Something is out there….

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?

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

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

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

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!

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

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.

J.