K1LPI's Little House on the Highway
Where in the world is K1LPI?
Note: Position reports on the internet are not always available if my APRS transmitter is out of range of a Digital Repeater and an  Internet Gateway.

Diver Dave in the Channel Islands  Sophie the Calico Cat  Ol' Blue Eyes  The 1977 SCAMP 13 as I received it 

The Adventures of  Diver Dave, Sophie, and Ol' Blue Eyes, in the SCAMP 13.

The World's Tallest SCAMP! K1LPI's Little House on the Highway is transformed into a tower trailer for emergency ham radio deployments! May 16th, 2008.
The first step in installing the 35 foot aluminum tower was to have a custom welded "lumber rack" installed on the scamp. Then a custom deck plate was fashioned for the tongue of the trailer to mount the tower, relocate the propane tank, and the battery. The tower travels horizontally up on the rack and tilts into position between the struts that brace the steel rack. There is also room to carry antennas, sea kayaks, and other cargo without putting any weight on the fiberglass roof of the trailer.

For the first deployment and shakedown trip we went to the AEN-MC (Arizona Emergency Net-Maricopa County) annual picnic in Payson AZ in the Tonto National Forest. It is an anual event for ham radio operators and thier families to get together and cool down from the summer heat in the pine trees. Of course, there is lots of ham radio and show and tell. The tower trailer was a big hit among the hams.  Click here or on the picture for a larger image of the tower at its full extended height.

I'll post more pictures of the project when I have a chance so other SCAMP owners can adapt the idea to thier own needs.


 The custom welded "lumber rack" which caries he tower, and several smaller antennas, was made at Karr Trailers, in Anthem AZ, a local trailer shop that specializes in Horse Trailers. Here are a few shots of the rack being made and installed:

Sailing in the Desert? The Arizona Yacht Club Birthday Reggatta, January 2008
I never expected to find fleets of sailboats racing in the AZ desert! But just 15 miles from where I park the SCAMP for the winter is Lake Pleasant. It is a man made lake and has a large marina, and a fleet of over 20 Catalina 22s. I went to the Birthday Reggatta and hitched a ride on the safety boat to take some photos and then crewed on one of the Catalina 22s. One popular class are the Bucanneers! See more shots of the Bucanneer Fleet here.

"There is no such thing as a free cat BOAT!" November 2007, Port Townsend WA
No such thing as a free boat! One day I was looking over the fence in my backyard in Port Townsend and saw the saddest looking sailboat I have ever seen. It was stranded on a trailer whose tires were flat and he weeds were growing up to the centerboard. The hull was full of rainwater, the wood trim was weathered and cracked.  I felt sorry for it, sitting neglected and nameless on it's trailer far from the water. It didn't even have a name!

I asked my neighbor what she was going to do with the old boat and she replied, "I wish someone would haul that thing out of here so I could build a greenhouse in the back yard". I told her to get the titles for the boat and trailer ready and it would be gone in the morning! Off I went to call a tow truck.

So, what kind of boat is it?  A look at the hull plate revealed it is a Catalina 22. I called the factory in Newport CA and learned it was 1975 model. This is the longest running class boat in America and fleets of Catalina 22s can be found in many ports. It turned out there was a load of material to go with the boat in her garage: Two sets of sails, alcohol stove, porta potty, seat cushions, 10 hp Honda outboard motor, all the cushions for the seats and berths in the cabin, and an anchor.  I will have a project  to work on in the spring to get her back into the water.

Port Townsend is located in just the right place to cruise the San Juan Islands, visit Canada, and sail Puget Sound. I see lots of sailing ahead next summer.
To the tune of "Row Row Row Your Boat...."
Under TowTow Tow Tow your Boat, Gently Down the Road! Merrily, merrily, merrily merrily, down the road we go! So it was off to the storage yard near the water and close by Port Townsend's highly regarded boat yards for the winter. I pumped out the bilge and bought some new tarps to cover her for the winter and keep the rain out.

The Catalina 22s new name: CAPACIOUS

It is, after all, just a little roomier inside than the Little House on the Highway. So, CAPACIOUS will be K1LPI's Little House at Sea!


