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Moving Advice

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MEandJK1349
  5/19/2016 18:05 EST

My husband and I are moving from California to Ecuador in a couple months and we need advice on so many things, since this is all new to us. Some of the questions we have are:
1. Would it be cheaper/easier to move our furniture down there or buy new stuff when we get there?
2. Same thing for our car. Take it or leave it? (it's value is about $3,500)
3. If we decide to ship stuff, are there any reliable companies anyone would recommend? Or is anyone else moving from the west coast and want to share a container?
4. If we decide to leave our stuff, is there anything that is just impossible to find in Ecuador that we would be better off bringing?

I have other questions as well, but hopefully there is someone out there that I can start a dialogue with. Thanks!

windshadow
  5/19/2016 18:15 EST

ME, JK,
Most would say to come empty and fill up as needed.
There are so many variables that it makes it very difficult to say exactly what is necessary and what is not.
My two cents worth would be to come and spend your first year settling in to your new environment, learn the language, make friends, and just relax.
Most of us have found over time that the "cosas" or "things" don't make much difference.
Just bring a very open mind......

William RussellWilliam Russell
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William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

William RussellWilliam Russell

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
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hcrabtree
  5/19/2016 18:34 EST

There are some really great books that you can download from Amazon that would help. I've read these 3 and really appreciated the information and stories, especially regarding the pros/cons of trying to ship your US life down to South America. (unbiased opinion - I don't know the authors & have no reason to plug the books :-)
Becoming an Expat: Ecuador
Expats in Ecuador: Life in Cuenca
Thriving in Ecuador: Expat's Guide to Visiting and Living in Ecuador

OceanHideaway
  5/19/2016 18:41 EST

Well the first question is for you... have you been to Ecuador yeat and where are you moving to?

The questions have to do with about how long you will be here, probably, based on what others have done before.

So it may be worthwhile to store more of your things rather than sell them.

As for your car, you cannot bring it to Ecuador.

Many places are available for rent so that is probably your best bet...find a place to rent that is furnished to start. Learn about where you are and where you want to be, what neighborhood, town and even geographic location and then move accordingly.

Placestogo6
  5/19/2016 19:49 EST

I have been in ecuador for a year and a half. It all depends...If you have really nice furniture, art, antiques... unique items... no question it is worth bringing... - then u set it up and feel at home ! Having excellent appliances is SO NICE also.
Yes, there is a good shipper in Cuenca.. I have not brought a container. Freinds who have say it is anighmare to go through importation.. most often in addition to all fees u end up paying about $500-$700 bribe to the officials... they will open and unpack and leave unpacked all your container... there is a daily storage charge once the container arrives... it is a challenge.. but people who want their own household stuff do bring containers. I brought all my kitchen and audio: Bose... traveled as a tourist with slow cooker, Vitamix, silverware,, ladels.. etc.. customs did not even wink... did not care... i brought my biomat... they did open that to see the unit that runs the biomat.. people brought silver coins in large quanities saying: it is my retirement.. BUT.. u better make sure u will want to stay here... becasue taking it out will not be easy... One can take out of ecuador now $1049 i think free of 5% tax. Cars only Ecuadorians returning to live here can bring ... foreingers cannot.. Difficult to find table lamps with nice shades! .. bed linen is VERY expenisive - do bring nice sheets! or great pillows or blankets.. depending where u are going to settle. in quito or cuenca u will use lovely down duvets.. in vilcabamba... too warm... make sure u prepare all documents for residency correctly before coming here... it makes things much easier. Contact a lawyer and have them check what u have.. it really is not complicated...but goes a lot smoother when an ecuadorian attorney goes and files... they do not mess him or her around which they often do w expats. and Lean to negotiate ! Ecuadorians jack up prices and other ecuadorians angry at americans for the first ecuadorians jacking up the prices and americans accepting them...

barbiesimmons
  5/19/2016 20:44 EST

So many of you want shortcuts---why not do some of your own research then pose a question--such as ---we know this but what about that? Many of us did the research THEN came down for a looksee--THEN made our own decisions. Don't make this forum a place to ask for advice re -relocating here. Do your own research --FIRST!!!Then ask!

William RussellWilliam Russell
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William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

William RussellWilliam Russell

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
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Placestogo6
  5/19/2016 22:51 EST

One other thought... if u bring the container... moving if u decide to will be a lot more difficult .. many people come and live in Cuenca for a while.. some like it.. others don't and they move... .. There are other considerations: did i mention Constitution has been modified to eliminate the Presidential term... this can be dictatorship in the making for the future.. taxes are discussed .. possibly will go up... Ecuador.. defintely 2d world taxes globally... oil revenues are down... the country is not heading in a great direction... since the earhtquake Correa i heard approached the "powers that should not be" for loans... - depends what u care about... But it is not only WHERE you are moving... it is also WHAT you are leaving behind.. and time is ticking... so ask all questions u can think of !!! make your progress as easy as possible ! ask people for help! go explore www.gringopost.com... this is Cuenca email that all expats get... ask questions there... see what is going on... Prepare !

novato1953
  5/19/2016 23:41 EST

What stuff you'll need to ensure your personal happiness is, well, personal. Might be prudent to fly down and scout around for a while, see what personally crucial items turn out to be abundant in California yet maddeningly rare in Ecuador. Not counting serial killers.

MEandJK1349
  5/20/2016 00:02 EST

Thanks! I hear that a lot. We are not at all attached to our things, our furniture and stuff like that anyway. That is mostly hand me downs. We do really want to keep our personal items like books, movies, etc., so maybe we will just look into options for taking that stuff... Thanks again for the "two cents". It is very helpful and appreciated ??

GringoinQuito
  5/20/2016 00:49 EST

Hey Barbie! Stuff it! That is what this forum is for, people asking questions about relocating to Evuador.

OceanHideaway
  5/20/2016 00:59 EST

Actually...PLease do use our Forum as one of the means to do your research for coming to live here in Ecuador...

...in fact...that is the purpose of this Forum...

We don´t keep the information secret.

