The new year is already starting to slip away but after that short ultra cold snap I for one am looking forward to warmer weather ahead.

Normally, I don’t go around looking for difficult things to do, but I had planned ahead for this one. Going back to last June, I purchased 5 Princess Auto plastic tent poles for supporting an antenna in the back yard for Field Day. Putting them together was a snap, but after a week of testing it was time to take them apart. Next to impossible! The plastic had nearly fused itself together in the heat of summer while under constant compression. What if I had to take them apart in the midst of a winter freeze up?

Since we had a few days of -40 degree wind chill, outside I go and went straight to the 5 poles that had been standing since last June. Anticipating nothing but trouble, I put each hand on either side of the first joint and with next to zero effort, the poles slipped apart. My trick? Many of you may know this if you are an experienced tent pole user, but I had sprayed each joint with silicon spray before the final assembly of the 5 poles. I used silicon because I didn’t want the mess from anti seize, WD40, or other penetrating oils etc. You may want to tuck that one away for future reference (ie Parks on the Air, etc).

What have you been up to lately? Perhaps you have a trick to share with the club. Don’t be afraid to chime in and let us know at the upcoming February Zoom meeting.

Notes to OVMRC club members:

- don’t forget about Haves and Wants at the Zoom meeting, a mention of items for sale on the Thursday night OVMRC net hosted by Hugo, ve3ktn (thanks for running the net, Hugo!) and of course by all means post your items for sale on the OVMRC groups.io page.

- contact Alan (Rambler editor) va3iah@rac.ca for some guidance in submitting an article for the Rambler.

That’s it for my February ramblings. Please join us at the 6:45 check in time on February 15 for the next OVMRC Zoom meeting. Anyone not receiving the check in credentials can do so by sending an email to Norm (Zoom custodian) ve3lc@rac.ca.

The OVMRC meetings are open for all to attend. Guests wishing to attend can submit a request to the Zoom custodian (see above) and joining credentials will be sent to you.

I look forward to seeing many club members and guests at the February Zoom meeting.

73,

Barry, ve3na