If you could have something named after you, what would it be?
Straight to the point I’d like to have a statue of me named “Procrastination”
Its what I’m good at you know “Mañana” as they say in the Spanish language. It’s never really got me in to too much trouble, in some cases I do believe some people have appreciated the fact I don’t always run into problems. I tend to sit back and contemplate an outcome and then work on it to make sure the outcome is acceptable to all. It’s just I might take 24 hrs or so to do it.
Yes there are situations that require immediate attention, but I’m really at my best when I can have some time to think about it.
The batch of cameras I purchased the other day, all old SLRs / DSLRs have now arrived… with a bonus.
I was expecting 10 cameras but I’ve trumped that with 12 and a lot of spares as well. The guy I purchased the Nikons from has thrown in two more D70 as spares, with loads more spare parts. He was having a clear out so I guess he’s funneled that stock my way…thanks old chap.
So I have received today
One Canon 5 SLR – stuck mirror, missing some small Connection covers and like a lot of these old cameras has a sticky rubber covering that was well known back In the day.
One Canon EOS 50E – damaged curtain, faulty lock and again sticky.
One Canon EOS 1000F – cosmetically sound no other visible issues.
One Canon EOS Elan 2 – cosmetically sound, just sticky.
Two Nikon D70S DSLR – missing battery covers and some other small accessory covers, both sticky.
Six Nikon D70 DSLR – all missing battery covers, or other accessory covers, one missing a CF card reader and all sticky.
And two sizeable bags of D70/D70s spares
And then there were 12
I’ll be starting with a good clean to get rid of that stickiness and then I’ll power each up individually to see what other issues lie in wait. I’m hopeful I can get most of them up and running, I’m confident that the majority of the DSLRs will be repairable.
I’ll feature the repairs once I’m in a position to donate the time to them. I’m a busy boy at the moment what with work and the wife’s growing list of things that need doing around the house.
Canon 5D Mark II DSLR Camera – Body Only – Spares or Repairs
We have tested this camera and found the following fault:
The camera powers up, however the sensor is damaged and images are recorded either blank or unusable, and so we are describing this item as FAULTY / SPARES / REPAIRS.
Shutter Count: 69,970
EBay
90% off. What have I brought?
I noticed this 5D on sale earlier for £109 Gbp. It’s from a supplier who has a good reputation who I have used before, however he suddenly drops the price by 90% and I snap his arm off for this. It has sensor issues and that’s at least a £70 price just for that part. Considering how much these cameras usually retail for it’s a price I could absorb…but I think something else must have come to light for him to change his pricing. The body is pretty beaten up, again I’m not too bothered with that, the usb port might be damaged by the looks of it and again that’s something I can sort.
Eos 5D Mk2Eos 5D Mk2Eos 5D Mk2Eos 5D Mk2
I guess I’ll just have to await its imminent arrival. In any case for a total of £9.99 GBP I’ll make more from this just for spare parts.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?
From as early as I can remember I wanted to be a chef. I loved cooking with my mum and baking cakes with my auntie. Don’t know what happened but I never got to realise that dream.
I guess around that time the Apollo missions were also taking place and for a short while I probably wanted to go to the moon.
Here many moons later I still like to dabble in cooking when the wife lets me into the kitchen. She’s a good cook, better than what she believes she is. However I’m quite mediocre now when it comes to cooking but I can do a mean beans on toast.
Needs opening cleaning and fixing sounds like something loose so selling as a repair project cheap.
EBay
Canon EF lens 35-80mm
No error code so in theory this should be an easier fix, however the fact that something is moving about inside tells me there could be more wrong with it than expected.
I now have the lens in front of me so here is what I can see.
Shake rattle and roll
Well, it certainly does rattle, something quite significant is moving about inside. When Connected to a camera you can’t focus or zoom so something in there is restricting movement. There is also fungus on the lens so this one will need to be carefully dismantled and cleaned throughout.
Fungus in the rear of lensFungus from front of lens
About 10 small screws later I am into the internal parts of the lens and the cause of all the rattling becomes apparent. A piece of the internal zoom mechanism has broken off stopping the zoom from smoothly operating through its range.
