So after the installation of a Rubicon Express long arm lift and 35″ tires on a Jeff’s Jeep TJ, We did a shakedown run on Cleghorn. But things didn’t so too smooth in my buddy Mikes YJ Wrangler with my navigating skills and Kenny behind the wheel.

What were we thinking?

Wheeling Cleghorn – Notch Fail | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

A few Years ago I was traveling all over the place and had my camera along. I really enjoy shooting photos but I haven’t been traveling much lately. Here is some of what I saw along the way of my travels in 2010. Feel free to take a look at the following jumbled mess of photos. They aren’t watermarked but Please do no use them without my written permission. Enjoy!

Some Old Photography | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

After doing a little maintenance on Joeys ’79 Toyota we went for a drive up Cleghorn Trail and after a few hours we found ourselves on top of the mountain! Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

Cleghorn 4×4 Trail | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

    As a member of the OAUSA.net outdoor adventure group, I was with another member named Jon scouting out some potential field day sites when we coincidentally ran into Chris, N6LXX who was on the way up the Blue Ridge radio site which is near the camp ground we wanted to go look at for field day. After chatting it up with Chris for a little bit and getting more info about the camping in the area we went with him to the radio site where he was doing some repeater maintenance on his linked 6M machines. It was quite the sight with numerous towers and radio rooms. We weren’t able to browse around for very long before we were reminded by a few friendly signs warning us of FCC regulated RF exposure limits being exceeded in the area … but we continued on. We got to browse around quite a bit  at the equipment and learned a little bit about microwave point to point links which was a bonus to our original plan of just scouting out the camping high up on the mountain.

  So in the coming weeks we may start mutating, and maybe we’ll never have kids but it was good to meet up with chris and learn about the 6M repeaters that he has there and on other mountains  (which maybe wasn’t the best trade-off, sorry Chris).  His repeaters are all coordinated repeaters and can be easily be found online under the call sign N6LXX.

Blue Ridge Radio Site | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

UHF N coax cable connectors are typically used above 1GHZ in RF applications by ham radio operators, some commercial radio applications, wireless computer networks as well as in Radar applications. Here is a step by step on how to solder one of these to the end of 0.405″ O.D. 50Ω Coax such as RG-8 which is actually pretty simple.

The N-Connector comes in 2 parts that screw together. You’l need to unscrew them and we’ll be starting by using only the inside housing.

The first thing you’l want to do is cut the end of the coax so it’s nice and square. no crooked cuts.

Then cut back the insulation and braided shield. Be sure to be careful to not cut or nick the center conductor. Remember that radio waves travel on the outside layer of the center conductor also known as the “skin effect” and we don’t want to disturb that. Be sure to leave enough of the center conductor to go to the end of the N-Conductor center pin minus the tapered part. leaving the center condustor too long will result in the braid not being exposed through the side ‘windows’. which will be required for soldering. Also, be sure to cut back the outside insulation the minimal amount to allow for maximum grip by the N-Connector housing.

Screw the N-Connector to the coax, the threads inside the N-connector will grip the outside insulation of the RG-8 coax. when it’s threaded all the way on you should be able to see the braided shield through the holes of the N-Connector housing as well as see the copper center conductor through the small hole in the N-Connectors copper tip.

Before soldering, it’s a good idea to use a multi-meter to make sure there isn’t a short between the center conductor and braided shield. Solder the braided shield to the N-Connector housing. Make sure the housing gets hot enough the let the solder flow into the holes and bonding to the braided shield. Then heat up and center conductor pin and put a small amount of solder through the hole in the N-Connector center pin.

When the N-Connector cools down, Screw on the outside section of the N-Connector then terminate the N-Connector to the equipment of your choice.

How to Solder a UHF N-Connector | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

In the backyard of Rancho Cucamonga hides what was once a fairly well kept secret, Etiwanda Falls. A few years ago the North Etiwanda Preserve hiking trail was put in and the falls now attract many people every weekend. It’s not overloaded but you will most likely run into some people up there.
Getting there is simple. Exit the 210 freeway at Day Creek and go North on Day Creek which will eventually curve to the right and dead end into Etiwanda Ave at a stop sign. Make a left to head north on Etiwanda Ave. which will dead end into a dirt parking lot where your hike will begin.
The map at the beginning of this article shows the proper North Etiwanda Preserve hiking loop however if you follow the map counter-clockwise, at the fork for area ‘B’ there is a path to continue north, there is a gate there that you will need to walk around. You will know you’re at the correct fork when you see the trail marker pictured to the left. in the background of this picture is the gate that you will need to walk around. Also on the trail marker will be blue writing with arrows that say ‘waterfall’, once you spot the writing it’s pretty hard to go the wrong way. Continue on this path until it dead ends which is about a mile up. Here are a few pictures from the last time I was up there:

As you will notice in the above pictures, there is tons of wildlife in this area, be prepared to see rattlesnakes and horny toad lizards. If you see one of these creatures it’s important to keep in mind that they are more afraid of you than you are of them and you should not tamper with them. leave them alone, give them space and once they see you they will most likely go away pretty quickly. Also, in the summer this hike can get extremely hot, in excess of 100 Degrees. Be sure to take plenty of drinking water.

That’s about all you need to know on how to get to the historic Etiwanda Falls, if you have questions feel free to contact me. Also feel free to post comments and questions below.

Etiwanda Falls Hike | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

After numerous years away from wheeling the mild yet fascinating trails of the anza borrego desert in southern California, I made a return trip. I got a call from a few friends inviting me out for an easy camping trip at Fish Creek and we’d go explore Sandstone Canyon and the surrounding area. Although the trails aren’t difficult, having a 4×4 vehicle is strongly recommended being that the washes and canyons have sandy bottoms. This is the kind of trip you’d go on when you want to see some pretty unique places and relax without having to worry about breaking your rig in the middle of nowhere. There are a few cool obstacles out there such as “the squeeze” “Diablo dropoff” and “pinion dropoff” but the drive up sandstone canyon will have your eye’s glued on the canyon walls when you should probably be watching where you’re driving. There is also some wildlife out there so if you find your self in this part of the desert, please drive at a reasonable speed. On this trip, I got word over the ham radio that we had 60 MPH gusts and rain back at camp so we headed back and called it a day after cleaning up. Due to the weather we didn’t get a ton of tie to explore but sandstone canyon should be on your list of places to visit next time you’re down there.
I didn’t get too many pictures of this trip but here are a couple cool shots that I got:

Sandstone Canyon in the Anza Borrego Desert | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

After waiting for well over a year, Toby Keith’s bar at Victoria gardens finally had their soft opening today. I was there when they opened the doors with a handful of friends. we had a few burgers and beers which got a little mixed up but nothing to complain about on the first day of an unofficial opening. They seem well staffed for the anticipated rush for later this evening. speaking of the staff… well, lets just say you’ve got to go them for yourselves.. did I mention they are already dancing on the bar?
All in all, It’s a super cool place with good food, cold beer & good looking friendly waitresses. There is a ton of fun to be had there with live bands on stage and a dance floor.
Although it’s a soft opening it is open to the public, so go check it out!

Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill @ Victoria Gardens | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

Using the numbers 1, 3, 4 & 6 only once and using only addition subtraction multiplication and division, write an equation equal to 24.

Its pretty simple but may boggle your brain for a little bit.
Enjoy.

Math puzzle | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...

Yeah Yeah there is an ad at the beginning but bare with me.. it’s worth it..
After the ad is finished playing, move the slider along the bottom.. enjoy.

From Smaller Than You Can Imagine To Larger | The Steven Experience - The Steven Experience - My Adventures, Random Thoughts and Project Notes...