In fact it is impossible to keep information and of course disinformation...secret. Not about this topic currently.

And if we didn´t post what we do then the only ones posting would be the scam artists and flim flammers and of course.... He Who Shall Not Be Named!... and the real estate professionals ... and we would all just feel bad because we didn´t share what we knew from being here a really long time by community standards and seeing and experiencing the good, the bad, and the really really redneck...

But I digress ... and I am curious...

Since what we say and do is going to have little affect on a person who has already decided to come here .... they will do what they wish no matter what you tell them, trust me on this, why are you becoming so upset?

...moving to Ecuador is not a contest...you aren´t competing to do it the right or even the best way...

Everyone´s journey is different.

William RussellWilliam Russell
Get Quote

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.

William RussellWilliam Russell

William Russell's private medical insurance will cover you and your family wherever you may be. Whether you need primary care or complex surgery, you'll have access to the best hospitals & doctors available. Unlike some insurers, we also include medical evacuation and mental health cover in our plans (except SilverLite). Get a quote from our partner, William Russell.
Get Quote

barbiesimmons
  5/20/2016 09:50 EST

Everyone is entitled to their opinion --even those who use this forum to express their rudeness. Hopefully they crawl back into their holes when they are finished having an emotional evacuation --stuff it?? Really?

barbiesimmons
  5/20/2016 09:52 EST

Doing one's own research is what I was referring to so that more specific questions could be addressed--the forum is great and can be very useful--if rudeness is kept at bay that would be great also.

remoore2001
  5/20/2016 10:59 EST

I thought quito showed great restraint with just saying stuff it.

barbiesimmons
  5/20/2016 12:01 EST

Really? Why? Your opinion as well that here it isn't safe to voice an opinion --or are just a select few singled out for the crap offered by you and your cronies?? Stuff it --then ---because I also am showing great restraint.

GringoinQuito
  5/20/2016 12:14 EST

Barbie, you are one of the most negative and self inflated posters on the forum. You seem to think you have all of the answers having been here all of a year. The forum is for people looking for answers and support while pondering their decision to relocate. I would recommend to anyone looking for a place to stay while in Cuenca not to stay in Barbie's so called B&B because she evidently does not know the meaning of customer service. BTW, double stuff it!

remoore2001
  5/20/2016 12:22 EST

You leave my cronies alone, they are very special who ever they might be.

windshadow
  5/20/2016 13:21 EST

Dear Cronies,
Do you, as I, find it strange that the "B" woman of Cuenca uses the forum as an advertising tool for her trailer park mentality. Just kidding Barbie!
I had to step back and ask myself, is she from the country just north of the great USA?
My clue is this, why don't you just bite the bullet, pay for our advertising, and quit causing trouble. Eh
You are working against yourself by peeving everyone off that may not have the relocation experience of others.
You never know, they could become your next customer. Then you wouldn't have to slip your free advertising into informational forums. Double stuff it, lol, brought all kinds of images to mind.

kensate
  5/20/2016 14:24 EST

I will not be one of her future customers, I come across WAY too many ugly Gringos without having to pay for one!

ecuadorjoe
  5/20/2016 15:15 EST

windshadow,

I totally agree. Ca not say anything more because I am not in the "Elite" ...

OceanHideaway
  5/20/2016 22:37 EST

Why I think it is time to drop this to the lower board...

.... let´s remember to play nice in the Welcome forum and not show what truly ... Elite ...folks we are unless we are in the lower forums...

Grasshopper
  5/21/2016 10:06 EST

Yes... for I, (Who Shall Not be Named) agree. !

....wait. My name is James.

Anyway, yeah... Lighten up a bit on the welcome threads, boys and gals...

Come to the lower posts to Duke it out.. ( "poof! Bam!! Biff - Bop!!")

...that's how it always sounded when the Adam West Batman fought.
The modern day one just shoots your ass.

Happy holiday - and yes, remember the wounded and the fallen. It is because of them we can stand... "Ah-ooo !!"

JtH2014
  5/22/2016 00:02 EST

Barbiesimmons,

What a woefully meanspirited response, completely devoid of help or positivity. It was a completely on topic request. If not here, where do you suggest one seek such information?

Your "jump first and then decide what you need" is as appropriate here as it would be in a kids learn to swim class..

Here is a suggestion for you, if you cannot say something positive, don't bother.

-John

Grasshopper
  5/22/2016 11:56 EST

I just had to comment on the whole idea of the "elite".

My first trip down, I stayed a month with a lady some may know, Cameron K.
She's nice enough, but definitely it the gringo cliche. She invited me to a friend's flat one night for a " wine party" where there would be a native musician ...and I said yes.
I got there, long haired and wearing my bike jacket.

Man, the room was full of mostly women ...with their noses literally turned up so high they could smell the apartment above us.

The wine all sucked.. and I made a point of making the most ungodly faces and "yucks" when I'd take a drink.

The musician was amazing!!! He played 12 different native instruments - he was a master.

But he didn't speak English, so had his Ecuadorian friend "John" interpret each instrument, history and musical piece.

I didn't like the gringos. It was as if they thought they were in some NY high society party, when they were just in Cuenca, in an old apartment and drinking wine I had to choke down.

I did make friends with the two performers thought, and on breaks we would go out on the balcony to smoke a little herb.

What pissed me off was this. The man was so amazing, so talented... and no badly even clapped. I was embarrassed to be a part of the crowd (maybe 15)...
Also, he was playing solely for tips.

At the end if the session he had made nothing except the money I had put into the jar... and he earned a golf clap. That's all

What self absorbed snobs!!!

Well... I am not. I stood and said, "F**K YEAH!!! - I am gonna say it again, because none of you snobs either can or will.. so, F**K YEAH !!"

Then I got the jar, walked around and MADE them pay the young man.

Yeah... Invite me to a snob party, jaja.. you'll only have me over once, I am damn sure.

(Oh I left my Harley jacket there and went back in an hour to get it. One of the snobbiest snobs was trying to leave with it). - now, that was classy.

OceanHideaway
  5/22/2016 19:28 EST

LOL... razzing that sort of group.. love it!