"The wedding guest that never left."  North Beach, Port Townsend, WA October 2007
One day I was sitting in the Living room at Bill and Juli's house, my friends who got married in Port Townsend. That wedding was the reason I drove 1500 miles into the North West from my winter home in My House in Port TownsendArizona. By then I had been in Port Townsend for about a month and  managed to catch the wooden boat festival and the kayak symposium. Yet to come, the Film Festival and the Kinetic Sculpture Race. So somebody says, "Ya know, Dave, you like it so  much here maybe you should get your own house?"  OK, I can take a hint, and as it happened the Port Townsend News was open to the real estate section. So I picked it up and my thumb landed on an add for a house in "North Beach".   "Where's that?" I asked my friends. "Great part of town'" they said, and "a short walk to the beach and Fort Worden State Park". So we drove over to see it.
 The house was on a dead end street with a few other houses and a large wooded area. Most of the unbuilt lots in the wooded area are owned by the City or the Nature Conservancy and are located in a wetland. There are two huge Cedar Trees in front of the house and a healthy apple tree with lots of K1LPI's little house in North Beachpretty good green apples on it in the back yard. In addition to the three bedroom two bath house there also is a detached "Mother in Law" unit, a studio apt. which is just right for me and my furry friends. So, after some negotiations, I bought the house in the woods near North Beach and moved in.

Elvis Lives
Sequim, WA Sept. 3rd 2007
Elvis Lives Elvis Lives  An Older Audience from the rest home across the street  The King still attracts audiences of all ages
 The King performs for a Benefit held in Sequim (pronounced Sequim). Of course, I had to have my picture taken with Elvis. The King still appeals to audiences of all ages.
Olympic Game Farm, Sequim WA, September 3rd, 2007
Stand and Deliver, or I'll flip your car!  Got Bread?  Separate the men from the Bears!  Got Bread?
Lions, Tigers, AND Bears, Oh My.  Not to mention Elk, Reindeer, LLamas, and the odd horse or two, and a White Rhino. When the Bison puts his head in your car window you better have a slice of whole wheat bread ready!  He was as big as my Honda Element. He has a slobbering blue tongue about a foot long! "Feed me, or I'll roll your car" said the look in his eye!  The great white elk wasn't too shy either when it came time for a handout.
Kayaking in Port Townsend, WA. August 22, 2007
   
The kayak was built by Bill Soderberg from wood strips and stitched fabric fiber glassed with clear gel. It was very stable.
The car ferry to Seattle is in the background  is arriving at Port Townsend.
Clallam County Fair, Port St. Angeles, WA August 20 2007
 
The County Fair had a rodeo, animal exhibits, pretty cowgirls, and a demolition derby. The mud in the rodeo ring was a foot deep. Good Country fun for all.
Bill And Juli's Wedding
Port Townsend, WA, August 11, 2007
Juli Tallino, who worked for me at Divequest, marries Bill
A wedding is a good excuse to drive 1500 miles. My friend Juli, who used to work for me at Dive Quest, married Bill Soderberg. A really fun wedding!
Lake Sutherland, Clallam County, WA. August 19, 2007
Suited up in Weed Warrior equipment  Suited up in Weed Warrior equipment
A noxious weed has invaded Lake Sutherland and the Weed Warriors of Clallam County have risen to the challenge. I volunteered to dive and survey the weed growth. Oh, we killed a lot of weeds that day. It was a massacre!
Navigating the Columbia Gorge, August 6, 2007
At the tiller of the Columbiq Gorge  Sternwheel of the Columbiq Gorge



Hey Buddy, can you spare a gallon....?

Help keep the little Honda that tows K1LPI's Little House on the Highway moving along. Buy a gallon of gas and be part of the adventure. Click on the  little red Gas Can to donate a gallon of gas.
The Grand Canyon and the Williams Hamfest, Williams AZ July 2007
The "Little House on the Highway" and the Steam Train to the Grand Canyon 
While attending the Willams Hamfest I camped at the Railside RV Park in Williams AZ. I'd say this is the friendliest RV park I have stayed at! The Steam Locomotive of the Grand Canyon Railway passed right behind the Little House on the Highway twice a day. Afterwards I went to the Grand Canyon. The North Rim is visible in the distance.

Camping in the SitGreaves National Forest. Woodlakes Recreation Area on the Mogollon Rim, AZ, June 2007

   

After the Show Low Hamfest I spent a few days camping in the SitGreaves National Forest on the Mogollon Rim. On a five mile hike around the Woods Canyon lake I spied a large Elk in the forest.

The Show Low Hamfest & Swapmeet, Show Low, AZ

Show Low Hamfest Jun 3 2007

The Show Low Swapmeet was a lot of fun for me. I bought a light weight Aluminum tower for my winter home QTH in New River AZ.  You can see it stacked on the roof of the Honda. Dry Camping was allowed in the lot so I was ready to sell and start horse trading at the crack of dawn!

Payson AZ, May 2007, Arizona Emergency Communications Group Picnic.
    
