Travelling by air in the 60′s

When a friend posted a picture if the old Sibu Sarawak airport at Facebook, I recalled the time when me and my family returned home to Indonesia in 1968.
A young boy at that time, I was very excited, not that I was about to stay at a place of which I don’t know much for the time to come, but more from the fact that I’m going to travel by air for nearly all of the day.
In those days air travel was not very common for everybody (remember the Air Asia slogan “Now everyone can fly”), took a long time but other mode of transport was even slower.
We all know at that time, even you travel by air one cannot just simply fly from one city to the destination city directly. Very seldom one flies for more than an hour.
I forgot the exact date when we start the trip but it took us more than 3 days from Sibu Sarawak to Medan North Sumatra. We have to fly from Sibu airport to Kuching International airport by a MSA (Malaysia Singapore Airlines) F27

The MSA logo

and then hopped into a comet 4 (one of the first commercial jet powered plane ) to Singapore Paya Lebar airport. Then we have to wait for 2 hours before we embarked to another F27 bound for Subang airport (one of the best in the region at that time also called Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport) and stay there for 2 nights. Well actually the reason for the 2 nights was that we have to settle some of our immigration papers at the Indonesian embassy at KL before we are able to return home.
After the immigration business was done in KL we board another F27 to Penang, but we have to have a short stop at Ipoh airport for some passengers while the engine were still running.
Since there was only on flight from Penang to Medan Polonia airport at that time we have to stay for another night in Penang George town before taking the last flight on the trip to Medan.

Now one can do it in just half a day with a single stop over at Kuala Lumpur.

You can view the picture of the comet 4 and the F27 by clicking the link above, nowadays most of the airlines use either a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A320 for domestic or regional flights.

 

Bekasi – Medan by land Day 3

The 3rd day we were determined to complete the trip on schedule so we start very early at 5 am in the morning.

preparing for departure at dawn

 

The lights were still on and it was still dark (you can see the hotel name “Bungo Kincai”) and my cousin making final checks before departing, but then Murphy intervene again. On a crossroad we were unable to read the signs clearly and took the wrong direction, instead of following the east route we accidentally took the central route towards West Sumatra and there we lost about 130 kilometers of distance and 2 hours driving time.

 

 

 

We have to bear the consequences of not reading the signs carefully, we have to face convoys of overloaded trucks, and just bet the trucks were slow and we have to wait until the road is clear to overtake.

Overtaking a convoy of trucks

Again time were wasted. Moral of the incident is if you are not sure of direction, stop and read the signs clearly and if needed ask for direction

The load is twice the truck capacity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On entering the Riau province the road conditions were drastically changed, seems that the maintenance were poor although there are repairs but it seems that the road cannot withstand the overloaded trucks.

Damaged road under repair

We were forced to close the car windows due to road dust and use the air condition and that add additional burden on the car 1 liter engine and our speed were again reduced to average 45km/h.

 

 

After several hours of drive we decide to give the car engine and ourselves a break and we stopped at a restaurant for some coffee. Seems that the owner of the restaurant came from North Sumatra and named the restaurant “Kisaran” a town in North Sumatra.

The restaurant name is Kisaran a town in North Sumatra

Pekan Baru is just another 125 km more and we were convinced that we will reach Pekan baru just in time for me to catch the night bus to Medan. Very unfortunately Murphy decide to join us again just after we left the restaurant the rain pour down heavily and our engine starts to jerk again. No choice, we have to clear the fuel filter from water, and it happened 3 times before we reach our final destination and finish the trip at midnight in Pekan Baru.

For my cousin he achieved his schedule and Pekan Baru is his last destination but for me I have to wait to take the night bus from Pekan Baru on the next day, but then there was nothing to write since I was really dead tired and fall asleep all the way long from Pekan Baru till Medan.

 

Bekasi – Medan by land Day 2

November 26th 2010

We started early the next morning in order to even the lost we achieved yesterday, so we took off at 5:30 am. The inn provided us with our breakfast, just plain rice with omelette and it is enough since we have plenty of cookies in the car.

The trans Sumatra east highway

 

The trans Sumatra east highway is in good condition and facilitate us with a smooth driving away from Tulang Bawang bound for Jambi our next stop for the night, but Murphy decide to intervene.

The first of many fuel filter cleaning

 

Just after entering Kayu Agung in the South Sumatra province the engine start to jerk. Quickly we analyze the situation, engine was serviced a day just before departure, the ignition plugs are new and even the distribution system were made sure working properly before departure so we guess that there must be fuel problems and probably the petrol is not dirt free so we decide to clean the fuel filter, and later we found out that we have forgotten one important fact that after a long period of time water condense at the fuel tank and accumulates so eventually it will enter the fuel filter and how can the car keep going when you feed the car with water? This lesson thought us to remember to check when we are using a car which is not new and it tank has never been cleaned. We do not have the facility to separate the Hydrogen and oxygen to be able to use the hydrogen from the water yet at this moment. BTW we have to stop six times to do the fuel filter cleanings before we reach our final destination. Morale of the story do not count that there will be no incident, there are so many things that we tend to overlooked each time when we plan.