The piece that was broken
The part of the barrel that the item had snapped off was broken due to forceful action with the previous owner. There are two options here, junk the lens or see if it can be saved, I went for the latter. I mixed some epoxy resin and fixed the piece back into place also gluing it to a part of the mechanism that was not liable to hinder future movements. I left this for a couple of hours to cure.
Epoxy resin and waitLens internals
Whilst waiting for the glue to cure I used a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide to clean all the lens elements. I thoroughly dried them and gave a quick polish and reassembled them into the casing. The glue was dry now so I was careful to reassemble the lens not damaging any ribbon cables or contacts along the way. The lens looks lovely and clear of any fungus now.
Fungus gone frontFungus gone rear
I’ve put the lens onto a test camera and it’s fantastic. I couldn’t get focus when I unpacked the lens but now I have the full range of action and a lovely clean working lens for very little outlay and probably just 2 to 3 hrs of maintenance. Well worth it in my opinion. I wanted a good cheap lens to test my old stock and I now have one that I can easily sell on at some point, on top of that I’ve learnt a lot from working on one of these lenses. I’m certainly going to attempt working on more in the future.
Let’s be honest how many times a day does someone say “please” or “thank you”.
Not many I’ll bet.
Was a thing years ago when you were told that if you went through life using these two words you’d go far, or at least you’d have the basic grounding for a good start in life.
Yeah I know some will say I’m getting old and the world has changed, it has and not necessarily for the better. It’s still lovely to be thanked and to hear the word please once in a while instead of someone demanding your respect when they haven’t done anything to earn it.
I’ve spent the grand total of £91 GBP on more damaged/faulty stock today, I now have enough stuff to be working on to keep me busy for months.
On top of the 6 Canon cameras I purchased last week I now have a further 4 Canon film cameras ( Eos Elan 2, 50E, 1000fn and an Eos 5) I’ve also got two faulty EF lenses to test the old Canons with, these will also get the repair treatment.
Canon EF lens 35-80mmCanon EF lens 28-90mm
I’ve also purchased four Nikon D70 and 2 Nikon D70S units all needing the repair treatment, I’ve even blagged some spare parts here as well so overall it’s been quite a good days shopping.
Three Nikon D70 camerasMore Canon SLR film camerasMore Nikons
What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?
Probably going to be quite boring here, but I’d like the skill of infinite knowledge. I have quite a low self esteem, I’m bloody good at what I do but don’t have the final oomph to push an idea forward, and I watch from the sidelines as others knuckle in and on occasions take credit for my ideas.
I tend to kick back occasionally, but I think infinite knowledge would come with extreme confidence, something I lack by the bucketful. I guess there could be a downside of being a “ Big head” or a “know it all” but I think I could handle that.
No, I like sunny weather as much as the next guy but for some reason I think there is nothing better than sitting in a place outside or inside and just listening to the rain on the roof. To me it’s very settling and to be honest I’m probably more productive in my hobbies during such a period.
It’s a pain in the Ass right now as I’m trying to get in to the garden to finish a project I started a few weeks back, but this being the Uk what else can you expect but copious amounts of the wet stuff.
Spring time is lovely as you get a bit of both, a tester of the sunshine to make you look forward to those potentially balmy summer days, and then some rain and some beautiful rainbows to boot.
Rain for me. Though in a couple of months I’ll probably say sun.
I could go into lengthy detail but I won’t bore you just yet. Below I have quoted the Wikipedia entry that explains things in a nutshell better than I ever could. I will however give a few details of attempts I have made and equipment I use for carrying out this mode of communication. I am currently building a new radio for this mode that I will cover in a later post.
WSPRnet map
WSPR (pronounced “whisper”) is an acronym for Weak Signal Propagation Reporter. It is a protocol, implemented in a computer program, used for weak-signalradiocommunication between amateurradio operators. The protocol was designed, and a program written initially, by Joe Taylor, K1JT. The software code is now open source and is developed by a small team. The program is designed for sending and receiving low-power transmissions to test propagation paths on the MF and HF bands. WSPR implements a protocol designed for probing potential propagation paths with low-power transmissions. Transmissions carry a station’s callsign, Maidenhead grid locator, and transmitter power in dBm. The program can decode signals with a signal-to-noise ratio as low as −28 dB in a 2500 Hz bandwidth. Stations with internet access can automatically upload their reception reports to a central database called WSPRnet, which includes a mapping facility.
