folks, so I held off backtracking to plant the cam and I went into Ninja Mode (LOL!! ;)

Lo and behold, I found myself gazing upon two couples who were doing pastel paintings of a small rock outcrop that had a group of trilliums growing from it. I’m guessing students on a art class adventure, how the heck they ended up here, I had no idea, but it was a peaceful discovery that had me leaving the area satisfied that all was good.

And so I spent the next 2 hours scouting around the area. I did a big “loop” around the students to plant myself further north of them – much further north, and I found a beautiful spot that would please even the most fanatic trail cam operator – not saying that I am one LOL but I wanted to really give it a good run for the money. After all, It was a 3 hour drive there and back!

I was meticulous about the mounting of the equipment and I spent some time camoflaging everything to make it look right at home. And it worked. Quite well, for the next planned trip up there – two weeks later for fishing, I followed the GPS until I arrived at the cam. Low battery light was on, but it was still running.

I removed the camera from the mounting strap and opened it up. Voila! Lets see what we got!

Damn!!! I forgot to put in the SD card!!!!!

I needn’t say more. When you are distracted or overly-ambitious, you sometimes forget the simplest things.

And in this case, I think I just wanted to forget the whole thing…but now, in hindsight, I learned something and I can only chuckle at it. Nothing more.

Good night!

The Hermit

2010-03-08T22:02:00.001-05:00

We often tend to think that we are "normal" in comparison to others; Self comparison leads to a level of sanity that we follow along with to ensure that we keep in line with all those who push the envelope. The term "your crazy" is so common now that we don't even consider it a threat to our existence and comparison to what we do. No, we simply strive to look at ourselves and with any luck say that we conform to everyone else's standards and so we are "cool". We fit in. We are ok. And that's that.

So what about those who to want to live a life alone, away from society? Does that seem crazy? Out of the ordinary? Why do some people, albeit perhaps only a few, decide to live this type of life? Is there something that attracts them to this solitude?

It would seem that this sort of lifestyle is referred to as being "a hermit". And the more I think about it, I believe it represents people who may have had a "jaded" past and this becomes part of the healing process, even though that healing process might be the wrong process - running away and avoiding the problem. Life away from it all.

Social structures are very different in all parts of the world and as we look at each nation and culture, I'm sure that many of us have turned our nose up to the way that others interact and survive on a day to day basis. As a Canadian, seeing what the rest of the world has to offer, I would really have to say that I am indeed one of the lucky ones. I really have no beef with anything or anyone that would drive me to the point where I would say "Fuck this, I'm done with everyone...I'm outta here".

Yet, some do that. They just get pushed one too many times. They have had it and they want an extreme change to put them in control, and the only way that is going to happen is if they are left to live on their own. A hermit. In the middle of nowhere.

With the paragraphs that I have written you might be saying to yourself "Ok Jason, what the hell are you trying to say here? What has this got to do with?"

And so we draw the conclusion. Solitude and peace are methods of escape. Being out of "radar range" gives people the comfort of knowing that their actions are not noted or monitored, rated or condescended upon. You are left to your own devices and lifestyle.

And these "hermits" as we call them, they do a damn fine job of being just that - I mean, when was the last time you ran across one? We know they exist.

Now take these same thoughts and apply the considerations and assumptions to sasquatch. Does it want to interact with humans? Perhaps, but there are scarce reports that solidly point in that direction. In fact, we have too little to go on and so with all the reports that we have - from vocalizations to actual sighting reports, the only thing that sasquatch wants to do is a) leave the area and b) not make a big show.

So what does that sound like to you? Something much like a hermit? Wants to be left alone and wants to live it's life in seclusion? I don't blame it!! It's got enough to worry about being out in the wild, let alone human interaction.

And then we have one other thought to consider, to be fair until we actual find out the truth about sasquatch - Feral humans. Outcasts, Strays. The sheer disgrace that may follow. Enough intelligence to know that it does not belong in society yet it must survive. What it boils down to is that when you compare a feral human to sasquatch - for whatever sasquatch really is, their objectives would more than likely be very similar to each other.

If we are looking at feral humans - people who are so far removed from society yet withold an intelligence that we ride closely against, then yes, I can see the hermitage. I can see the displacement from society. I can see, even if it wasn't a feral human, but just something that had a human-like intelligence.....something that just wanted to be alone. For it's own good. For its survival. Yes, I can see a hermit. And that hermit is trying to survive.

Alone

2010-02-15T21:20:00.002-05:00

Alone. It's a powerful word. "I did it by myself. I was all ALONE". It builds power. Statements become reinforced when one say's "It was just me, I did it. I was there...alone".

On the other hand, "Alone" takes on a whole new level of everything that we thought would mean nothing, really, physically or mentally, until you look at the end result.

I saw a Sasquatch. It was terrifying. At least 6 feet tall, dark, hairy. Moving with a slight hunch.

Now that is quite an opening line, don't you think? Now imagine if it was opened with or closed with "I was alone at the time". Do you step back.....do you go into skeptic mode and say "wait a minute...you were alone? No one else can back you up on this unusual event? Are you pulling my leg?"

Yet some stick to their guns and swear up and down that they saw, heard, smelt or just plain "experienced a sasquatch". Oh, of course, they were alone at the time. ALONE. Yeah, back to that word again.

It's hard to give any more than a bit of attention to a word that is so loosely used. "I was going it alone" "I saw it there, I was alone". "There was no one else around me. I was alone".

People will always try to reinforce the situational environment that they have "apparently"

been exposed to in order to try and draw a more attentive and agreeing crowd.

For example, one might escalate a story (and draw skeptics and such alike) into the scene by saying "I was alone" but it doesn't necessarily build things up. It adds a questionable circumstance about one's situation and the actual incident that occurred. Without others to back it up, we might as well throw it into the blobsquatch category.

Look at the amount of reports by people saying that they were alone at the time but this is when it happened. Now in contrast, how many people really do venture out into the bush ALONE? And of course, come back with these stories?

What stories you ask? Well, I was alone at the time.....

Hope you had a great weekend.

Survival of the fittest

2010-02-08T22:53:00.005-05:00

I wasn't feeling too good today. Lack of sleep and a pinched nerve (I think) had led to a morning of pain and much discomfort. I took a couple of Ibuprofen and tried to go back to sleep. I managed to get a couple of hours but just couldn't sleep much more beyond the noon hour which was a miracle by any means to begin with. As I awoke the pain in the back of my neck and upper back really stung but I managed to get myself into the kitchen to make a coffee and try to wake up completely.

As groggy as I was, I sat down to read my emails and that in itself was a task because I had to squint. Somehow in Jason's body the eye muscles are connected to whatever is hooked up in the back and neck, for when I squinted to read a couple of messages I felt sick and I had sharp kicks of pain go through my neck.

Meanwhile, to take my mind off things, I thought about what I have done in the past. I mean, the places I have been and the conditions at the time. I was trying to make myself feel better, comparing the "poor conditions" in the field compared to being in the comfort of my own home. Yeah, even being in my own home I still felt like crap. I have a good bed, good pillows, everything was "typically" good. And there we have the jokers who made a few cracks about it all just being the result of a hangover from SuperBowl but all kidding aside, I was genuinely worried about my well being because it's not like me to be taken under the weather by something as simple as muscle pain. I tell you, it was a very quick decision made in the morning to just give up and call into work today because of the pain that I was in.

Well here we are. It's 11:03pm EST and it's almost bedtime. I feel better, but not "sparkling". I can move about and feel a little more relaxed but I still get stabs of pain in my neck and shoulders. As in the past, this will surely disappear. I can only hope.....but it's that sort of wishful thinking that also draws my attention to common illnesses and pain. As humans, we can recognize when we are in pain. We do stuff to fix the problem. A lot of it does not actually correct the problem, it just masks it. Why am I even mentioning this? Well, perhaps a little far fetched but I think we need to look at what animals do when they are sick. They hide. They hunker down. They seem to almost "hibernate" and take refuge from the world and in doing so they come out surviving their malady with minimal disruption. By way of instinct, an animal does what we would do if we did not feel well. We would disappear from the public, relax and get better, then re-emerge and continue life as we know it.

I don't need to tell you where this conversation is going but if you put 2 + 2 together, you might just realize that illness is in the eye of the beholder. If you feel that you can't just make it work you stay held back at your place, making sure that you are getting better. Something to think about next time your in the field. There are no hospitals, pharmacies, doctors, etc. It's just you and the woods. Our big hairy friend knows this all too well. It will be reserved and cautious with it's movements for fear that injury could really take it's toll. Any injury - could lead up to the demise of even the most formidable creature, including Sasquatch. We look at smallpox - an invisible enemy that literally wiped out a nation. We cured it but it took us by surprise. Where we seem so strong in some areas we remain considerably weaker in others. This is what kills us. This is what "turns over" a species. It's a sad way to put things but in the end, it's just life.

And so no doubt it might be one of the reasons why it has been to hard to gain proof & evidence of it's existence. Perhaps we killed it or have come close, simply by the viral and bacterial plagues that we are so used to. Perhaps it is like the North American Indian who lost several thousand to disease and viruses that we introduced unintentionally. We don't know, but in the end, it comes down to the same thing. Survival of the fittest.

J

Glowing Eyes - Yes, it happens.

2010-02-03T00:46:00.003-05:00

I never bought into the idea that some Sasquatch reports noted "glowing" eyes. Not that I didn't believe the report in itself, but perhaps it was "enhanced"to draw attention. Glowing eyes is certainly a unique characteristic which is worthy of examination, don't you agree? In some respects it detracts from the actual sighting in itself. You saw a Sasquatch, or so you think, but you dwell on the "glowing eyes". Back up for a sec - you saw a Sasquatch? Aside from the glowing eyes, what else did you see? Or did you just see glowing eyes and then assume it was a Sasquatch. You need to put the horse before the cart to make reports like these move.

Now I certainly do not dispel the idea that "glowing eyes" exist. And I know that for a fact, only because I came across a unique situation that had me do a double-take when I noted a small fawn cross the road in North Oakville. Late at night. Glowing eyes. Glancing over to the shoulder and quickly noticing the eyes, but cautiously roaming back to the road to maintain control and care of the car - in that instance, I did not know what it was. I did not think Sasquatch - no, it was an animal, but it caught my attention and it caught me off guard. I quickly identified it as it leapt across the road, thankfully it did not pause like many do and become a splattered hood ornament. If that was the case I probably would not be writing this post right now.

