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The Gupta Investigation


The CNET Infosystem and Veribo Investigation


Trump: US military 'locked and loaded'


The Zuma Chronicles


The Bell Pottinger Investigation


"Radical Positive Transformation"


South African’s united against corruption and state capture


It's official - we are in a recession now


Prepping for the future


Mounting evidence pointing to life on Mars


Hawaiian radio operator loud and clear on 11 m Band


Zuma more conceited and defiant than ever - advice from one person to another


We will miss you dearly Pravin


"New" Rules of the Road yet to be published?


Dropped the old dynamic Blog, gone static HTML only


Preoccupation with mobile phones (what's up with that)?


An Awesome Drakensberg Mountain Getaway


EDZ MkII vs Cobwebb Antenna


11 m Band EDZ MkII Antenna


Appreciation to the Afrihost Support Team


11 m Band Antenna Review


Orange orbs and gigantic crescent shape object seen over The Reeds, Centurion, South Africa


Dance Club Music Remixes using Mixcraft by Acoustica


ItaloBrothers and the 90's connection?


Over-sized rims and stretched tyres


Karol Madera VE7KFM or better known as Radio Canada is back in full force


Cyclone season is here


Welcome to the RaptorZone Blog


COMMENTS

Jean Ward on "It could be the end of Bell Pottinger"


Jean Ward on Inside the Bell Pottinger Fake News Propaganda Machine


Jean Ward on BBC World Service: Focus on Africa: Duduzane Zuma interview


Jean Ward on Eskom owes us big electricity tariff reductions


Jean Ward on CNET Infosystem another Zupta PR Firm revealed


Jean Ward on "Radical Positive Transformation" progress update


Jean Ward on Probe into Bell Pottinger underway


Jean Ward on Good-bye trusted buddy


Jean Ward on Mars Opportunity rover finds mysterious doughnut-shaped rock


Jean Ward on Zuma addresses only receptive crowds


Jean Ward on Zuma and Mugabe – New Comedians from the South


Jean Ward on Zuma tries to legitimise his fake "intelligence report"


Jean Ward on Orange orbs (enhanced using PhotoZoom Pro 7)


Jean Ward on Zuma continues to harm South Africa and its people


Jean Ward on We are not "junk" people


Jean Ward on South Africa thrown to the dogs


Jean Ward on Karol Madera VE7KFM claims Brian Crow K3VR is back and is impersonating Donald Edward Anderson KI1QZX N4TAT


Jean Ward on Trying to give up a Social Media addition?


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ABOUT THIS BLOG

Here I'll share some of my ideas, thoughts, opinions, reviews and interesting news.


ABOUT ME

My like's include photography, website development, 80's and 90's music, watching sci-fi movies, TV series and documentaries.


Jean Ward


RaptorZone: Webmaster, System Administrator, Website Developer and Owner.

More about me here.


WELCOME VISITOR

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POSTED ON 2017-03-02

EDZ MkII vs Cobwebb Antenna

Vote Data
Jean Ward

Last night I was fortunate to be in a position to compare the performance of both my EDZ MkII and Cobwebb antenna's on the 11 m Band. An operator from Italy was on-air and propagation conditions were very good with very little QSB, perfect to conduct comparisons.

The broadside of the EDZ MkII is oriented NE to favour the Pacific islands and the US West Coast, whereas Italy is almost directly North from my location. On the EDZ MkII his signal strength was S5/S7 and on the Cobwebb S9/S+5. This shows how perfect the Cobwebb is in filling in the nulls of the EDZ MkII.

EDZ MkII vs Cobwebb Antenna
EDZ MkII vs Cobwebb Antenna

Both antennas are mounted 11 metres above the ground, have horizontally polarized radiation patterns and similar environments/surroundings making it a reasonably accurate comparison.


POSTED ON 2017-02-28

11 m Band EDZ MkII Antenna

Vote Data
Jean Ward

Construction, installation and testing of my new Extended Double Zeppelin 'Zepp' (EDZ) antenna for the 11 m Band has been completed. I've taken photographs of every step of the construction process have added a EDZ MkII webpage on my website. I refer to it as the EDZ MkII as it's construction is very different to the old one, i.e. wood vs. aluminium mast.

