BSon2or4

My handle is in my signature and of course, I'm licensed for ham. In fact, my technician class license is up for renewal in 2024. Having the simplest of ham licenses is not difficult and starting there gives you permission to operate in the allowed bands previously listed by Hawkins. Taking the time out to use some of the online study resources and study guides can give you enough radio basics knowledge to be able to pass the technician extra exam. For getting to an exam all you have to do is check with ARRL for one of the test days in your area usually hosted by a local radio group. From that point it may only be a license to operate, but you may find yourself fascinated enough to start tweaking your rig for better signal performance, liking it enough to test for a higher license class and advancing into other sections of amateur radio. Again, like was said previously, do what works for you and have fun.

Yeah, I have the hauler with the drop down from the ceiling bed. Sorry to chime in on this so late, but I felt my ears burning through the meds. I hadn't been on in a while but with 7 years building trailers and 20 years repairing, customizing and modifying RV's I figured I might be able to provide some insight. I might have a line on a few options depending on the total of requirements and concessions. For a non-toy hauler that you could setup with a bike rack on the back that is teardrop-esque with a bit of welding or bolting of hardware there are a lot of options. If you're looking at interior storage options there are still numerous options, like finding a model that has a bunkhouse option that you can pull out the bunks and add a door to load and unload through. Most all market options short of toy haulers would require mods of some sort of course and cutting down on what you actually have to build would be beneficial. The door for access is the easy part as there are companies that make custom doors. Walling in and sealing off is easy enough as well. The real question is how much work would you like to do... BTW, DSM8, loved the reading materials, I still have them to return. Perhaps we could go through a little of a brainstorm/planning session for your project, we know I've got time to spare. I'm on the 5 year to a solid femur plan. They finally set some anchors in my shoulder to tie off those rotator cuff tears and they're healing nicely, but this is about trailers, not me thankfully, they're a lot easier to repair. It's all fun to me.

That looks like so much fun.

As usual a day late and a dollar short. Haven't seen that movie in a long time, would've been a good break from everything.

I know it's a bit ahead of the actual day (August 14), but I figured, "What the heck!" it's not every day somebody turns 70. Happy Birthday Udo! I hope you spend the actual day doing exactly what you want to do with who you want to do it with.🍻 Cheers! (And yes, cake and beer go together)

Just looking at the dressed/undressed pics I'm surprised that nobody mentioned the Modelo holder on the lower front frame as a conversion perk.🍺

Hey everybody, I hope things are going well as this has been my first time back online for the past month. I thought I'd check in as to why. I was in a substantial bike accident . Crushed femur, missing 8 inches of where my knee was, that type of stuff. Currently I'm in ICU in Palomar, post 7th surgery reconstructing the knee and leg. This is definitely rough, but like one of my doctors reminded me... At least you were wearing your gear so we have a leg to repair. Just a reminder ATGATT. Well, I'm getting a little woozy here so I'll sign out with please ride safe everybody, and see you all at the next meeting I can attend. There will be pictures to accompany this once I'm well enough.

Well, it's been a fun year in review, figured that I should give a bit of an update for those that would like to hear about it. My leg is still healing. I have a lot of hardware in there and there's an exchange program going on in there. Once I no longer need what is in there, when the bone looks less like a sponge and more like a concrete pipe around the metal rod inside my femur, along with the plate running down the outside of my femur as well, those will be removed to prepare me for a new knee. For the time being the progress on the PT of the leg has plateaued giving way to the surgery that finally occurred on my shoulder. There are now 8 brand new incisions in my shoulder. They cut loose my bicep to sew up the two complete and one partial rotator cuff tears then reattaching the bicep. Kinda like taking off the plastics for parts access on the bikes, had to remove the bicep for repair access. With that I'm set to go in for a whole new series of PT to recover from that. Other than that they've ramped down the pain meds and ramped up the use of ice. Trying to keep positive with the confinement required to keep me from the bull ish goin' round but it's not easy. Sorry I haven't been a bit more involved around here but the uses for a one armed one legged tech is limited and the increase in pain has required a lot more concentration/meditation. Until the next installment... Watch out for those lane changing cagers and be safe.

I'll stick to my Ingersoll Rand pneumatics.

When I get the chance to downsize the trauma pics I have recently unearthed I'll post them because if there aren't pics then it didn't happen. Right? I've been digging them up and organizing the raw files for the lawyer, so, once that's been settled then I can post. Thanks for all of the well wishes.