The thing is, it was a perfect re-enactment. The fawn, the eyes, the fast action & movement. For a moment one might think of many things, see a shadow associated with the eyes, or just be travelling in a car too quickly to make sense of an observation. That was me, for a moment, but I put 2+2 together and I figured it out. As for these creatures in the forest that have glowing red eyes, I can only look back at my own experiences to relate to such stories and ask myself "Why"?

And you know, it's funny that the first answer I got was the most obvious. Your looking for something. Your waving your flashlight all over. Yeah, you might startle an animal, so what is it going to do? You got it - look at you. Voila -Glowing eyes. Surprised? Shouldn't be. You ever hit a tree with a Q-Beam after you scared the hell out of those little critters in your garbage can (for you city folk we call them raccoons LOL). Look at those little glowing eyes peering down at you. They don't really care about you. They just want YOU to disappear so that they come come back down out of the tree and continue their meal.

Reports are increasingly suggestive that much of a Sasquatches activity occurs during the nighttime. No doubt a nocturnal creature, thus the eyesight must be quite good in low light and the eyes themselves must be quite reflective. So let's take this one step further. As a creature that we deem to have an extended level of intelligence, would you think that it would continue to stare at a light source (causing the eyeshine) for any extended period of time? Not likely. Especially considering the fact that it's nightvision may be blown for a few minutes after such an exposure, thus limiting it's endurance. We've done it ourselves. If we look at something bright, we immediately squint and in most cases turn away. It preserves our vision based on the circumstances.

So, as I mentioned at the beginning, I never bought into the idea that Sasquatch's have glowing eyes. Based on what I mentioned, it's just a matter of the reflection of light. Many animals exhibit such visual behaviour. and no, I'm not classifying Sasquatch as an animal but just reiterating fact. Next time you see glowing eyes, think of the circumstances. Eyes usually only glow when a light source (visible or not) causes a reflection of such. Think of flash photography. Think of red-eye. The rest is left to your own thoughts.
Jason

Establishing a known presence

2010-01-19T23:18:00.003-05:00

It was during one trip into the bush that I realized just how quickly things seemed to appear and dissapear, for example, cars on the gravel road would just come out of nowhere and dissapear just as quickly. Not only visually but audibly. When we spoke in the past (on SS Radio) about a heightened sense of awareness when we are in the bush, I keep thinking about and wonder if a background process kicks in and tells the brain "ignore" when it's something that we are familiar with, such as a car and the associated road noise. Who knows? Is this why it comes and goes so quickly? We just tune it out?

So this opens a question about how a "being" can identify that "something" is out of place or approaching the immediate area. I believe that animals can certainly sense a car approaching far and long before a human can, so does this mean that it gives them that extra time to take cover and hide? Yeah, you know, it probably does. Until the "threat" passes and all gets quiet again.

Now if there was something out of the ordinary that was making noise or was of a visual or olfactory nature, yet it remained somewhat subdued and contained, would your interest be perked? Would you approach the area to take a peek?

Having your presence known yet remaining non-offensive or overwhelming just might be the ticket to getting those bold little critters to come forward and take a peek. Look at the time that the fox came up from behind me during one of our expeditions. We had a couple lights on, we were talking in a normal tone of voice. There was nothing really intimidating at play and so the fox approached.

I think its this sort of activity that needs to be evaluated for it's value when it comes to research. Some prefer a stealth approach, leaving as "small" of a footprint as possible during their visit. Others prefer to just setup camp and act as they would if they were on a regular camping trip. Whatever you decide, consider your objective. The more you act differently than what you normally do might draw caution and skepticism by a creature who may be smarter than you think. Just be yourself. It may just be the ticket we need to see the big guy let it's guard down.

J

Darkwoods Media & More!!

2010-01-12T20:25:00.006-05:00

I got a pleasant surprise this afternoon when Tim contacted me about the progress of the Darkwoods Media project. It's alive!! Yes folks, Http://www.darkwoodsmedia.com is the place to take a peek. Kudos to Tim for his hard work!

Let me draw your attention to the phrase or term "360 x 24".
It's easy to understand if you grasp the concept. 360 degrees x 24 hours.
And where this applies is video footage and audio recording. Advances in recording technology makes it really cheap to get a multi-channel DVR going and this could end up being the eyes needed to keep a lookout when human eyes just aren't around.
It's hard to grasp the concept of having to sit down and review hours of video that may show absolutely nothing so a DVR that has a motion sensing capability would be a great benefit, however, we fall into the same problem that we often see with trail cameras. The trigger time.
And so we keep this in the back of our mind when setting up a monitored perimeter. Just one more thing to consider.

A "monitored perimeter" you ask? Well, yes, but probably not to the extent of what you might think. It's simply a way of describing an area that has most, if not all of the entry and exit points monitored to the extent that it would be very hard to bypass the setup without detection. And so we are looking at a very good chance of catching something - anything - that approaches and this is what we are kicking ourselves about with regards to the "breather" audio that was recorded during one of our Still River trips. A quick recap, the three of us that were on this trip took off for just over an hour down the road to check out another trail and we setup a call-blast that went off every 30 seconds. We setup a recorder to see if we could get a response and we heard something that came into the area, apparently breathing and walking around the camp. Creepy!!!

Anyways going back to the "monitored perimeter" thing...Can you imagine having a video surveillance perimeter with audio capabilities setup to monitor all point of your camp? North, West, East & South. Or take it one step further. I call it the "Escher" setup.

M.C. Escher was an artist who created some thrilling and stimulating pieces of work that challenged logic and the human eye. They were puzzles in some respects...can you see the beginning or is the beginning the end? The art that never stops. Google Escher and take a peek. Look at "Drawing Hands" or check out some of his waterfall pieces. Wonderful. So what has this got to do with video surveillance ? Well going back to the "Escher" setup...it's the way that one thing leads to another...to another...to another...back to the beginning - oh wait? There really is no beginning.

Yes, that's right. Take a box. Say a trailer. Mount a camera on each corner of the trailer, each camera is pointed to the next. Wide angle camera's are probably best but you can make due...

Pictured below, each arrow is a camera. Can you tell the start or the finish? No - it's a circle. It covers all ground around the perimeter.
Looks kinda neat eh? If you look at some industrial facilities you will notice that the cameras are setup this way so that everything is covered in a full continuous rotation, 360 degrees. And of course, say for whatever reason a camera gets knocked out of commission, the reason for it will be recorded by the other cameras. Nothing will be out of view.

It would also be neat to take a telescoping pole and erect it on top or very close to the trailer with a wide-angled camera looking down and capturing everything. Now we really have the entire camp covered. The pole mounted camera is not a necessity but would be nice. In reality, we really only need 4 cams around the camp to keep an eye on everything. Fed into a DVR, we are good to go. How many people actually do this? What if we made a "imaginary" trailer - but say it was the entire camp. All the cameras were arranged in the Escher format. Would this work? Yeah quite possibly but it falls back to camera resolution, quality, IR projection range (for night video) and sound recording capabilities to cover the area.

So thinking about it, a small investment and a smart setup might lead to a better chance of capturing something. And even if you don't, the effort made will help to put your mind at ease that you are point in the right direction, trying to secure the audio and video of your camp. I mean, wouldn't you want to know what's "lingering around" out there?

Have a good one!!!!

Burlap blankets

2010-01-09T01:12:00.002-05:00

You might have caught a glimpse or two of the cold spell that has hit Florida. Reports of Iguana's falling out of trees, apparently "dead" but in fact their bodies have just slowed down to the point that only their heart is beat enough to keep them alive, but nothing more. It's a normal response and when things warm up they spring back to life. And then we have the zoo's down there. They have been taking some of the burlap sacks that are used to carry in feed and cutting them open, then just placing them in the dens of apes, orangutans and some monkeys. They picked up on it pretty quickly and began to use them as blankets. Pretty smart, eh?

Would sasquatch take advantage of such opportunity should it exist? Well if it's living in the bush in northern Ontario then I would say no. The species should be adapted to the cold or have some sort of shelter to provide warmth. Or maybe....just maybe it migrates south. Who knows?

As humans, we would try to stay as warm as possible in a situation where we are exposed to extreme temps, but think about how we might go about this? Just turn up the heat? Put on a sweater? Eat something to give you energy? Well it could be all three but I looking at the last option -Eating. There is no doubt that food can make you warm and give you the energy needed to continue whatever you are doing, but you have to rest at some point, so when you do, your body slows down, you begin to feel cold, and it takes a while to get warmed back up again.

These creatures must be on the move. They must be eating well. They must have a shelter or some sort of protection to make them comfy during trying times. So where do we go from here? It's that time of season when the mercury hits single digits and we ask ourselves how something could live out there in these conditions.

Many questions, many thoughts.
Good Night.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T14:54:00.004-05:00

Another year has come and gone and here I am at the helm of many responsibilities and projects and I sometimes just have to step aside to take a breath of fresh air in order to recap some of the items that have occurred in the past.

I have to take off to BC for a week to get a grip on a few things that have developed out there. I don't believe it will be overwhelming or raise any issues but it reminded me of just how one can be displaced very quickly. Air Canada fires a bird out to BC almost every hour. It's really the only way to get traffic across Canada as quickly as possible when time is of the essence. Westjet follows that tradition and if I had a choice I would be booking them for this trip but it's AC at this point. Anyways, I'm expected to be greeted by rainy weather and a 30 minute cab ride to the hotel. Something I can deal with, but when I wake up in the morning, I am in a new land. Nothing really out of the ordinary, but still, I was in Ontario the day before and now I am in BC. Do I register any immediate differences? Usually, aside for the time change, no - albeit the effects of that change see me wanting to fall asleep at 7pm but we will wait and see.

It draws me to think about changes in society, structure and our day to day activities. We have become very accustomed to our daily activities and so when change is involved, we react accordingly. Sometimes with haste, sometimes with aggression, sometimes with depression. As unique individuals, we all react accordingly, living in this great land that we call Canada, without scrutiny and comment - except as opinion, which is based on the freedom of speech principals that we all share. We don't take it to heart if someone says BOO to our goal(s). Our expressions, our loves and desires. No - In Canada, we have a vast diversity that speaks volumes about our openness and acceptance as a unified country, but delving deeper into the fiery pits of ones obsession can sometimes strain even the most open and forward thinking individuals. This is why, when we bring up Sasquatch, people begin to go silent. Why?

