wydeangle

redgrouper, You have a private message. Tom

Thanks for the pointer to the upper right corner. Musta missed it...

I do like the new layout. Alas, there doesn't seem to be any direct way to report a spammer, or to flag a spam post, such as this one: Dararmss directly. Or maybe that's by choice? Just askin' Tom

Latest: One strobe seems to work OK, the other doesn't. Any suggestions for a repair shop in the US for the YS110alpha?

After some "monkeys and typewriters," during which we switched strobes, batteries and fiber optic cords, at first nothing changed. Then after exercising the control knobs on the back of the strobe, the camera started taking photos... All I can assume now is that the controls were flaky after sitting for around 10 months and a little back-and-forth helped renew their functionality. So at least for the moment the strobe/camera/housing/cord assemblage seems fine. We will try it again tomorrow and see if it is still OK!

My wife has just upgraded from the Olympus E-M5 original model to the E-M1 MkII. She is using her Sea & Sea YS-110 alpha strobes while waiting for the new Inons to arrive. They are connected via fiber optic cables. On the old E-M5, the fill flash was robust. On the new E-M1 MkII, the flash is best described as wimpy; not nearly as robust as the older camera. Is there a camera or strobe setting or cable problem? How does she obtain the higher power flashes when using fill flash? She is using manual and TTL settings now.

Confused - Bird's usually goes to Three Sisters and Kings Bay. Homosassa is quite a distance away. Very nice photos, by the way - especially the last two!

Has this transmitter been serviced in accordance with the recall by Suunto? Here's the reference: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2017/suunto-recalls-wireless-tank-transmitter-and-tank-pod Tom

aviator8, Here's the only one I could find quickly: I also just cut a small rectangular piece for my tripod and zip-tied it to the underside. Tom

One of the do-it-yourself things I've had some good luck with is Divinycell: https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/divinycellfoam.php It's easy to cut and shape with simple wood tools, doesn't compress at recreational diving depths, and a sheet of it 26" x 15" x 3/4" is only $18US. It is 3 lbs/cuft compared with water at 62 lbs/cuft means you don't need much to add buoyancy. It takes around 29 cuin to add a pound of buoyancy, and the above sheet has 26x15x0.75 = 292.5 cuin or enough for a total of 10 lbs of buoyancy (if my arithmetic is OK ). Tom

For those who don't wish to use the least expensive way to prevent rotation of the 1" ball mount described above (1/16" rollpins ~US$2, about an hour to drill and set the pins as above), there's a ready-made 1" ball mount made by Ikelite that will work: part #4081.74. They're about US$30 each from B&H, Amazon, Adorama, etc and most of them have shipping included and no tax. It already has the 1/16" rollpin installed and uses a 1/4"-20 screw to fasten it to the handle. It would still need the handle to be drilled to accept the rollpin. This solution will work for mounting a ball to almost any housing. Tom

Interesting - I had this problem. However, I had it on one of my cars! The air filter is oval and kept rotating atop the throttle body. My solution is in this photo: I used a 1/16" diameter rollpin (spring pin) which is a hollow tube with an open slot down one side, so it can be lightly pressed into an undersized hole drilled in the mating surface. It will stay in place due to a light press fit. The opposite surface (the underside of the ball mount or in this case the underside of the air filter) has a slightly larger hole so it can be slipped vertically downward into place, and yet removed easily if needed. It is held down as usual by the screw in the center. The price of the pins is insignificant. The hole is about 1/16" in each piece - care should be used not to break the small drill bit while drilling. The hole in the handle is slightly undersized, and the hole in the ball mount is very slightly oversized. When the mounting balls on the AX700 housing began to rotate, I installed the same pins on the housing's handles. I may have used an even smaller pair of rollpins than 1/16". Also, the length sticking up above the handle can be very short - I think mine are sticking up only about 1/16" or 3/32" of an inch. So far, no problem. And no budget hit... Tom EDIT: Memory is so wonderful! Here's the AX700 ball mount: The ball mount is at the top of the photo. The pin is permanently embedded in it. At the center the drilled hole in the handle can be seen to the right of the threaded mounting hole. The process was to drill the ball mount first and install the pin, then installing the screw loosely and pressing down lightly an arc was scribed on the top of the handle - this gave a place to mark the center of the hole so the pin could drop into it somewhat accurately.

The February meeting of the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has been announced and the agenda posted here: https://myfwc.com/about/commission/commission-meetings/february-2019/ It looks like the timing for the Blue Heron Bridge/Phil Foster Park segment is scheduled for February 20, 2019 just after the lunch break. The location is the Best Western Gateway Grand, 4200 NW 97th Boulevard, Gainesville, Fl 32606 The subject is listed as "Final Rule – Marine Life Harvest at Blue Heron Bridge." The only part that makes me a bit nervous about the enclosed "Summary Memo" which is recommended reading, is the part that reads "Staff also recommends that future Special Activity License (SAL) applications that include this area be required to provide justification that collection from the site is critical to their SAL activities in order to be approved." Since there's no other definition of the term "critical" it would seem to leave that door wide open... I'd really like to see more explanation of this requirement, perhaps similar to the comment made by tursiops above: "Perhaps there could be required a FWC monitor on site for such extraordinary collections. If there is additional cost for such a monitor, then that cost is borne by the applicant. This is similar to the NOAA requirements for special permits in the National Marine Sanctuaries...." Be there if you can! Tom

Interceptor, No data about lights. I have seen hammerheads spooked by bubbles. On open circuit, an exhale made them disappear in the Galapagos - I was told that bubbles may represent a threat display. Tom

Ken, Thanks for the illumination about a place I'll possibly never get around to. Good report and most interesting. Tom