Well, I figured that it's time for an update as I've been working at it for the past couple of months. I'm still in a wheelchair♿ so I'm still on 4 wheels (The walker has 4 wheels as well, something about heavy duty for big people, hmm.) and the range of motion is coming along nicely, 106 degrees (Matches my temperature from when they gave me the wrong antibiotics quite nicely) with a slow but steady progression. The lymph edema in my leg is adding about 30 lbs when including my hardware. The monthly X-rays☢️ that they have me doing to check the bone graft indicate new growth (Not like a pregnancy at all but with how many X-rays I've had I'm sure SOMETHING is growing inside of me) as there is visible shadowing where there was once jagged points clearly visible. My Orthopedics Dr. says that with that I'm officially given full weight bearing status, so I can start learning to walk again, yaay, on with the torture of re-growing the damaged muscle that they scraped out of my leg. (Cue the Forrest Gump voice for quote), "They say it's one of them million dollar wounds, but the government must be holding on to that money for me and that's all I've got to say about that." Now with that I'm off to torture and some morphine to dull it down a bit. Ride safe everybody and look out for inattentive drivers.🤙

But he stuck the landing. I can't say the same for myself.🏍️

Sorry to say that I'm not going to be able to make it due to medical, transportation, and wheelchair accessible lodging reasons. Good luck gentlemen, I'll be there in spirit.

I might have to stop by as it's literally right down the road from me. If I could walk I could walk there.

I'll be there with my usual +1. This is a terrific venue as I did my Ham class there. Love the food as well, excellent choice.

Well, yesterday was D-day for me. The D being discharge, and boy is it a change in mechanics. My house I can get in and out of without issue, but the one thing about owning a house built in '61 is that it's not exactly ADA compliant. The wheelchair doesn't fit through any of the interior doors, only the entry doors from my garage and front porch. But I'm managing nicely. I'm settling in nicely but Mrs. BS would state otherwise as she says I'm a bit short fused as of late. A condition I'm sure will subside once I get the groove of operating around our house has been smoothed out. As for visitors I'll have to take a temporary stay on those until I get into the schedule for my outpatient PT and OT , which I'll post after my Friday primary care follow-up if they give it to me, gotta love Kaiser. Until next update, ride safe, ride often, and have fun.

Yeah, anything other than a good attitude in this situation isn't helpful. Now character, with this incident, I've built enough to rival the Tower of Babel. But I digress, as it's been real educational from the insurance standpoint. Being insurance poor has been a big plus as I could be paying easily $500,000.00 by this point, and that definitely contributes to the attitude when faced with the bills that I actually do have to pay. With that I'm off to physical therapy. See y'all later.

Well, went for the follow up appointment to check the healing process of the incision and for removing the stitches only to find they were single point lacing. I was surprised to find out that I had healed over the loop end so as to have to cut them at the knot end, after some digging of course. With that my surgeon's philosophy is, "Don't prolong the pain, just get it over with.", hence she began digging, clipping, and pulling out my lacings like she was trying to pull start a chainsaw. With that I grabbed the edge of the exam table and asked for a brief break between laces to which she replied, "Nope, gonna get'em all done in one shot." At that moment I realized that my doctor might be a bit sadistic as I did see a bit of a smile on her face as she was doing this to me. Once done she had her nurses assistant apply steri strips over the mildly leaking holes in my leg, followed by some gauze and bandages to hold it all in place. Aaaah, just another leg of the road to recovery... Read that as you will, that's all the pun I can take in one day. I hope everybody is doing as well or better than I. Until next installment. Hasta.

Well, I have arrived... Land of the lost minds and odors of elderly sunndowners en masse. This must be Kaiser Permanente's method of ensuring a rapid recovery or a quick death. But the address as promised: 304 North Melrose Drive Vista, CA 92083 Room 104A Warning... If you plan on visiting for any amount of time it's BYOC (Bring your own chair), and that's not a joke. Catch y'all later.

Well, it's official, I'm gonna have to start wearing clothes again. No more hospital gowns cuz I'm heading to my Skilled Nursing Facility at 3:00 P.M., an address will follow once I get settled in. Well, I guess I'm on my way to recovery... Except for the two huge tears in my rotator cuff that the staff ignored to focus on the leg. The excuse, "We had to get you to where you are ambulatory before addressing a secondary concern." In otherwords, we need more deductibles paid. But I'm not bitter... I just can't use my right arm. But I digress. I look forward to getting well enough to see everybody at the next meeting if I'm well enough.

Hey, I got computer time and figured I'd update. The room number changed so the phone number changed, the last 3 are 785 now as that's the room number. I'm scheduled for a late day surgery tomorrow or early Saturday, had a scarring revision surgery on last Friday on my knee that was supposed to be what is this Friday but I scarred up a bit too well which threw a wrench in the doc's plan. Mmm, bone graft's scheduled to go in for the missing section of femur, caution, heavy drugs ahead and no, I'm not allowed to share. My wife informed me that the quality stuff is actually in a locked box on the IV bag post when in use. Tighter security on that stuff than an ATM refill at a casino. Well, we're at 8 surgeries and counting. I'm hoping this is the last one and not make it to the double digits before going to acute rehab across town. I'll leave it at that as it's getting close to meds and dinner time. Mmm, oxy and chicken strips while watching , "Naked and Afraid"

If I'm out of the hospital and capable by then I'm up for Friday and Saturday GPS as usual with my +1 assistant.

Happy Birthday Mimi! Here we go skipping a few days on the site and people go getting older on us. I hope it was a good one.

Happy belated birthday from the wife and I, she sends her love. It's not just the cooking, he's a great person as well.

Won't be able to make it, dental appointment. Have fun everybody.