The Palembang famous Ampera Bridge

With much difficulty and engine jerks we finally reach Palembang at noon time and start looking for a car garage to repair our car. The new color of the Ampera bridge at least cheers us a bit but we are again late.

The flyover going out of Palembang to Jambi

After repairing the car, we take no time and immediately depart for Jambi with stomach a bit complaining and it is 2:30 pm when we took our lunch just at the outskirts of Palembang on the way to Jambi.

We were not sure whether we were able or not to reach Jambi for the night but when we were tired and looking for an inn at a small town before Jambi all is full so we have no choice but to continue the journey to Jambi. Tired and hungry we reach Jambi at 10 pm something that we did not intend to do but was forced to, on the other side we reach our 2nd day target, Night at Jambi at a simple inn.

The door at the right corner leads to our room at Jambi

When you are tired an aircon really helps to get asleep soon, and we decide to start very early next morning.

 

Bekasi – Medan by land Day1

November 25th, 2010

After more than 10 years, recently I have another opportunity to travel from Bekasi to Medan by driving a car (actually not only me but we). The car driving is only from Bekasi to Pekan Baru and the last leg of the trip was taken by Bus.

After more than 10 years surely the condition must have changed very much but some remain the same, the following pictures will tell more about the story.

Since our eye sights are not as well as 10 years ago, we planned to avoid driving in the dark and decide to stay for the night at the nearest town. We start early from Bekasi at dawn in order to be able to reach Palembang (our planned first stop for the night) before dark.

Our first fuel stop before we start the journey

The picture on the left is when we start the journey filling our car tank full of gasoline at the gas station, just to make sure that we will not stop until half way of our first day journey plan.

 

The drive went smooth but on the way we saw remain of an accident on the highway.

an accident on the highway

 

 

 

 

We reached the west end of Java Island (Merak crossing harbor) at 8 am right on schedule and get ready to board the ferry.

Queuing up to board the Sunda strait crossing ferry

However the boarding process took nearly 1 hour….

Sumatra after 4 hours, see the Lampung province sign

 

 

The cruising time actually is about 2 hours but again docking and disembarking from the ferry took nearly 2 hours, so we lost more than 2 hours driving time (Sumatra is just very near but we cannot do anything).

This is not Bali but Lampung

 

 

 

 

The weather is fine and we passed through a newly developed route (a shortcut) directly towards Palembang the south Sumatra province capital.  Formerly we have to pass Bandar Lampung and Metro which is about 150 kilometers additional distance. The area passed were populated by Bali trans-migrants so no wonder we saw many Hindu temples along the roadside.

Our first refueling stop

 

It was already late in the afternoon when we stopped to refuel and straighten our weary legs but Palembang is still quite far and unfortunately our comfortable driving speed is just around 80 kilometers per hour, so we lost much time.

Our stop for the first night

 

Since we agree not to drive during night-time we have to stop at last at Tulang Bawang and stay for the night here. We have to stop anyway since it was raining heavily and our line of sight distance is very near, should we forced ourselves to continue the risk of having an accident will increase dramatically.

It is day 1 and we were not able to keep with our schedule mostly because of the time lost during the strait crossing.

(Sorry if the pictures are not properly aligned I have still a lot to learn on publishing)

 

Bekasi and Jakarta after 5 years 2005-2010

Under my current financial conditions, it is not easy for me to travel a lot but then chances come unexpectedly and after 5 years I have the opportunity to visit Jakarta and Bekasi again. It is nice to notice that there are lots of improvements but other things remain the same. The following were the details.

This Airport bus station is a newly added feature of the SOETTA Airport

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new feature of the Jakarta SOETTA airport is the airport bus terminal. It is now more convenient to wait for the bus that goes to your destination and you don’t have to pay the ticket on the bus but you can purchase it at the terminal. The counter is located below the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

Outside of the Airport bus station waiting room

The picture beside is the boarding place of the Airport bus. However the bus terminal bus does not serve only the Damri official airport bus but also out of town buses like Primajasa that goes to Bandung.

To ease the traffic flow the authorities introduced electronic toll road payment as you can see at the picture below.

Now you can pay the toll fee electronically

New shopping mal are everywhere

New shopping malls and condos are everywhere. This one is build near the inner Jakarta toll ring road. Ramayana dept store is everywhere and you can see that Carrefour is also invading.