...you see...when necessary I can out snob the snobs. too :) ... that´s what you did my friend.

You should come to one of my parties...we are the entertainment!

But perhaps that´s not quite what our dear ol´Joe was referring to... was it ... when he meant the Elite... but now I am baiting...so I´ll stop

Grasshopper
  5/22/2016 20:17 EST

I will gladly come, Susie.

I have been looking forward to dropping in for a long time now and I absolutely will.. The coast has been on my list every trip down, and every time something has happened ...no excuses, just ...well, just something. But I can't freaking breathe in Cuenca, man. I mean, I can... but I get altitude sickness and stcy quesey and half out of breath. First time down, found some coca candy for sale at Parque Calderon ...it helped. Third time, Pillar just bought me some leaves from whatever store she had been to that day. They helped too (mostly with a pinch of baking soda - which I had brought for heartburn... not gonna find any there!)

Yeah, I wanna come to one of you guy's parties. Oh, and I did chop the long hair off (and miss it).. I stuck a new pic in my profile of "short haired Hopper"

So, now I'm incognito - lol.

Oh, and I do have manners - it is just that no one at the "terrible tasting wine party" had any... so I figure I'd show em what bare bone rude really is.... HA!

...with any luck, at least one of them went back home to the comfort of the upper east side.

...I can hope.. right?

remoore2001
  5/22/2016 22:12 EST

We are all so cool now. As I've always pointed out when you come to Ecuador you get to reinvent yourself anyway you want. Isn't that right Suzie Q. Wow I didn't know that long hair and a Harley jacket made you so cool.
Coming here 7 yrs ago with hair down to the middle of my back sure didn't bother anyone I met. My biggest thing was in Crucita is the locals called me ponytail. I guess Cuenca is much more sophisticated than the coast.
I would say just don't go to pre opera parties.
Am I cool now

remoore2001
  5/23/2016 12:08 EST

This thread should be divided in half with the second part named after a drinking game we played in the army called first b/s'er doesn't stand a chance. We used another word but I don't want to hurt feelings.

OceanHideaway
  5/23/2016 20:44 EST

Funny thing ...

I don´t reinvent myself... I don´t have to...
I´m pretty authentic and simply mature from day to day.

That happens when you stay open to experiences, keep getting up when you fall, and never stop learning.

Oh and my hair was down below my waist when I got here...cut it off to almost a buzz cut at one point and now... it´s long again... As long as it doesn´t fall out I´m cool. I do admit to it changing color - sometimes intentionally... often just because solver highlights are my thing these days (and you have to earn them... you can´t just buy those)

remoore2001
  5/23/2016 22:16 EST

Ocean, sorry. I called you Suzie Q because I was trying to be as cool as some of the other posters. Really I was making fun of them not you. I know your story, and though we don't always agree I think you are not as fake as some of the others, Suzie Q. Actually leaves a funny taste in my mouth to call you that, but I'm cool now ,right

remoore2001
  5/23/2016 22:37 EST

Folks give me a break, Coconut break pads. I was a certified ASE mechanic before going into mngmt, not even close to possible. The gap in the 70's both ways with farc patrolling. Give me a break. And then wonder man showing everyone how to act because they don't like his long hair..... and especially that nasty Harley jacket. Come to the north area, 60% of the locals have hair to their ass. Give me a break. The game is called first liars don 't stand a chance. What a joke.
By the way, you need a flat surface for a brake pad, and also friction material. Coconuts are round and have no friction ability as they burn at a very low temp. In the 70's and even now the gov't of Colombia is very strict about who goes into the gap. There would be a record of this. And long hair, give me a break, there are a lot of long hairs here, but obviously we found the one true long hair hero. Get over yourselves folks. Most of us who have lived can see right through your b/s

windshadow
  5/24/2016 01:01 EST

Remoore,
Folks give me a break, Coconut break pads. I was a certified ASE mechanic before going into mngmt, not even close to possible.

You have just proved to me that you are a dumb grease monkey that doesn't know what he is talking about. Put the bottle away and re-read it. On this, you are not the authority no matter how many certifications you have. It was husks, carved into the shape of pads and yes jerkoff, they smoked like hell but offered a bit of stopping power until they could get up to the next town. How far did he get until they completely burned up, I have no idea but they did it regardless of your crochety, smart ass, know-it-all response. Get back on your meds and quick trying to start crap with everyone on here. You are turning into exactly what you used to hate so much.
I will say this, we always used to promote the assholes that couldn't do the job or think outside the box into management, That part does sound credible.

moodyblue8363
  5/24/2016 08:06 EST

Here you go remoore2001, using a Coconut shell possible?
You betcha!


A lot of research has been carried out in the area of development of asbestos-free brake pads. Coconut shell and palm kernel shell (PKS) have been used in the development of asbestos free brake pad materials (Dagwa, 2005, Dagwa and Ibhadode, 2005 and Aigbodion and Akadike, 2010).

Grasshopper
  5/24/2016 08:54 EST

Haha... I ride away for a minute and all heck breaks loose, eh?

Remoore, I will take all of your hot air a complement. '

"Wonder man" ?
...really?
Ok. Perhaps in some things I do something, then wonder why I did it (or I wonder what I was doing in the first place)
...that is about as far as I would ever call myself a "wonder".

(Now, what I THINK may vary.. but I like to keep my well earned ego in check, publicly). <-- I'm kidding

" nasty Harley jacket". Let me tell you something, buddy boy. First off ,no amount of hair, clothing, leather or anything else material can make ANYONE cool. You either are or you suck, because being cool is an objective perception - one who has the hubris to consider themselves so is usually just a self absorbed jerk off.
Just to be clear, that jacket wasn't dirty. The infamous wine gag down gala was in Jan '13. The previous Thanksgiving Day I had dumped my bike in a bad wreck and the back of my head was busted open like JFK, circa '63.
So, while in a coma, the EMTs cut my jacket off my busted ass body with ...something.
Anyway I had owned that one for 25+ years ...and it was stuffed, patched and much loved.

