The Retirement Thread

[12boy]

Classic 33..forearm is a cubit.

 

[oldwheels]

Which brand/model did you get?

I have an AKASO EK7000 (£39 Amazon/EBay). It has a wireless remote control, which allows start/stop recording from a distance.

Akaso Brave4. It cost somewhere about £70 incl.carraige but cannot remember the vendor. Not Amazon as I paid by Pay Pal. I could look it up as I should have before posting.

 

[BoldonLad]

Akaso Brave4. It cost somewhere about £70 incl.carraige but cannot remember the vendor. Not Amazon as I paid by Pay Pal. I could look it up as I should have before posting.

No problem, I recognise that model. Saw it when looking at the (cheaper) one I bought.

An aside. I have a Chilli-tech bullet style camera, mounted under seat, and rear facing. Actually, it has stopped working, but, although it may be my imagination, I feel that it's presence has reduced the tail-gating and close pass incidents.

 

[BoldonLad]

Exciting day today.

School teacher daughter has tested positive for Covid.

She is perfectly well, apart from cold like symptoms.

So, that is two daughters who have had Covid (first one had it way back in March, she is a Nurse Practitioner).

Fortunately, we have not been "in contact" so, no need to be confined to barracks.

Grandson, granddaughter, daughter no 3, and two son-in-laws have all tested negative.

 

[oldwheels]

No problem, I recognise that model. Saw it when looking at the (cheaper) one I bought.

An aside. I have a Chilli-tech bullet style camera, mounted under seat, and rear facing. Actually, it has stopped working, but, although it may be my imagination, I feel that it's presence has reduced the tail-gating and close pass incidents.

Funny you should mention the non working camera. Cannot remember the make but it is the same style as yours and has also ceased to work. Never got round to returning it but may just mount it rear facing somewhere among all the back lights. I have one steady beam and 4 flashing but only ever use two at one time in case of battery failure.

 

[numbnuts]

Electrician turned up at 4pm I suppose I shouldn't grumble he did turn up

 

[ColinJ]

More TV help required. We usually connect our TV by connecting the incoming aerial feed to the BT box and connecting the BT box to the TV. The BT box is several years old and we no longer use BT for broadband. The only reason to do this is Mrs P likes to record stuff, especially ITV to skip through ads.

If I connect as above the screen breaks up, pixelates, BBC 1 and 2 are especially poor.

I have bought a new cable to connect the box to the TV and tried two old ones. Same results. If I jiggle the cables gently the image is OK for short periods.

If I plug the incoming aerial directly in to the TV everything is fine. This is a so called "smart" TV and everything else works as it should.

Every instinct says the box is nackered. Before I shell out +/- £200 on a Humax box is my logic correct?

I wouldn't describe something which works perfectly well with a little cable wiggling as "nackered"... I would say that the aerial socket has a minor fault!

You have tried several different cables and the problem does not go away so I'd say it is not a cable fault. I would look at the aerial socket itself.

There are 2 obvious possibilities...

1. The central part of the socket has broadened so the prong in the centre of the aerial plug no longer make a snug connection. This needs a 10 second fix - just use a pair of long-nose pliers to gently squeeze the sides of that central part in. Don't overdo it or you won't be able to get the plug in at all. Squeeze, test. If it works, great. If the plug is still loose, squeeze a bit more... Hopefully, that will fix it.
2. It may be that the socket itself is coming loose. There might be a cracked printed circuit track inside the BT box, or the socket may be flapping about and need reattaching. If you are otherwise going to recycle the box you have nothing to lose by opening it up and taking a look.

This video shows someone doing a coax socket repair on a TV.

