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Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

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#10,763
alaskaleftybass said:
Hey, where's everyone at? Roll call! Please report if all appendages accounted for! How about some Foxy Brown? ;)

Click to expand...


Don't let your wife catch you watching that, much less posting it, unless SHE is Miss Foxy Brown! I enjoyed it up until she shot me :D

alaskaleftybass said:
If any of you ever wonder what I did in the Army..... same job. Different unit.



The GunBack to 'The Gun'

View attachment 3134297

FDC
Fire Direction Center
By Tom Kanis

The FDC was a Section within the Firing Battery that computed solutions to fire missions and relayed the resultant commands to the Howitzer Sections. The "Gunnery Problem" that was solved was that the cannoneers manning the howitzers could not always see the target. If they could, the howitzer could be fired with on-board fire control equipment (sights) much like a rifle. But since the targets were almost always out of sight or fired upon at night, a "Gunnery Team" approach was used to attack them.


The Team consisted of Forward Observers who could see or otherwise sense the targets, Howitzers and crews to shoot the targets and FDC's to calculate charge deflections and elevation commands for the guns to use during the mission.

The FDC was usually located centrally to the rest of the Firing Battery, and usually had a lot of overhead cover and shelter, since it was a priority target during mortar and sapper attacks. Communication was usually by wire to the Howitzer Sections and by radio to Forward Observers, Supported Units and Battalion Headquarters.

Personnel usually included the Fire Direction Officer (FDO), a Horizontal Control Operator (HCO) a Vertical Control Operator (VCO) a Battery Computer and an RTO or Battery Recorder. The senior NCO was usually designated the Section Chief in addition to his other duties. The VCO had the responsibility of accounting for the correction due to the difference in altitude of the guns and the target. If we were higher than the target, we would shoot long, or short if we were lower than the target. The HCO kept track of locating the target in the horizontal plane and making shifts from the Forward Observer's corrections. To do that, he'd use a plotting wheel like the one shown at the right.

There sometimes was a mechanical computer present as well. The M18 FADAC (know to us all as 'Freddy the FADAC') was used in several firebases. It had its own 1.5Kw 400 Hz Generator, was about 4 feet square and weighed several hundred pounds. In comparison to any modern computer it was very slow in calculating the solutions to ballistics problems. In most instances, the FDC crew could beat it with the manual calculations on the first round, but in 1966-71, it was the very best available. For a while, the A Btry FDC at FSB Kelly had two FADACs. Twice the fun. It is interesting to note that the Army replaced these , at least as an interim fix, with H-P TI-59 hand-held programmable calculators. FADAC data had to be checked against manual data before firing, per most SOPs.

Fire missions came to the FDC from FO's, Intel Sources or Higher HQ's. Once in receipt of the mission, the HCO would plot on a firing chart and measure the range and angle from the Battery to the target. The VCO would locate the target on a map and calculate the difference between the altitude of the Battery and the target. Ballistic tables in the Tabular Firing Tables (TFT) would be consulted, or more often, slide-rule-like devices called Graphical Firing Tables (GFT) would be used to determine firing commands for the Howitzers. Corrections for all predictable non-standard conditions were made, to include power temperature winds aloft, humidity, Coriolis Effect, projectile weight. Data on the guns' individual differences were previously determined in a special mission called a "registration". If it sounds complicated, it was.

The task was made more difficult by the fact that there was a considerable pressure to get the rounds out rapidly. The usual criteria was 90 seconds to include time of flight of the projectile. More time than that and an FDO would be moved to another job. The Battery recorder took data from the HCO, VCOn and Freddy operator and filled out the Record of Fire form (DA 6-1). The Form tracked commands to the guns, kept track of ammo expended and formed a permanent record to be checked if there was a firing incident. Firing incidents were to be avoided at all costs, since the least that could happen would be to waste ammo and the worst would be friendly casualties. The FDC would usually have at least two radios. One would be used to talk to supported units, the other to talk to higher HQ and area commands. One of the radios would usually be equipped with "secure voice" capability, usually with a KYB-6 or KY-38 unit that could be encoded to net only with similarly equipped radios. This system would be used to transmit sensitive data such as the night locations of friendly units in the area of operations. The AN-RC-292 antennas that were hooked to the radios made the FDC very identifiable.
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I wanted to tell you I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and learning how you earned your keep in a fox hole. Three hots and a cot
(or three cold's and a muddy hole). Read it when you posted it, but was too tired to absorb it. Read it again the next morning, but was too sleepy to absorb it. Have a tab open to read it again!

