tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35276014476236786132024-03-21T11:43:22.093-07:00Mike's BlogI suppose I should put something catchy here, but I got nothin'Mike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-21598807544073709422022-09-25T15:18:00.000-07:002022-09-25T15:18:39.301-07:00Getting into Parks On The Air / POTA Lately<p> Its been a while since I have posted here, so I am about to fix that. Having recently retired, I now have more time to spend doing various ham radio things. Specifically, <a href="https://parksontheair.com" target="_blank">Parks On The Air</a>. This is a relatively new event that goes on 24/7/365 - as in any time you want to. As a ham who likes contesting, specifically Field Day, Parks On The Air, aka POTA is like <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/arrl-field-day-with-a-real-grid-down-event-right-before/" target="_blank">Field Day</a> every day - even though its not really a contest.</p><p>The idea is you take your gear out to a park that is registered on their site and set up. When you do this, you are what is called an Activator. Once your station is set up, then you become this rare entity that other amateur radio operators want to talk to. They are called hunters. Being from Ohio, with lots of Amateur Radio operators in this state, we don't get the opportunity of being on the receiving end of a pileup too often - except during a <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/my-parks-on-the-air-pota-photo-gallery/">POTA Activation</a>!</p><p>Additionally, the Parks On The Air program has done several good things for us Amateur Radio Operators. It pushes us to develop our own way of operating our radios at a park (obviously) which usually means buying or <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/category/antenna/">building portable antennas</a> and usually coming up with some sort of off-grid power solution. Since our primary justification for our frequencies we use is emergency communications, POTA encourages us to develop such off-grid radio systems, such as what is called a <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/my-ham-radio-go-box-build-for-portable-pota-operations/">go box</a>, or in my case, a <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/my-ham-radio-go-box-build-for-portable-pota-operations/">go frame</a>.</p><p>Another good thing that the Parks On The Air program has done for amateur radio is a renewed interest in Morse Code, otherwise known in the amateur radio community as CW. Several years back, the FCC decided to do away with the Morse code requirement to get an amateur radio license so as to encourage people to get their license. This has proven to be successful as there was an increase in the number of people obtaining their license, however there were many amateurs who lamented this change. Truth be told, there was quite a noticeable decrease in the number of Morse code contacts that were being made.</p><p>When POTA first started those of us that knew CW were doing better with our activations that those who ran SSB. In my opinion there were two reasons for this. Of all the different modes that us amateur radio operators can use, CW is the mode that gets through when propagation conditions are poor. This gives us CW guys an advantage no matter the conditions. When POTA was getting started we were going into a sunspot minimum. This meant that radio propagation was going to be poor at best. As a result, this generated a lot of interest in learning Morse Code. </p><p>I also know one ham who has become my friend who was bored during the Covid lockdown. On a random whim he decided to learn Morse code just to keep his brain active. Then one day while he was watching a youtube video, he learned of this thing called Amateur Radio. His response was "you mean people actually still use Morse code?" and "you mean I can talk to people around the world with a radio?" He ended up getting his license and then discovered Parks On The Air. He and I regularly chat on the air.</p><p>And speaking of friends, I have made all kinds of friends all over the country that I have talked to. A lot of them I have not met in person, but when I hear their call come back to me, I stop and chat with them for a minute to see whats new in their life.</p><p>Since the sunspots are picking up, propagation on the bands is improving. This has caused growth in another area of amateur radio. Running low power, otherwise known in the Amateur Radio community as QRP. Typically when running QRP you are running 10 watts or less. For me, I have two <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/my-first-pota-activation-with-the-qrp-labs-qcx-mini-transceiver/">QCX mini transceivers</a> that put out a whopping 5 watts of power. They are a bit bigger than a pack of cigarettes and great fun! This summer I went on a boat trip with my friend Kevin, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC0zlcLZ2EuookA7kTpMIjg" target="_blank">KE8ONI</a> to <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/a-pota-activation-of-north-bass-island-by-ke8oni-and-wb8erj/">North Bass Island</a> in Lake Erie. We had a blast and I used my two QCX mini's there along with my <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-diy-a-shortened-20-thru-40-meter-vertical-for-pota/">DIY 40 through 20 meter vertical antenna</a>. Good times! </p><p>If you have read this far and you are a ham radio operator, hopefully we can work each other on one of my activations. </p><p><br /></p><p>73's -- Mike <a href="https://mikestechblog.com">WB8ERJ</a> </p>Mike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-78161712372028700172015-07-13T18:54:00.001-07:002022-09-25T13:24:51.291-07:00Read Ohio Edison's Net MeterHaving just installed solar panels, Ohio Edison came out and installed a Net Meter at my house. They can be confusing to read, so I called Ohio Edison for the low down on the display codes. They Use Display codes 4, 5, and 40.