Wikipedia
What fascinates me most about this mode of communication is that in recent weeks it has gained a new audience as a result of a television documentary. This documentary was regarding the search for the missing Malaysian airways flight MH370 that vanished from radar screens on the 8th March 2014. An investigator tracking its disappearance has been cross referencing WSPR signals in the area that the aircraft was last reported and he has apparently plotted the route taken by monitoring these signals as they were reflected or distorted by the aircraft’s footprint in this area, well beyond the planned flight path.
Wspr on the 80 Mtr bandWspr into Europe
My setup for testing propagation on a number of different bands is very portable as that’s normally the way I work when taking to the airwaves. I’m always moving around or working from different locations so it’s always good to be able to monitor conditions using a compact setup.
Wspr into Australia
I do also have an aerial system set up in my loft that cannot be seen, it’s kind of clandestine in that way it does not grab the unwanted attention of my neighbours. I specialise in low power communications and again this does not draw the attention of anyone living near by as disturbance and interference rarely occurs. The maximum power level I normally use is 10 watts, but more likely somewhere around the 5w QRP level. My WSPR setup operates between 200mW and 5mW of power. Extremely low power, there is probably more power in that sports watch sitting on your wrist than what I am transmitting.
My Portable setup
I have an inflatable aerial, yep that’s right inflatable! Perfect for mobile operation using QRP low power technology, It covers most of the high band frequencies and I mainly use it on the 20 Mtr band (14mhz) or the 40mtr band (7mhz) though other bands are also available. Fully inflated it stands about 6ft high and can be hung outside, inside or just perched in a corner somewhere.
Inflatable multiple HF band antenna
There is an antenna tuner , this is one I purchased from the States in a kit form and built myself. It’s called an Emtech ZM-2 Atu details can be found HERE
Emtech ZM-2 ATU
The actual transmitter sits in a small package not much bigger than a box of matches. This was purchased already built and is called a WSPRLITE classic. I am in the process of building a new transmitter and receiver combo that is also in a kit form, I don’t anticipate completing it any time soon as I just don’t have the time at the moment.
WSPR Lite transmitter
I have made a number of filters for the different bands (40mtr, 60mtr,80mtr and 160mtr) and these boards connect to the output of the transmitter to aid in obtaining a clean signal and to prevent deviation from the set frequency.
Band filters for WSPR operation
The power comes from a 3000 mAh 5v power bank. However the problem here is that the power draw from the WSPR unit is so small the power bank will some times close down, and for this reason I have had to build a small usb circuit that creates a minimal demand on the power bank keeping the power supply constant. With this power bank and the WSPR unit on its high setting I can easily get 16 hrs of continuous use. When I work on the lowest setting I can achieve 3 full days (72hrs) of use.
3000 mAh power bankThe circuit used to fool the power bank
And that’s about it, all this kit can fit in a small unobtrusive bag or box.
Operation
First and foremost the transmitter connects to a computer where you can access all the parameters of the unit and set it up how you want your operate, power, duration and frequency etc. The unit already has inbuilt filters for the 20mtr (14Mhz) band so you don’t need additional filters if that is your band of operation. Once the programming is done you can now set the system up in place as you want it. I sometimes use this from my loft to see just how well certain bands are working in certain directions at different times of the day.
The battery connects to the transmitter that in turn connects via the filter to the Antenna tuner unit. the antenna unit connects to the antenna.
Timing has to be precise when setting up, you set it to transmit at every 2 minute interval.
Once you are transmitting it’s worth leaving it be for about 30 minutes and then you can pop on to WSPRnet to check your signals. You can check what is being received and what strength of signal is getting through to your destination .
I use an app called WSPR watch that connects via the WSPRnet system so I can monitor my performance from absolutely anywhere just by using my mobile phone or iPad. How convenient is that? I can leave the unit unattended and monitor it remotely.
In summary the WSPR protocol uses a very weak signal to test atmospheric and solar cycle conditions to determine a viable route for a signal to reach a destination. if you were to listen in at the destination all you’d probably hear is white noise, however the decoding program is so accurate it can pick up a signal to noise ratio of as low as -28db.
Im leaving it there as I could ramble on for ages. If anyone for some strange reason wants to know more then please get in touch.
Foxes Den 
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