EDYDO

It appears Paul Fayard (CSS) has bought the Lake Wales DZ from Betty Hill. Most if not all employees will remain and Betty has agreed to stay for a lengthy period to aid in the transition.

I have the same problem that you have. The Neptune is the best solution I have found for an altimeter. I also have one of those analog altimeters that goes to 13k feet (backup). The numbers on it are big, but there is no mfg name on it. I am still experimenting as to what is best for me, but it appears contacts work better than glasses. I use a little stronger than distance contacts along with a full face helmet on most jumps. My optomitrist accomodates me on the oddball prescription. That allows me to see skydiving distances well and while I cannot read a book, the altimeter is easily read and I have no problem with my flare. For camera jumps I use a pair of skydiving glasses with bifocals and they screw me at times on landing. Getting old provides new and interesting challenges!! Ed

Incorrect information, external power is not required. Ed

A couple of experiences for whatever it may be worth. I had a scuba diver friend who visited a chiropractor and he was sent from there directly to a medical doctor with a broken neck. The adjustment finished off a problem that he had when he arrived. Within months he killed himself because of the pain. I personally visited a chiropractor 25 years ago for neck pain and during adjustment, he injured my lower back doing adjustments. I feel that pain daily when I first get up. I had a firend/physio check me out prior to gall bladder surgery 20 years ago. I avoided the surgery entirely because that wasn't the problem and he found it. The back has "hot spots" where muscles kink or tense up. You locate these spots by pressing deep with one or two fingers until a sore spot is found. Then, that spot is deep massaged. It will get really sore on that spot. After a couple of days, the neck and back pain goes away entirely. I can't be that different, so if it helps me, it will help someone else as well. Ed

I can't help but wonder if what you have is really Velcro. That is a brand name for hook and pile material. Other companies make hook and pile. Ed

No, I haven't. It won't be anything new to the developers of the product. Ed

The sentence you quote came from Mark. Actually, neither of you are wrong. It is indeed a voltage indicator and they are commonly used to measure battery life. Problem is, most batteries have a "life curve" that is less flat than the Neptune battery and can be more easily measured. One good reason to use a battery that has a "flat curve" is that the battery maintains its full voltage thoroughout its useful life, until near the end, where it then begins a sharp drop. That allows for better performance of the product it powers. Some manufacturers have come up with a solution that seems to work. It is likely too expensive for the Neptune and we might not be willing to pay the price. In one case, let's say for simplicity that the battery is 12 volts. Instead of the indicator reading from 0 to 12, it measures from 9 to 12 and gives a much better idea of what is happening inside the battery in that critical period when the voltage first starts to drop. In this example, the indicator would show a dead battery at 9 volts since the battery no longer has the power for the product to function. Ed

You can buy them from Gary, he has a 10 year supply. I purchase them through one of my businesses when ordering other goods. They actually cost less than a dollar wholesale. I have given away a few. PM your address and I'll stick one in an envelope (US right?). Ed

Agreed, I am going to start replacing the battery every 4 months. At $1.00 or so, it's good insurance. With the discharge curve on that battery, it may not be possible to get a good handle on battery condition. Ed

This information is new to me and may be helpful to someone. I would like to have known it in advance. On Saturday morning, my Neptune checked out perfectly with a full battery indicator. After 2 jumps it worked and logged properly. On the third jump of the day, it failed to come on in the plane as it usually does. I pressed the button and it started counting down from some high altitude and finally settled on the correct one. It worked fine through the jump. When I got down, it showed, "There are no logbook entries." or "Logbook empty" and I could not access the logbook. The battery indicator dropped some, but I figured something had failed and I lost my logbook. I took it on another jump where it worked perfectly, but on the ground, still no logbook. After battery replacement, the logbook returned and all jumps were logged properly, even the one when the Neptune had to be activated manually. This Neptune has about 200 jumps on it. The battery is about 8 months old and 160 jumps. Not bad for a $1.00 battery and the Neptune continued to function until I figured out that a small reduction in battery strength is enough to warrant battery replacement. Ed

