What hobby do you pair with photography?

[x-ray]

For a long time I flew both for business and enjoyment. For fun I flew a 1948 Aeronca 7DC that a friend owned. It had no electrical system so you had to pull the wooden prop by hand to start it. That was really seat of the pants flying, low and slow. It was the perfect platform for touring the valley where I live.

I collected antiques and filled the house and collected antique firearms but sold that collection. I also collected antique scientific instruments and still have a bunch of those.

Years ago I played both brass and woodwinds in a recreational band but owning a business that took almost all my time ended that.

I’m retired now and my hobby is traveling with my wife and just making tourist photos wherever we go.

 

[boojum]

And, yes, after a while you can identify the sender by his "accent." So could they.

I went to code school or, as we called it, Ditty-Dum-Dum-Ditty school for the IMI overscored which means all three letters were run together as one"letter" which I said above means "Say Again" or, "Huh?" These are "prosigns" and the Navy uses them and other that IMI I do not believe the Army does. We used abbreviations like "BT" for "break text" or end of message, followed by KKKK (over) 12- 15 line feeds and then NNNNNNN. Why? I do not know, that is just how we did it in RTT and LLTT. They had a lot of hangover from Morse, AKA CW, but we never called it that. We all had qualified at Morse. Maybe they do now, but only old geezers would probably be pushing code today. BT KKKK

 

[Pál_K]

IMI overscored is "say again" or "Huh?" It is a joke. I am sorry you did not perceive it that way. The Army taught me Morse by ear and I used it on overseas duty, but not often.

OK, very cool. I apologize for thinking you were a beginner. I was taught dididahdahdidit as being a question mark. No matter.

Is Morse code still in use? I remember using PACTOR, especially in isolated locations where offices still had dedicated 'radio rooms'. Cheers, OtL

Very much in use.

Believe it or not, there is a whole world of Morse code key manufacturers (and styles) and one can get some GAS with these things.



View attachment 4825020

Right. That's an iambic paddle. There are as many styles as there are cameras and watches. Whereas a regular "straight key" simply acts as a switch to produce a dit (or a dah if held down longer), a paddle is much faster because it's used with a device called a keyer (or software) where one paddle is for dits and the other for dahs. You can hold them simultaneously to produce various sequences. It's much much faster than a straight key. This is mine:

Fascinating. I once read that during the Vietnam War, American Army radio specialists were able to recognize the Morse code styles of individual North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong operators and thus identify the movements of the units they were attached to. Cheers, OtL

Correct. Just like a person's voice, the way everyone produces code is unique.

 

[boojum]

OK, very cool. I apologize for thinking you were a beginner. I was taught dididahdahdidit as being a question mark. No matter.




Very much in use.



Right. That's an iambic paddle. There are as many styles as there are cameras and watches. Whereas a regular "straight key" simply acts as a switch to produce a dit (or a dah if held down longer), a paddle is much faster because it's used with a device called a keyer (or software) where one paddle is for dits and the other for dahs. You can hold them simultaneously to produce various sequences. It's much much faster than a straight key. This is mine:

View attachment 4825026

Correct. Just like a person's voice, the way everyone produces code is unique.

"Say Again" or "Huh" is the same as a question mark. Remember that there is a lot of jargon in the use of Morse. Navy and Army were explicit in that it meant "Say Again." Offhand with operators it was "Huh", too. Hobbyists would go with "?" but it is all the same thing.

I can remember hitting a plateau at code school. I thought I was going to be at 8 WPM for the rest of my life. We had a ham who was drafted who could copy 30 WPM and do it in his head, just like the old geezers in the school. Communications between different parts of the school were always in Morse, of course. And a stream would come ripping through sounding like RTT. The 30 WPM guys always had it, especially that ham. He was posted to West Point, around 30 miles from his home town. It is never a problem being smart. He was a nice guy, too, not geeky at all and humble. Jeez, 1962. Seems like only yesterday. I had a great time in the Army. I never heard a shot fired in anger and got the Vietnam Era benefits which I still enjoy. Six years of college and now world class health care. Thanks, folks.