The one I left at that party had been given to me as a Christmas gift while I was healing, by a girlfriend. So, it was only a month old or so and hardly nasty.
BUT - being such a thoughtful gift, it is much loved... so watch your stinking f**king mouth.

...because I do know what "uncool" is. And don't forget - I was Navy AND Army. I don't bullsh*t because I do not need to.

I took your post as calling me a liar, outright. Well, I'm calling you $&$&3&$# outright.

Call a CryptoTech to see what that would be ,jaja

Grasshopper
  5/24/2016 08:55 EST

Alright Moody!

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 10:45 EST

Moody, its coconut shell material ground up and added to other material. Asbestos hasn't been used in automotive applications since the early 70's. You can't just take a slab of coconut shell with out a backing ans slam it on a caliper. Have you ever seen how a caliper works. I stand by calling this b/s.

moodyblue8363
  5/24/2016 11:08 EST

Don't knock it until you've tried it is all I can say.

windshadow
  5/24/2016 11:59 EST

Remoore,
You think you know but you don't! You engage your mouth when you think you know the answers, rather than looking for truth, you just call out bull! These are symptoms of a small minded person.
What do you do all day, sit around looking for a post that you can attack with your ASE certification. Did you have to use the US mail to order that? You are probably lying about that. You have no experience in working on anything except your girly ponytail. Have you ever had grease, other than hair grease, under your fingernails? You, my dear friend, are a poser and a troll.

windshadow
  5/24/2016 12:02 EST

Remoore,
I don't think I have ever heard of an ASE mechanic let alone a "certified" ASE mechanic. Put your trifocals on and reread it. I think it might say "Cerified A-S-S Mechanic! LOL

Grasshopper
  5/24/2016 12:03 EST

No... don't discard ideas out of hand or call BS on things just because you've not seen them done.

We are human - we are innovative... and I have seen things I would have never have believed. But where I used to be amazed, now I'm just amused.

Hey - I broke two motor mounts on a car and secured the engine to the frame with a pair of welding tongs a man down the road had in his barn... Is that BS, "Pig - tails"?

And when MY brakes failed - I just talked both bare feet through the floorboards and stopped by putting them into the road.

....well... ok, no that never happened. The was Fred Flintstone

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 12:29 EST

Windshadow shows how ignorant you are on the subject. The Automotive Society of Engineers have been testing mechanics in the US for well over 30 years. When I first entered the field in the 70,s it was NIASE National institute of the society of automotive engineers, or there abouts. They give test 3 times a year for certification.
Of course you probably know better as I only spent 35 yrs in the industry until moving here. As far as your garbage mouth, I would imagine it is certified also

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 12:34 EST

Hey potty mouth just google automotive service excellence, or ase mechanic

windshadow
  5/24/2016 12:35 EST

Hopper,
LOL It worked for Fred!

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 12:37 EST

All test are prepared by auto engineers. But you probably know more than they do.

kmoriarty45
  5/24/2016 13:04 EST

Hopper,
I've stayed away from this feisty forum's discussion dishing coconut discs because, I am the first to admit, I am NOT mechanically inclined - even though I have owned several motorcycles, cars, and trucks that were not exactly maintenence free - quite the opposite !
Since, I have long believed that the world is held together with bailing wire, bubblegum, and ( of course ) duct tape, then I have no doubt that someone could temporarily rig brake pads for coconut shells. Man's ingenuity in a crises is unlimited.


Regarding navigating by bike, motor, or on foot through countries in conflict or through mountains with bandits - been there, done that, and got the scars to prove it. God is good to fools, drunks, and gypsies. But those are stories of youth, best told in old age over good beer or better whiskey. I'll save 'em until you get back down here.

windshadow
  5/24/2016 13:19 EST

Wrong again Remoore. I don't know more than "auto engineers" but I do know that a young Tico and his wife hand carved coconut husk and made a very temporary front brake disk pad to get him from a place west of Montezuma CR to another town called Puntarenus CR in the early 90's. I was there, saw it, laughed, and tried sharing it with Hopper when some crotchity old know-it-all call it out as bull!
After searching the internet I found the requirements for getting your ASE Certification via the internet. I don't want to minimize that but when you don't have the parts to switch out, a little barnyard, or in this case "beach front" ingenuity trumps all.
Just curious, what would you have done to get you on down the road to where you could buy new pads? Bear in mind, young, Harley Sportster, very little money, and a desire to keep moving. Let me guess, you would have pulled your sat phone out of somewhere, (now that was cleaned up considerably) call HD in Wisconsin, talked to an engineer, and had them fly one down on their private helicopter, along with all the necessary tools and measuring devices because you have an ASE Certification?

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 13:35 EST

I would have used only my rear brakes until I could get into town. Have done it before. not that hard to figure out. Nice thing about Bikes separate system for front and rear brakes

Grasshopper
  5/24/2016 14:59 EST

Yeah, and since a motorcycle's braking is 80% front and 20% rear, just how far would you have gotten before you melted your entire rear rotor or drum?
10 miles? 12?

...but, of course you already knew all of this and was simply testing us.. I know, I know.. It's cool and so are you, Pippy Longstockings..

Grasshopper
  5/24/2016 15:01 EST

Kev, yeah... bailing wire and bubble gum (and "200mph duct tape" make the world go round)

Or, they at least bold it together as it goes round... something like that, lol

windshadow
  5/24/2016 15:07 EST

Remoore,
No you wouldn't! You would have been sitting in your little managers office with your bow tie selection reading about others adventures and trying to pick apart what is being said instead of getting out from under your bridge and enjoy the stories. Lighten up old man, we are all here on this ball together, even the ones without a ASE Certification.

Grasshopper
  5/24/2016 15:35 EST

Well said, Shadow.

On dis ball together...

kmoriarty45
  5/24/2016 15:47 EST

Now is the time to recommend reading " Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Repair ".

cristos7
  5/24/2016 16:47 EST

You people are all f*ing crazy;~<> If the OP is anywhere in the vicinty of sane she has likely decided to move to Costa Rica. Well Done & Ride Safe!!:~)

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 16:59 EST

And since you're using coconut husk you think the material would provide you any amount of braking %. Rode my 250 Yamaha YZ out of a trail we were on for a good 5- 6 miles with no front brake. Just had to take it real easy.

