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241

General Car Chat / Re: M5

« on: 24 February 2023, 18:04:19 »

I find that the great thing about being retired is I don't give a damn how iong any journey takes, time is no longer a matter, the day I finished work I gave up wearing a watch as I am no longer answerable to anybody.

Yes, Mick, but the old bladder can make you appreciate a swift journey 

Sad but true. 

.   


It's very strange that you mentioned that, long journeys present no problems, but if I pop into town for an hour or so by the time I return home I'm busting for a pee..😄

We call that "The Queen Camel's".

Queen Camel is a small village on the road from the A303 into Yeovil - about 5 miles from home. The number of times we've been on the way home from a trip abroad, and we've got to Queen Camel at midnight with a bladder (or worse bowel) ready to burst is incalculable.

242

General Car Chat / Re: M5

« on: 24 February 2023, 16:55:36 »

I'm loathed to use the M5 south of Brizzol at all. In the summer there are upside down tin tents all over the place and rozzers hiding on every bridge. At nights the road is usually closed somewhere for no apparent reason - often a "Police incident" or "Emergency Road Works".

If you know what you're doing you can avoid the heavy traffic on the A303. Plenty of local roads - but for locals only 

Sod the Grockles

Hint #1. As you go down the hill past Boscombe Down/Solstace Park Services look into the distance sort of straight ahead. You can see the A303 climbing up the hill in the distance away from the Amesbury/Countess Roundabout. If it's chokka with brake lights bail out into Solstace Services, and then make your way north to Bulford. Once there, turn left (west) onto The Packway, and then through Larkhill Camp. Once you get to Rolleston Camp you can turn left and head back down the A360 to rejoin the A303 at the Longbarrow Roundabout. That can easily save you 50 mins on a busy bank holiday Friday/Monday.

If you stay on the A303 past the Countess roundabout then you are doomed if it's busy - there is nowhere to turn around and it  can take an hour to get past Stonehenge to Longbarrow.

243

General Car Chat / Re: M5

« on: 24 February 2023, 16:37:55 »

I'm loathed to use the M5 south of Brizzol at all. In the summer there are upside down tin tents all over the place and rozzers hiding on every bridge. At nights the road is usually closed somewhere for no apparent reason - often a "Police incident" or "Emergency Road Works".

If you know what you're doing you can avoid the heavy traffic on the A303. Plenty of local roads - but for locals only 

244

General Discussion Area / Re: FTTP

« on: 10 February 2023, 20:40:28 »

Can somebody enlighten me as to why I would need super duper speeds when I’m managing alright at the moment.     I subscribe to and watch Netflix, Prime Movies and music etc so what am I missing by not having FTTP. Genuine question as nobody in our road opted to go for the super fast fibre, and several of them have home offices and work from home. What am I missing, or is it aimed at people who suffered with FTTC. 

Careful - you're not allowed to think like that. You must buy the latest iPhone 99x+ which requires 5G and gigabit upload/download WIFI. So you absolutely need FTTP. Oh and Smart meters, Sky TV, Amazon Prime, etc, etc. Doesn't matter if you can't afford it - just cut back on food and pop down the local food bank. I hear they're all the rage.

245

General Discussion Area / Re: Nordstream pipeline

« on: 09 February 2023, 12:43:18 »

Who did it?

That's an easy question to answer:

Who stands to gain most politically or financially, which is essentially the same thing.

It was either to restrict available supplies to force a green agenda by proxy... essentially forced rationing, or as an opportunity to export more gas from the US in order to create the illusion of less gas in the US thereby restricting availability there. Which drives the cost up, along with the associated tax revenues.

Call me cynical, but it could only have been the Yanks. No one else gas anything to gain from it.

Then you agree with the author.

Not on everything.

I know Panama City is East of the Alabama border, for example 

Err, the closest crossing point into Alabama is due north of Panama City, near Esto (about 66 miles). The western boarder to Alabama is 136 miles away.

However, the article implying that Panama city is any sort of sleepy back water is miles off the mark. Tyndall AFB, Eglin AFB, Pensicola NAS all in the immediate area.