Nice run round Loch Creran but very cold even in the sunshine. Need to get out the winter trousers tho’ my feet were not cold unlike my hands which were. Surprising amount of traffic but school holidays I suppose and refugees from the plague pits. More than I expect even in mid summer.
The picture is from my start point and round the other side before returning. Did not go the whole circuit as there are traffic lights under Creagan Bridge which would not give me time to get through and no escape to one side. A tandem couple just made it so I would have no chance. View attachment 552602

My cousin's cycling club does time trials round that loop. I rode round it a more leisurely pace last time I was up there. Yes, it is a nice road and it was very quiet when I did it. I was surprised by that hill on the north side before getting back to the A828. I hadn't really studied the OS map or I would have seen that the road leaves the loch side and goes up the hillside through some woods. That must hurt the legs on the TTs!

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

Not to be outdone by @Mo1959 we saw an otter today too, as we cycled alongside the Beauly Firth. He was on the shore not far from the road, he gave us a good look as we freewheeled past but surprisingly didn’t scarper.
Today’s ride was a very pleasant circuit of the bottom left of the Black Isle, very grey and quite chilly but dry and only a light breeze. Had lunch on a park bench in Avoch.

Saw lots of Christmas trees being harvested. I wonder how they manage to keep them without them falling to bits before they are sold ?

 

[oldwheels]

I wouldn't describe something which works perfectly well with a little cable wiggling as "nackered"... I would say that the aerial socket has a minor fault!

You have tried several different cables and the problem does not go away so I'd say it is not a cable fault. I would look at the aerial socket itself.

There are 2 obvious possibilities...

1. The central part of the socket has broadened so the prong in the centre of the aerial plug no longer make a snug connection. This needs a 10 second fix - just use a pair of long-nose pliers to gently squeeze the sides of that central part in. Don't overdo it or you won't be able to get the plug in at all. Squeeze, test. If it works, great. If the plug is still loose, squeeze a bit more... Hopefully, that will fix it.
2. It may be that the socket itself is coming loose. There might be a cracked printed circuit track inside the BT box, or the socket may be flapping about and need reattaching. If you are going to otherwise going to recycle the box you have nothing to lose by opening it up and taking a look.

This video shows someone doing a coax socket repair on a TV.




My cousin's cycling club does time trials round that loop. I rode round it a more leisurely pace last time I was up there. Yes, it is a nice road and it was very quiet when I did it. I was surprised by that hill on the north side before getting back to the A828. I hadn't really studied the OS map or I would have seen that the road leaves the loch side and goes up the hillside through some woods. That must hurt the legs on the TTs!

Long steepish hill going anticlockwise and short very steep hill the other way from the roundabout.
I went up the less steep one before turning back so longer mileage than the circuit which is only 6 miles.

 

[PaulSB]

@ColinJ - thanks I'll have a play around

 

[monkers]

I was wondering. Anyone heard from @monkers she hasn't been around for eight weeks.

Hi Paul, hi all. Thank you for thinking of me. I'm still alive! I haven't been posting for a number of reasons, but long story short I've had some difficulties of one kind and another. I didn't want to come here day after day posting tales of woe so decided to give it a break.

Long story short of past 8 weeks.

We went on holiday for a couple of weeks cycling in Suffolk - most enjoyable.

I've had a health issue since mid January. Appointments were made and cancelled due to Covid through the summer, but I've had appts since being wired up to machines and being fed meds which didn't suit me - causing me to randomly blackout and pass out much of the time, often for several hours at a time.I now have a diagnosis of Long Covid causing damage to my heart and lungs. I've taken myself off all the meds they prescribed and am now getting better for it.

My mum had her 91st birthday in September. She had been doing quite well but she now has difficulties and has become very frail in a short amount of time. She lives nearly 200 miles from us and has spent a deal of time in hospital. I've spent a good deal of time trying to be with her expecting the worst, but she's home again now.

My much younger sister is only 51 but now has MS, has had to leave her job and there's complications around that. She lives near my mum.

I've been the subject of an elaborate identity theft which has been pretty horrendous.