For a complete explanation of these particular display codes for a Net meter, and <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-read-a-net-meter-smart-meter/" target="_blank">how to read a net meter</a>, just go over to <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-read-a-net-meter-smart-meter/" target="_blank">Mikes Tech Blog</a> for a complete explanation.<br />
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-- Mike<br />
<br />Mike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-23574798456183646832013-05-29T19:32:00.000-07:002013-06-03T17:25:55.193-07:00Here Are My Steampunk Coffee Pour Over Stands<img align="left" border="0" height="320" src="https://img0.etsystatic.com/000/0/6622714/il_fullxfull.293627954.jpg" width="205" />The latest craze in the world of coffee, is the Pour over method. Thanks to the owner of a local coffee shop, <a href="http://relaxitsjustcoffee.com/">Relax Its Just Coffee</a>, mentioned to me that it would be cool to make a pour over stand out of copper, but he didn't know how to solder. Being an <a href="http://wb8erj.com/mike/resume.html" target="_blank">Electronics Engineer</a>, I have been soldering practically all my life. I quickly piped up "heck I can solder", so the discussion proceeded, and I built my first coffee pour over stand - Steampunk style out of copper pipe. People like them a lot, so I decided to make a few and start selling them on <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/ElecGuitarBuilder" target="_blank">Etsy</a>.<br />
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Below is a gallery of my Steampunk / Industrial coffee pour over stations on my Etsy store.<br />
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<script type='text/javascript' src='http://www.etsy.com/assets/js/etsy_mini_shop.js'></script><script type='text/javascript'>new Etsy.Mini(6622714,'thumbnail',3,1,0,'http://www.etsy.com');</script>
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-- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-2787094984496912762012-12-06T12:17:00.001-08:002022-09-25T13:25:55.228-07:00Mikes Color Organ using an ArduinoUsually when I tell people about my color organ, I get a stare like "What is that?" A color organ takes the audio spectrum and breaks it up into sections, then it measures the audio level in each section. In my case, I turn on LED strips proportional to the loudness in each section. Think of it as something like a giant graphic equalizer.<br />
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I used an <a href="http://www.arduino.cc/">Arduino</a> Microprocessor with a SparkFun <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10306">MSGEQ7 Spectrum Shield </a>to sample the audio, and a <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10618?">Power Driver Shield</a> to drive the 6 different 16 ft. long LED strips.<br />
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I plan on taking it to some shows in the area in the near future. Here is a video of my Color Organ in the front window of my house. Music by <a href="http://ladeles.com/">The La De Les</a> - They are amazing musicians, and wonderful people. Check them out if you get a chance.<br /><br /><b>UPDATE:</b> Here is an article on my other blog complete with the Arduino source code: <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-build-an-arduino-color-organ/">Mike's Color Organ</a><br />
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-- Mike<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-e-lzhfVMl0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-e-lzhfVMl0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe>Mike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0Mansfield, OH, USA40.75839 -82.515447140.6621705 -82.6733756 40.854609499999995 -82.3575186tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-8237174855250410202011-02-23T19:27:00.000-08:002022-09-25T13:27:42.203-07:00Here is an HDTV antenna that I built<a href="http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/misc/hdtv-antenna/127-build-high-gain-hdtv-antenna-plans.html" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577094132181958130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuUB1yD__gHpQAiEcEHMVKXw0A9qTLsiuoppfq0FUJktnagZpvalzMKEgp-Uqcd3739ZDhWaq6FgpDdpGjsg0s5UfCICq4WJGhS5VKBAKW13X_uMXHhERZAnFBFdi-DryYqfzGg-zEg/s320/build-hdv-antenna-high-gain-plans-1.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 320px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 154px;" /></a>
Last summer I finally had time to <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-build-a-hdtv-antenna-with-these-plans/">build my HDTV antenna</a> since my old antenna was damaged by ice the previous winter. In searching the internet for <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-build-a-hdtv-antenna-with-these-plans/">building an HDTV antenna</a>, I found several HDTV antennas that used coat hangers. Since my antenna needed to be outside, using coat hangers would not work due to corrosion.