               Houston Mesa Campground       All set up in the Ponderosa Pines.       BBQ Steak, YUMMY!                    

Note the portable antennas set up next to the Little House on the Highway.
This mobile communications center has world wide coverage.

Tombstone, AZ May 2007, to see the Shoot-out at the OK Corral: daily 2 pm.


Cottonwood, AZ, Camelot RV Park, for the South West Fiberglass Trailer Rally, April 2007


Yuma AZ Hamfest, Feb. 07 at the Fairgrounds

K1LPI's adventures in down sizing!

Imagine moving from your two bedroom house, of at least 1000 square feet, into a studio of 60 square feet. Down size  everything: The refrigerator  is reduced from a 12 cu. ft. side by side with an ice dispenser in the door, to a 1.9 cu. ft. unit. The 5 burner stove with a large oven becomes a two burner stove, no oven. No shower or toilet, just a small sink.  My new home is a 1977 SCAMP 13 foot molded fiberglass trailer. This lightweight trailer can be easily pulled behind my Honda Element.  I guess there's a little trailer trash in everybody!



Joshua Tree, CA in the high desert under a full moon.
January 2007

How do you down size to this level?

Well, start by selling almost everything you own on eBay and Craig's List! That's what I did. Some keepsakes and photo albums will go into storage, but everything must go! You will be amazed at how much stuff accumulates in your house. Then list what's left for free on Craig's List. Anything left? Call Goodwill or a trash hauler. The goal was to fix up the house, sell it, sell everything in it, except a select list of essentials,  and hit the road! The power tools were sold last as soon as the work on the house was complete.


K1LPI's Little House on the Highway at Campland on the Bay, San Diego, CA.
November 2006

The select list!

One Ham Radio Station
One Laptop Computer
One set of SCUBA diving gear
Flat panel TV and a crank up satellite dish
Clothes, unbreakable dishes, and a pot to cook in.
And, of course, my furry friends Sophie, and Ol' Blue Eyes.

The customized floor plan:

The original dinette table has been removed. A divider was installed across the space 24 inches from the rear wall to create a storage compartment beneath the new rear seat. This results in a U shaped couch.  A smaller table top on a removable pedestal can be dropped down to make up the bed.

The "ice box" has been replaced by a Norcold 2 cu ft 12 Volt DC refrigerator.

The couch/bunk beds at the front have been replaced with a small closet, a storage bin next to the stove, a counter top for added work space, with storage cabinets underneath.

The Ham Radio Station:

For world wide coverage the 77 SCAMP is equipped with a Yaesu FT-897D transceiver connected to a Yaesu ATAS-120 screwdriver antenna for 7 to 50 MHz. A separate  vertical antenna is used for 75 meters.  A dual band antenna for  2 meters and 440 MHz is mounted on the cargo carrier at the rear of the trailer. It can be extended up to 20 feet of height on a telescoping mast when stationary in an rv park or campsite for better vhf coverage.

The trailer is also equipped with APRS (Amateur Position Reporting System) using a Kenwood TH-D7A dual band hand held packet radio connected to a  Garmin GPS receiver for accurate position reports. Position data packets are sent regularly and received by digital repeaters (digipeater). Some repeaters are also Internet gateways and position reports may be tracked on the Internet.  Track K1LPI's Little House on the Highway on the web.

My furry Traveling Companions:

 

Sophie, the plaid cat. Zoso, the blind black cat died of old age in May,  and Ol' Blue Eyes, a cancer survivor is still going strong. My furry companions have adapted well to trailer life. They are old cats who are happy to sleep most of the time on the bed and let the sun warm them through the windows. The custom cabinetry that has replaced the bunk beds in the original floor plan includes a built in kitty litter compartment.  They have been indoor cats most of their lives but just in case they get too close to the door I have them in safety harnesses. 

Satellite TV on the road:

How do get Satellite TV on the road?  After all, we hate waiting for the dish installer to come and get those dishes pointed at just the right spot in the sky. The answer is a Winegaurd crank up satellite dish mounted on the roof of the SCAMP. A control head inside on the ceiling raises the dish from its folded position flat against the roof to the required elevation angle. Then it can be rotated into the proper azimuth bearing. The satellite receiver  displays signal strength on the 20 inch fold down monitor so in just a minute or two the receiver is ready and the program guides are downloaded. It does not work in motion but in a trailer installation this is not a problem. The LCD flip down television conserves space and provides a great picture.



Hey Buddy, can you spare a gallon....?

Help keep the little Honda that tows K1LPI's Little House on the Highway moving along. Buy a gallon of gas and be part of the adventure. Click on the  little red Gas Can to donate a gallon of gas.