EDZ MkII
EDZ MkII

Testing has concluded that the antenna works as well as the old EDZ. Signals sounds louder and cleaner and are at least 5 to 7 S-units stronger compared to that produced by the Cobwebb and Vertical which are both omni-directional and at the same height above ground.

But then again propagation conditions change and the Cobwebb sometimes works better. That's what makes the hobby so intriguing.


POSTED ON2 017-02-26

Appreciation to the Afrihost Support Team

Vote Data
Jean Ward

Thank you to Ryne X and Mark for getting back to me so soon after I pushed the Afrihost support button. You resolved my problem within a couple of hours and that on a Sunday evening. You guys rock. Thanks again.


AfriHost
AfriHost

I don't regret choosing Afrihost as my Internet Service Provider for a minute. My experience with the ISP has been a pleasure from day one; although it would be great to speak to a System Administrator directly especially when complex, high-priority technical problems need to be resolved.


POSTED ON 2017-02-24

11 m Band Antenna Review

Vote Data
Jean Ward

The current HF Band propagation conditions are really poor and my Cobwebb antenna is just not giving me the performance I need. I've decided to build a new Extended Double Zeppelin 'Zepp' (EDZ) antenna for the 11 m Band as it is the best performer by far when comparing it to the other antenna's I designed, built and used over the years, these include: Super J-Pole, J-Pole, Hentenna and of course the Cobwebb. I'll use the Cobwebb to fill-in the EDZ's nulls.

11 m Band Extended Double Zeppelin 'Zepp' (EDZ) antenna centred at 27.500 MHz
11 m Band Extended Double Zeppelin 'Zepp' (EDZ) antenna centred at 27.500 MHz

This time round I will be constructing the masts using aluminium tubing; in the past the wood masts broke too easily under strong wind conditions. I use one mast in the centre to support the balun and to prevent excessive wire sag and one mast at each end of the EDZ to support the two wire ends of the antenna.

I plan to install the antenna 8 m above my QTH. My previous EDZ was installed at 7 m above the roof and it worked really well, S5/S7 copies with Hawaiian radio operators and S9/S+10 copies with operators on the US west coast were no problem.

Hopefully the antenna will provide better gain and overall performance increase compared to the Cobebb, besides the EDZ works exceedingly well on other bands too; whereas the Cobwebb is band specific and performs very poorly on other bands. Most importantly I want to hear Karol Madera VE7KFM on 14313 kHz clearly, he makes me laugh. The expense of the aluminium tubing is worth it for this reason alone.

I'll be sure to take new photographs every step of the way during the construction process and update the relevant section on my website. I intend to refresh/update the content on the EDZ webpage on mywebsite within the next week or so. The new EDZ is up and running and testing has commenced.

I can report almost everything I hear now sounds louder and cleaner; most signals are higher by at lease 5 S-units. Well worth it!

But then again propagation conditions change and the Cobwebb sometimes works better. That's what makes the hobby so intriguing.


POSTED ON 2017-02-23

Orange orbs and gigantic crescent shape object seen over The Reeds, Centurion, South Africa

Vote Data
Jean Ward

Saturday, 7 January 2012, 09:41 PM: It was a warm, cloudy summer evening. It was close to full moon and there was a light breeze in the air. I was outside taking a smoke break. I looked up at the bright moon towards the north. It was then that I noticed an orange orb moving in a straight line slowly across the sky in a southerly direction towards me; emitting no sound as it did so. I noted its light did not flicker or blink on and off. There was no visible smoke and/or floating devices above it. I knew this was odd so I quickly got my camera and started taking photographs. Soon there were two more, all moving in unison. Fifteen (15) minutes later they were gone, suddenly fading into the distant horizon. I stood outside for a while totally confused at what I had just witnessed, went inside and commenced downloading the photographs onto my PC.

Orange Orbs
Orange Orbs

Below is the same photograph with zoomed images of the three orbs inserted next to each including the vectors indicating direction of movement, etc.

Orange Orbs Direction Vectors
Orange Orbs Direction Vectors

About an hour later I went outside to check that the garden gates were locked as I was about to hit the hay for the night. It was then that the main event happened. I thought the orange orbs were strange, but above me, slowly moving in a southerly direction was a football field size (100 m in length) crescent shape object, dark grey in colour. I estimate it was about thirty (30) metres above my house and moving forward at a walking pace. It had no lights and emitted no sound. I stood there for a while, scared, yet excited; not sure what to do, i.e. run and hide or try to get its attention. Eventually I did run inside to fetch the camera. Regrettably, when I returned it was nowhere to be seen.