Since I live between Cleveland and Columbus, both of which are about 70 miles away, <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-build-a-hdtv-antenna-with-these-plans/">my HDTV antenna</a> had to have high gain. I am quite happy with he performance of <a href="https://mikestechblog.com/how-to-build-a-hdtv-antenna-with-these-plans/">my HDTV antenna</a>, which I mounted on top of my 30 TV tower.Mike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-79786436273562269582010-10-16T16:38:00.000-07:002010-10-16T16:56:15.927-07:00Finally Finished Building an Electric Guitar!Well it has been quite a learning experience building my first electric guitar, and I am very pleased with how it turned out. Actually I should say "they" as I built two electric guitars at the same time. Here they are:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.buildmyelectricguitar.com/electric-guitar/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 289px;" src="http://www.buildmyelectricguitar.com/electric-guitar/images/stories/electric-guitar/build-electric-guitar-5960.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The top one I built for myself, and the bottom one I built for <a href="http://www.cabinneighbors.com/">my son</a>. It was a great experience building them. I will no doubt be building more electric guitars, as I already have several things that I want to try like a slightly different method to <a href="http://www.buildmyelectricguitar.com/electric-guitar/my-first-electric-guitar-menu-section/gluing-the-neck-to-the-body-menu.html">attach the neck to the body</a>, and some other tweaks to the<a href="http://www.buildmyelectricguitar.com/electric-guitar/my-first-electric-guitar-menu-section/paf-humbucker-pickups.html"> humbucker pickups</a> that I built.<br /><br />If you are interested in how I built my electric guitar, feel free to check out my website: <a href="http://www.buildmyelectricguitar.com/electric-guitar/">www.BuildMyElectricGuitar.com</a>.<br /><br /> -- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-41986564747632270532010-03-09T16:52:00.000-08:002010-03-11T08:29:36.471-08:00Morse Code dead? Never!Back in 1967 is when I first got my <a href="http://www.arrl.org/">ham radio license.</a> I was only 14 years old, and it was quite the big deal. Especially when I upgraded to my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_licensing_in_the_United_States">Advanced class</a> at 16 years of age. Back then, you had to go in front of an <a href="http://www.fcc.gov/">FCC</a> official, and it was very scary! But in order to pass, you had to be able to copy (or receive) one solid minute of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morse_code">Morse code</a> at a speed of 13 words per minute without error, which is pretty fast.<br /><br />I didn't get my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio_licensing_in_the_United_States">Extra class license</a> until much later, but I have always enjoyed using Morse code, or CW, as it is referred to in the ham radio world. Unfortunately, it has been a while for me since I have actually talked to anybody using Morse code.<br /><br />The other day, I stumbled on to an interesting site, <a href="http://www.lcwo.net/">lcwo.net</a>. Which is a site for learning Morse code, as well as allowing you to practice online. Being curious, I tried a couple of the tests, and was <a href="http://www.lcwo.net/?p=profile&u=wb8erj">surprised at my score</a>! I was able to copy Morse code at 28 words per minute! Wow!<br /><br />But then <a href="http://www.wb8erj.com/">Mike</a>, don't get too cocky! (yes, I talk to myself) Because my ranking was 235 on words and 769 on <a href="http://www.qsl.net/vu2msy/callsignFAQ.htm">call signs</a>. Yeah, there are lots of guys that are way better than me, but that's ok, I'm just glad that I still remember Morse code!<br /><br />If you want to learn Morse code, <a href="http://www.lcwo.net/">lcwo.net</a> is the place to do it.<br /><br />By the way, I should also mention that if you are interested in getting your <a href="http://www.arrl.net/">ham radio license</a>, you don't need to know Morse code anymore. But just so you know, Morse code is still cool!<br /><br />-- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-27094175914541451962010-02-22T12:12:00.000-08:002010-02-25T07:47:22.047-08:00Photos of WVMC's Ashland antennasHere are some photos I took when we upgraded <a href="http://www.radio-locator.com/info/W216AH-FX">WVMC's Ashland Ohio 91.1 translator</a>. I thought people might find it interesting.