Simple. Something you are not used to. Not familiar with. At some point you know you are going to have to accept it for whatever it turns out to be, but it's not going to go away, not until we

have proof. It is because of our openness that we can be drawn in many different directions. I hate that people can be gullable in many respects but I also see it as a sign of openness and appreciation for what one might want to offer. And so, as we begin this new year, I wish to welcome everyone to 2010. It's been a hell of a trip but we are getting closer to the answers we have been waiting for.

To all, it is with admiration that you review this blog to the point where you have gotten this far, as so to you, thank you for reading. You are part of the true meaning of "Freedom of Speech" and your participation carries through the traditions, laws and respect that we each deserve.

Happy New Year.

Jason

Mysteries of the North

2009-11-25T14:11:00.002-05:00

Blogging is something that I love to do but I often find myself procrastinating, saying that I am going to post, but I drift off into other matters and next thing you know I am here explaining why it took so long for me to post again…..it’s a vicious circle.

Well I’ve made a point of setting aside some blogging time with more consistency to ensure that I get info out there while it is fresh in my mind.

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There are several theories that have surfaced about where a sasquatch might live, theories that contain a wealth of leads and information that could help us get a little bit closer. You know, you can take a load of information into the field yet spend several days just trying to figure out where to start. Expeditions are often better executed when some serious planning takes place, even better a trial run or a preliminary recon to see what you are going to be up against and where / how you are going to start out.

In this upcoming expedition on the 27th of November, 2009, we are going to be taking much of the experience gained from the past to try and make this a most efficient and successful trip. When I say successful, I am in no way referring to catching a glimpse of a sasquatch as a measure of success or failure. You see, there is no such thing as failure when you are in the field. You are observing and collecting information which could be very important to future research.

Now let’s take a look at our recent trips. These areas were chosen for many reasons and to some it might be hard to comprehend; The mere fact that past reports have occurred in the same general area coupled by personal experiences was enough to raise a flag and get us out there.

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The area that we are researching is located in a tract of land that has no permanent and very few seasonal residents that we are aware of. It is not “extremely” hostile in nature but can certainly present some pretty challenging terrain to those who are not prepared.

One thing that remains of particular interest is a discovery made during the last trip. We baited around all of the trail cameras and yet nothing was captured, even though some food was missing. It would also appear that during rainy weather animals do not seem as prevalent. Perhaps this is simply self-preservation kicking in, maybe we were just making too much noise, but whatever is the case - given the area, there is no need to hide. Tim did spot a moose upon arrival at the camp but beyond that we were left with a bit of eyeshine during the evening hours from some deer…and that was it.

It brought up one mystery; Smell. Food always attracts animals, especially if they have an acute sense of smell, however, even with the most pungent odors emanating from the bait piles, it seemed to attract little attention – and so it was thought that smell may be hindered by the rain. Not necessarily a reduction of a living being’s capacity to perceive a smell, but the ability for an odor to travel a long distance as to attract animals to it.

Our past ventures found ourselves spending much time under cover because of the weather conditions. We were prepared – somewhat – and so with slight discomfort we were able to get through the trip. If you can imaging the circumstances you would agree that we had nature stacked against us but we all got through it.

One has to wonder how animals think when it comes to the weather. Do they take shelter like humans until the system dissapates? I believe the answer is yes to some extent, but when you really think about it, we, as humans are accustomed to shelter when the environment is poor or challenging. Animals, on the other hand, have only their surroundings to take advantage of for such protection and some do a very good job of it. We see snakes taking refuge under rocks, bears living in caves, squirrels living inside a tree. All of these things, while not man-made – offer protection to wildlife that has an inferior intelligence compared to humans, but instead, work from instinct – it is survival.

And so begins another mystery. Where does a sasquatch go when it encounters sour weather ? Does it care ?

Take a look at these pictures above and below

What stands out is the fact that the terrain is not the greatest. There are swamps, bogs, rivers, streams and lots of muck. In general, a lot of places that a human would find most undesirable. On the other hand, animals live here. They don’t pack up and head south to the concrete jungle to make things easier for them. No, they adapt. And so should the sasquatch. It just makes sense. But in a in an area like this? Why? Does it not have a level of intelligence that would make it want to pack up and find a more hospitable area? You might think so, but then again, you may be wiser to look the other way. And so it stands to reason, weather is not really a barrier…..

Look at where humans live. The Australian Outback. The Amazon. The Himilayan mountains. Places that offer a challenging environment yet it is still called “home” by many people. These people adapt, learn and cope. And they do so in many cases with ease. There is no reason for a sasquatch to leave this area but there is all the reason for it to stay in the area. A place it knows, a place it is familiar with. A place it understands.

This upcoming trip will further prove that even being slightly out of bounds will be cause for concern. Not just the typical precautions that we need to take when we go away on a field trip for the weekend but just to consider the elements. It will be cold, it might be raining, it might be snowing. Who knows? It’s a certainty that we will rely on devices such as flashlights, heaters, coolers and stoves to ensure that we can function at an optimal level but take that away from us and we are left with only our instincts, intelligence and wit to get us through the day. And that certainly wouldn’t be pleasant.

If anything, it makes it easier to understand and believe that there is something in the bush. There are no two ways about it. Through common adaptation this creature has learned how to live in it’s environment no matter how hostile. It has no use for humans. It has no need to interact – just like all the other forest creatures – unless it needs to defend itself or feels threatened. Perhaps a mother or father caring for a child like a bear protects it’s cubs. And while juveniles may find interest in our presence, the longevity of this species is based solely on the social structure that has carried them this far. There will be a scolding if one goes too far. There will be dissapointment should one fail another. But in the end, it’s just another day. We are still searching and it has yet to be found. Some day…. Some day…..

Expedition Events...and then some!

2009-10-15T00:43:00.004-04:00

Tim, myself and another fellow (OSR Member as well) took off to for a weekend trip to good ol’ Parry Sound. Ok, well not actually right in Parry Sound but around that area. The weather was not nice to us but we survived and I think we actually got somewhat crafty with our shelter by using our vehicles as a windbreak and water-barrier.

Water-barrier you ask? Well, sort of. The rain got quite heavy at times and was on occasion driven at an angle which would have made it all the more uncomfortable given the small square footage of our tarp canopy shelter.

We didn’t sleep in tents or trailers. We just used our vehicles which seemed to add a load of convenience given the weather conditions.

I personally found it unusual that there was a noticeable silence and lack of animals in the areas that we visited. I know that the weather had something to do with with it but I still felt that there was something unusual about the surroundings. Now, with that being said, we did see a deer (doe) and a fox, but nothing really more than that. If it wasn’t for Tim on his “lookout” perch which consisted of standing, or should I say leaning against the roll bar of a Kawasaki Mule, we might have driven right by the deer without noticing it.

The fox on the other hand was weird. Now I know that foxes can be crafty and sneaky, that’s part of their nature. The thing is, the first night we were up there Tim & I were talking back and forth and he looked beyond me at something which turned out to be a fox, however, it was approaching me from behind in sort of a stalking mode. It’s head was slung down and it’s tail was straight and parallel to the ground. I immediately got up and scared it off but that only lasted a few seconds. It turned around and came back, same sort of body language…like it was hunting prey. Once again we scared it off and for one final time it came back around and we really tried to scare it away, this time it worked…we had hoped. Thinking about it afterwards, it may have been that someone was feeding this fox so it was somewhat used to humans…or….what I feared to think about yet had to consider, it was rabid and delusional. Who knows?

And here is another thing - it's easy to get lost and even easier to become hidden. The leaves were still on the trees but they were at the metamorphical stage of change; they did a hell of a job hiding things. Take a quick glance here....See how easy Tim blends into the background?

Some good lessons were learned during the course of this trip. One thing that I would like to share is the actual field use of LED lights as opposed to regular incandescent bulbs. These LED lights are really great, especially for battery life and longevity of the actual bulb. At first I recognized these lights as being expensive, at least when they began to appear on the market, but now you can even find these things in the dollar store and they work well. Now, I wouldnt recommend dollar store flashlights when you are looking for reliability and so the term “you get what you pay for” casts some truth about the quality of your equipment. Give me a light that’s waterproof or at least has good water resistance, durable case, long life on/off switch, easy to use, great battery life and you’ve got a light that should be a winner. Personally I had a handheld LED light from “The Source” (AKA Old Radio Shack) located at http://www.thesource.ca plus a couple of other items.

My handheld light was on sale for $5 and it was worth it!!! Bright light for the entire weekend and the batteries are still strong. I used this guy the most.

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Flashlights&product=6118825

My trusty backup did not require batteries or have any wearable components…which by luck was also on sale for a mere $10 (regular $30). A solar LED flashlight. How simple is that? Works great!

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Flashlights&product=6119241

Now here is the thing. When you are in the field working a night scope or using a knife or just trying to tie a rope, the hardest thing to do is to get your flashlight mounted in such a way that it gives you the light you need when you need it and where you need it. I wanted to get a headband light that would allow me the dexterity that I needed to do other things without being held back by planting a light on the ground or in a tree or having someone hold it, plus when I came across this little gem, I couldn’t pass up the price. $19 for a sports headlight (9 in 1) that worked beyond my expectations. http://www.walmart.ca/Canada-FeaturedPage.jsp?selection=listingDetails&assetId=45807&imageId=63173&departmentId=211&categoryId=1244&tabId=7

Walmart is the place for this gem. It not only has a bright white LED light on it but it also has a rear red light (flashing or steady, for tracking,etc) and a blue, green and red front beam which are all great, in particular the blue light. You can draw eyeshine from many yards away with the blue on. Best of all, the battery life is fantastic!

In closing; while there was nothing that I would consider as being conclusive evidence that a “sasquatch – like” entity exists in this area, we did notice a few things that stood out.

First, on Saturday we were driving back in the Mule to our vehicles when we approached a section of trail that was within some pretty dense bush. The trail was cleared itself and in good condition, as you will note in the video, but moving to either side gets you into some thick forest. As we approached this one area, I heard a loud series of brush snaps and I immediately signaled to stop the mule. It was dead quiet afterwards and we scanned the area pretty intensely. Whatever was moving around had stopped and therefore could have possibly been observing us. I do not believe that this would be typical behavior of a bear or deer. They would run for cover until they felt they were completely out of harm’s way (unless the bear was with its cubs).