Below is an illustration I drew of the dark grey, crescent object:

Dark Grey Crescent Object
Dark Grey Crescent Object

Later I analysed the photographs and the sequence in which they had been taken and came to the following conclusions:

  • The breeze was slowly moving the clouds in an easterly direction.
  • The orange orbs were moving towards me in a southerly direction.
  • They moved in unison, in a straight line and did not drop in altitude, kept the same distance between each other and moved at the same velocity.
  • Upon zooming into the orange orbs they also had what seem to have crescent shapes and oddly enough they seem to be facing the centre point of the triangle formation they formed.
  • The intensity of the orange light emitted by the orbs remained constant, did not flicker or blink on and off.

There are two military air force bases in the area so I am familiar with aircraft of all shapes and sizes, these objects were clearly something else. I've never seen anything like it before.

Original Photographs:

I have zipped all the original, untouched, raw photographs I had taken. You are welcome to download the ZIP file. You will note that they contain the Meta Data of the camera settings, date and time, etc. Understandably there is motion blur due to the fact that I was shaking with a degree of fear and excitement. The photographs that appear to be just black sky do have objects in them, just increase the brightness and contrast accordingly.

Camera

Orange orbs and gigantic crescent shape object seen over The Reeds, Centurion, South Africa
Original raw photographs

Download


Questions arising:

  • Is it a coincidence that the Chinese Lanterns were followed by a massive crescent shape blimp/drone? I don't think that's normal.
  • Don't lights from Chinese Lanterns flicker and vary in intensity and don't they follow variable, random paths through the sky?
  • Why was there a massive crescent shape object in the vicinity too? If it was a blimp/done why didn't it have any lights on, after all isn't it a legal requirement to have lights on even during daylight?
  • Why did the orange orbs also appear to be crescent shaped?
  • Why did they face each other and not down due to gravity?
  • Why did they follow a path perpendicular to the wind direction?

Did anyone else in the area at the time see this event? What exactly did I witness? UFO's?


COMMENT POSTED ON 2017-04-22
Orange orbs (enhanced using PhotoZoom Pro 7

Vote Data
Jean Ward

I enhanced the photograph of the three orange orb's using PhotoZoom Pro 7 in an attempt to obtain a more detailed view of the objects. I removed noise and JPEG artefacts; I only managed to reduce over-exposure to a limited extent though. The crescent shape objects are however more visible.

Orange Orb (left)
Orange Orb (left)

Orange Orb (right)
Orange Orb (right)

Orange Orb (top)
Orange Orb (top)

Upon further analysis of the original photograph, Dscn2814.jpg contained in the Zip file, I noticed a small red orb located to the middle-left. I also enhanced it using PhotoZoom Pro 7 and the following image was produced. Weird, don't know if it may be an artefact caused by a reflection off the camera lens?

Red Orb (middle-top)
Red Orb (middle-top)

I will continue trying different techniques to enhance the photograph/s; I'll post the results here from time to time.


POSTED ON 2017-02-22 (UPDATED ON 2017-08-15)

Dance Club Music Remixes using Mixcraft by Acoustica

Vote Data
Jean Ward

I got my hands on Mixcraft and played around with it and in no time re-mixed some tracks to see what it could do. I was very impressed and recommend it to anyone that likes to remix music. It's relatively easy to use.


Mixcraft
Mixcraft

I like the phasing function, it reminds me of what the DJ's used to do in the 80's. It's also great to record multiple tracks at once, making mixing a breeze.

Take a listen to three tracks I made:

Each track took me about two hours to mix; not studio quality but you get the idea.

Give me your love ft. Shake it up (re-mix) - Fun Fun

Give me your love ft. Shake it up (re-mix) - Fun Fun
Mixed by Jean Ward

Audio Spectrum Bars


I've got the power ft. Funky cold medina (re-mix) - Snap!

I've got the power ft. Funky cold medina (re-mix) - Snap!
Mixed by Jean Ward

Audio Spectrum Bars


Shoot your shot ft. Shake it up (re-mix) - Divine

Shoot your shot ft. Shake it up (re-mix) - Divine
Mixed by Jean Ward

Audio Spectrum Bars


It's a great application and an essential addition to your audio tech.