<br /><br />There are two sets of antennas that were installed. The first pair were to replace the original ones that were severely damaged by ice falling off the cell tower. Then a couple months after that, the power divider that splits the signal between the two bays had water get into it.<br /><br />This time instead of just replacing the power divider, we took the opportunity to put up circularly polarized <a href="http://www.shively.com/index.html">Shively antennas</a> that were donated to us from <a href="http://www.moodyradiocleveland.fm/">WCRF</a>. I re-tuned them to our 91.1 frequency, as well as <a href="http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/ham-radio/ham-radio-antennas-category/77-how-to-builld-phasing-harness-stacking-antennas.html">made my own phasing harness</a>, which eliminated the power divider.<br /><br />By the way, using circular polarization gives <a href="http://www.wvmcfm.com/">WVMC's</a> signal in the <a href="http://www.visitashlandohio.com/">Ashland area</a> better coverage for our listeners at home (as opposed to our listeners in their cars) as well as gives our signal better penetration inside buildings.<br /><br />OK, enough of the geek stuff, here are the photos:<br /><br /><center><div style="width:426px"><embed src="http://apps.rockyou.com/rockyou.swf?instanceid=156726343&ver=102906" quality="high" salign="lt" width="426" height="318" wmode="transparent" name="rockyou" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"/></embed><br></div></center>Mike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-92179310363556842032010-02-18T09:50:00.000-08:002010-02-18T10:11:59.960-08:00How To Completely Erase a Hard DriveRecently a computer was donated to <a href="http://www.wvmcfm.com/">WVMC</a> however (rightly so) the donor was concerned about the data on the hard drive. I tried my best to convince them that there are ways to <a href="http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/operating-systems-section/microsoft-windows/102-completely-securely-erase-hard-drive-data.html">completely erase hard drive data</a> so that it is not recoverable. However they were not convinced.<br /><br />So as a result, I received a donated computer for <a href="http://www.wvmcfm.com/">WVMC</a> without a hard drive. I later came to find out that another person had removed the hard drive and hit the platter with a hammer and severely bent it so it was unuseable. I suppose that is one way to take care of it, but I have heard rumors that it is in fact possible to even still obtain the data off the hard drive (sorry, but I don't have a link, so I am calling it a rumor)<br /><br />Needless to say, the hard drive is one of the parts of a compouter that is worth salvaging, and without it, there isn't much else worth anything. Sadly, all I really got out of the computer that was worthwhile was the memory.<br /><br />There are recognized stantards by the US Government for <a href="http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/operating-systems-section/microsoft-windows/102-completely-securely-erase-hard-drive-data.html">completely and securely erasing hard drive data</a> as specified by the Department of Defence's <a href="http://www.qsgi.com/usdod_standard_dod_522022m.htm">DOD 5220.22-M</a> will make your hard drive data completely un-readable.<br /><br />This too will help out your favorite charity, such as <a href="http://www.wvmcfm.com/">WVMC</a> because they will be able to also use the hard drive that was so generously donated.<br /><br />Next time a computer is donated, I will have to be more specific about accepting a donated computer.<br /><br /> -- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-39460051624617254672010-02-10T15:54:00.000-08:002010-02-15T06:51:59.151-08:00Interesting Audio ProcessorI just found an interesting audio processor that uses an old PC. It runs on XP and not much processing power. Here is the link: <a href="http://www.aodix.com/pagestardust.html">Stardust VST</a><br /><br />-- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-52485212961485399472010-01-25T07:26:00.000-08:002010-02-23T06:35:53.347-08:00Building an Electric GuitarSo now with the winter months upon us here in Ohio, I have decided to start building electric guitars. Right now I am building two of them, one for <a href="http://www.myspace.com/cabinneighbors">my son</a>, and one for me. So just for fun, I also started another website on my adventure of <a href="http://www.buildmyelectricguitar.com/electric-guitar/">building electric guitars.