Hobbies

[MB92]

Hi all,

I'm really interested to hear what hobbies you all enjoy in your spare time.

Before my accident, I had a wide range of hobbies. I was a dedicated carp angler, a gym enthusiast, and a huge sports fan, to name just a few. Unfortunately, since the accident, many of those activities have become difficult or impossible to do.

That said, one passion that has stayed with me is photography. I’ve loved it for over 20 years, and I still enjoy it whenever I’m able to get out and shoot.

Travel was also a big part of my life. I lived for exploring new places, seeing the world, and experiencing different cultures.

These days, I spend a lot of time gaming on PC, I enjoy most types of games.

Sadly, my social life has taken a hit due to my situation, and I often find myself searching for something new to get stuck into, something meaningful or just a fun distraction.

So I’d love to know, what are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing in your downtime?

 

[joint_account]

I'm fairly sure a few of the regulars have a little photography thread, you may have already come across it.

What sort of games do you play? And what's been your favourite place you've visited?

Ive boxed most of my life, started doing MMA before the pandemic as well. And whilst I still train both I no longer compete after taking my 7th total concussion.

I hike and camp a little, not as much as I'd like but a good few times a year.

I used to play American Football, I'm quite a big NFL fan, Denver Broncos specifically. That sport ruined my body in my 20s but I had some great times.

I work in tech so I have a little crossover there but the older I get the more it's becoming less interesting, I do have a novice level interest in carpentry as well but I need to invest more time into that.

I used to be big into my cooking as well, I still don't little bit but it's finding the time like most things.

I read a little too, mainly non-fiction, Bios and Memoirs. If it's about WW1 then even better. I have just finished reading Nuclear War: A Scenario and I'll be moving on to Storm of Steel.

Oh and I game a little, I have a Legion Go I take with me for my work travels. But the older I get the less I resonate with gaming and jfd been hard to find games I want to invest time in.

 

[MB92]

Howdy Joint_account,

Thanks for the input!

I have been admiring the photography thread, some really good snaps on there. I'll have to upload a few of mine at some point,

Games - Anything! I like puzzle games, FPS, MMO, Casual, racing. As long as it grabs my attention, ill play it.

Nice! Boxing fan over here too! but strictly a spectator haha, I'll pass on the concussions!

I worked in Photography for a little while, it almost ruined my hobby so I can relate to you becoming less interested in tech,

Funnily enough, I read my first book since school about 6 months ago and really enjoyed it, it was called "The Midnight Library" quite touching if I'm honest,

I have a want to start Kayaking, but my injury would only allow me to use one of those pedal types, not too much of a problem but where I live, there isn't a great deal of good kayaking spots.

Just need to find something to keep my mind happy and active instead of getting square eyes in font of the PC!

 

[Jollygreengiant]

Morning all. Within the last year or so I have found great pleasure in sticking little bits of plastic together. I am a veteran and a beneficiary of Models for Heroes, who supply kits and equipment to veterans and blue light workers to help with mental health. I was pointed in their direction by a colleague and it was whilst I was in a dark place due to some housing issues my family was having. The process of focusing so intently on putting small parts together and getting creative with paint and effects saved me from completely going off the rails. I had a motorcycle accident a couple of years ago and broke my pelvis and it was the door opening on a nervous breakdown and I have been struggling to climb out of the pit since, as a result my health has taken a dip and I have piled on the lard, not only rocking the bloody moobs but I am starting to develop side boobs too, soon gonna have more to offer than the three boobed chick from Total Recall if I cant get my self into action with some phys! Prior to leaving the RAF I was on the RAF Boxing team and enjoyed hard training and pushing myself to hard goals. I spend a lot of time in nature and the outdoors as part of my work life is as an outdoor education and skills trainer with our Forest school business. I love my bushcraft and outdoor skills, we have just hosted a veterans and their families camp, at out site on the Cardigan bay coastline. Spit roasted a Lamb over the fire and enjoyed hanging out round the fire with some good banter. I also make things from leather and enjoy carving spoons and other items of greenwood treen, when I get the time.

 

[NuggetofGreen]

I'm fairly sure a few of the regulars have a little photography thread, you may have already come across it.

What sort of games do you play? And what's been your favourite place you've visited?

Ive boxed most of my life, started doing MMA before the pandemic as well. And whilst I still train both I no longer compete after taking my 7th total concussion.

I hike and camp a little, not as much as I'd like but a good few times a year.

I used to play American Football, I'm quite a big NFL fan, Denver Broncos specifically. That sport ruined my body in my 20s but I had some great times.