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 17:08 EST

Rear brakes are fine in a slow speed situation. If I lost my front brakes I would just limp along even if I had a big bad coconut husk on my front wheel. Enough said. Guarantee I know more about any brakes including M/C brakes than both of you and yes I was considered an expert and had testified in numerous court cases as one. Done with you wannabes.

Grasshopper
  5/24/2016 17:33 EST

Hey man, I was thinking the same thing, lol. The poor person was a newbie asking.. well, everything.

And the thread turn into a battle over coconut bike brakes and nasty jackets... .... ooh, my head.

....all said, though, it's about par for the course.
...and I do t know which of those are odder

Hopp

OceanHideaway
  5/24/2016 18:09 EST

No worries...

The original poster has learned a lot about our actual crowd of rebels here in Ecuador.

Now I know nothing about motorcycles ...but i can tell you that you can tie up a muffler pipe that has dislodged on a 21 foot van camper with old metal guitar strings... until you can make it to a blacksmith to build you some real heavy shocks.

Learned that near Ft. Worth in ´99 on tour... that would be musician tour.

...those were memories...what a ride.

windshadow
  5/24/2016 21:29 EST

Remoore,
I can't say who knows the most about disc brakes, it isn't even important. I do know that my summer job at Delco Moraine while I was at Ohio State was as a final inspector for GM brakes. I started as a 070 line inspector and was immediately trained as a 096 inspector. BTW, that was the top level inspector by the company that manufactured all brakes for GM cars. From the simple single piston to the complex Corvette assemblies. That was in 1968 and on. My father retired from the same company as an inspector.
I never had too nor would I have testified in a court. I also doubt you did. Why would anyone ask a "non-engineer management type to do so?" My BS flag just flew up again when I read your post!
I would believe Susan did, she is much more qualified to testify about things than a grease monkey! Any lady that can repair something with guitar strings is more competent than a crotchety old wannabe!
Believe it or not we never had to inspect coconut husks, not ever! LOL

remoore2001
  5/24/2016 22:16 EST

Wow a whole summer with 4 piston brakes what a genius you must have become. As far as me being an expert. Your ignorance was really apparent when you didn't know what ASE certified was. Yes I was an expert and gave depositions and court appearances. You were an ignorant assembler who never realized what you were even doing. Usually we would call that unskilled labor. You probably picked peaches the year before. Quit wasting my time. In my shop you couldn't change oil. Give up frog

windshadow
  5/25/2016 00:54 EST

Remoore,
Your resume stinks! You know nothing about what you are talking about. You just keep digging in deeper with each post. Give up!
When I went to college it was four years, not one. The job was for each summer. I probably worked on more brakes in one day than you even saw in a lifetime. You are a simple minded grease monkey with piece of paper most garages require for changing oil and spark plugs. You are a moron.
Your big deal certification requirements are what? Two years experience changing oil in a filthy garage, borrow a test guide to pass a written test, and then wait for the mailman to bring you your "Certification!" You are a poser! You are a big mouth. You think you can get on here and run your mouth with impunity and attempt to intimidate others. Well ponytailed grease monkey, you met your match. Go pour another drink. Your bs won't fly with me.
You want us to believe you were an expert witness for brakes! Ha, ha, ha you make me laugh! Most firms would hire an engineer. I can hear it now, "yes your honor I am Remoore from Apex Used Car Lot, I am in management, and I have a piece of paper that assures the world that I can change oil like a professional!" "I even have grease under my fingernails in addition to my hair!" He haw.... You go dude! Maybe you believe your bs but I don't! Quit wasting my time. I am finished with your stupidity!

OceanHideaway
  5/25/2016 02:14 EST

All I know about grease...is how to grease the pans when I am baking...

I should bake more... oh right that´s a different topic...

Grasshopper
  5/25/2016 09:48 EST

Yes please -

I like pie.. (no double entendre .. I .just like pie)

...and I liked the guitar string trick..
It was COOL. lol

(can you imagine what the OP must think?)

And remoore, Jesus man. You know more than both of us (whatever name you used)...
You have no clue who or what I am or what I know. I'd NEVER Say I know more than you because it would be assumption. What I DO know is I just picked up three rebuild kits for my dual front brakes and frnt master cylinder and I will rebuild them without a bit of problem - because I DO know.

Also, dumbass... M/C is the abbreviation for "motorcycle club" NOT "motorcycle.
So, when you blasted Shadow for not knowing you ASE acronym, you also showed you dunno squat.

M/C. .....now you give ME a break

remoore2001
  5/25/2016 20:22 EST

Grasshopper my last words on this. Congratulations, you have finally advanced to a real apprentice job. Don't forget to pick up the coconut husks.
Wind blower, Listening to your crap when you have never worked an honest day in your life is comical. You are nothing but a trust fund baby still living off daddy's money.
BYE

remoore2001
  5/25/2016 21:12 EST

I'm sorry,one more thing. How fun is this.

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 02:35 EST

Remoore.