</a><br /><br />So if you are interested in yet another one of my "adventures", just click the link above. Presently the guitars aren't finished, so obviously the website isn't either. But you can at least follow along as <a href="http://www.buildmyelectricguitar.com/electric-guitar/">I build my electric guitars</a>!<br /><br /> -- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-85700313452068376642009-11-18T08:04:00.001-08:002009-11-18T08:09:44.919-08:00Anyone for a Mint?OK, I just stumbled on to this website that I am DEFINITELY going to check out. Its an online financial budget tool called <a href="http://www.mint.com">Mint.com</a> that automatically pulls your online account data. The problem I have always had with these kinds of tools is that you have to manually sit down and enter all of this stuff! Well <a href="http://www.mint.com">Mint.com</a> securely, and automatically pulls the data from your online accounts, then analyzes your spending habits.<br /><br />Another thing about manually entering the data is that its too easy to fudge the data to fool yourself. Since this pulls real data of real transactions, you can't fake yourself out.<br /><br />so I am definitely giving this a try!<br /><br /> -- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-70891890913028649012009-11-18T06:43:00.000-08:002010-02-23T14:52:13.382-08:00How to Secure a Wireless NetworkRecently I had a friend of mine found out that someone was using their wireless network without his permission. He asked me how to make his wireless network more secure.<br /><br />Here is what I did to make his <a href="http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/networking-section/wifi-wireless-category/89-how-to-secure-wireless-wifi-network.html">wireless network more secure</a>. That took care of his network intruder, and my friend is feeling better that his wireless network is more secure now.<br /><br /> -- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-7286398228833857832009-08-22T18:25:00.001-07:002009-08-22T18:27:01.321-07:00Adruino anyone?Yeah, check<a href="http://mytechhowto.wordpress.com/"> it out</a>!Mike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-70531409441131711072009-08-19T20:52:00.000-07:002009-08-19T20:55:12.088-07:00Dealing with spamAh yes, the ever present problem of spam. everyone hates it, yet a large part of our email habits ust cause to get even more spam, It can be a vicious circle. <a href="http://www.mikestechblog.com/joomla/operating-systems-section/microsoft-windows/85-how-to-reduce-or-stop-spam-and-junk-emails.html">Here is an article</a> on how you can reduce or even stop getting spam.<br /><br />-- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-29014825749803438622009-08-17T16:18:00.001-07:002009-08-17T16:22:17.972-07:00Satellite communication and ham radioSomething that interests me is satellite communication. I have spent many exciting hours "working the birds" as they say. It's really not that difficult at all! If you have an HT, and a portable antenna, you can get started. Here is a page about how to do that. Its a bit old, but the basic info is still relevant. In it, I talk about <a href="http://www.wb8erj.com/ao-27.htm">my first satellite qso</a>. Needless to say, I was hooked!<br /><br />-- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3527601447623678613.post-86818718158572553622009-08-16T19:56:00.000-07:002009-08-16T20:02:16.212-07:00Hello!My name is Mike, and I am just getting started here. One of my many interests is Ham radio, and I hope to post some things about that here. Feel free to check out my other<a href="http://mytechhowto.wordpress.com"> blog here</a>.<br /><br />One interest I have is space communications, and amateur satellite work. I actually spoke to Susan Helms on board the international space station! The audio is on my ham radio site, <a href="http://www.wb8erj.com">here</a>.<br /><br />OK stay tuned, more to come!<br /><br /> 73 -- MikeMike Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03685194309531616936noreply@blogger.com0