Second, on our last day (Sunday) we were on our way to retrieve our trail cameras and as we approached the area, the same thing happened again….loud snaps then silence. We immediately dismounted the vehicle and approached the bush. More snaps were heard, then complete silence. Once again, whatever it was stopped and was observing us, yet we could not see a thing.

In closing, we enjoyed ourselves and had a great time.Looking forward to our next expedition (or “mini-expedition”) taking place in a few weeks. North-bound again!!

Until next time……

Off to the north....

2009-09-30T07:22:00.003-04:00

It's been a little while since my last blog but now I have some news that might interest some of you who follow this tiny corner of the web.

Tim Ervick (A.K.A "Squatchers) and myself are heading off to a location of interest this weekend in north-central Ontario and hopefully we might get a glimpse of what is "hiding out" in the area (For lack of a better explanation). We have the vocalization from Naiscoot Lake, the "DonR" recording from roughly the same area and of course, my vocalization experience - all which have occurred in the same geographic area so we are setting out to try and discover just what this thing might be. This is a initial search / recon of one particular area and given the terrain and size of the area we have to cover, we should be able to collect lots of data which we will be presenting later on.

Of interest to some is the live "from the field" episode of Simply Sasquatch radio that we are going to be doing this Saturday, October 3rd @ 9:30AM EST so be sure to tune in and join us!

Maybe it's been there all along....

2009-09-21T23:43:00.003-04:00

I heard a snippet of something a few days ago that made me think for a moment about the way we perceive things. "The deer could be standing right there in front of you and you wouldn't notice it".

The Ticking Mind started ticking again and I really thought about it. Absolutely right. Same goes with a squirrel that pauses like a statue, not even flinching one bit. and possible many other animals. They just blend right in. And by all means, deer can get to be pretty large creatures, yet I can guarantee that we walk by them every day without noticing them. Chances are, and I believe I am quite sure about this, that then have noticed us long before we even are within a visual range.

Squatchers (Tim Ervick) pointed out something on the last episode of Simply Sasquatch that kinda made sense with regards to finding things. You don't have to go right back to the exact spot where someone heard something or saw something. Especially when it was many months or years ago. Being in the general area is more than likely adequate but the real science might simply be in observation. Parking yourself in a opportunistic spot (well, doing your best to get a great view of everything around you) and just waiting - observing everything. Maybe have a couple recorders going, camera and video on a tripod. Mic's in the surrounding trees. Whatever you feel works for you, but really, try to "observe"

Legend of Boggy Creek brought forth the discovery that that dogs did not want to track whatever it was in there. I am not sure how much to read into the movie, after all, they say it was based on true events yet they call it "The legend". Nonetheless, these folks went out in "packs". Why would a squatch sit around with these people and dogs hot on the trail? Maybe it's because they know they won't be noticed, I mean, the dogs were spooked and wouldn't track. How does it have that much control and power over hounds that were essentially "born" to follow their noses?

Then you have those theories that go way off on a tangent saying that they might be in another dimension, that's why we cannot see or detect them. If that is the case, then why am I even here talking about this. I mean, are vocalizations left out of this theory that they are on another plane that we cannot and do not interact with?

Creepy coincidence

2009-09-09T00:51:00.002-04:00

I took a mini-hiatus from blogging in order to catch up on other aspects of my life but I just had to post this.

A long time ago I was up at a campsite - well, actually it was just a nice "clearing" on the north end of a beautiful lake surrounded by some pretty dense bush. I had been travelling up to this area for many years and so in some respects, I was very comfortable with my surroundings and I considered this place to be "my second home" away from home.

So, like I mentioned, it was a long time ago - say around 2003. I was up at the campsite and I was sitting in my lawnchair going over a map and I heard a soft roar which got louder; binoculars were deployed and scanning the area I came across a lonely boater heading up the lake towards my location. After a few moments I could assemble enough clarity through the binoculars to determine that it was a middle aged man who had a fishing rod hanging off the back of the boat, most likely trolling. I think the fellow noticed me when I had stood up to get the binoculars but it didn't really seem to phase him. As he approached closer I was the first to call out "Been a lucky fishing day for yah"?

He chuckled and said "If it's luck you need to catch them, then I have none"

I laughed, said that was strange, the lake is usually a good producer.

He nodded his head and continued on. A few moments later he asked "Were are you from"? Now my normal response would be just to say "The Toronto area" but I told him the actual name of the town of where I lived - at the time it was Acton and I don't really think it meant anything to him. He paused and then said St. Thomas. I nodded back; I knew the place he was talking about. That's a good 5 hour trip,if not more.

"Camping"? He said....and I replied "a little bit of everything. Yeah camping too!"

He laughed and onwards he went.

I never saw the fellow again during my trip. Nor any other trip.

Not until a week ago. This is where it gets creepy. I was at a gas station in Oakville. As I was filling up I noticed a person pull in, towing a boat behind their truck. The guy got out and began filling his truck. I looked at the boat over and over then I looked back at him. I had this feeling that I knew this guy but he was the first to jump on it. "Acton, right?" He said......

I paused for a moment then replied "St. Thomas, right?". He immediately smirked and replied "you got it!"

What are the odds.....what are the chances? Well, I felt lucky that day, and as I was inside the gas station making a coffee, he came in to pay for his gas. After doing so, he came over and extended his hand. "Hi I'm Nick". I immediately returned the gesture and extended my hand - "Hi, Jason. Nice to meet you!". He immediately replied "what are the odds"...

We chatted for a bit out in front of the pumps and I was surprised how fast the time flew; it was really a coincidental thing. This chap had no previous connection to the lake with the exception of him being introduced to it a year prior by a friend. He mentioned that it was quite enjoyable and he had been up a few times. As for me asking him about sasquatch activity? Well, I held back. He was a newbie. I feel horrible for using that term but at this point what else can I use or describe it with?

My friend, if you are reading this, you might very well know what may await you on your next trip.

Don't let it be a deterrent. We are just visiting it's vast backyard.

J.

Some Updates….

2009-08-12T08:10:00.001-04:00

Wanted to pass along some recent news; Simply Sasquatch is doing well (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SimplySasquatch) and I am happy to announce that Tim Ervick (http://squatchers.blogspot.com) has agreed to “co-host” the show with me when he is available and I think that’s great. This past show on Saturday (August 8th) we went for a little more than an hour and it was terrific. The conversation flowed quite nicely and I think the topics of discussion were of much interest to some.

I’m hoping to increase the listenership interaction, whether it be in the chatroom or calling into the show (646-716-6374) and maybe we might even see some more OSR members join us in the future ???

Tim is up in the Sudbury area and I am in Oakville. The Blogtalk number is long distance for both of us but I Primus VOIP some my long distance in North America is free. All i do is call into the show to host it and just before the show starts, I call Tim via conference call, then join him into the show. Pretty simple. Doesn’t cost him a dime in long distance, nor does it cost me anything. If you are interested in calling into the show by using this method to save on long distance, please let me know.

If your an Ipod user, Simply Sasquatch is now available on Itunes under podcasts.

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This is the most active time of the year for people to be using trail cameras and collecting images from them. Unfortunately many people arrive to the location of the camera to find that it has either disappeared or has been knocked out of the tree. The culprit? Typically a bear. They seem to be attracted to the resins used in the body of the camera and they sometime get a little too curious. If you have an opportunity to get yourself a bear-proof box, by all means do so.

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Not too much has been coming out of Ontario lately with regards to Sasquatch sightings. A couple recon’s have been planned yet there has been nothing much beyond that. We have a report, such as that from Squatchers – which details the Naiscoot lake vocalization.

(http://squatchersfieldnotes.blogspot.com/)

See yah!

Sasquatch speaks?

2009-07-23T23:31:00.001-04:00

Yeah, It’s a vague title and it will probably draw some criticism but after the flaming I have endured in the past regarding other “subjects” (Sasquatch related) I figured that my 2 cents are worth about 5 cents now. The extra 3 cents are earned from the satisfaction of knowing that someone took the time to read, absorb and then give me a mouthful (or email full) of disagreement. Now that’s healthy feedback, don’t you think???

The Michigan Recordings – if you haven't done so you should really take a trip over to the site and explore it. Be sure to read the text rather than just jumping to the recordings because a wealth of information is provided and I have to tell you, it was a job well done.

Personally I haven't been able to pull anything really mind-blowing out of the project but I had no expectation of doing so. I should clarify what I mean – all too often people seem eager to present material to the public which in itself draws skepticism because you would think that one is looking for big press, the media and the spotlight. Not so with this project, and it seems to be for good reason – aside from setting your own conclusions – which, by the way, this site lets you do with ease (they don’t co-herse you into believing their thoughts and suggestions), they leave it wide open for any interpretation. Believe or don’t believe. Here is the research material as we have collected it.

That is why, when I learned of this project -as most rational people will (or should) do, you approach it with skepticism and little or no bias. And that’s exactly what I did.

On my first visit to the site, well, I was pleasantly surprised that a banner didn't jump out and say “congratulations, your the 150,000 visitor to this site. Click here to claim your prize. No, that might be a little harsh, but I’m sure you know what I mean. It is a well laid out site, simple in design yet powerful in it’s presentation of the subject and therefore I found it very comforting and easy to absorb.

What you will certainly notice is a consistent undertone of professionalism by individuals who are not immediately jumping to a conclusion and spreading the word SASQUATCH or BIGFOOT like its going to draw hits every time they do so. No, these people were on a planned and seemingly well executed mission to work with the situation that they agreed to study and this is the result of that tenure. A refreshing and interesting look into the way that a sasquatch may communicate and then some. Listen to the recordings, listen to everything. Picture yourself being there. You might even creep yourself out after hearing some of the sounds!

Track 5 of July 5/6th gave me the kick in the ass that I needed to set the title of this blog. Listen to it. Over and over. Notwithstanding the fact that it is a very “unique” recording, it seems that “it” is almost “speaking” to something – someone – anyone. Who knows? A lazy camper might have dropped a can of beans out of their pack while hiking and now the “mighty fur ball” is trying to figure out a way to open the mystifying silvery tube of slop. I chuckle each time I think of that – a wrestling match with a can of beans.

