HI SEan,   
      
   On Fri 2011-Aug-05 12:44, Sean Dennis (1:18/200) wrote to Richard Webb:   
      
    RW> I do think this one's starting to look to me like it could   
    RW> go that way at this point.  We've had steady higher than   
    RW> normal temps all over NOrth America, we've got drought   
    RW> conditions even in places that were getting saturated last   
    RW> spring, and all it takes now is for one to sit out there   
    RW> over open waters and spin around sucking up moisture from   
    RW> the ocean below and it's rock 'n roll time.   
      
      
   SD> Yep...these days it wouldn't take much for a monster to appear.    
      
   EVen though Emily has dissipated they're saying this system   
   somewhere out between the BAhamas and Cuba could develop   
   over the next day or so.  We'll have more now. Iirc 2005   
   sort of did the same thing, not much activity until all of a sudden in August   
   ...   
      
   SD> On a side note, I've decided I want to get a Yaesu FT-897 soon so I   
   SD> can work portable...even from the basement. :P   
      
   CAn understand that.  They're neat little radios according   
   to everybody I talk to who owns one.  My only complaint   
   about them for primary vhf/uhf mobile is that they're a   
   little anemic in the power department.  I won't have   
   anything under 50 watts for my primary 2 meter rig mobile   
   these days.  tOo many repeaters are alligators, even many on big sky hooks.    
   Comes from not being split site, loss and   
   whatnot thanks to having to use duplexers notch filters,   
   etc. to keep hash and trash out of the receiver.  Even if   
   you use a ctcss tone to clean up the output there's still   
   the desensitization of the receiver you get unless your   
   duplexers are tuned to within an inch of their lives.  HEnce I find that   
   usually if I can hear a usable readable signal   
   from the repeater if I've got at least 50 watts in the van I can hit it.  EVen   
   more important to have that 50 watts if   
   you're using an atnenna without gain, such as a quarter   
   wave, as I am these days.  My 5/8 wave mag mount sort of got crunched in the   
   van rollover last summer.   
      
   Regards,   
              Richard   
   ---   
    * Origin:  (1:116/901)