Since you are so enthralled with me, I will give you a brief rundown.. First, off.. I just buried my father three weeks ago. He died of stomach and pancreatic cancer - and he had no money. He was a Vietnam Vet and I just put him into the veterans cemetery at Ft Jackson in Columbia SC.
Dad had a high school education, my mother did not. She was Cherokee. Dad was half Irish, so I am 3/4 Cherokee... if you would like to criticize that as well, feel free.
I was born on a naval base on Whidby Island in the Pugent Sound of Washington state. Dad was an aviation mechanic, mom was my mother and a Navy wife... I was first born and have two younger sisters.
When I was 5, dad fell from the wing of a bomber and shattered his hip and leg, so it ended his career. We moved to NC where my family was from and mom went to work in a cotton mill, as that was about all there was here in 70... dad healed some and went to work as a truck driver, long haul.. This was the time of the Teamsters strike, but he had to drive because we had to live. Mom worked 2nd shift in the mill and we lived in a three room house own by the mill... These were called "mill hills"... and since he was gone and she was working, I raised my two sisters from the time I was in the 3rd grade on. We had one bedroom in that first house - mom and dad in a bed, my sister's and I in bunk beds in the same room. I was too young to realize how poor we were - but I was to learn soon enough. Luckily my grandmother was a seamstress and dress maker, so I had pants (polyester, hand sewn) and button down shirts. I had one pair of old vinyl dress shoes with a hole in the side of the right one.
I was a West coast kid thrown into the deep south with no idea how civilian life was, or how mean mill hill kids were. So, when I slipped and fell while trying to play football with them, I caught total hell for it, ( I did for most things - I was different ). A boy named Mark yelled at me for messing up the play and when I said my shoes were slick, I was told I should have my sneakers on.
I didn't know what a sneaker was, so I said that those were my only shoes.. Mark let me know why, as he said, " that's 'cause y'all is POOR!!"

I didn't know we were. I had no point of reference before that day. But I can assure you, I was far from "cool" in any way.

That changed me. I went door to door, asking if I could mow homeowner's lawns (3 - 4 buck a yard) or take leaves or trim hedges... anything. And I worked my ass off until I could buy myself some shoes and blue jeans. I remember my first pair of jeans - bell bottom Levi's that had sat on this old store shelf for so long that the brass button was green with oxidation and had made a hole in back, but my belt covered it. I bought myself a pair of sneakers as well - it would be a while before I learned I was supposed the own Nike's.
At 12 I had talked my uncle into letting me work for him trimming trees... so I was 12 with a chainsaw dangling from treetops for $1 an hour. I was too young to work legally, but by god I was going to anyway and I did.
Finally I turned 14 and could work with a permit - which I did. I went to work in a Hardee's restaurant flipping burgers in 76 for $2.25 an hour, and I worked every hour they would let me work. I swore to God I would never work one day in a cotton mill like everyone else did... and to this day, I never have.
I finished high school, then paid my way through community college studying mechanical engineering and drafting. (took descriptive geometry, metallurgy, C.A.D. etc). Then I visited the local recruiting office and took the ASVAB entry exam... kicked it's ass.
The recruiter told me I could literally pick any job I wanted, and that I qualified for the Naval Advanced Electronics Program, but if I went that route I had to enlist for 6 years vs the regular 4... because I would be put through 2 years of school prior to going to sea, and I would go onto the ship as a Petty Officer 3rd class instead of a lowly Seaman...
I liked that idea, so I picked the most demanding rate (job) I could find. I went in as an EW ..or Electronic Warfare Technician. I did this and I was trained at NTTC (Naval Technical Training Center) Corry Station in Pensacola FL...
I graduated with honors and a Top Secret clearance - look it up. We intercepted Eastern Bloc communications and deciphered them (Cryptology) ...but my specialty was radar interception and identification... I had to learn every class of Soviet ship, every missle system associated with it and every radar associated with the weapons platform. How? By there signature, or "fingerprint" namely, it's carrier frequency, it's scan type, scan rate, pulse width and pulse repetition frequency... had to know which missiles I could jam, and which missiles have HOJ (home on jam - meaning you try to jam it and you only ensure you will be hit). I served on the USS McCandless, a Know class fast frigate out Norfolk. My ship was an ASWS, or anti submarine war ship... and we chased down Russian subs... everywhere.
I did many cruises, and two Indian Ocean tours, meaning we left VA, crossed the Atlantic, went through the Mediterranean, down the Suez Canal through Egypt, through the Red Sea, and operated in the Indian Ocean... but both cruises ended up crossing most of the Pacific as well.
Then the our battlegroup would turn around after 6-8 months and go back the way we came.

So, I have been around the world 4 times, ....and in the Persian Gulf more times than I want to remember.
After the Navy, I went straight tonwork as an Electronics Tech for a cash register company repairing point of sale systems for a couple of years until I could open my own TV shop... where I fixed everything. I mean everything, asshole... If man made it and I have a schematic and an ocilloscope... I can fix it.. It is that simple - and I am that good.
Then I watched as the price of VCRs went from $1000 down to 500... since my minimum labor was $110 on a VCR and $85 on a color tv set, I planned my next move. I closed my shop before I lost my savings, and I applied to a college I would have never been able to afford before. Belmont Abbey College - in Belmont NC.. look it up. This is where the rich kids went while I was growing up. The VA at first refused my request to go there... they said I had to go to UNC or Greer, but I lived near the Abbey, it had been out of reach growning up, and it wanted it. I got it.
I graduated Cum Laude with my Bachelor's of Science from there in 1998... My specialty is microbiology and genetics... not light reading.
I could have done anything, but I went back into the service, as I could be a commissioned officer this time around .. so I did - but this time I went into the Army. Communications expert, taught SINGARS radio to soldiers at Bragg and then I was the instructor at High Tech ...the school at an Army installation on top of Mt Pocono, Tobyhanna PA.

Then we were attacked on Sept 11th of 2001.

What I did overseas, that is for me to try to forget, and the end of what I tell you.

But I will say this... my first Harley was a 1974 Ironhead that I built from the frame up to the mirrors... I built the engine... the cases, crank, primary.. the cylinders or "jugs".
.push rods, rocker boxes, clutch, transmission...EVERYTHING!!!
I built it in my house and I cranked f@@ker and I rode it out.
That was my 1st of 5 Harleys.

You are an ignorant punk - and you do not deserve to lick the bottom of my boot. I will give one piece of advice, you worthless worm... if you ever see me?

Run as if your life depended on it.

It probably will.

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 02:46 EST

Oh yeah... for the record, buddy?

I actually am pretty damned cool...