All jokes aside, this is a really important and interesting development from a group of credible and respectable individuals who are to be applauded for releasing this new and refreshing material. It will certainly renew the questions of conclusions by those who shut the door on this subject in the past. This is unique. This is part of the hunt. This is Sasquatch as the mystery unfolds.

(Please extinguish flames here……:)

Jason

Why do I believe?

2009-07-20T23:19:00.001-04:00

Had a short and somewhat cold conversation with an individual a few hours ago who reminded me that when he came across my blog he felt that I was going to be looking the devil in the eye and walking down a path of destruction - for that nobody would believe and take seriously the “folklore” and rantings of those who claim that a “being” exists among us that we cannot explain.

Logic speaks volumes. And people forget about logic to the point that “narrow” conclusions are drawn in cases where they should not be.

I make reference to my vocalization experience. I heard a sound – and I did not know what it was.

Think about my last sentence. Seriously. I will repeat it. Put yourself in my shoes, close your eyes and think. “I heard a sound and I did not know what it was”. Now, think about it happening to you.

In no way did I say “Sasquatch”. No, of course not. It did not even register at the time, but you see, the sensitivity of the actual event “as it occurred” startled the $#!**” out of me. I was terrified and I made it top priority to break down camp and leave the area. The memories were etched in my brain and soon thereafter I found myself on a mission.

When I finally felt that I had associated the sounds that I heard to sounds that I found on the net and finding out that they were related to Sasquatch, I certainly did not become too enamored with the fact that I had a new responsibility to deal with. Ridicule, people thinking I was nuts. Think what you want, I know what I heard and I knew that I was in this for the long run, but wait just a moment - those bone chilling sounds I heard did remind me of my encounter but I certainly did not draw a conclusion as to what it was, I only accepted the information presented as a possibility.

Honestly, I still haven’t come to a solid conclusion and I am not sure if I will. Let alone my own experience, how can I review and disseminate others who offer data if we have no real baseline? What are you looking for? How did sasquatch come to mind? You see, at the time, it did not and that’s the point that I am trying to get across.

Like I said, I didn’t know what it was at the time. And I wanted to. I’ve been in those woods before and they owed me an explanation. Big time. So, I looked for it.

And so let me close this post of mine by saying…if you were in the middle of nowhere and your heard a scream –and you did not know what it was…You never heard anything like it before. You rationalize, but it just doesn’t work.

One sentence keeps playing itself over and over in your head.

“What was it?”

Logic always ends up ruling in situations where nature cannot speak for itself. My logic points me in the direction of another being existing among us. I’m not fully convinced, but then again, I heard those sounds. They still haunt me to this day. I looked for them. I listened to them, I listened again and again. It’s the closest thing that I could find and people call it a Sasquatch.

(Author’s side note: – The Michigan Recording Project website was recently released to the general public. Plug in your headphones and go have a look and a listen. Fascinating)

Sasquatch distracting people?

2009-07-07T23:21:00.004-04:00

I've read with interest that many reported sasquatch sightings seem to offer a little more than what people bargain for, that is, the possibility that you are being distracted for a reason. What I mean is that there are several cases of people saying that they have been witness to small pebbles, rocks, sticks being thrown at them, apparently from the big hairy guy himself, but in any case, if sasquatch does have a pitching arm and is responsible for some of these events, it may stand to reason that it is doing this to attract your attention for the purpose of distracting you.

Why you ask? It could be a number of reasons. Preservation and safety come to mind as an initial thought. If there is an infant in the area or a sick or elderly creature who might not be quite up to the task of being agile and quick on it's feet, a younger squatch may start throwing interference your way to keep you busy and mesmerized with the situation while the others move to safety.

Wood knocks might accomplish the same thing but I believe that the act of actually throwing something at someone carries an inherent representation of aggression and so it is more cautiously observed and pursued, something that sasquatch is counting on.

Wood-knocks are inconclusive in some respects because you don't actually know what is creating the sound. I think they know that, so we become more curious and start to look into it. It could just be the wind....But having a stone hurled at you - more than once within a few moments - I can guarantee your gonna be a little cautious, epsecially when your in those spooky woods in the middle of nowhere. Dusk. Or midnight. Wolves howling....Ok big guy, you've got my attention. I certainly ain't going nowhere and I'm not going to hurt you. You can travel in peace.

If they have the intelligence to know how run interference in this manner, I would certainly respect the warning.

A lesson in Sound - Landmarks speak out.

2009-07-06T23:01:00.000-04:00

Go for a ride a few km's off the shore of Lake Ontario then shut down your sail or motor and just sit there for a moment drifting. Relaxing? More than likely.

So you are a sitting - drifting - looking at the city line in front of you - buildings, skyscrapers, chimney stacks, etc. All of a sudden things start to dissapear. a cold front moves in, creating a fog that obscurs everything. You are a few km's out and all that you have around you is thick fog. You are blind.

Your running radar? Cool, might help you out a little, let you know where the land and those big ships are. Autohelm - thats cool, if your moving, but you have shut down and you are just sitting there.

Moments later you hear the sound from the local lighthouse. That good 'ol foghorn. Wait a moment, what direction did that sound come from?

It's there. The sound is familiar....As long as you can hear it you are safe. Kinda. Or maybe not. But there is the comfort factor. "You can hear it"....

That speaks VOLUMES. Excuse the pun, but even though you can't tell where that ol' foghorn is coming from, a quick glance at the compass or the GPS will put things into perspective - after all, that lighthouse never moves, right? Right.

Yes, as far as I am concerned - Right. We hear the lighthouse foghorn. We look at the GPS or compass. We can relate from the readings the estimated position of that lighthouse - and all is well. We are good to go.

Now, take that sound you heard in the bush and link a GPS or compass to it. You cant. You dont know where it origintated from. You heard it but there is no definitive point of creation. The sound might have echoed and come from all over the place. It's confusing and possibly overwhelming. You just dont know.

So when it comes to landmarks that you are familiar with, whether it be sound, light, or anything that gives it a unique identity, remember that. The simplest things that we "bypass"in our day to day lives can provide us with the information we need to get through a tough situation.

I've been through it. 1km off shore in Lake Ontario. Fog, thick fog. Nothing to be seen 5 feet in any direction. Radar is scattered. Then the foghorn sounds. Grab that waypoint out of the GPS an set your focus on it. It's your local harbour. Wait for the fog to subside then you are home-free. (Watch those shipping lanes!!! :)

Yeah, um, ok it's a 2 stroke. What does that mean?

2009-06-20T10:10:00.001-04:00

Recent posts for low cost 110v generators averaging anywhere between $89 to $199 seem to have captured the eye of a lot of people; Sasquatch researchers are no exception! And while these pint-sized units are readily available to do the job of serving up kilowatts of power during your trip, it only takes a tiny misunderstanding to throw everything to hell.

"Damn...the lights are strobing on and off - guess the generator is running out of gas. Mind filling it?" Moments later the beast is up and running, you continue about your business. Then it happens. You hear the motor slow down. The lights dim. Within seconds the generator dies. That pull-start cord is as solid as a rock. The engine is dead - locked up - seized. Wrecked. Destroyed. Whatever you call it, it is a write-off. Why?

Oil. maybe even only a half cup or less - depends on the mix ratio, but that "cheap" generator you bought is cheap because it has a 2 stroke engine that needs to consume oil mixed into the gas in order to remain cool and lubricated. 2 stroke engines are the simplest and cheapest forms of power plants out there, yet because they burn the oil that lubricates them, they have become under increasing scrutiny with regards to pollution (EPA) initiatives. And this is why we see so many old Johnson and Mercury 2-stroke boat motors still kicking because they are cheap to operate and easy to work on.

That unforgettable smell of burning gas and oil will always bring back memories. Even if it wasn’t the boat, it might have even been a weed wacker or lawnmower, maybe even a chainsaw, but they were 2 stroke engines and the minor pain in the ass that they caused with the mixing ratios was (and still is) by far a miniscule task when you consider the reliability and longevity of such devices. I know that there are people out there grumbling about this. 2 strokes are dirty, filthy things. They are not as efficient as 4-strokes. They are destroying the earth. Ok, you've said your peace.

Now, let's look at all the environmentally inconsiderate things that you do. Take a bit of time, but you shouldn't need much. Now look at a field researcher. Someone who doesn't get out often but when we do we want to make the most of it and have the tools we need to operate efficiently, even if it is only for the weekend. Yeah, I could buy that $1200 4-stroke "clean" generator, but who am I kidding? Only myself. You see, given what I have mentioned, I really don’t spend that much time to the point where I require a generator. So my $1200 investment is going to be a beast that might take a bit of time to pay off. Not too mention that the portability is limited given the size. Was it arc-welding you wanted to do? :) Nope, my $99 2-stroke generator that may see 3 hours a month is a worthwhile investment. Just have to remember to ADD OIL to the gas!!!!!

Cogeco QAM channels

2009-06-18T10:48:00.000-04:00

First, my apologies for not posting with more regularity, but I have my reasons - mostly TIME! I promise to blog with more frequency very soon - I miss it! This is nothing new but I thought I would take the liberty of bringing this to the attention of those who might benefit from this finding. Recent frustration with my PVR (Polaroid DRM-2001G) led me to try to upgrade the firmware on it which, I am sad to say, turned it into a useless piece of junk. Ok I shouldn't be that harsh - It will still play DVD's and the hard drive is still good - but it has a real hard time burning DVD's and the hard drive is getting full. Having to hookup the IDE drive (which, by the way is a older style PATA interface) to a USB dongle to pull the data off it is a bit cumbersome. On the slight chance that I may run across a proper copy of firmware for the north american version of this device - which is a generic type of PVR that is sold under different brand names, I may be able to resurrect this beast. If you are out there and you have access to such firmware, Drop me a line and let me know! So, my search for firmware ended up taking me to a lot of audio / video based websites such as this one and I was intrigued by this device. It would appear that the FCC has done some good with regards to the regulations surround the distribution of TV signals in an unencrypted format; Specifically QAM as described in this wiki. They (the cable companies) certainly do not advertise this feature from what I have seen, but then again, I live in Canada and subscribe to Cogeco cable, and of course, we are not governed by the FCC - but the point is, tv equipment that is manufactured for sale in the US after a certain date must have a ATSC tuner built into it (in addition to NTSC which has been phased out for over the air broadcasts in the US), and so, in the case of the Philips DVDR3575, manufactured for the US market - has both NTSC and ATSC tuners built into it and the ATSC tuner is capable of receiving QAM transmissions (Digital TV). So what's the big deal? Well, a couple of things. First, when this PVR came out, it retailed for close to $800 but rapidly dropped. It is one of only a few PVR's that have a built in tuner, dvd recorder, 160 GB hard disk drive, firewire and USB inputs. And, at the local clearance center on Dixie Road in Mississauga, I picked up a refurbished unit with a 6 month warranty for only $199! Now here is the big news - Like I said, I subscribe to regular analog basic cable. No variety packs or options. Just regular cable. I plugged this thing in, then went into the menu and did the initial setup "auto-channel" scan to pre-program the unit. It ran through all the regular cable channels from 2 - 125, then it started scanning for ATSC (Digital TV) channels. It took a little bit of time - about 15 minutes, but once complete - Voila!! I had a bunch of DTV channels and music channel that I could receive from Cogeco. At this point I have not spent the time to actually tally the channels I am getting because I have only just hooked up this unit very recently, but things are looking bright! I will post my channel list after compiling it and share it with you. Until next time.....

