FYI, here are some useful and useless items that I’ve bought recently.
In response to a recent query about what to buy for €50, I bought a long sleeved merino wool shirt. It’s hard to gauge how good it is, but it’s definitely warmer and more comfortable to wear than the Lidl long sleeved shirt I had. Would recommend.
A lens pouch as a case for my KX3. €20 on aliexpress delivered. Fits the radio perfectly, plenty of padding and weighs almost nothing. Would recommend.
A strange one, but Peltor ear muffs. Given the pretty windy activations recently, these work really well to elimenate wind noise and especially tarp noise. Just stick your ear buds in and put these on over them. Also good for keeping your ears warm. I must confess I didn’t buy these. I acquired them from work, but don’t tell anyone. Would recommend.
And for my absolutely useless purchase, these gloves. I thought these would be good for using a paddle as you can peel back the index finger and thumb, so keep your hand warm while working the paddle. First off, the fingers that peel back are not warm as in both were frozen while hiking up - the exact opposite desired effect. Also they may be waterproof, but they are not breathable. They were soaking wet inside when I got to the summit, when I took them off and put them back on again, they were freezing cold. The magnets on removable fingers don’t stick together when open, so they keep flopping around. Also the magnets obviously mess up your compass so you have to take them off to use it. Finally, it’s not possible to hold a pen with the gloves open, they don’t peel back far enough and keep knocking the pen from your fingers. I cannot recommend these in any way shape or form. Maybe other ones are better, but these get a 0 star rating. €30 down the drain.
More than 10 years ago, I picked up a previously expensive down jacket in a sale. I liked it a lot and it was very much reduced in price…
I must have had it hanging unused in my wardrobe for ages, and I thought about passing it on. It was just too warm for me.
For the last 3 years it has been my constant companion during winter activities … and I am so happy about it.
What I recommend is US military winter gloves.
Description: There is a liquid inside the gloves that is pumped around by the movements of the hand/fingers.
The liquid is warmed by a pocket in the glove, where you can slide in a sachet. The sachet can be activated to produce warmth by a chemical reaction inside that sachet.
The laws of reciprocity would suggest if moving your fingers pumps the fluid then… we need a small pump controlled by a computer so that it pumps the fluid and your fingers move. Perfect Morse sending is the result.
My most useful recent purchase is a hand wood plane. Saved a few quid by doing jobs myself instead of calling a joiner. Surprisingly easy to use well even by a “practical disaster area” like me!
My most useless recent purchase is a tube of silicon sealant remover. My wife Marianne told me to buy some, but last night I found it discarded in the shack, unopened - apparently we don’t need it after all.
This is my new star purchase permitting glovless phone logging and key usage in 40+mph wind -15 win chill.
A last minute amazon gamble before a snowy trip to Wales. Its a silly tent for sun bather heads but, for SOTA laying on my belly, in full waterproofs, its a silly tent for odd folk to hide in on hills and beep into.
I have to say aside from the major risk of it flying off with your radios inside, (pointed out to me by G0POT thanks!), its a great bit of kit to avoid the wind and rain.
However its not a long term operating position! Im growing to become aware that i should be trying to take some time to make the summit available for chasers. So really my current style of “get in get out” is a bit selfish, (i have my excuses ready).
Anyway, go wild its £9 and works well if your careful in the wind i either put the dog inside it or used his lead to strap it to my pack.
Pop Up Beach Tent,Portable Mini Personal Sun Shelter UV Sun Protection,Face Head Shade Protection Tent,Mini Beach Sun Shade Beach Sun Shelter Canopy Instant Outdoor Beach Tent Shelter with Carry Case https://amzn.eu/d/51lSe26
My most recent useless purchase was a bag of apples a few weeks back. They all went bad - there’s your “off” topic, Tom - I don’t know why people talk about “one bad apple in the barrel” - this was a whole bag of 'em. Totally useless, I won’t buy that brand again.
As the numbers and popular letters were wearing off my previous mini Perixx keyboard I use for Ham Radio etc I bought this Pinkcat mini one. Wireless 2.4 GHz with dongle. Always had cabled keyboards before. It is a good weight, takes two AAA batteries. Only £15, very pleased with it.