New electronic gates are being installed at train stations

As you can see at one of the pictures the Jakarta commuter train service is going to introduce electronic gates and electronic tickets for Jakarta commuters. This picture was taken at the Bekasi railway station. However Bekasi railway station still serves medium distance trains like those going to Purwakarta. The electronic gates were being installed at all stations in the Jabotabek area.

Commuter train is gaining popularity for mass transportation

The service was also upgraded. Now economy class commuter trains have air conditioners so during hot days or rush hours it helps a lot. The doors are also working now so it was much safer, at least safe from falling out and pickpockets. Hopefully this transportation system can ease the traffic burden on the roads.

TransJakarta Busway has expand it service to reach new destinations

The other now so new introduction is the transjakarta busway system, however they have expand the corridors where they serve. Before in 2005 it was only Blok M and Jakarta Kota but now they have opened at least 5 new corridors serving nearly all parts of Jakarta. Unfortunately the route where they came near to the railway the stations are quite far apart (except for the Gambir station) so when you are in a hurry to catch a train it is possible that you will miss the train, so you have to spare ample of time. This picture was taken at the Pulogadung terimal located at East Jakarta.

Traffic jam..... the real Jakarta

Something doesn’t change…..  Traffic jams and the discipline of the road users. You can see that the traffic lights have change to green and we simply cannot move because our way is blocked and if the condition get worse soon it will be a total jam.

Vegetable seller remains as usuall

The next good thing that remains is the man who visits the housing complex every morning to sell food (vegetables etc.). They have variations now, not only the come on modified tricycles like this but now you can see that some of them using old minivans. It is nice that you can buy your daily need just in front of your doorsteps. The vegetables are fresh from the farm they buy it from the vegetable wholesalers.

New highrise buildings

And yes as it is in big cities all over the world new high rise buildings are appearing everywhere. One can be amazed on how fast they build these buildings, and also wonder who are going to buy and use all the facilities? No wonder with so many construction projects in Jakarta people are coming to look for jobs at least as a construction labors.

These are some of the changes and one cannot see and record all the changes on a short visit, but I hope this can give you an idea of what is going on.

Enjoy the pictures.

 

Humbleness

Last Monday, August 2, 2010, I have the opportunity to make a memory and business trip to a place I visited 25 years ago, Penang.

Well for people living in Medan like me, just across the pond Penang is so common, well-known and well visited town for many reasons and one of them is for medical purposes. However for me it is a different story. My first visit to this town was made in the late 60′s when I was a small boy returning home to Indonesia with my parents whom assignment has been completed in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It was also my first experience in watching the Black and White TV at the E & O Hotel lobby. Georgetown is just a small historical town on the Island of Penang at that time and we are about to make our final hop to Medan our last airport of the trip and since at that time there were only one MSA (Malaysian Singapore Airline) flight from Penang to Medan we have to stay for one day at Penang before going to Medan.

That was 40 years ago, and one can imagine how much change has happened in that time span. However after that I managed to make another nostalgia trip again in the mid 80′s trailing the path our family made in the late 60′s and I really enjoy it.

As time goes by and I’m engaged with work I simply do not have the privilege to make another visit. My last chance was when I made a side business trip to Medan via Singapore and Malaysia, the original plan is to take a train from Singapore to Butterworth and take the ferry service from Penang to Belawan the Medan seaport. However I later found out that the ferry service was not available at my desired departure date so I have to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Medan and skip the Penang visit, but now I finally made it again, thank God.

Now to the topic of this posting.

As mentioned above Penang has been famous from people from North Sumatra especially Medan mainly for medical purposes, and it is naturally that at my trip most of the passengers were on medical purposes. Since the introduction of low-cost airfare the ferry service also have stopped their

Indonesia Air Asia, one of the low fare airlines

service since two months ago (don’t know for how long) and many of those who use this facility were not used to the many regulation of flying. Fortunately every passenger were assign a seat (maybe to avoid people rushing) but there is a facility for one to make a seat reservation at the booking time and pay a certain amount of money for that. However some of the old aged passenger did not realize that or even know about it so when they saw there are vacant seats they just try to occupy the seats, and when the flight attendant mentioned that the seats were reserved they complaint

Vacant reserved seat at the front rows

and argue loudly which attracted the attention of all the passenger. When I saw the face of the flight attendant, I know she was about to burst but praise God she was able to control her temper. to make the story short, the flight attendant leave her for a moment and then returned to her and said something, I noticed that the old lady lowered her voice and after a short period she raise up and go to her assigned seat with all eyes following her.

I was in the position to be able to hear the lowered voice conversation and this is what the flight attendant said to the lady. She said “OK you can remain sitting here, as long as you are willing to pay for an extra Rp. 75,000″ (which is about 20% of the total air-fare she was paying for the flight) when the lady wants to argue more the flight attendant showed her the ticket purchase agreement notes (whom most of us never bother to read) and she was left with no words and have to bear the guilt and shame.