246

General Discussion Area / Re: Have The Yanks Gone Soft?

« on: 06 February 2023, 13:09:45 »

That's a fake photo. Raptor 91-4007 serves with the 411th FLTS, 412th TW/F-22 CTF at Edwards AFB California, not the 1st FW at Langley AFB Virginia.

247

General Discussion Area / Re: Have The Yanks Gone Soft?

« on: 05 February 2023, 15:39:22 »

Apparently the Yanks used a $300,000 missile to bring down Xi's balloon. 

Surely they could have got the navigator to hang out the window and pop off a couple of rounds with his service revolver?     

What altitude was this inflated Durex flying (floating) at?

As you say, if low enough simply dust off the Sopwith Camel and WW1 revolver.

Won't cost anything like £300,000.

Radio comms from the fighters (Frank 1&2 + Eagle 1&2) to their controlling agency (Huntress) suggest it was at 64000ft.

The fighters were on station for about 2 hours before the shootdown, and were waiting for it to get to 5nm off the coast before shooting it down.

248

General Discussion Area / Re: Have The Yanks Gone Soft?

« on: 03 February 2023, 21:55:50 »

Except, you need to consider what US assets have been circling the balloon for the past 3 days. It came in over Alaska and down through Canada to Montana.

Plenty of "Stealth" (F-22/F-35) activity reported by local plane spotters (which don't show on the plane trackers), and a few RC-135 flights taking a look too.

If you know it's coming you can shut down anything that you consider secret for a few days, and then 'listen' to what the balloon is transmitting back to home base. We only know about it because a civilian spotted the balloon. If that news hadn't leaked out, the US would have been able to snoop on the balloon till it drifted out to the Atlantic without the Chinese becoming aware.

If you shoot it down the moment it enters your sovereign airspace, then you lose the ability to snoop on it whilst it's doing whatever it is supposed to do.

249

General Discussion Area / Re: What has P*ssed you off today?

« on: 02 February 2023, 18:56:37 »

Don't worry about him STEMO. The chances of him finding a Vegan resturaunt in Tucson is nil. He'll starve to death before any harm comes to him 

I can recommend a few steak joints though.

Oh - there are no direct UK to Tucson flights anyway. The nearest entry points are Phoenix, Las Vegas and LAX. Phoenix has the fewest immigration queues, so is a good choice. You can fly from PHX to TUS for thrupence ha'penny.

250

Omega Electrical and Audio Help / Re: 12V Pumps in Cooling System

« on: 19 January 2023, 11:27:17 »

I would like to check this BTS711L1 chip just for fun. As I now have a spare I put the old one back and study the scrapper one.

That chip is quite a common one, although the official distributors don't have any stock (should be about £7). However, you can get it from eBay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/404088583059 . I'd avoid any Chinese sources though. Data sheet is here https://docs.rs-online.com/4c6d/0900766b801927e4.pdf

Those sort of chips do go wrong quite often - they get too hot. It's not an 'intelligent' chip and doesn't need programming, so if you've got the tools it should be relatively easy to just lift the old one off and put a new one down. However, if you haven't got the right tools (hot air blower gun or infra red heater lamp) then the 'best way' to get the old chips off is to simply cut all their legs off close to the plastic body with a sharp scalpel, and then desolder the individual legs from PCB pads one at a time. This technique avoids damage to the PCB, but obviously destroys the chip you're lifting so no use if you're trying to lift the chip to reuse it on another board. 

251

General Car Chat / Re: Oh...the penny has finally dropped

« on: 13 January 2023, 20:46:29 »

Euro traveller is OK. One seat row less than Easyjet, and if NEO aircraft then it's the same seats... Actually pretty comfortable having sat in them to Gran Canaria and back several times without issue.

Only handy tip that I can offer is to have a look at the Highlife Magazine online and if there is something particular that you want to drink or eat, then pre order it at least 72 hours before and it will be on board for you. This particularly applies to any hot food because it won't be on board unless you pre order it. Same for the return flight.