POSTED ON 2017-02-22

ItaloBrothers and the 90's connection?

Vote Data
Jean Ward

A while ago I was looking for some new up-beat music to listen to and can across the ItaloBrothers, a German dance project from Nordhorn, Germany. I'm a fan of Dance Club music from the 80's and 90's and find their music particularly nice to listen to and their music videos are great too.

I like all of their tracks, especially two tracks in particular: "This is Nightlife" and "Welcome to the Dancefloor." Both remind me of the almost forgotten 90's Dance Club music era. "This is Nightlife" reminds me of "Ecuador" by Sash! and "Welcome to the Dancefloor" of "Rhythm Is A Dancer" by Snap!





ItaloBrothers, keep up the good work!


POSTED ON 2017-02-22

Over-sized rims and stretched tyres

Vote Data
Jean Ward

When I Initially purchased my car I did not specifically observe that it was fitted with over-sized rims (20 inches each) and stretched tyres. I was more concerned with the condition of the engine, body, chassis, break pads/discs, tyres, electrical system, etc. It was only afterwards when I visited the local Porsche dealership that I found out. The guy almost freaked out when he noticed the wheels.

Porsche Cayman 2.7 l flat-six
Porsche Cayman 2.7 l flat-six

Porsche Cayman 2.7 l flat-six
Porsche Cayman 2.7 l flat-six

I must admit I didn't even know that people actually do that to their cars. Unfortunately the original rims and tyres were no longer around and I had no choice but to stay with what I have. Out of concern I started looking into the phenomena and my research concluded that opinions regarding this practice are divided.

Wheels (side-view)
Wheels (side-view)

Some consider this standard practice, insisting it enhances the aesthetic appeal of their cars, while others consider it unsafe, ugly and impractical. At the time I had no data of my own to form an opinion so I decided to cautiously monitor my cars performance, road holding and fuel consumption.

Here are my findings after driving the car for several months now:

Performance:

  • Accelerating from standstill is more challenging due to the additional friction of the bigger tyre footprint and additional weight of the larger rims (the torque of the 2.7l engine only really kicks in at mid-range revolutions, so it lacks a bit of power at low revs). Deceleration is also affected, it takes a bit longer to stop.
  • The speedometer under reads actual speed with about 2%.
  • Once going the car accelerates very well. I have not tested the top speed, however I have taken the car to 210 km/h with no noticeable problems.

Road holding:

  • Turning into parking spaces is challenging due to additional strain on the power steering, however cornering while driving is normal.
  • Driving through puddles of water at speed doesn't seem to be any different compared to other cars.
  • The steering wheel vibrates slightly more than a car with standard tyres and rims.
  • The rims will touch the shock absorbers in the rear when driving over speed bumps at speed.

Fuel consumption (2.7 l flat-six):

  • Between 7.6 and 7.9 l/100 km at 120 km/h (high-way driving)
  • Average 10.5 l/100 km (normal urban driving)

Conclusion:

It does sort of look nice, but it does negatively affect performance, road holding and fuel consumption. Fortunately the tyres have not popped of the rims even while cornering at high speed, driving over bumps, accelerating and decelerating quickly, etc.

I would not recommend this practice and will be replacing the rims and tyres with those specified by the manufacturer as soon as I can. As with everything Porsche, it's a bit pricey. In the meantime I drive with caution, especially observing following distance and required distance to stop.


POSTED ON 2017-02-21

Karol Madera VE7KFM or better known as Radio Canada is back in full force

Vote Data
Jean Ward

It's been a while since I last heard Karol on 14313 kHz USB. Last night I tuned in and low and behold he was there in all his glory, ranting and raving about Donald Trump, immigrants, Vladimir Putin and other radio amateurs jamming or as he puts it "QRMing" his signal. He went on to challenge radio amateurs listening to respond to his ranting's and raving's, truly living up to his old self.

Karol Madera VE7KFM on 14313 kHz
Karol Madera VE7KFM on 14313 kHz

He also went on to state that two of the radio amateurs that "jammed" his signal in the past have been fined by the FCC, $22 000 and $11 500 respectively and according to him one of these radio amateurs, Brian Crow K3VR, owing $11 500 apparently passed away five days ago seemingly now giving Karol the opportunity to commence his shenanigans again.