Al Kraft said:
After a week buried in cyber-warfare concepts I'm almost afraid to respond over the internet! ;)

Hey Andy, what's with that guy and the miracle-box bass amp? I think you've showed incredible restraint on that thread. FWIW, at this point you will never need to tell me again how difficult it is to please everyone in the design process. :)
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No worries Al, they don't read our PMs, They understand and respect they are Private Messages. If you watch TV, you'll know to pull the battery out of your cell phone and through it in a big river.
Stumbo said:
Still being kicked.:laugh:
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Video please!
 
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#10,766
Bansai update:

Gizmo doing well.

6CAE3A58-9AF7-43EC-8F01-11823497FD35.jpeg


Along with his bigger brother Ratchet to the left.
ED7D9110-9B24-4AB0-B408-6009E5FD338A.jpeg


Even Frankansai is good.
318CA60F-74D8-400B-9B9D-A3854455ED90.jpeg
 
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#10,768
agedhorse said:
Does brother Ratchet have a sister who happens to be a nurse?
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Well, I dunno, but if he survives the winter, he'll probably get the straight jacket in the form of wire...

Posted that from my iPad, but I like a real keyboard for typing. Those pics are a couple of weeks old. I actually had to prune Gizmo because the leaf growth was too much, large leaves shading the smaller (more realistic) leaves. Last week Ratchet had a rough day. I set it out on an allegedly cloudy day and it got cooked. So I snipped off all the leaves last night, gave it a good (and final for this year) charge of nitrogen. By morning it had anxious green buds.

These are two different styles of Bansai. Gizmo is a tree in a rock (the entire root structure is contained within the rock). Ratchet is a tree on (or over) a rock, where the roots go over the rock and not really are growing in the rock. Frankensai is not any sort of real Bonsai style.
 
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#10,769
Alive and well here. Seahag (my lovely wife) and I cruised about an hour up the road to her family reunion today. 99 folks showed up. Good food and a bottle of wine too. I was joking with one of the cousins about how we were all huddled around the bon-fire last year 'cause it was so freekin cold. Not this year. It was well up in the 80's in South central Pa. today. I won a nice picture frame in the raffle and Bearbait (my youngest daughter) walked away with a pretty cool Halloween wreath. Skulls and bats made into it and she loves bats.
O K , how did this kid get named Bearbait? Both of Seahags brothers hunt. When she was about three , one of them was going out west to hunt bear. He made the comment that it probably wouldn't go well 'cause he didn't have any bear bait. The kid pipes up "I'll be bear bait." The name stuck.
 
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#10,770
I need new tires for my roaring Yamaha 150cc motorcycle. Sooo that means it's time for another living in the boonies of the Philippines challenge!
First of all the bike has an uncommon size and to make it more of a pain to find, they are tubeless radials. I guess to handle all that mighty12 horsepower.
Okay, the tires no longer available locally, but not a problem. I can order a nice set of Michelins or Pirellis for around $150 - $160 online. Great. However the shipping will be $180 !!! To ship in the country. Not international. Same shipping charge at several online vendors. So back to research and asking around. I refuse to pay it, plus it's definitely not in the budget.
This is a typical problem. I no longer get upset or frustrated. Just go with the flow.

To be continued...
 
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#10,771
alaskaleftybass said:
Hey, where's everyone at? Roll call! Please report if all appendages accounted for!
Click to expand...

Feeling a bit roughed up from the last few days. Apparently when the sky is falling my local musician friends think I'm going to don my cape, or something. So instead of resting my busted toe like a sensible geezer I did a big band sub gig on Wed. with about 6 hours notice, a pretty rowdy alt. rock set at an open mike Thursday, and a long stint on upright at my usual Friday night jam even though two other bassists were there and either could have covered and let me have another week off. Hobbling today, with two sweet blood blisters on my right hand index and Eyetalian Salute digits to boot. Good times!

