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

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

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”….

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.....

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

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.

J.

 

"Simply Sasquatch" radio show

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.....

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.