Getting Your Bearings

[Ben Bond]

Roger, your right on the mark with one small oversight.
I have a great memory, it's just short. After following your
advice, I marked the direction of true north using a couple
pieces of fence top rail and water pipe. Now I don't know
what I'll use for masting on my tower!!!!

P.S. The Scotch 33 should be ok. While writing this, I held
my left thumb with two wraps of the stuff in my coffee cup and
it held like iron.

Ben Bond KF2LW

----------
> From: Roger L. Elowitz <K2JAS@worldnet.att.net>
> To: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: Getting Your Bearings
> Date: Saturday, October 26, 1996 9:10 PM
> 
> Hi Guys,
> 
> I've just been enjoying this thread of finding True North immensely.
> Recently, John, WA0VOR, gave a beautiful and accurate description of how
to
> find True North. However, his last item of instruction causes many people
> great difficulty- so much so that it is entirely likely that having taken
> great pains to accomplish all of his previous 5 instructions, when they
get
> to number 6, they end up pointing South and not North!
>  
> John wrote:
> 
>   6)  "Wearing a pair of welder's goggles, stand erect at the West 
>       end of the line and look toward the sun.  (On non-election-year 
>       days, the end of the line closest to the sun is East.)  Now 
>       slowly (arthritis) raise your left arm.  
>                                                 It is pointing North!!"
> 
> You see, John has accidentally forgotten to give the instructions for
> finding your LEFT HAND- an obvious necessity. So as not to keep you in
> suspense any further- please append this small paragraph as step
5a):.....
> You DO NOT need welder's goggles to do this...
> 
> 5a) Place your both arms straight out in front of you. Now, walk slowly
to
> the nearest wall in a manner imitating a walk like Dr. Frankenstein's
> monster (who's name just happens to have been "the Monster" and NOT
> "Frankenstein!"). As you approach the wall, keeping your elbows locked
> tight, raise the palms of your hands to stop your forward progress and
> gently press them on the wall, your elbows still locked tight.
> 
> At this point, all your fingers should be pointing toward the ceiling- or
> the sky if you happen to be outdoors. Now, take a half a step backwards
and
> increase the distance between your feet assuming the position the police
> would require prior to searching you for drugs or weapons. This position
is
> strictly optional as it makes this exercise slightly more humorous... but
> not much.
> 
> Finally, and here's the critical maneuver.... while still leaning with
your
> palms against the wall, fingers pointing up, notice that your thumbs are
the
> closest to each other of all your fingers. This is an important point to
> check as the rest can get somewhat confusing. (If you are having
difficulty
> distinguishing between your palms and the back of your hands- please,
please
> keep as far away from radio towers as possible- never, ever attempting to
> climb anything!) Now, keeping all the rest of your fingers gently pressed
> together, slowly spread your thumbs down so that the tips of your thumbs
are
> pointing directly toward each other. 
> 
> Your almost there now. Looking at the back of both of your hands, you may
> have just made the realization that only one of your hands has its thumb
and
> up-pointing fingers in the shape of the letter "L." Hint: this is your
LEFT
> HAND! That's right (I mean- correct), it's the only hand with the
"built-in"
> letter "L" that stands for LEFT! Isn't nature wonderful?..... at least in
> English. In French you've got massive problems trying to get your left
thumb
> to form the letter "G" like in gauche. In Chinese.... well, forget it!
> 
> Caution: If you happen to be dyslexic, please ask someone who is not to
> point out which hand makes the shape of the letter "L." You should have
no
> problem discerning the palms from the back of your hands- as the palms
> usually have the least amount of hair on them- for most of us anyway. 
> 
> In order to prevent forgetting which hand is which, as soon as you have
> determined which hand is the "Left" one, gently place a several wraps of
> Scotch brand no. 33 (or the heavier gauge no. 88 if you can still find
any)
> black vinyl electrical tape on your left thumb as a reminder. It is not
> necessary to seal it with a hot iron or butane torch. You may wish to
spray
> it with several coats of Krylon Crystal Clear to keep it looking nice and
> new. UV light will not affect it so it will last for many years of
showers
> and coffee stirring. 
> 
> Also, please do not forget to gently wrap the last turn so as to prevent
the
> tape from "flagging"... as well as to forestall a cessation of blood
> circulation in this digit bringing on gangrene. However, should you
> inadvertently loose this digit to gangrene, you will never have to worry
> about wearing the silly tape and finding your left hand should thereafter
> always be a piece of cake. 
> 
> Good Luck with getting your bearings.
> 
> 73's Roger, K2JAS
> PS. I have just been up for 24 hours straight in the CQWW contest and I
am
> having great difficulty telling up from down. Can anyone help me?
5-9....05!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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