 

[raydm6]

I found several really interesting answers as to why Morse code is still used today:
Why is Morse code still in use?

I am a new ham, and I decided to learn it, and use it, strictly for the purpose of efficiency. CW operation is low bandwidth, and therefore requires very little power to get a signal out over long distances. You will not get the same results from voice transmissions or other larger bandwidth data modes (although JT-65A and PSK31 are relatively efficient data modes). It's very gratifying to work around the world with ease in CW mode, whereas doing so in voice is doable, but a lot more difficult. The best advantage I can think of over other data modes is that you don't need to depend on a computer or external device to create Morse code messages. It's a human rendered data mode.

and...

Morse code requires an extremely small bandwidth (and is usable in a channel that has a relatively low S/N) for a mode that requires no digital processing hardware or computer/digital logic chips (instead requiring just the skill of a couple of human brains) to communicate. Some people value accomplishing things using personally learned skills rather than software and DSPs/CPUs designed by others.
A legal Morse code transmitter is about as simple as possible as that which can be constructed from basic analog components, although a CW receiver might require more parts than for AM (not sure about a pure regenerative receiver design).
Morse code is also a useful cross-over skill that could potentially be very useful to have in certain survival or medical situations, such as signaling by mirror when lost in the woods, eye blinking when partially paralyzed (or captured behind enemy lines), using one-button or blow/puff controllers by the severely disabled, etc.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Hobby: a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation

Yes, I guess Morse Code fit's in there quite nicely.

Fred: Hey, Barney wanna stop by the Boulder & Suds for cold beer after work?

Barney: Sorry Fred, I'm gonna kick back at the radio shack tonight and enjoy tapping out morse code. I loves my morse code!

Fred: Okay Barney, suit yourself! Dot-dot-dash-dash (or what ever).

🙂

 

[raydm6]

Here is a fascinating read regarding Morse and photography:

How Samuel F.B. Morse Brought Photography to America

Selfies, Instagram, and the ability to show off your vacation photos while you're still at the beach can all be traced back to this versatile inventor's vision.

www.mentalfloss.com

And…

Daguerreotype of Unitarian Congregational Church, New York City

Daguerreotype of Unitarian Congregational Church, New York City. On the Washington Square campus of the New York University, Samuel F.B. Morse and Dr. John W. Draper operated together one of the first American photographic studios for a short time, from 1839 to the early 1840s. Collaborating on...

americanhistory.si.edu

 

[JeffS7444]

I like spotting and photographing trends. And since the start of 2020, I've noted:

Overlanding
"Cute" llama, pink-spotted mushroom, and hamster imagery
House plants
Keitora (Japanese mini-trucks)
Overuse of the word "healing" (ugh, not documenting that except as irony)
Big increase in alternative transportation
Public art, including art-ified private homes

The post(?) pandemic world still feels somehow different to me, and it's not always so easy to depict the change in photographs, because it's often a sense of something lacking, rather than something new.

 

[Dogman]

I used to target shoot with handguns. Casually, not competitively.

Then the crazies went more paranoid and started buying up ammunition and caused the prices to skyrocket. Can't go out and go through a couple of hundred rounds at the range like I used to. Thank you, rightwing conspiracy nuts with your AR15s.

It was relaxing. Sorta like archery (I did that when I was a kid). But louder. Zen and the art of putting holes in paper.

 

[The Spastic Image]

I'm not sure how well it pairs with actually taking a photo, but...long-distance running, for me. Helps to clear the mind and focus on new ideas for projects, website maintenance, developing ideas, etc.

Wheelchair journeys for me, in my TiLite AeroZ are spiritually the same as distance running. Go in the chair, where the scenery happens, carry RF or scale focus camera, and light meter if needed, you're good to go!

 

[The Spastic Image]

i dj with vinyls, deep and detroit house music. analog is just better 🙂

Vinyl and film photography, they go hand in hand, also the Brau goes with it.

 

[Pál_K]

I used to target shoot with handguns. Casually, not competitively.