James Lendon Freeman Jr.

withoutego
  5/27/2016 03:17 EST

Grasshopper,

What frequency range did Hobgoblin use? What pulse rate? Was it swept?

sinego ( CT(R) USN '63 to '67)

remoore2001
  5/27/2016 10:47 EST

Sorry to get you so worked up Grasshopper. I wasn't calling you a trust fund baby. If you read it over it was Windshadow I was referring to. As far as running if we meet..... I'm in my mid 60's and was probably in the army about the same time as your dad, so there won't be no running,

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 12:12 EST

Hey sin,
I'm not familiar with hobgoblin.. But the standard Soviet navigation radar for surface ships was the DonDon2 and it was around 3200 - 3300, circular scan... I don't remember the scan rate. Now, what was hard to catch was the Snooptray radar, which was on their subs. Freq was just a bit higher, but they only swept once, maybe twice if you were lucky. You know, just so they would get a quick look and then it was off. If I caught a Snooptray, ID worst sonar and we had a huge, submerged passive receiver we called "the tail" that looked like a 6 foot long bass lure. We had all their screw (prop) noises documented. So, if they dove and tried to slip off, we could pretty much catch them.
I always wondered why they designed there ship's screws so sloppily. Ours made noise, but Soviet screws (ship and sub) were angled badly and made really loud sounds. The boys in sonar had a some of them down pat, and could tell is it was a Yankee class, or whatever.
It has been a while.. But Nav radars were circular, target acquisition and target tracking radars were sweep, then fire control was conical.
Missle guidance was a lot higher in frequency - but, you know... you didn't hardly ever pick up one of those, because the only come on when the thing is launched...
So, they would turn on one at a time, get us all worked up... fire control radar on and by then you would know which missle and what guidance reader to look for...

Then, poof.. They would all shut down.
(I'm sure I am being tested, lol... That's cool)

I operated the Raytheon SLQ32 Ver2... Carriers had the SPQ10.. and old ships still had WRL1 (whirrly one) that could only receive one emitter at a time. I think the 32 held up 120 at once.
We had a monochrome screen that let us "see" and cycle through all the mess when there a lot of radars going on.

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 12:14 EST

Oh cool - you were a CT? You know they combined the EW and CT rates now?
Yep.. It is one job

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 12:17 EST

And remoore,
You know good and well I was kidding about running. I'd never do anything to you, man.
You just like to push buttons, I was just pushing back. Don't worry about it (not that you would). ...and I didn't catch that you weren't calling me a trust fund baby.. I really did just lose my father, and you hit a nerve.

withoutego
  5/27/2016 14:01 EST

Grasshopper

Yes, I was a CTR. R branch was HF DF and intercept. Most of the time I was DF'ing the Subs which used an old German system we called G3F, HF burst mode. No doubt an old German frequency rotor as well.

The US cracked it with brute force. I was one of the thousands of sailors involved. This at Keflavik in Iceland and at Rota in Spain.

Hobgoblin, as I remember it, was a Soviet HF OTL radar. High Frequency, Over the Horizon. I can't find the name on Wiki for NATO naming. Maybe it was a temporary.

Hobgoblin was only good for seeing the long trails of missiles in boost phase. On HF it was a nasty sounding buzz across a wide range of the short waves (HF). On a frequency analyzer it was a "comb".

I did both HF DF against the subs (Boresite cover name) and DF against the East Block Atlantic shipping, fishing and the occasional Russian Elint boat posing as a fisherman.

Makes sense to combine EW and ELINT, two sides of the same coin.

Your story reminds me of the enormous social effect the US military is in the society. I grew up in the Air Force as a dependent....so naturally I joined the Navy. Later I joined the USAF as a "Retread" and fixed aircraft for four years.

Should have made my 20 in the Navy...could have done that as a CT. From '63 to '83 and then collected half pay at age 37 for the past 33 years? ! it boggles the mind. I am sure I've done that in one of the parallel universes. In others I am eating science diet for primates and enjoying it.

should have, could have..... I want those on my tomb stone. Can one be cremated and have a tomb stone too?

I still get to listen to CW Morse on the HF bands as a ham, KC1CCG. I send at a speed somewhere between the USN and the old Russian Radio operators, they were the best. Thirty WPM or so. The USN RM never got that fast before CW was dropped.

They say communicating in Morse is good for old brains - we shall see.

sinego

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 15:38 EST

Wow sin,
I am "no s#it" impressed. I guess we are both better now. I know, it is not often you here some of the things some individual may spout off... and the the immediate reaction is to call BS on it. I never talk shop... who would know what I meant anyway? Their Moore, (who got me into diving and PADI certified told me once, "you won't be able to talk about what you have done... and it wouldn't matter - no one will believe you if you do.
We were a good time apart, you and I.. I am 52 so was in during Reagan. Equipment changes... terminology changes.. But, my friend - you were definitely a spook too. I would love to sit down across a bottle of Club one day and hear some stories.
Thank you for sharing. I don't feel like such an oddball now :)

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 15:41 EST

I meant to say we are vetted now - my phone changed it on me. (and I call myself a tech.. ha)

I meant that... oh hell, you know what I mean

Hopp

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 15:54 EST

Jesus!
"Chief Moore"
I should never type when trying to leave. Or at least have the discipline to proofread.. excuse me.
I am sure you do think of the 20 and finishing it.. I wasn't a lifer dog, and I can't say how much longer I may have stayed in the second hitch.. But, I am a DAV now at 100%... so I guess I got to retire early. I am trying not waste these years, while I have the health and means... and I am grateful, believe me. I try to take nothing for granted. I am actually physically pretty good, and can do whatever... But when they gave me the total and permanent status... I didn't know I would heal as much as did.
What do I do now? Say I don't want ....I will be discreet. 100% VA plus SSD...
I try to tell myself, "I started working before puberty". and maybe I deserve it. But, it comes with a little bit of guilt/shame? ...I have just always worked hard. Relaxing is hard to learn.
Maybe in another universe, very closely parallel, I did this and didn't have any questions...

Quantum mechanics is an odd thing for one to consider a hobby. I have a feeling you probably do as well.
(Or, perhaps you don't, or both,)

Oh, that damn dead cat in the box!
(or did I hear it move?)

