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Owen

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Everything posted by Owen

  1. Owen
    Morse code ham radio contesting. ditdit
  2. Owen
    He's pretty picky... better be a really good steak!
  3. Owen
    Yea, that's his stealth mode...
  4. Owen

    Champs MS150

    Owen posted a topic in Watering Hole

    If you have family or loved ones living with MS, I would be honored to represent them with my participation in the Houston - Austin BP MS150 this April. Their Bandana will be carried by a MS150 Senior Motorcycle Marshal on the entire route. I will contact the individuals after the event and send the bandana to them with a personal letter. From the MS Lone Star Chapter Web Site: Champions Against MS - Connecting for a Cure The CHAMPS program is the link between event participants and people living with MS. Participants receive collectible CHAMPS bandanas personalized by someone living with MS. The bandana symbolizes the CHAMPS connection, which fosters education, awareness and friendship. Participants are encouraged to contact their Champion after the event. Many form friendships that continue well beyond the Finish Line. This is a FREE program for both event participants and people living with MS. Here is the website for more information - Clicky Humbly submitted by: Owen k1oj Motorcycle 5 MS150 Senior Motorcycle Marshal
  5. Owen
    Yea but will it 'fast forward' my cassette??? ECU to iPhone interface
  6. Owen
    I always allow her to mount and dismount the bike with me off and standing on the kickstand side to assist her. When she is settled, I then get on. My bike has been lowered and the kick stand is a little long which means it does not lean as far as stock when parked. That makes it a little easier to lift. If I need to back into a parking spot, I put it on the kick stand, get off and help her dismount. Nothing is worth getting my passenger hurt.
  7. Owen
    Nice quality video. What equipment are you using?
  8. Owen
    Yep... looks like fried marbles!
  9. Owen
    Don't shoot the messenger... Here's the story.
  10. Owen
    Is there an advantage in using a rear gear assembly from and FJR vs a Vmax? What about the speedo sensor?
  11. Owen
    When you get around 'D'... let us know. We'll get some BBQ!
  12. Owen
    Time to finish up the project... Everything in the front faring is tied up and ready for the windshield and faring to be re-installed. Doesn't look like I have enough room left for the Cappuccino machine! http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2091/web.jpg?ver=12969455980001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2090/web.jpg?ver=12969455910001 Now for the ground plane to help performance of the uhf/vhf antenna. I decided to use a thin gauge aluminum sheet from the local hardware store. In planning the correct shape and position, I had to keep in mind that I needed 19.25 inches of length for optimum performance. I also had to take into account that I was going to reposition the trunk back 1" for a little extra passenger room. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2092/web.jpg?ver=12969456090001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2097/web.jpg?ver=12969456450001 One requirement for repositioning the trunk is to remove the rubber mounting pad from the rear of the trunk. It easily peeled off the adhesive pads. I then positioned the pad on to the chrome tube where it needed to be placed. I used adhesive tape to hold it in place while mounting the trunk. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2095.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12969455830001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2096.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12969456390001 The last step before installing the trunk was to install a counterpoise for the CB antenna. I used insulated wire 108" long. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2098/web.jpg?ver=12969456570001 Let me give a brief explanation of the ground plane and counterpoise. The ground plane is straight forward. I run a high gain mobile antenna and any additional ground plane to work against is a good thing. I managed to get the length measured diagonally to be 19.25 inches which is a quarter wave on 146mhz. The antenna analyzer shows that the installation of the ground plane widened the useable frequency of the antenna on both vhf and uhf. The counter poise for CB is a quarter wave length long with one end grounded. Having worked with antennas of all types for more than 35 years, I knew this would help to over come the lack of sufficient ground plane area. Half wave antennas are used on most motorcycles because the lower half of the antenna acts as the ground plane. The base loaded antenna I am using requires a good ground plane or counterpoise. Optimally the wire should be in a straight line but placing it in as large a loop as possible will also work. The antenna analyzer revealed that the antenna was resonant on channel 20 but the impedance was about 155 ohms causing the SWR to be nearly 2.5:1. Installing the counterpoise brought the impedance down to about 65 ohms which in turn made the SWR less than 1.8:1. This is perfectly useable. So there you have it. A shake down ride to check out everything revealed no problems. Audio levels were good and well balanced between the components. Cell phone calls were good even at highway speeds. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2045.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12964075110001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2100/web.jpg?ver=12969514350001 Let's Ride!