Then the crazies went more paranoid and started buying up ammunition and caused the prices to skyrocket. ...

It was relaxing. Sorta like archery (I did that when I was a kid). But louder. Zen and the art of putting holes in paper.

Consider reloading. It is a lot like cooking your favorite dishes - where you have lots of choices of ingredients to produce what you like best.

With choices of different powders and other components, you can really fine-tune your loads for outstanding results.

I've been reloading for over 30 years, for over 20 different calibers, from .222 Rem to .50 BMG and have three presses. Besides the zen of casual shooting at my local club for tight groups, I compete in IHMSA silhouette and also in 1000 yard / 1-mile matches.

These past few months I've been reloading .38 Special - one of the most pleasant and most accurate rounds ever conceived. Using Winchester 231 powder, .38 Special uses so little of it that a pound is good for well over 1500 rounds.

 

[Pál_K]

So, a few photos of other hobby things: calculators. The cylindrical calculator is a Curta II. Look it up. Not only is it more complex than a mechanical watch, the history behind its creation is fascinating.

The CURTA Calculator Page

curta calculator

www.vcalc.net

This last thing is a MLDL - a Machine Language Development Lab for the HP-41C. I have used this to create some pretty powerful and significant machine-language code for the calculator and its highly unusual microprocessor. Tons of fun.

What I want next is one of those large electromechanical calculators like a Friden that will run for 20 seconds doing a huge division operation. I don't have the space for these hobbies!

Let's not forget slide rules:



The inexpensive Sterling slide rule is what I bought when I was accepted into UCLA in the early 1970's. My major was mathematics and computer science, but I needed the slide rule for physics. That was a while ago...geeze.... I am such an old cat.

 

[Taipei-metro]

gentlemen, get the Wolf A-1 (US import name) if you can,

it's a T-91 Taiwan made Taiwan Army standard issue, 5.56 Nato, sort of poor man's German HK-416 designed to go against
two million CLA!! ( Chinese Lib Army ) , again i served a two year term in Taiwan Infantry i know

 

[Pál_K]

Radio stuff:

First, a mid-1970's Kenwood TS-520 "hybrid" HF Transceiver. It's hybrid in the sense of solid state components except for the finals, which uses tubes. 100W. I've talked around the world with this.






Next a CW only (code only, no voice) QRP (low power) transceiver from the 1990's. Only 4 watts. Transceiver on top (40 meter band), tuner in the middle, battery pack/AC power supply on the bottom.

 

[Pál_K]

poor man's German HK-416 ...

I have a real HK-91 and FN FAL; both .308

among other things...

 

[Glenn2]

I'm another who enjoyed target shooting and the comparison to Zen archery is quite accurate. What I found most fun was the challenge of using primitive firearms like black powder flintlocks. Fur trade era stuff and people in the group would often dress in period attire. Usually brought a camera for some photos like the following using M4, 90mm TeleElmarit....

If you can shoot a flintlock accurately you'll have no problem hand holding a camera at very slow shutter speeds.
During fun events ordinary playing cards would be placed at 25 yards, but edge on. You could hardly see them and the goal was to hit the edge of the card with your lead round ball and completely cut it in half. It's very challenging needing sharp eyes and steady hand. I've managed to do it a few times, using a 50 cal ball helps a bit.

 

[Taipei-metro]

I have a real HK-91 and FN FAL; both .308

among other things...

we don't say .308 in Army, we say 7.62mm

i had a M-14, 7.62 x 51, made in USA

 

[wlewisiii]

I have a real HK-91 and FN FAL; both .308

among other things...

Had a FAL. Prefer my Zastava ZPAP M70 AK 😎 Zukov folding stock, red dot, nice rifle for that kind of thing.

The Mauser in 7x57 and the 1898 Kraig NRA carbine are more fun at the range though.

 

[JeffS7444]

Vinyl and film photography, they go hand in hand, also the Brau goes with it.

For some reason, I read "Brau" as "Frau" and thought "Golly, that does sound nice".