And of course this is the week that all our pears have come ripe. We had exactly zero fruit from this tree last year, and are at three grocery bags full right now, with plenty more left to be picked by the lovely Ms. Wind since I can't stand on a ladder yet. It's a grafted/hybrid tree, with 4 types on one trunk. Mostly we are getting Seckels, which don't ship or keep all that well, but are crazy sweet and delicious either fresh or dried.
 
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#10,772
spankdaplank said:
I need new tires for my roaring Yamaha 150cc motorcycle. Sooo that means it's time for another living in the boonies of the Philippines challenge!
First of all the bike has an uncommon size and to make it more of a pain to find, they are tubeless radials. I guess to handle all that mighty12 horsepower.
Okay, the tires no longer available locally, but not a problem. I can order a nice set of Michelins or Pirellis for around $150 - $160 online. Great. However the shipping will be $180 !!! To ship in the country. Not international. Same shipping charge at several online vendors. So back to research and asking around. I refuse to pay it, plus it's definitely not in the budget.
This is a typical problem. I no longer get upset or frustrated. Just go with the flow.

To be continued...
Click to expand...
Is there some nearby military base you could go to for help? I think the military gets special rates on shipping from the U.S. I think it's worth a shot to look into it.
 
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#10,773
Passinwind said:
Feeling a bit roughed up from the last few days. Apparently when the sky is falling my local musician friends think I'm going to don my cape, or something. So instead of resting my busted toe like a sensible geezer I did a big band sub gig on Wed. with about 6 hours notice, a pretty rowdy alt. rock set at an open mike Thursday, and a long stint on upright at my usual Friday night jam even though two other bassists were there and either could have covered and let me have another week off. Hobbling today, with two sweet blood blisters on my right hand index and Eyetalian Salute digits to boot. Good times!

And of course this is the week that all our pears have come ripe. We had exactly zero fruit from this tree last year, and are at three grocery bags full right now, with plenty more left to be picked by the lovely Ms. Wind since I can't stand on a ladder yet. It's a grafted/hybrid tree, with 4 types on one trunk. Mostly we are getting Seckels, which don't ship or keep all that well, but are crazy sweet and delicious either fresh or dried.
Click to expand...
Now, Charlie, will ya at least take the next couple days off? Don't hurt your toe anymore and get Mrs. Wind mad at you.... :whistle:
 
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#10,774
alaskaleftybass said:
Is there some nearby military base you could go to for help? I think the military gets special rates on shipping from the U.S. I think it's worth a shot to look into it.
Click to expand...

No military base. As of this morning I have come up with three ideas so far:

#1. Ask my expat Irish buddy where he got his tires for his bike. Same style, nearly the same size. He is not retired and makes a boatload of money working in the Russian oil fields, so paying the extra shipping might have been what he did.

#2. Go to every motorcycle parts store in town and hope I get lucky. (It's been known to happen).

#3, Order the tires through the local Yamaha dealer's parts system and pay more for a set of crappy made in India knockoffs than the price of the Michelin or Pirelli's . But no shipping charges. Still 3 to 4 week wait.
 
#10,775
spankdaplank said:
No military base. As of this morning I have come up with three ideas so far:

#1. Ask my expat Irish buddy where he got his tires for his bike. Same style, nearly the same size. He is not retired and makes a boatload of money working in the Russian oil fields, so paying the extra shipping might have been what he did.

#2. Go to every motorcycle parts store in town and hope I get lucky. (It's been known to happen).

#3, Order the tires through the local Yamaha dealer's parts system and pay more for a set of crappy made in India knockoffs than the price of the Michelin or Pirelli's . But no shipping charges. Still 3 to 4 week wait.
Click to expand...
Why can't you buy U.S. and have it sent USPS International Priority? I can't imagine each tire would take up that much space. I've bought a bass from U.K. in a large box and the shipping wasn't outrageous. Did you look at Amazon and eBay?
 
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#10,780
The students are back in town. They swarm in like locusts, destroying the tranquility.

Of course everything is about them as far as they are concerned. They have these frosh bonding sessions where groups of a hundred or so prance up and down the streets chanting at the top of their lungs. Group after group. This goes on all day for a week. At night they party, drink and scream even louder at all hours as they wonder through the streets vandalizing. This goes on for a month or so.

When I was in school I was terrified of failing and worked my butt off. Kids today don’t seem to have any work ethic. Assignments are done in groups, they are incapable of doing anything on their own.
 
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