Morale of the incident is humble your self or otherwise you will be humbled, being the boss at your home or office doesn’t mean that you are boss everywhere.

By the way I was assigned a middle seat which I don’t bother since the flight time is just a bit more than half an hour, however the guy on the aisle seat moved to another place shortly after take off so I was able to occupy the aisle seat which I prefer without any words from the flight attendant.

 

Sun spots where are u? (2010)

It has been nearly 2 years after my initial post on this topic and still the propagation has not improved very much.

However I observed that it has been more than a week the solar flux index has stayed above 80. Well we cannot expect things to improve dramatically but hopefully if the solar flux remained at that figure and probably increase a bit maybe it is fair to hope that the conditions for the next CQWW DX contest will better compared to last year.

So guys it is time while the northern hemisphere are still in summer to improve the antenna systems and start to listen for more openings on the higher frequencies.

For me I will be thinking of a better multiband vertical to cover at least 20, 15 and 10 meters since I do not want further arguments with my neighbor.

Therefore guys hope to cuagn on the bands very soon.

 

Hamradio Antenna dealing with neighbors

Recently I have to lower down my multiband rotary dipole, due to complaints from my neighbor. The complaints itself is not a valid complain since he was not able to prove it. The story goes like this.

Few months ago we have high winds and heavy downpour for quite sometime.
When it comes you can hear the sound of the wind blowing hard and since the roof in our community are made of thin zinc they then to sway due to the wind force and it sounds like someone is stepping on the roof. Because it happens quite frequently after sometime the nail that holds the roof cannot stand the force of the wind and get loose and when the rain pours down heavily the water leaks into the house. This is of course very uncomfortable and someone in a stressful condition will try to look for someone to be blamed. Since he cannot blame others he put the blame on me saying that I keep on climbing on my tower and stepped into his roof, which is not impossible because it is quite near to his roof, but considering my weight and the tower condition I have to think twice to do that.

To make it short after so much complains and getting fade up with arguing also considering that my tower and antenna needs maintenance I decide to lower it (I’m also afraid that if I don’t lower the antenna the wind will). But now comes the dilemma I have no HF antenna left to work the dx stations with the increasing sunspots so I have to think of other kind of antenna that work and not offend my neighbor.

Moral of the story. Plan your antenna beforehand according to your needs, consider what your neighbors reaction will be, This where your experience and expertise will pay. And if you can afford buy a large piece of land where you can erect whatever antenna you like.

As for me I’m thinking of a low profile vertical.

Above all enjoy the rising sunspots and work lots of DX.

 

How to eliminate computer RFI

As promised at other friend’s blog here is the solution I made to eliminate computer RFI.

The main culprit was due to parts saving to lower computer PSU selling cost, and the part is the AC line filter (Schematic diagram below). This filter was supposed to block the switching noise from entering the AC lines and thus entering the radio through the radio PSU.

Double coil filter

The cure is simple, just add the missing filter.

Unfortunately it is not easy to buy or find one in our Indonesian market.

However all is not lost, you can make one yourself  and install it in the place where it was supposed to be. Locate the icon of two paralel coil just after the input circuit from the mains before the main rectifier (you can see the two jumpers). Remove the jumpers and insert the double coil you just made to replace the jumpers.

You have to experiment on the toroid core available to make the filter, normally I found out that 30 turns for each coil will be enough to suppress the 45 KHz noise and it’s harmonics.

The other way is to find a junk functioning external AC line filter (the one with the same input socket as the original power suply mains cable) and replace the original power inlet socket with the junk filter and connect the output of the filter to the mains input of the computer PSU PCB.

One last tip to remember is beware if you r using an old CRT monitor, you may get the same problem from it’s switching PSU.

However please use the standard saftey precautions (remember there are lethal voltages inside the PSU when connected to the mains) and do this at your own risk n may u have a nice contest time with your favorite software.

vy 73 de YB6LD Donny

 

OC-270 Simuelue after my last visit in 2006

It has been quite an emotional trip returning back to visit Simuelue Island after 2 years operating the OC-270 for the first time as YB1BOD/6 and friends,

Many things has changed including the new airport building and a longer runway, new hotmixed road from the airport to the town of Sinabang and of course new buildings rising up.

I’m fortunate to stay at a newly build hotel with the air-conditioning facilities and there are now 3 cell phone company operating (Telkomsel, Indosat and Pro XL).

Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to operate ham radio since this is a short job assignment with an NGO at a remote sub district of West Simuelue at the village of Malasin.

The Malasin harbour

If I returned back next time I will be able to provide the IOTA chaser an opportunity to get an OC-270 confirmation (hopefully).

It is a nice place to enjoy nice fresh salt water fish but you have to cope with the limited electricity (only at night) at least for the time being.

Will miss the food and hope to return again next time, de YB6LD Donny