  13. Owen
    The icy weather here today kept me at home so I warmed up the garage and installed the yellow LEDs on the bike. The LEDs on the floor boards were an easy install and look very similar to the red ones on the saddle bags. Once again, not very noticeable when not lighted. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2084.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12968744000001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2085.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12968744090001 I replaced the front reflectors with lighted reflectors to match the rear ones. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2088/web.jpg?ver=12968744160001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2089/web.jpg?ver=12968744230001 Tomorrow I will finish up as much as possible and get the bike back together for use Sunday morning. Hopefully I will manage to get everything completed.
  14. Owen
    Actually... we repair and maintain the equipment your doctor uses to look at your heart during heart caths and angiograms.
  15. Owen
    The site is loading much faster this morning. Not the usual click and go get coffee... thanks Don. Oh and Yammer Dan...
  16. Owen
    I don't know if it is relative or not but I have noticed the site being very slow early in the morning. When I get up around 6am, cst, and have my coffee, the site takes a long time to load. Maybe just a local thing, maybe not. Other sites seem to load at normal speed.
  17. Owen
    While working at the rear of the bike, it decided to install a couple LED items. First is a side facing turn indicator. It fits on top of the helmet lock and under the edge of the trunk. It will add a better side indication of the turn signal. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2068.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12964338530001 Next was a set of vertical red LEDs to add to my 'parking lights'. They are not very noticeable when not tuned on as you can see. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2066/web.jpg?ver=12964338460001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2065/web.jpg?ver=12964338380001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2071/web.jpg?ver=12964341360001 That's all for the weekend. I need to clean up my tools and get ready for work tomorrow.
  18. Owen
    FRSet4 is the interface for the Ham Radio. Installation is pretty straight forward. Power, PTT (push to talk), radio interface cable, another intercom interface cable. A second PTT connection is available for the passenger if needed. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2043/web.jpg?ver=12964075230001 Internal switches are selected for the corresponding radio. Also available is 20db boost switches for receive and transmit audio levels. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2047/web.jpg?ver=12964074990001 Here is the location of the PTT. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2044/web.jpg?ver=12964075180001 I hooked up the main body of the radio and antenna to test operation. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2049/web.jpg?ver=12964074840001 On the air tests allowed me to set the mic and rx audio levels. Everything worked well! http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2046/web.jpg?ver=12964075060001 I decided now would be a good time to upgrade the 11 meter (CB) antenna. I had selected a Larsen NMO 27 for the antenna. Presentation counts in my book and cosmetically this antenna looks better with the new Ham Antenna. First I had to enlarge the mounting hole to accommodate the NMO mount. No guts, no glory! http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2050/web.jpg?ver=12964074760001 The hole diameter needs to me 3/4 inch. As you can see anything larger would have not been possible. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2051.jpg?derivative=medium&source=web.jpg&type=medium&ver=12964074680001 This particular mount provides a nice clean installation. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2061/web.jpg?ver=12964075350001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2057/web.jpg?ver=12964075580001 A fresh PL259 connector on a cable 'cut to length' and it's ready to install. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2056/web.jpg?ver=12964075650001 With this adapter installed, you can use nearly any CB antenna available that uses the standard 3/8-24 thread. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2060/web.jpg?ver=12964075430001 Here is the completed install. I will install a 108" counterpoise for this antenna later. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2064/web.jpg?ver=12964116610001 Time for lunch... more later.
  19. Owen
    Does your fan come on???
  20. Owen
    Just to clarify... We bill $225/hr labor $100/hr travel. I certainly don't get paid that much! My time is actually worth what ever I can get paid for it.
  21. Owen
    Yep, this is pretty standard in most service industries. Works the same way in my business. My service time is worth $225/hr. If is spend 6 hours diagnosing the cause of a problem and it turns out not being covered by the warranty or service agreement, who pays for that time? It certainly is not the service group's fault it is not covered. The cost burden falls to the customer. What are you gonna' do? Let it sit in the garage for fear of having to pay to get it fixed? Don't think so. Even if you decided to fix it yourself you would end up spending much more and still not be sure you found everything that was wrong inside the motor. All of this discussion will end as mute chatter anyways. We all know it will be covered under warranty.
