Last Friday... all was white

The view from the apartment after a decent dusting - 18th January 2013

Things from the past... all fares please!

Liz and I went to the ICAF (International Collector's and Antiques Fair) on Saturday. It was very cold, windy, and snow was in the air. Not many sellers had turned up, and entry was free. We had heard that one local radio station had said it wasn't on, when in fact, it was! Always check the website!
I bought one of these...

It's a Bus ticket machine made by Ticket Issuing Machines Ltd, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, and is definitely pre-decimal. I just have to find out when. Originally used "On The Buses" in Bolton City Transport, it has now found it's way to me and I am in the process of cleaning/restoring.

Yes, it works, has ink, a roll of paper... although the ink is a tad dry, but the imprint is readable.

I've always wanted one, and saw a few at a previous fair and decided to bite the bullet and have a go at not only owning, but restoring to some form of glory that many from the older generation will remember (and not so old!) I've been warned not to start a new collection, but I might be able to forget I ever heard that comment ;o)

Above, the underside of the machine shows a running total of shillings, pence and tickets sold. This was, I assume, reset at the depot every day so that the conductor couldn't fiddle the takings. The little button centre right enables access to change the date on the ticket and to re-ink the roller.

Above is the left hand side of the machine, where the "Stage" could be entered by rotating the larger knob, a Stage being a known part of the route (from 0 to 99), and the type of ticket. This machine did away with two tickets for the return trip by printing a large R on the ticket, thus saving the bus company a few bob on paper rolls.

Above, the business side of things where the value of the ticket is selected, the button at bottom right is pushed and the handle rotated to issue the ticket for the lucky traveller. It had 5 selectible values on the curved dial (centre) and 12 on the tele-dial as shown in the next photo... the cheapest fare was 1/2d, or, highly unlikely free, and the dearest 4/- and 11d, that would have probably been a return. Tele-dial shown below.

This photo is upside down, but gives you a better view of the different values that could be selected. To reset it back to the home position the lever at top right would be pushed up and it would reset itself.

I have cleaned up the makers plate and done my best at re-inking the plate with reasonable success and the inker/date cover plate is currently bathing in primer ready for a sand and a new coat of black to start the process. The leather strapping is original, but that is all there is, so there could be some hunting going on to find an original. New rolls and ink are in the pipeline and I hope to have an image of a new old ticket here soon.

Well, I faffed about a bit and printed out a reasonable copy of a ticket... shown below... on original paper, with what is left of the original ink. Date is confusing... but 35FEB was what was originally showing when bought. New ones to come soon :o) Must see what the route should be and whether this was a slug depending on which route... Update: this was not selected in the machine and was intentionally left blank, I've left it showing 812 for the time being (not shown here).

If you want to read a tad more about Ticketing Machines, have a gander at the following:

http://www.ticketmachinewebsite.com/

It really wasn't just about the buses!

OK, busy today... update on the inker cover ... In situ, and ready, probably tomorrow, for a coat of black... I know it's going to get dealt to, but... 

As you can see, the Dremel and wire brush attachment has been busy... vast improvement... onward!

Below is the manufacturers plate, after a little titivation with some Tamiya acrylic and a light sanding with 1000 grit wet and dry... if you look at the top image, it is a vast improvement. Unfortunately all the dings from the past are highlighted also, but... still looks great to me.

21st January

As suggested in the comments, I rigged up the Dremel with a cutting disk and had a go at the least visible security bolt. My hand wasn't steady enough so I grabbed a hacksaw and cut a nice notch for a screwdriver to get the bottom casing off. Worked a treat, and all screws were removed and the bottom casing was removed and sanded using the Dremel last night. The before and after shots are below, with a small amount of work left to do (stiff neck last night curtailed my fun!). The perspex cleaned up nicely with some Mr Muscle Window and Glass, so will be left as is.

22nd January

The oil based ink arrived this morning and the roller will be re-inked closer to finish, it's available here and time from order to receipt was less than 24 hours, fantastic service:

http://www.stampsdirect.co.uk/metal-stamp-ink-56-p.asp.

More updates to follow on a new post... save you endless scrolling :o)

Christmas Day 2012...

It started early... and will probably finish late. But it was lovely. Chat with Mum and Dad, chat with Sal and Pete, missed out on Kim. Liz has a dose of the bot and it has been a tough day for her and, quite frankly, she was quite happy today to lie down, forget it all, and just... BE!
The main meal was roast chicken, sprouts, peas, carrots, potato, parsnip, sweet potato (gold), spuds, gravy and stuffing (my own special recipe). A meal to last through to tomorrow... I think that might just be the case and considering we only devoured one breast of the chook, we have chicken for a few days yet!
Quiet, uneventful, and nice to see St Mary Redcliff on the Beeb this morning in all it's glory... Despite the distances involved between family, I think we all did very well.

Merry Christmas one and all... 'tis the season to be jolly!

International Space Sation ...

OK, so I'm a radio nut and decided to listen out for the ISS last evening and missed receiving the packet bursts from them on the first pass, but was ready for the second. Using the Funcube Dongle Pro +, MixW and Nova (reg) for tracking. Last time I heard a packet like this MIR was still in orbit!

Sticky beaking ... again

Just a snapshot to remind me of where to go to "eavesdrop" on countrywide pager messages. Quite an interesting mix of messages from Rail, Hospital and Bird Watchers on this particular frequency. Just remember to never disclose any info you may see on these pagers, and yes press people, that means you too!
The Funcube Dongle Pro Plus is a nifty bit of kit for listening just about anywhere from 150kHz up to 2.0 gHz, with a gap from 260-420mHz or so. Great for DRM on shortwave too... :o)

FM Stereo... flat as a pancake???

I've been playing with my  N E W   SDR Dongle, the Funcube Dongle Pro+. Lovely bit of kit that enables me to listen to just about anything from approximately 150kHz right up through 1.9gHz. This is just a screen grab of KISS here in Bristol showing a totally uninspiring waterfall display of the stereo signal... notice how flat it is, full of over processed and boring music... nuff said... the SDR# software also decodes and displays the RDS embedded in the signal... nice... now I know who not to listen to!

I've been busy...

I'm 51 now... and have just gone back to school to get some kind of recognisable qualification that will say that I am not thick. It's funny though, I think I will be after I'm done. I've never been a fan of Word or any of it's ancilliary programs having spent a quarter of a century in print. We use real programs there... and even the mention of Word is taboo.
The ECDL Extra course I am currently plodding through has made me want to chuck the screen out of the window sometimes and personally insert something large and sharp into to the recorded tutors' nethers, as he has this rather annoying habit of being not sure if he's from up north, or America! Bits of the course have also been given a fail as certain parts of it do not work as it should, and to make sure this gets back to the supplier, I will leave a sheet in my notes showing said errors. One thing I do hate is when they ask you to do something in your assessment and you have to be damn careful and see if they've done the first part of the question for you, for if they have and you don't spot it, you are on the way to a fail... this has pissed me off several times.
All joking aside, I am doing well, and I am sure that, with luck, I will forget most of this in good time. If I can think of a decent reason to use the Microsoft Office stuff I will, but that's probably a long shot.

I thought I'd add this...taken when brand new about 6 years ago... a Vibroplex Morse Key... 

and no, it hasn't been used on air yet... but it is hooked up to the transceiver

another thing I have to brush up on... di dah dit!