I don't want to observe it, lest I define it.

windshadow
  5/27/2016 17:31 EST

Hopp,
LOL, what is wrong with living on a trust fund? Isn't that what we are all doing in one fashion or another? So what if I am or not other than jealousy? No reason to be jealous, other than when I slid in with my BMW and asked you to hurry up and change the oil. LOL Obvio just a joke.
Be sure I like your military resume. You and Singlennego are really interesting to listen to. BTW, I know sin and he is a great friend.

withoutego
  5/27/2016 20:26 EST

Windyone and GH

Thank both of you gentlemen. It was fun playing with all that high tech stuff the tax payers bought. It was Tom Clancy before we'd ever heard of him. Civilians don't realize that there were and are hundreds of thousands of people digging at the signal intel that's out there.

As for deserving the 100% DAV status you shouldn't worry. The government has its system of deciding, leave it at that. You and I were on the line and could have gotten snuffed by the other guys on day one.

People now don't appreciate how close everyone was to doomsday, they think it is movie stuff. Something Tom Clancy invented. Fact is....he has been fed inside info, the real skinny.

I saw a nuke go off once. Only once but always after that I wondered if I would see another at the end of this normal life. At the beginning of a post apocalypses hell.

I was a dependent, maybe 15 years old. We were in Libya at Wheelus AFB on the Med coast. A French test in the desert 600 miles west of us was announced several weeks in advance. It was to go off just after sundown. Everyone was outside looking to the WSW and listening to the countdown clock. Then we saw a flash on the horizon. It dimmed down over a couple of seconds. It wasn't all that bright unless you considered the distance. Knowing what it was made the experience unique.

The subs NSG (Naval Security Group) tracked carried dozens of warheads more powerful that that. Each targeted a US city. When the reality of that is your day to day work it leaves a residue in the mind, in the world view.

I think I've been lucky, we've all been. The danger of a massive exchange might be lower now but the chance of smaller exchanges is greater.

People ask me why I design and build radiation detectors. Because....the day after something happens they'll sell out. That day will come. We've been lucky up til now.

My counters are for air sampling. If your environment is hot enough that you walk around with something going click, click, in a staccato of more than several hundred a minute....then you might as well dig a hole for yourself.

Don't question your good fortune GH. You and I are living out the lost time of our not so lucky shipmates. They would not begrudge it.

sinego

remoore2001
  5/27/2016 21:39 EST

W/S, pitiful Where did you learn the term resume? Must have been from one of your nannies. No , most of us worked our ass off all our lives. We had and still have no trust fund

Grasshopper
  5/27/2016 21:58 EST

Yo, Shadow !!
Lol, ah there is nothing whatsoever wrong with living on a trust fund, not in any opinions I would have, any way. I'd say you're lucky/blessed and what could be wrong with that?

Anyeay, that's what they are for. I was blustering at remoore already..it was just something extra for me to yell about ..lol. I couldnt be hepoier for you, in all honesy.
I have only talked to sin a few times, and always liked him. But i certainly didjt know he was a CT. (Crypto Tech). ...it was pretty weird, there are niot a lot of our type at all - it could be one if the rarest of all Naval ratings... I mean jobs. We call them your rate, not position. When it is what you do... that is what you do. Period. It isn't like a manager will come and say your being changed to a different department.
And I will have to ask Sin.. Oh, I can do that..duh

Sin - where did you go for CT training? When I was in, there was only one school, Corry Station, Pensacola, that taught EW and CT. And... It is all they taught too. There was major security at the front gates, and then while on base, when you got the classroom buildings, there was even an interior double gate to clear with 2 twelve foot fen es and giving guards between them.
We were searched entering and leaving the classroom, while already on a secure base.

They were very serious about what we were taught staying in there... ..and of course, in us as well. whole lotta not talking ,lol.

Shadow - your friend, Sin, had an extremely important job, very sensitive.. and he was part of a really significant event. I think you may not catch it on the history channel. I do t know how it was treated actually

Anyway - Pensacola was good. We had, on that little school base, an enlisted club called The Crosswinds - and it won #1 club in the Navy three years running while I was there. ...maybe got it again later, I don't know.
But, we had acgs like Carlos Santana come play, and lots of great shows.
There were $0.90 mixed drinks. ...only $0.70 in the Petty Officer's Club hooked to it, and we got top shelf instead... So, we would get out drinks, then go through the kitchen I to the enlisted club
. that's where the wildness sent on. "Darned crazy kids" ..lol

windshadow
  5/27/2016 23:49 EST

Remoore,
You make me laugh, honestly, you make me laugh.
Sin and Hopper,
I look forward to the day we crank up the bikes and go for a ride. I have much respect for those who have served our nation in whatever capacity. Both of you deserve whatever you receive. You both lived under tremendous pressure, thank God you both were young.
I, on the other hand, was just a poor farmer that scratched out a living in bliss to all the crazy things that was going on in the world. Well, maybe not but we can go with that. LOL
I salute you two!

cristos7
  5/28/2016 00:47 EST

It may be a silly point to make after so much profound sharing, but in a way we're all trust fund kids, eh? For how many generations and eons before we were born & raised did other people live and work and build the world we live in?? It is a staggering thing to consider just how much we've ALL inherited, for better and worse. No mas te*, C7 (*Spanglish for Namaste;~O

windshadow
  5/28/2016 07:35 EST

Christos,
Exactly! Thank you!

PACountryBoy
  5/28/2016 08:55 EST

CRIS....Oh....puke. Go hug a tree....Let's all join hands...Kumby-ya...my LORD....kum-by-yaaaa

Grasshopper
  5/28/2016 11:54 EST

Hey sin.
I just read you post.
I just would like to say - well said. Thank you, I appreciate it and you.

You paved the way for the things I had to do a little later.

I hope your detectors never click, man... but ...oh well.

Hopp

OceanHideaway
  5/28/2016 23:10 EST

I sing Cumbia all the time...great dancing music...

--- BTW in G-d we trust...all others pay cash...

(okay folks look it up...or better check this out...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL9ak21Aij8

... D Reyes Band... and that would be Danny Reyes on Drums and Manuelo ... on Keyboards. Juan Carlos isn´t on congas on this video ... I think his boss was making him work...that would be his mom, not me!

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