Other than that I'm fine. And now that I've got all that off my chest, I'll just leave it there and not elaborate further, but I'm riding again despite the lungs. We've just come home for a ride in fact and a notification came up on my screen of a mention.

My fitness started to improve, then plateaued, and then dropped dramatically as the long Covid took another bite out of me. We've invested in a turbo so we can keep our fitness up indoors during what looks to be a long winter what with second waves etc. I'm impressed I hadn't realised the level of sophistication of these machines. There wasn't much choice as stockists seem to be sold out and we ended up paying more for the turbo than I paid for my Trek Emonda earlier this year.

I did the FTP test last Sunday which I found pretty hard. I got a result of 145 which I understand is pretty low and doesn't even get me on the coupon to be a Cat5 rider, but I'm not surprised. I'm looking to get that to 200 over the next twelve months.

I look forward to being back here more. I've certainly missed the company of the fine folk here. xxx

 

[welsh dragon]

Not to be outdone by @Mo1959 we saw an otter today too, as we cycled alongside the Beauly Firth. He was on the shore not far from the road, he gave us a good look as we freewheeled past but surprisingly didn’t scarper.
Today’s ride was a very pleasant circuit of the bottom left of the Black Isle, very grey and quite chilly but dry and only a light breeze. Had lunch on a park bench in Avoch.
View attachment 552622
View attachment 552623
View attachment 552624
Saw lots of Christmas trees being harvested. I wonder how they manage to keep them without them falling to bits before they are sold ?

We have quite a few otters here. They keep going in my pond and eating my bloody fish

 

[numbnuts]

Hi Paul, hi all. Thank you for thinking of me. I'm still alive! I haven't been posting for a number of reasons, but long story short I've had some difficulties of one kind and another. I didn't want to come here day after day posting tales of woe so decided to give it a break.

Long story short of past 8 weeks.

We went on holiday for a couple of weeks cycling in Suffolk - most enjoyable.

I've had a health issue since mid January. Appointments were made and cancelled due to Covid through the summer, but I've had appts since being wired up to machines and being fed meds which didn't suit me - causing me to randomly blackout and pass out much of the time, often for several hours at a time.I now have a diagnosis of Long Covid causing damage to my heart and lungs. I've taken myself off all the meds they prescribed and am now getting better for it.

My mum had her 91st birthday in September. She had been doing quite well but she now has difficulties and has become very frail in a short amount of time. She lives nearly 200 miles from us and has spent a deal of time in hospital. I've spent a good deal of time trying to be with her expecting the worst, but she's home again now.

My much younger sister is only 51 but now has MS, has had to leave her job and there's complications around that. She lives near my mum.

I've been the subject of an elaborate identity theft which has been pretty horrendous.

Other than that I'm fine. And now that I've got all that off my chest, I'll just leave it there and not elaborate further, but I'm riding again despite the lungs. We've just come home for a ride in fact and a notification came up on my screen of a mention.

My fitness started to improve, then plateaued, and then dropped dramatically as the long Covid took another bite out of me. We've invested in a turbo so we can keep our fitness up indoors during what looks to be a long winter what with second waves etc. I'm impressed I hadn't realised the level of sophistication of these machines. There wasn't much choice as stockists seem to be sold out and we ended up paying more for the turbo than I paid for my Trek Emonda earlier this year.

I did the FTP test last Sunday which I found pretty hard. I got a result of 145 which I understand is pretty low and doesn't even get me on the coupon to be a Cat5 rider, but I'm not surprised. I'm looking to get that to 200 over the next twelve months.

I look forward to being back here more. I've certainly missed the company of the fine folk here. xxx

OMG your been through it take care, I thought of you last Sunday as I was in Lee-on-Solent

 

[numbnuts]

We have quite a few otters here. They keep going in my pond and eating my bloody fish

My local curry house keeps making them otter and otter

 

[monkers]

OMG your been through it take care, I thought of you last Sunday as I was in Lee-on-Solent

Thank you. xx Were you fishing?