Things are “Ticking”….

2009-06-01T07:51:00.001-04:00

My temporary lapse in blog efforts is in no way indicative of my interest in doing so; I’ve been VERY busy.

Just did another episode of Simply Sasquatch on Blogtalk radio and I was happy to see OSR member “Squatchers” (Tim Ervick) join in to the show via chatroom. Tim has a great blog on Blogspot that you can take a peek at. Thanks for the support Tim!

Simply Sasquatch episode coming your way.....

2009-05-20T22:59:00.006-04:00

It sucks that blogtalk does not offer local Ontario (GTA or whatever) call in numbers for the show; I have had a few people inquire and I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because I really do wish that they would get some Canadian numbers but as it stands there is nothing that I can do. I'm doing VOIP right now with Primus for my home line so long distance across North America doesnt really concern me since it is free, but I know that many still pay by the second or minute to their providers. I'm sorry folks - maybe call my home line and I will conference you int o the show? Seriously, I can do that and if it works for you and a call into a Hamilton (Line 1) or Toronto (Line 2) number is local to you, let me know!!!

Simply sasquatch will feature an episode this weekend that reviews the NewCon Optik Pygmy monocular ( This is a neat review, we put this to a battery of weird tests) and of course, the main subject of our broadcast, what we have learned during our field trips.....life lessons.....

Looks like Simply Sasquatch will continue to broadcast at 11:30am every Saturday for the time being. I've gotten some great feedback from some of you who are there listening each weekend, thanks very much for that. I might not be cut out to be an "on air" type of guy but I am trying to accomodate and work with the program so if you are patient I am sure you will be well rewarded. (No Purchase necessary, Prohibited in some states, some restrictions apply...) How is that for being on the ball? Or did it just remind you of the sales pitch for K-Tel spray hair.

Seriously, Just trying to throw a line or three out there to get people motivated. The OSR, a wonderful group of people (Http://www.ontariosasquatch.com), Tim over at Squatchers (Http://squatchers.blogspot.com) and of my own piece of the internet located at http://www.blogtalkradio/simplysasquatch make up for only a tiny yet "formidable" dabbling into the life of Sasquatch. Onwards.... Get involved. Get connected!

Recording in the field

2009-05-19T11:54:00.005-04:00

Depending on what and where you are recording in the field, correct microphone placement can mean the difference between a mediocre low volume "whoop" and a highly defined, well formed "whoop".

Of course, that’s if you are in an area where you have potential activity. Many days have come and gone with nothing being recorded. Well, nothing except dead air. Not to worry, patience sometimes pays off.

Here are some tips that I will share to help optimize your recording strategies.

Take a moment to observe the topography of the area where you intend to record. Topography is important because of the potential introduction of echo's & reverberations, not to mention the possibility (yet less likely) introduction of Doppler Effect artifacts from something that is moving at a high rate of speed.

Steep inclinations that surround your microphone setup can distort your recordings because of the echo and reverberation that may be present. "Multipath" echo can also cause a loss in audio quality because whatever it is that you are recording is moving, thus projecting the sound in various directions.

Hard surfaces such as rock faces and cliffs are far more likely to reflect sounds than surfaces that are matted with sound absorbing material such as moss, thick grass, dead & decaying leaves. However, hard surfaces can also carry sounds much further. This brings up a good point; Use the local surroundings as a reflector or concentrator if you wish to pickup weak sounds. Parabolic and shotgun mic's work very well as a directional setup but it would be sad to have a sound come from the opposite direction of your collector and of course, not be able to record it. So picture this setup; This is ultimately how you get the best of both worlds; Having a highly sensitive parabolic or shotgun mic assembly recording the sounds in from of it, but at the end is a rock face or some sort of structure that could potentially reflect the sounds made behind the dish into the collector, therefore, although it would be lower in volume you would still have a chance to record the sound, plus you have the chance to record whatever is between the rock face and your collector.

Sometimes the stupidest things occur and when you find out what you did, it's too late to correct the problem. I remember I left a recorder out one evening and when I retrieved it a few hours later, I kept hearing this soft thump. For the life of me I couldn’t figure out what it was until I put 2 +2 together and realized that it was the cord of the mic banging against the tripod that I was using at the time. The wind was blowing just enough to occasionally lift the cord and bang it against the leg. I use Velcro straps now and it works quite well.

That brings up another point - the tripod. Don't trust that thing to sit still if you have a parabolic of any considerable weight or size on there while there is a breeze. It will topple. There are some good tripods that will sit still but if you are like me and on a budget, take some twine and some tent pegs, fasten the twine half way up the tripod legs, above one of the collapsing leg knuckles so that the twine does not slide down, then fasten the other end to the tent peg that you have driven into the ground on an angle facing away from the tripod. This will ensure that the tripod sits still. You can also consider using a sand bag; Tie one end of the twine to the bottom of the middle of the tripod and tie the other end to the sandbag which is placed on the ground in the centre of the tripod.

Here is something else that you should consider; Microphones are sensitive pieces of equipment. Like an ear drum, the fine pieces of material that make up a typical microphone element such as a condenser mike can be damaged by shock but also by a little know problem – Moisture.

If you make that 3+ hour trip up north in the middle of summer and you have the air conditioner blasting away to keep your interior cool, that’s great, but taking that mic out of that cool cabin and you might introduce condensation. The easiest ways around this – put the stuff in your trunk or keep the equipment in an insulated case.

Moisture can also be introduced as the sun set’s and dew starts to form. This is why it’s important not to have your microphone exposed to the hot sun for any substantial period of time. The heat can also affect the frequency response characteristics of the microphone because expansion and contraction will cause variations of size of the actual element.

Believe it or not, insects might find the time to visit your mic setup and leave you with some baffling recordings. Such was the case of a friend of mine who thought that someone had visited his mic and played with it, rubbing the actual microphone with a finger or something similar but in fact, it was a caterpillar that took a stroll across the surface. There are several ways to prevent this, suspended screening, etc. I thought it would be worthy to mention.

Experimentation is the key when it comes to recording the great outdoors. And don’t be discouraged if you come away with several hours of dead air. It’s all part of the process.

"Simply Sasquatch" radio show

2009-05-09T12:48:00.003-04:00

Just started my own Blog Talk radio show called "Simply Sasquatch". You can find it here http://www.blogtalkradio.com/SimplySasquatch/ or use the link at the top right corner of your screen.

I think Ontario seems to be very "lacking" with shows like this so it is my hope that we can spread the word about Sasquatch research, field guide "how to's", tips and tricks, etc.

I am also hoping to do equipment reviews and have interviews with fellow researchers.

I just finished my first episode today, so excuse my broadcasting etiquette and skills if it sucks. I will learn in time. Have a listen, maybe you might like it. My first show is only 15 min long and I will be creating a calendar of future shows soon. I am not sure about what the show broadcast times and dates are going to be but Saturdays seem to be the most convenient, obviously since I have the time, being off work and all. We will see. If you have any show suggestions or your thoughts on a show schedule, drop me a line!

Cheers and enjoy the show!

Nothing to report? That's hard to believe.....

2009-05-05T10:47:00.002-04:00

One of the things that I question when it comes to field research is coming home with no news. No data. Nothing. This is really quite a shame because even on the most uneventful outing, hoards of information can still be collected.

Have you ever come across a professional “researcher” or “scientist” who came and went without taking any notes, samples or making a phone call relating to what they were doing in the field? It never happens. Habitual processes kick in and even if you don’t sit there with a pen and paper that crazy little thing called a “memory” starts taking notes for you.

Hang on a second here – people who make trips into the field and say “nothing to report”, no sightings, nothing of relevance……”

Are you implying that just because you did not have a Bigfoot encounter that you were unsuccessful, therefore you have nothing to report? Perhaps it was just another “uneventful field trip”?

Ok, great. Thanks for sharing that. By the way, what was the ambient air temperature during your trip? What was the dew point? Were there any prevailing winds? Cloudy? Clear? Ambient noise such as a construction crew that echoed down the lake? Drunken partiers at a fire pit yelling obscenities all through the night? How about the water temperature at the local lake? Were flowers and berry bushes in bloom? Unusual odors in the area?

I guess you get the point. Even with no “perceivable” Bigfoot activity, many other factors are still prevalent. It adds to research, theory and potentially a better way to understand what might be living on our planet with us.

A creepy yet sobering close to this – As elusive as Bigfoot seems to be, the whole time you were in the field looking for “It”, “It” could have been there the looking right at you. Observing you. Learning from you.

If that was the case…. sure, you could say you came home empty handed – but in one respect, you were a teacher. You just taught it once again how to be even more elusive.

The cost of connecting.

2009-04-22T22:55:00.005-04:00

Just took a peek at the VISA bill and saw the Rogers internet charge. Interesting. It's more than last month. Perhaps they jumped on that fair access policy and are dinging me for those few additional megabytes that I might have downloaded which would of course put me over the allocated cap and make more income for the conglomerate.

"Bundle and Save!!"

What a bunch of bullshit directed to people who will buy the idea and subscribe to the services. Hook, line and sinker.