Depends on the route and time of day, but we can quickly sell out of things like prosecco and have nowt left for the return. Preoodering prevents this is preorders are loaded especially. Same for any duty free

Also, ask at Check in about upgrading to Club. Sometimes you can get lucky and get it for a fraction of the regular fare. This also applies to longhaul. 
If you want to pm me the flight details I can see if I know anyone operating it.

And there, in a word, is the whole problem with British F*k*ing Airways ever since that idiot Willy Walsh took charge. Prosecco FFS. The ONLY things that should be for sale on a BA morning flight are Sausage Sandwiches, Bacon Rolls, and a Full English (which must include Black Pudding). I'll accept (and leave well alone) scrambles eggs in place of a proper fried egg (due to the complications of supplying proper fried eggs on a plane). And proper toast with butter that isn't frozen to -40C so rock hard you can't spread it - none of this hash brown nonsense.

If I wanted Prosecco I'd fly Alitalia, or whatever they're called this week.

BA0578 on 22nd Jan, and BA0597 on 28th Jan. By all means warn the cabin crew there might be a couple of grumpy old buggas to "serve".

252

General Discussion Area / Re: What has P*ssed you off today?

« on: 13 January 2023, 17:37:38 »

The A37 between Ilchester and Yeovil at the Half Way House has had traffic lights for 2 weeks whilst they supposedly repair the road surface. Caused 30 minute delays when I forgot and went that way, and I never saw anyone doing any work. It re-opened yesterday, and I came that way to work this morning. There is a pothole that rivals Cheddar Gorge there now that was not there before. What the Fech have they been doing for the past two weeks?

And tonight, the road works are back, but the traffic lights either have been turned off, or are broken. Resulting queue is half way to Yeovil - perhaps 2 miles. Luckily I was going the other way. Looks like a water main has collapsed coz there is water pi55ing everywhere. No sign of anyone doing anything about anything.

253

General Discussion Area / Re: What has P*ssed you off today?

« on: 13 January 2023, 14:48:44 »

The A37 between Ilchester and Yeovil at the Half Way House has had traffic lights for 2 weeks whilst they supposedly repair the road surface. Caused 30 minute delays when I forgot and went that way, and I never saw anyone doing any work. It re-opened yesterday, and I came that way to work this morning. There is a pothole that rivals Cheddar Gorge there now that was not there before. What the Fech have they been doing for the past two weeks?

And next week the main road up from our cul-de-sac is going to be closed for 5 days from 08:30 to 5pm. I *think* I can still turn left at the top of the road, but there are two large schools at each end of this main road, so the traffic is going to be chaos. And they're supposedly doing it 08:30 till 5pm so as not to disturb the residents of a few nursing/old peoples homes

254

General Car Chat / Re: Oh...the penny has finally dropped

« on: 13 January 2023, 13:01:09 »

It's my first BA flight for about 10 years. It's short haul from LHR T5, currently scheduled to be an A320, and we're in seats 24A&B EuroTraveller (AKA Scumclass). No point in going further forward or back, since AIUI unlike proper airlines (easyJet,Ryanair,TUi) BA don't sell Bacon Butties on the plane. Probably be full of 'murkins connecting from their overnight flights from the US.

Only positive selling point was that the timings were better than the alternatives, and LHR is slightly closer for us than LGW. Would much rather have gone from Bristol or Bournemouth, but we need to get to our destination by lunchtime and the other airports only have afternoon flights on the days we need.

255

General Car Chat / Re: Oh...the penny has finally dropped

« on: 13 January 2023, 12:22:06 »

I understand how circuits work, but three phase is limited to generation of in a fundamental sense on aircraft. There was a module in my Part66 course about electrickery generation and distribution, but limited to fundamentals.

Avionics was never on my list of things to be that involved in beyond cable management and module replacement. 

So you didn't do Arinc 419/429/664?. Probably no need for Stanag 3910/3838 or Mil-Std-1553/1771 on a people tube :-)

Stop showing off, Malcolm, it's not big and it's not clever 

Against my better wishes, I've ended up putting my life at the mercy of Bloody Awful later this month. I like to know the quality of training of the people I come into contact with so that I can make informed decisions on how much they can be ignored