I work in tech so I have a little crossover there but the older I get the more it's becoming less interesting, I do have a novice level interest in carpentry as well but I need to invest more time into that.

I used to be big into my cooking as well, I still don't little bit but it's finding the time like most things.

I read a little too, mainly non-fiction, Bios and Memoirs. If it's about WW1 then even better. I have just finished reading Nuclear War: A Scenario and I'll be moving on to Storm of Steel.

Oh and I game a little, I have a Legion Go I take with me for my work travels. But the older I get the less I resonate with gaming and jfd been hard to find games I want to invest time in.

I played AF a long time ago in the 90s (Stoke Spitfires) and quickly moved over to martial arts (Jeet Kune Do) due to the amount of injuries. I have never liked muddy fields in autumn and winter unless I'm foraging. I'm too old for contact and combat sports now. I mostly walk the dog, forage and do a bit of whittling these days. Being out in the trees and countryside is good for my mind. I need to keep my 'green' topped up in all senses

 

[Nox900]

I played AF a long time ago in the 90s (Stoke Spitfires) and quickly moved over to martial arts (Jeet Kune Do) due to the amount of injuries. I have never liked muddy fields in autumn and winter unless I'm foraging. I'm too old for contact and combat sports now. I mostly walk the dog, forage and do a bit of whittling these days. Being out in the trees and countryside is good for my mind. I need to keep my 'green' topped up in all senses

i had a friend that played for Stoke Spitfires early 90s kept trying to get me to play for them but i was a rugby union player and would not move, for the past few years i have been metal detecting when my pain allows it i find it very relaxing go at my own pace and some interesting finds along the way too. I should have paid more attention to history lessons at school.

 

[NuggetofGreen]

Had a great day foraging yesterday. What started as a dog walk ended up as three hours rummaging in the undergrowth

 

[Jollygreengiant]

Had a great day foraging yesterday. What started as a dog walk ended up as three hours rummaging in the undergrowth

Fantastic haul. I was in a customers garden yesterday and there was a huge flush of Ink caps, we had some done in garlic butter for lunch. Not much to them really, bit lackluster. Last year I found my first flush of Oyster growing on a fallen Oak, my mate and I were on our usual boxing day overnighter and we sliced them thinly and slow fried them, now they were amazing!

 

[Catweazle]

Photography here, also collect vintage lenses. Blew the dust of my macro gear today and fired a few off, I'm well out of practice.
Got a microscope in the loft as well but would likely put my back out lifting it

 

[Grumbleweed]

I'm a meddler and build guitar amps as a hobby, clone circuits others have drawn, the wood came from a demolition job and I made a speaker cab and box for a bought amp, I didn't much like the amp so had a crack at making one but have now made 4

 

[Catweazle]

I'm a meddler and build guitar amps as a hobby, clone circuits others have drawn, the wood came from a demolition job and I made a speaker cab and box for a bought amp, I didn't much like the amp so had a crack at making one but have now made 4

Lovely point-to-point wiring and chassis/cabinet work Grumbleweed. I expect the valves are getting hard to find and expensive these days.

 

[StationeryWilbury]

I scavenged a Philips bi-ampli radio stereogram from the tip a few years ago, still has the asbestos coated wiring afaik
Sounds absolutely glorious tho to use the record player I'd have to nick a Stanton off my knacked sl1200mk2

 

[Catweazle]

Valve radio stereograms were everywhere as a kid. Ours was a Decca, turntable was pants but the radio was spot on, I spent many a childhood day listening to world broadcasts and the strange noises on SW

 

[Grumbleweed]

Lovely point-to-point wiring and chassis/cabinet work Grumbleweed. I expect the valves are getting hard to find and expensive these days.

Thank you

Valves aren't cheap but there's a company in Slovakia called JJ Electronics who make most of the common types, then there's a place in Russia who bought most of the brand names such as Mullard and make 're-issues' in an old plant in a place called Saratov who used to make them for the Russian military, world events have made them unavailable other than folks existing stock and then there's a place in China making the common ones.

I bought an 'EF86' for the AC15 copy labelled as made by Siemens, brand new in box and it makes the amp squeal if a light's on but I bought 3 used ones as a job lot, all Mullards from the 60's and the 2 I've used are mint, the smaller Vox also uses one too.

A mate testing the AC15 for me as he can play, I've changed the faceplate from red to black since.