How about doing your homework and building a platform that works with your lifestyle. Trust me, if you do the research, you can save a good chunk of $$$ without sacrificing much, if anything. If you say you don't have time to do so, then most likely you have the finances to take it up the rump and pay whatever is owed to connect and communicate with the those outside of your home. And when you do give a &$#% about your recent internet, phone or cable bill and call for clarification.....more than likely that phone call is going to take an amount of time that will further increase you irritation.

It's ok Jason, calm down. Ok, Fine, I vented.....but I am still ticked with these companies making excuses for the poor customer service, performance and prices.

Internet - Rogers Portable Internet. Basic. $27.99

Phone - Primus Talkbroadband Unlimited $25.95 /mth plus $5.00 for an additional number

Cable - Cogeco basic (Classic) cable $27.99

What am I at here? Basic math, come on brain work.........

Ok say $87 bucks for your home entertainment and connectivity. Dear god, internet is a necessity now? Yup, appears to be. Holy Smokes, remember when Bell charged for RENTING home phones? Yes, renting!!! It was almost $5 a month for a piece of crap touch tone phone that did not even have the call display that we are all accustomed to now and we wont pick up that call if it someone we dont know or says PRIVATE CALLER. How disciminate we have become. Is this because we are permitted to be more selective about the type of calls we get? It just makes for new methods to be developed to get us to answer that call and the only reason why is because of that "all-mighty" dollar. "If I could just wiz through these 500 cold call numbers in my database im sure one of them will buy the Willi Wonder 6000 Vacuum Cleaner with free delivery." Think again you mindless rubberhead. The more connected we get, the more selective we get. The more privacy we yearn. The harder your job becomes. The more crap you throw at us, well, it's gonna come right back at you at slighter faster speed, maybe just enough to make you go "Huh? Wow, I gotta do something about this".

$87 bucks a month to watch 30 minutes of TV a day, have a home phone that might be used 5 times a month and internet which is used to bitch about my internet costs. I just chuckled about that one. Neat. Now what I am describing may be to some referred to as a "LITE" version. How about all of you who subscribe to "Digital TV", maybe you also have that sports package, and for a "few dollars more" (more BS) get that internet package from the same provider, there is another $~45-50 bucks a month. Oh, by the way, you can also get phone service....great! Now we are past $100 a month. For what? Consolodation? Is that the reason you did it? You are paying the extra $$$ because it's all with the same company?

I ask and offer you this. Don't burn yourself. Go shopping. Make these larger companies realize that they are dealing with an educated individual. Do your homework. With the money you save, well, congrats!!! You not only saved but you sent a message to the industry.

Shop around. Give the little guys a chance. They are offering wonderful deals to gain leadership and many of the deals are too good to pass up. I know - I have learned and now I am wise - at least until tomorrow when another vendor throws out an offer "too good to be passed up". I'm going to look at that with an amount of skepticism that would make all but the most "Herb Tarlec" type of sales rep cringe and all for good reason.

Until my next late night rant......If I wasted the 7 minutes of your time reading this, sorry, no refunds. Use as directed. :)

Cheers,

Jason

Wise to operate in Stealth Mode?

2009-04-21T07:51:00.002-04:00

This seems to be a topic of some debate when conducting field research. Just how far do you go to conceal your activities and your presence? It would seem that most sasquatch encounters happen to those who were not looking for it, they were just minding their own business going about their routine when the sighting occured.

The merit in these types of sightings lies in the consistency of the report and the typical granularity that comes along with it.

As an example, there is a video that has recently surfaced, referred to as "The Monster of Gum Creek". There is absolutely nothing conclusive about this video. Nothing. You can look at it hundreds of times and you cannot tell if the "thing"that is walking in the far background is a human or a sasquatch. Skeptics would leave it at that, and I am a healthy skeptic - but if something were made more compelling in this video, perhaps a clearer face shot - you might have my interest.

The point is, these people were out using an ATV, certainly not being "stealth". As the fellow worked his way upstream the sighting occured. Sightings always seem to happen like this, and it is for this reason that I take no special steps to cover my tracks when I am doing field research. Just being yourself and acting in your usual manner will bring no sense of harm or fear to those who observe you - and don't think your not being watched.....many of us do not realize the amount of life that is peering upon us without our knowledge. Forest creatures have this down to a fine art. We do not.

Get the balance right....Preventing blobsquatches

2009-04-06T20:43:00.005-04:00

There is a little known feature found most high-end digital cameras and even some budget models commonly referred to as a Histogram. Without going into the super technical details it is simply a graph that represents complete black (left side) and complete white (right side).

When you take a picture of varying tones, shades and colours the histogram looks kind of like a "mountain" and when correctly exposed will appear to "peak" in the middle of the graph. You know instantly if your picture is going to be underexposed (peaks to the left) or overexposed (peaks to the right) and so you can adjust your exposure accordingly to balance things out. You need to learn how to look at the scene and understand where the exposure should be to create that perfect picture. To get the best dynamic range from a picture, you must expose it as bright as possible without over exposing it. I use to always stay on the lower end of things because I thought it would be safe and I found myself having to take my pics into photoshop because they were always underexposed. Ever since I learned to use the histogram feature to my advantage, I have been shooting better quality pics that rarely need to be post-processed.

This brings up a very important point - something we have seen far too much of - blobsquatches. Those grainy under-exposed photos that we are all too familiar with. It's really disturbing to find that these pictures were taken with cameras that were more than capable of taking sharp, clear pictures. So why the blobsquatches?

Underexposed and too much shadow - not enough dynamic range and brightness to bring out the definition and detail of the scene.
Not a high enough depth of field (Shooting with too low of an f-stop (large aperture) which keeps the object you are focusing on "in-focus" while the surroundings appear out of focus. It is these type of pictures where the blobsquatches frequently appear - in the unfocused sides of the intended target. Crank that f-stop up and get the whole picture in focus!
Too high of an ISO setting can introduce noise in your picture. When possible, try to keep your ISO setting as low as possible, however, do not take that for granted. In fast-moving situations you may want to crank up that ISO to capture action shots - keep in mind that you need more light to work with that higher ISO setting.
Last but not least, do not rely on AUTO. Experiment with your camera because sometimes it doesn't always calculate and select the best settings automatically. If in doubt, consider this - if your camera is capable of shooting RAW, do it, because that one "pristine shot" that you took may not have been so perfect after you get the picture home and view it on your computer - with RAW you can fix all that. JPEG's are already processed by your camera so you are limited to the amount of editing that you can perform. This is one reason why I love my camera - I can shoot RAW & JPEG at the same time so I have a copy of each. Yeah it takes more space on the memory card, but gigabytes are cheap nowadays. Happy shooting!

Basic Cable + Cheap PVR = Unlimited Entertainment

2009-03-23T06:55:00.008-04:00

I am horrified and ticked off with the price of cable TV. Satellite isn't too far behind and these Free-To Air (FTA) setups seem to be more of a pain in the butt than anything else.

Recently we downgraded our cable package from the Analogue (ok, some say "analog") variety pack to the basic package which cuts our price down to under $30 a month rather than the $50+ we were paying just because of the "extra special channels" - when in reality all we watched that was "extra" was SPIKE and sometimes A&E.

Now get this - There are two places in Mississauga that have GREAT deals on PVR's. No, not "digital" PVR's that work with digital cable - these are real analogue PVR's that have a "cable in" jack with a built-in TV tuner, just like a VCR. A DVD recorder and hard drive are built in. Just hook it up, set the time and you are ready to go. I bought a Polaroid DRM-2001G PVR for $79 from Millenium 3000 on Dundas St just west of the 427 in Mississauga. Techdirect Canada also has a great deal on PVR's - You can get a LITE-ON PVR with a 160GB hard disk for $139.

So what's so great about a PVR?

Ok - first - you dont need digital cable. That's right - regular cable plugs right into these boxes.

You use the PVR as your TV tuner. Your TV hooks directly to the PVR. Want to plug in a VCR ? Sure - Plug it into the PVR.

Want to pause live TV? Just hit "pause" on the remote. Go get a drink or run off to the bathroom. Come back, hit play -your show starts off where you paused it. Sounds like a "digital cable" thing right? Something that you would pay $50+ dollars for a month right? Well it's not...

Want to record a show then burn it to the built-in DVD recorder? Go ahead. It's built in.

How about recording many hours of CSI for your viewing pleasure - all to the built in hard disk, then, on that crappy day when it's raining or you just don't feel like going out you can pull up the on-screen menu, select your title and hit PLAY. Again, sounds like a digital cable thing, right? Guess again......

So the real deal is this; I take a look at a TV guide - in my case (Cogeco) I can see the listings online.

Once I do a search for my favorite shows, I note the channels and the times. Most people do not realize that those "specialty"channels usually air programs that eventually regular "big" networks will air - in my case, I like CSI and Law & Order - all of which play on the "basic" channels at some point. Even if it's at 3am in the morning...that trusty PVR will power on, record the show then shut off. No media needed - it's sitting on the hard disk. Wow- That is super convenient. When I have the time - I pull up the menu, hit play and watch the show. Again, sounds like a digital thing right? Nope. It's my basic cable and my simple PVR. What's that? Your buddy missed an episode of Law & Order? No problem - pull it up on the menu from the few nights ago when you recorded it - pop in a DVD and burn it for your friend.

So with a little research, timer programming and a simple basic cable connection, the possibilities are endless. Pause live TV, 100's of hours of recording space available, DVD player & recorder, it's all there....all in a simple low cost PVR. Bah Humbug to digital cable, hello to a thicker wallet and a wealth of entertainment!

Hearing a Sasquatch - The sixth sense.

2009-03-21T09:22:00.008-04:00

Every so often I download a few podcasts to listen to while I am commuting to work. One such podcast is Sasquatch Watch Radio which is hosted by Billy Willard and DB Donlon, AKA "The Blogsquatcher". Both of these fellows are members of the group Sasquatch Watch of Virginia. Billy and his son Josh started this group in 2005 while DB has his own blog.

Recently, one such podcast of Billy's touched on the subject of Infra sound.