  22. Owen
    Update 1: Made a little progress tonight on the project. I decided to start with the CellSet install for the Zumo. I chose an area in the front right side of the faring as the new home for this unit. I used a zip tie to hold it in place temporarily. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2023/web.jpg?ver=12961818830001 I first had to de-install the existing 2 cables attached to the Zumo mount. Then route the multi conductor cable from the faring to the mount. Here you can see my super secret, all time intergalactic moldable cable fishing thingy, yeah, it's a coat hanger... http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2018/web.jpg?ver=12961818510001 This harness has three cables, audio in, audio out and power. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2020/web.jpg?ver=12961818660001 The power cable is attached with two of the smallest little black screws you have ever seen outside of a swiss watch. Don't drop one, you will never find it... yes I did http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2021/web.jpg?ver=12961818720001 The two audio cables simply plug into the side of the mount. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2022/web.jpg?ver=12961818770001 Next I fished the power cable to the left side of the faring where I had the original power connected. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2024/web.jpg?ver=12961818900001 Next is the audio input to the bike Aux input. I used the position on the splitter where I originally had the Zumo audio connected. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2025/web.jpg?ver=12961818960001 The remaining cable should look familiar. It is the headset connection cable that you see for rider and passenger on every Venture. This one has a small box in the center with an additional cable that connects to the CellSet. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2027/web.jpg?ver=12961819120001 To install it, simply find the riders cable and disconnect it near the main control unit and put this one in line with it. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2028/web.jpg?ver=12961819180001 This would also be a good time to relocate the rider's headset connector on the tank to any other location you want because the additional cable is about 2 feet long. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2029/web.jpg?ver=12961819240001 An initial power on test showed everything powered up okay. None of the magic smoke escaped! Initial testing showed all functions operating correctly. With my phone linked via bluetooth to the Zumo, call volume in and out was good. I set up the jumpers in the unit for balanced audio level with the Zumo music and voice directions. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2030/web.jpg?ver=12961819340001 At this point I am happy with the functional results. I will install the FRSet4 next for the Ham Radio. After everything proves to be functional I will tidy up the install and close things up. Time for a Beer!
  23. Owen
    This radio has been on my bike for almost 2 years. It has worked flawlessly. It is weather proof and has been in many hard rains with no ill affect. The control head is mounted on the left handle bar and the main unit is mounted in the trunk. The control head would fit in the cassette area but it has control buttons on the top which you must be able to access. 50w vhf and 35w uhf. It has a general coverage receiver with AM/FM stereo and WX Band. It also has an intercom function for passenger and rider. It would be a great rig for a bike with no audio on board which is why I purchased it to use on my Road Star 1700 before I bought the Venture. It is now a discontinued model but you can find them new on ebay for about $350. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100071/IMG_0429/web.jpg?ver=12939912140001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100071/IMG_0437/web.jpg?ver=12939912130002
  24. Owen
    This is Kennedy Technology Group's FRSet4. This unit handles all the Ham Radio input and output audio and keys the transmitter. It has internal settings for radio type and also input and output audio levels. It is pretty much universal as far as radio equipment. You can use many different GMRS, FRS, CB, and Ham radios. Not all radio wiring harnesses are available, but, you can easily roll your own. These cable harnesses are specific to the Venture and my Yaesu FTM-10 transceiver. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2012/web.jpg?ver=12960890630001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2013/web.jpg?ver=12960890700001
  25. Owen
    Here is the Kennedy Technology Group's CellSet. This is the unit responsible for handling cell phone, MP3, and GPS audio input and output. There are internal switches for setting mic levels for phone and audio ground isolation jumpers. The second photo is with the wiring connected. These wiring harnesses are specific to the Venture and Zumo GPS. http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2010/web.jpg?ver=12960853540001 http://gallery.me.com/k1oj/100179/IMG_2011/web.jpg?ver=12960853370001
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