 

[Catweazle]

Sounds and looks great

 

[OldBloke]

Thank you

Valves aren't cheap but there's a company in Slovakia called JJ Electronics who make most of the common types, then there's a place in Russia who bought most of the brand names such as Mullard and make 're-issues' in an old plant in a place called Saratov who used to make them for the Russian military, world events have made them unavailable other than folks existing stock and then there's a place in China making the common ones.

I bought an 'EF86' for the AC15 copy labelled as made by Siemens, brand new in box and it makes the amp squeal if a light's on but I bought 3 used ones as a job lot, all Mullards from the 60's and the 2 I've used are mint, the smaller Vox also uses one too.

A mate testing the AC15 for me as he can play, I've changed the faceplate from red to black since.

Excellent stuff! Nice cabinets. I have a fair few Russian valves left as I travelled there widely and still do when well, I purchased a lot of ceramic transmitter valves there years back and resold in UK and EU for commercial radio transmitters and Amateur Radio Linear 1KW RF Amps. I know Saratov Most valves are available via Ukraine btw. The international Radio Amateur network disregards the problems of war and just gets on with it. I have an Advanced licence since 1980 or thereabouts. .

I have a garage half full of valves from the 50's onward, an appreciating asset.

Fungi! We love them, it's a national pastime in Ukraine, Russia etc, the forests are near infinite and are a huge larder. My wife named all the mushrooms on this page saying yum to most and don't touch that to a couple.

EDIT - image and circuit of an RF amp using ceramic and cartridge valves.

 

[Grumbleweed]

Excellent stuff! Nice cabinets. I have a fair few Russian valves left as I travelled there widely and still do when well, I purchased a lot of ceramic transmitter valves there years back and resold in UK and EU for commercial radio transmitters and Amateur Radio Linear 1KW RF Amps. I know Saratov Most valves are available via Ukraine btw. The international Radio Amateur network disregards the problems of war and just gets on with it. I have an Advanced licence since 1980 or thereabouts. .

I have a garage half full of valves from the 50's onward, an appreciating asset.

Fungi! We love them, it's a national pastime in Ukraine, Russia etc, the forests are near infinite and are a huge larder. My wife named all the mushrooms on this page saying yum to most and don't touch that to a couple.

EDIT - image and circuit of an RF amp using ceramic and cartridge valves.

12.3v heater for the pentode and a cap to ground and I simply don't understand what appears to be the heater with a screen connection, and those diodes bottom right are interesting

I had a bad Russian valve experience as in I bought what I thought were 3 x JJ El84's 2nd hand, cheap so unopened they went in the spares box, the latest amp (the AC4) needed one so when I opened the boxes was unhappy to find 3 x Sovtek ones, 2 of which were u-s and the working one drew 10Ma more than it should, I'm told I should look out for some Reflektor 6Pi14Pi-EB ones

 

[OldBloke]

12.3v heater for the pentode and a cap to ground and I simply don't understand what appears to be the heater with a screen connection, and those diodes bottom right are interesting

I had a bad Russian valve experience as in I bought what I thought were 3 x JJ El84's 2nd hand, cheap so unopened they went in the spares box, the latest amp (the AC4) needed one so when I opened the boxes was unhappy to find 3 x Sovtek ones, 2 of which were u-s and the working one drew 10Ma more than it should, I'm told I should look out for some Reflektor 6Pi14Pi-EB ones

Those are more modern valves in that circuit. The extra screen iirc is to reduce plasma formation and arcing, the currents flowing in those things is very high at times, 3330v at 30A packs a punch!? I think the ground is to the valve base and heatsink, strange valve with passive screens in that circuit. I don't understand it all! The power supplies for these amps are hernia makers.

EDIT -for clarity ( hehe) The circuit is for a Radio Frequency amplifier capable of over 1kw output power. You can run the power supplies from a 35a cooker point (lower power, at a pinch!) or a 3 phase connection. They heat rooms very effectively ;-0

 

[Grumbleweed]

Those are more modern valves in that circuit. The extra screen iirc is to reduce plasma formation and arcing, the currents flowing in those things is very high at times, 3330v at 30A packs a punch!? I think the ground is to the valve base and heatsink, strange valve with passive screens in that circuit. I don't understand it all! The power supplies for these amps are hernia makers.

I 'understand' very little about electronics but that's a very high voltage & current and fun trying to read the schematic my cap drain stick has a 100r 10w resistor in it and wouldn't like your power filter caps at all.

Meddling keeps me busy and you're never too old to learn stuff such as not to try calculate a parallel resistor network with a j in your hand