If you don't know about Karol and his shenanigans on 14313 kHz USB, also known as the 20 m Band CB channel 19, tune your receiver in and have a listen; you'll be really amused and later shocked at how radio amateurs that participate there behave.

To find out more about Karol and fellow radio amateurs misbehaving on the 20 m Band CB Channel 19 click here, there are many sound bites to listen to here. I wonder whether Karol will play his accordion music again, or even better, the "Dance Monkey Dance" song by Rory Taillon. Go Karol.


On another note, as you probably know we are currently at a 11 year low in solar activity and global HF propagation is very poor to virtually non-existent at times, however on Thursday evening, 16 February 2017 I turned the receiver on and out of curiosity tuned to the 11 m Band. I almost could not believe my ears, the band was totally open and radio operators from North and South America were coming in loud and clear at S7/S9 signal strengths.

Last night the HF band below 15 MHz was also open; following are just a few stations that I do not normally receive very well or at all:

  • Cape Talk 567 kHz S7
  • VOA 908 kHz S+40
  • Alaska HF Fax 12410.6 kHz S5
  • Trenton 15034 kHz S5
  • NY ATC 11309 kHz S7/S9
  • North American radio amateurs 20 m and 40 m Band S7/S9, and of course
  • Karol Madera VE7KFM Radio Canada 14313kHz S5

So in spite of the really poor HF propagation conditions there are sporadic openings, just keep your receiver on and don't give up.


COMMENT POSTED ON 2017-03-28
Karol Madera VE7KFM claims Brian Crow K3VR is back and is impersonating Donald Edward Anderson KI1QZX N4TAT

Vote Data
Jean Ward

News updates from Karol are “as scarce as a diamond in a goat's a**" (to quote Richard Rawlings). After many days of silence he was back with a vengeance. Late last week I tuned in to 14313 kHz USB and guess who was there, again? Karol was having a chat with a guy going by the name George. As usual Karol was taking out the FCC, obviously using the F-word again. He was also complaining about other radio amateurs that were trying to educate him about radio regulations and proper on-air behaviour.

Fruit Cake

That's when another radio amateur broke in claiming to be Donny, or better known as "Donald Edward Anderson KI1QZX N4TAT aka Donny Dumbass." Karol then accused this guy of being Brian Crow K3VR, or “K3 Vomit Radio" as Karol calls him, impersonating Donny. In an earlier conversation, a few weeks ago, Karol had suggested that Brian had passed away. According to Karol, Brian, who had lost his license was now role playing other radio amateurs and was doing a really bad job and he suggested Brian go for acting lessons.

Without the EDZ MkII I would not be able to listen to my favourite radio personality. Although at S0/S1 signal strength I could copy Karol clearly. News updates will be few as current HF propagation conditions make it almost impossible to hear Karol every night. What a bummer!

Some History: From what I've personally heard on the radio I can surmise the story all began as a result of Karol incessantly using 14313 kHz USB, which is apparently "reserved" by US radio amateurs as a weather reporting frequency. Also Karol claimed to be a person of importance in the Navy, which some US radio amateurs dispute.

French Fries

Soon afterwards phrases such as "Canada's Fruit Cake" and "a few french fries short of a happy meal" were being played in a constant loops for extended periods of time. Karol then retaliated by playing accordion music and one song in particular: "Dance Monkey Dance" by Rory Taillon. Much swearing and name calling still continues today.

On another note, last night the 11 m Band was open again and radio operators from all over Europe were coming in at signals reaching S9 and averaging S5 with very little signal fading (QSB). The Global T-Index Map was green with patches of blue all over ... great!


POSTED ON 2017-02-21

Cyclone season is here

Vote Data
Jean Ward

The tail end of Cyclone Dineo hit my QTH on Friday 17, February 2017 and snapped my 15 m tall Cobwebb antenna mast in two, what can you do, it was a cyclone after all? Otherwise it stands up to "normal" wind and gusts rather well. I've repaired the damage and the antenna is up and running again; now at 11 m above ground.

Cyclone Dineo
Cyclone Dineo


POSTED ON 2017-02-21

Welcome to the RaptorZone Blog

Vote Data
Jean Ward

Here I'll share some of my ideas, thoughts, opinions, reviews and interesting news.


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