Thanks for the info. That is a little pricey for a non-pro. I may try the demo and see how it goes. The movieshaker software came with the IP5. Attached is an image from the IP5 grab. I had to reduce it "a lot", so not sure this really shows the true image. We'll see when it uploads. Ed

I was using a DCR-IP5 with Movieshaker software and getting almost still camera quality from the video frame grabs. With my PC 109 and Pinnacle Studio 7, frame grabs are almost useless. The quality on the 109 seems to be there when viewed on the built in LCD, I just can't get what I see into my computer with the same quality. The IP5 is 340k pixels and the 109 is 690k pixels. In fact all specs say the 109 should produce better quality than the IP5. What software works well for frame grabs with DV? Ed

Mouse pad rubber is firm and perfect for making spacers for a camera set-up. Mine is too cut up to read!! Ed

I control my fear by trusting that my equipment, properly maintained and used will assure my safety. If it were not for this I would be scared "out of my gourd" in some of the things I have done. I realistically study the odds. I used to have 1 malfunction in 100 jumps on the old "cheapo" rounds. I felt 1% chance of a failure, plus a backup reserve were pretty good odds. Today the equipment is more reliable and fear is less of a factor. At times when it is related to other things, such as a Demo jump, I try to limit my exposure to danger by doing all of the "right" things, such as being current and confident. If the weather isn't right, I KNOW that I don't have to jump. All of the above relate to confidence. Confidence that you will be safe, abates fear. When fear is related to something I cannot control, but must face or choose to face, I spread out the anxiety over a period of time rather than having it hit me all at once. Some might say this is covering all possible bases in advance by thinking it through and then taking the calculated risk. In these cases, I am afraid, but it is manageable. An example might be test jumping something that is new to everyone around you and no place to turn for help. It then becomes a decision to "go" or "no go". During these "manageable" fear periods, I find that I mentally talk to myself and work through the difficulties methodically rather than allowing a panic reaction to be consuming. That "extra voice" has save my sorry butt more than once. Ed

Ok, here it is. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?do=post_attachment;postatt_id=33938;

Windline Jumpsuits is a reputable company that has been in the hangar at Lake Wales for years. Billy, who is a great guy, is in charge. The hangar, of course, was destroyed along with the Windline Facility. I cannot tell you what they are presently doing, but you could go to the Lake Wales web page and leave an email. www.floridaskydiving.com They will be able to tell you how to contact Windline. The suit manufacturing is in the same area as their gear store (Downwind, I think is the name.) It is also run by Billy. Ed Edited to add email address info@floridaskydiving.com

Maybe someone else can fill in the blanks. Charles Coley invited me to the ceremony and he is top row center. Ed

These are the new Golden Knights. The ceremony was today.

This is an old model FFX that I bought from Zak in DZ.COM classified. We patched the holes, sanded, primed and painted. I am proud of it. Ed

Already saw it on TV, not sure which channel. Ed http://www.hardeesgirl.com/thecommercial.html

I don't own a fisheye lens, maybe someone else could answer your question. Ed

There is no firewire port on the camera, so all firewire operations go through the docking station. The docking station is so small and light that it is little more effort than hooking up the firewire cable by itself on other cameras. The docking station plugs into a power cord and transformer. It is not required for simple firewire transfers, but it is available for longer periods of use. I was saying that if I had to go to the trouble of hooking up the power cord/transformer in order to do a simple firewire, I would not want this camcorder. Sometimes power isn't easily available where I want to firewire. I had heard this was an issue. Fortunately it isn't. Ed

The PC 109 requires the docking station for S video, firewire and USB. Power is not required to the docking station. You can do AV transfers without the station. There really is no reason to be concerned about the hassle, because there isn't very much. The station weighs 2.5 ounces and is about the size of a pack of cigarettes. The PC 109 WITH the docking station is no larger than some of the other cameras. It is worth it to me to have a smaller camera and pull out the station when needed. If I had to plug it in to power each time, I would feel different. Ed

The newer 2K Composites camera helmets have the camera mounted from the outside. The older ones were mounted inside. Ed

Yep, they are in operation and starting to rebuild. They just moved into temporary facilities a "safe" distance away from the debris and construction. Ed