It was an interesting show and it reminded me of some reports of people feeling like they are not alone, perhaps better described as feeling "uneasy" or "queasy". Some go as far to say that they felt a form of paralysis for a period of time and they could do nothing except lie in a semi-fetal position. Maybe this is the way that the body and brain react to trauma, perhaps even along the lines of those who fall into a coma after being traumatized, some say it's the body's way of beginning the defence and repair process by shutting down certain things that are not necessary to survive - movement, consciousness, sensory inputs.

What's more interesting is that if infra sound is actually used as a form of defense, what is it that humans are doing to elicit such a response? Many people are simply minding their own business, camping, fishing, hiking - by all means not showing any signs of aggression. This is why I think that perhaps infra sound is not a defense mechanism, instead, it's a way of warning humans of impending danger. How many people stick around after having an apparent "infra sound" experience? I'd probably be leaving the area pretty quickly.

Mind you, I do not believe that I have ever experienced Infra sound or any events as some of those described so I cannot really tell you what I would or would not do or how I would feel.

Now let's look at this slightly differently. If you were an avid hiker or field researcher, you would be accustomed to your surroundings including all the sounds around you. Crickets, Birds, Frogs, Wolves, Owls. All of these animals generate unique sounds and we can almost immediately picture what the animal is as soon as their call is heard.

Now imagine one day all of that changed. You were hiking along a trail and with tremendous volume and strength you heard a blood curdling scream. It seems very close to you, but you don't know where it's coming from. Your mind races to think of what it might be - Part of your initial terror is that you cannot associate the sound with anything so the fear of the unknown is steadily increasing. Now imagine if you heard the call again, this time it seems louder and closer, but again, you cannot associate the sound with anything you have ever heard before.

At this point your heart is probably racing, the hair on the back of your neck is standing up and goosebumps cover your entire body. You feel helpless, alone and scared.

Audible perception of sound that we cannot identify has the ability to trigger a defensive response in cases where we feel vulnerable.

Non- audible infra sound can apparently still be perceived by the human body, thus causing it to take a similar course of action.

Notice the similarities? Not being able to identify and relate to the sound. The fear of the unknown. Your body is reacting according to it's sensory inputs, and since we cannot "hear" infra sound, who's to say that your ears are part of this perception? Maybe we all have a sixth sense. Who knows....

We haven't even begun to fully understand "audible" Bigfoot vocalizations and now we are exploring something much more intriguing. Perceiving sounds without hearing a thing. Fascinating.

Working with Trail Cams - Maximizing the potential.

2009-03-06T07:11:00.001-05:00

The one thing that I have always felt a little "uneasy" about when using a trail camera is the fact that once you've locked it up and left it, anything could happen to it. Basically you are taking a gamble with your investment and when something does go wrong it is usually attributed to a human factor such as theft or vandalism.

Wanting to set my mind at ease, I took a few extra steps when I deployed my trail camera to try and ensure that it was going to be as "safe" as possible to extend its longevity and to maximize its potential in the field.

The first step was to choose the right location. The area that I was going to be planting my trail camera is extremely isolated and not frequented very often by humans. However, during the summer time there is a bit of cottage traffic and lake traffic but not a lot and it's usually confined to specific areas. There is the occasional hiker as well, but generally people stick to the existing trails rather than venturing "off-course" through the bush. And that is very important to consider - remembering not to put it in an area that might be frequented by hikers and popular trail areas.

The second step was to try and keep the camera out of view, not just by way of camouflage, but also considering the fact that it's far easier to detect things that are at eye level, therefore it makes sense to have the unit mounted slightly above or below average eye-level, say 5'6" or so. And in this case, the preference would be to position the camera slightly higher if possible, to prevent critters from being curious, snow buildup, etc. If it is absolutely necessary to mount something at eye level, taking the time to make a well camouflaged set up would be essential.

For the third step, I took a couple snapshots of the area where I intended to deploy the trail camera and then I examined the surroundings in the pictures, making note of how the colors and tones blend and the way the foliage was spread out. I pictured my camera being mounted in the area in such a way that it would blend with the environment. Here's a neat little trick that I tried with a couple of friends. I wanted to see how they responded after I mounted the trail camera to see if they could spot it. I took a regular video camera, starting from the left and panning to the right I recorded the area where the camera was mounted. I did not “pause” the pan as I passed by the trail camera; instead it was just one continuous “fluid-like” sweep of the area. I played back video through the viewfinder to ensure that I captured the area without any problems then I downloaded the video to my notebook. The video I took lasted a little more than 10 seconds but it was very clear and very smooth. I also took a still photograph of the area where the trail camera was mounted; given then fact that it is generally human nature to always look at the center of a picture, I made sure that the picture was slightly skewed. The trail cam was actually located on the far left hand side picture rather than being in the center of the picture. I also uploaded this photo to my notebook and I converted the panning video to Windows media format and uploaded it to my website using my aircard. Once uploaded, I e-mailed my friends with the link and asked to take a look at it and see if they could find anything unusual about the video.

I told them “look for anything that stands out, anything unusual”. The responses started to trickle in and nobody saw the trail cam or even hinted that there was something unusual. This feedback was greatly appreciated because it made me feel more confident about the placement of the trail cam.

I hope these steps help you with your trail cam setup. Have fun!

Homemade Outdoor Microphone

2009-02-23T13:25:00.011-05:00

I wanted to experiment with different outdoor microphone setups to obtain the best possible sound and weather resistance without breaking the bank. Call it a "mic on a budget" if you will, what I came up with was surprisingly easy to make and actually performs quite well.

By no means should you take these construction tips as the only way to construct this mic. Experimentation is encouraged and if you come up with something really interesting or would like to comment about your project, improvements, etc feel free to drop me a line or better still, leave your comments!

Basically there are 3 details of this microphone that I felt were “Key” elements which needed to be addressed.

First and foremost was the weather and water resistance. The idea is that if water entered the enclosure, the microphone would not get wet and the enclosure would be self draining. Because of the raised design where the mic element is raised from the mouth of the bottle on a post, even if the bottle began to hold liquid, it would be still take a little while for the bottle to fill to a critical level, by that time, you would have probably already attended to the microphone. (Insects come to mind such as spiders and they have a nasty tendency of crawling into and plugging up small holes with cobwebs.

The second detail was the actual audio quality of the setup. I knew that the sensitivity of the mic would be reduced when placed in the enclosure but that was to be expected. More about this a little later. This is simply an experiment, the audio quality certainly does not replace the setups that I have used in the past, but merely offers an opportunity to be creative.

The third detail was the ability to reduce or almost eliminate wind noise. And did I ever put that to the test. I must say I was quite impressed with the ability to reduce wind noise.

Here is a list of items I used to construct the microphone. Again, experiment and deviate if you so desire, that’s what makes stuff like this evolve into bigger and better setups!

-Marine Grade Sealant or High Quality Silicone

-Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Bottle (See my note about the reason why I selected this bottle)

-Papermate Pen

-Small screw

-Microphone (I used a small electret condenser microphone, a Philmore CM56)

-Winter Toque (Dollar Store)

-Elastic Band

I originally wanted to use a round bottle such as a V8 juice bottle; however during my experimentation I found that the noise cancelling capabilities of the bottle (particularly wind) were not as good as a square type of bottle. Evaluating sound samples from the V8 bottle showed that the wind entering the enclosure actually creates a sort of “vortex” effect which was not desirable. The 45 degree angles used in the Ocean Spray bottle pretty much eliminated any vortex that may be created in the presence of high winds.

First, we take the juice bottle and rinse it out good, removing the label from it.

Next, we create the microphone base from the cap of the bottle and the pen.

In the first picture you will notice that I made two small holes in the cap and that there is a

bamboo stick attached to the center of the cap, this was later changed to a papermate pen enclosure for durability. A small screw was used to hold the pen case to the center of the cap.

Next, I took the bottle and began making the sound collection flaps and the microphone cord hole. The sound collection flaps are made by using a small X-Acto knife and cutting. The best way I can describe the sound holes is by cutting an "Upside Down" U on an angle across working down the surface of the bottle. On each "wide side" of the bottle there are three flaps cut, on the narrow sides there are only two. I modified this picture of a orange juice bottle to try and visually give you an idea of what I am referring to. ***SPECIAL NOTE*** We are not cutting out square holes, we are bending "in" the plastics flaps that we have created.

Once the flaps have been cut, we bend in the flaps or

"tabs" so that a good portion of the hole is exposed.

Next, we make a hole to fit the microphone cable through, I did this about 2 inches up from the mouth of the bottle as shown.

The next step is to attach the microphone to the pen assembly, and in order to prevent vibrations from being picked up by the mic, we wrap a small elastic band around the top of the pen, then we attach the body of the microphone

to the top of the pen with another elastic. Basically the first elastic acts as a vibration damper.

One important note - Once you have fastened the mic to the pen case, you should also fasten the mic cable to the pen case as well, but leave a little slack. This will prevent slight movements from causing the cable to strike the bottle or the pen casing, causing the sound to be recorded.

Once the microphone is attached to the pen, we insert the assembly into the bottle and fasten the lid. Below is a picture of the "almost completed" setup.

Finally, we place the dollar store winter toque over the assembly to act as a wind guard and to help resist the elements. You may choose to place a elastic band around the entire assembly to help prevent the hat from blowing off the bottle.

Pretty simple, eh?

I did not put silicone around the mic cable leaving the bottle until I was sure how much slack I needed, afterwards, I sealed it up and voila!

I will be posting some links to some sound files created with this microphone.

Humble Beginnings?

2009-02-23T11:45:00.000-05:00

I’m probably one of the few people left who has a technology oriented job (IT) yet doesn’t have their own blog. The reason why? Honestly I have no reason except that everything comes with a price. In the case of blogging, the price is TIME. I kept procrastinating and saying “YES”, I will make a blog, then days turn into weeks, weeks turn into months, well, you get the picture.

So why did I start blogging now? Well first of all its so that I can prove to myself that I can only procrastinate for so long then eventually stuff will get done. Yeah, that’s it. Makes me feel better. Good boy Jason, you’ve done well….

Honestly, my mind speaks more than my mouth. Volumes more. There is stuff that I think about almost every day that I say to myself “You know, I should write that down”.

Never ends up happening, well, at least until now. So here we are. My first blog entry.

Chances are I will say “Ok, I’ve done it!!!” and I wont be back making my second entry for weeks.

Let’s hope not. I mean, I can’t be that lazy can I?

Cheers to all!

Jason