Joachim, how many years have you been away from Baja California and will you ever come back? I hope you can as your passion for the peninsula seems
high!Graham - 7-20-2021 at 08:35 PM
Remember visiting in late 1984 with my burro Bonny. Spent the night at the kind invitation of the German engineers... and enjoyed a "few" beers.
Was hoping they could repair my camera. No luck... but they did give me a guided tour and loan me a camera to shoot a roll of film.
Story in my book Into a Desert Place, near the end, Chapter 29 Mag Bay.
And book is FREE on Kindle till July 24. Then will cost you an arm and a leg.
Hi David,
have been to Baja california three times. For site suvey, installation and setup the system and for warranty performance.
After that, I always visited my friend Bob in San Diego. We have designed a Doppler Sonar project together.
I know quite well Bob Boehme W2IRI. He worked formerly for Ametek Strazza a company which designed and produce doppler sonar underwater systems.
So i introduced this systems in Germany and we used it at huge supertanker as well as at the german navy vessel.
This systems measured the speed and motions over ground. We had no GPS this time but the Transit system wich deliver a fix (a correct position) about
all 50 minutes.
The time inbetween you must navigate with dead reckoning wich was not so good with a normal ships Log.
But Transit with a Doppler sonar and the ships gyro deliver a very accurate position all the time. So Bob and me design this systems.
At http://www.dj7wl.darc.de/Doppler%20Sonar%20und%20E09.html you may read a description about Doppler Systems. Of course it is in german language but
with goggle translater you may read it and there are many pictures about the system.
About your question, i don´t believe to come to the Baja Califoria again and my friend Bob is passed away a time ago.bajagerman - 7-21-2021 at 05:27 AM
Hi Graham,
thank you for the information as well as the pictures.
I have read the story of your live as well as your trip
down the Baja California all the way. Also i have seen you
wrote several books more.
Myself i have done very different projects on very different
places at our globe. After i finished the project Sonntlan at
Las Barrancas i start to design a communications and navigations
project for the Indian Antarctis Station. All the material was
send to Goa/India. Here I carried out intensive training with
the overwintering crew on all devices as shortwave and satellite
systems. Navigations systems like radar and satellite navigation.
After I retired, i wrote a book about a selection of my projects.
In the end it turned out to be a big book.
A short description of all articles can be viewed at: www.seefunk-gmdss.de
Of course it is in german language but by the help off Google Translator you may read it. Also to all articles are one ore more pictures placed.
As a special feature, i have produced three DVDs for the book which
accompany and supplement the content.
The video at the link: https://youtu.be/A210bOGgVmU
for example belongs to the Sonntlan project.
Joachim
Hamburg/GermanyDavid K - 7-21-2021 at 06:03 AM
Thank you... Google automatically translated it to English. Very interesting, photo-filled page!Graham - 7-22-2021 at 09:32 AM
Thank you bajagerman for the background information and the links. Your projects all sounded so interesting.
It was good to remember my visit to Las Barrancas in 1984. I'm looking forward to finding again the photographs I took with the borrowed camera and
seeing what I'd written in my journal.
It was an amazing experience, one of many on that trip.
bajagerman - 7-22-2021 at 11:44 PM
Hi Graham,
If you can find the photos it would be interesting to publish a selection
here together with some text from your visit to the Sonntlan project at Las Barrancas.
Joachim
Hamburg/GermanyGraham - 7-25-2021 at 05:01 PM
Thank you Joachim. I'll see if I can find them. Would be amazing to see again after so many years... and I kept a journal. Will see if I can find that
too. Graham - 7-26-2021 at 11:09 AM
Found a few more pictures from my visit with my burro about November 1984.
I'm sure there are others... recall borrowing a camera from you guys - mine had broken. Might need to find and scan.
I shot a roll of black-and-white film (24 or 36 exposures) while getting a tour of the plant after spending a fun night as your guests. Thankyou.
Fascinating project and memories.
bajagerman - 7-27-2021 at 02:42 AM
Hi Graham,
at your picture no 4 you stays below a Helioman system. At that time in the mid-80s this was
a very advanced system.The basic idea was to focus the sun's rays on a tube system.
A special liquid circulated in the pipe system. The mirror system in the Helioman system had
to be very precisely aligned with the sun at any time of the day. 18 of the Helioman systems
were bundled into one overall system. The highly heated special liquid was transported into
the machine house via the insulated pipe system. Here the energy was converted into steam in
order to drive a generator which produced electrical energy.
The 18 Helioman systems had to be very precisely aligned with the sun at all times of the
day and all year round. This was guaranteed by a special computer program. During the night,
all systems went to sleep. Why this was necessary is explained in the picture itself.
If you enter the following position in Google Maps or Google Earth you will automatically be
taken to the point of view from the 18 Helio system.
Position: 26 00 02 N 112 11 47 W
The bases of the 18 Helioman systems can still be seen clearly in 2021.
The energy generated by the Helioman was combined with a solar cell field and several wind generators.
This research project was set up in a community between Germany and Mexico.
Germany invested 90 million DM in the project. bajagerman - 7-27-2021 at 02:49 AM
This is a view of the Sonntlan site project, the 18 bases of the Helioman systems are clearly visible.
bajagerman - 7-27-2021 at 02:52 AM
This is a Helioman system in working position.
bajagerman - 7-27-2021 at 02:55 AM
Here is a section of the Helioman field.
bajagerman - 7-27-2021 at 02:57 AM
Helioman system in the sleeping position.
The reason why the Helioman system went into this position after sunset is to avoid sand and dust
deposits on the mirrors when the air is humid at night.
It has been a while since the "Remembrance of the Sonntlan Project" geocache was placed.
With this geocache it is quiet a long story. “Sonntlan” has been a common project between Mexico
and Germany. The German Goverment spends 90 millions Deutsche Mark for it. You may read the full
story at my Sonntlan Homepage. www.dj7wl.darc.de and there please click to:
„Ein Forschungsprojekt der Bundesrepublik Deutschland und eine Wette“ all in english language.
But the geocache is a different story. We had a family meeting with our childrens and grandchildrens
in the year Jun 2014. My oldest granddaughter should give a lecture about solar energy at her school,
so she ask my somethink about solar energy. Finally she ask me the question, how is the situation at
the Sonntlan plant now, everythink is working fine?
I answher, i have no idea at all. But after that meeting i startet to find it out. Finally i found
the baja nomad forum. There has been already this threat: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=68323 with a discussion about the Sonntlan project.
At 08-17-2014 i opened my own threat at baja nomad forum: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=74962
You may read the full story about the geocache here. Some more details you will find at my Sonntlan Homepage: www.dj7wl.darc.de
I was looking for people here in the forum who would climb the Radio Relais hill to take photos there.
The first one who tried it was Harald 4x4abc. He reported problems in getting to the hill at all.
In my days this hill could be freely approached from all sides. In the meantime, however, everything is
fenced in and provided with gates. So Harald gave up on this first attempt but he sent me photos.
Later, and together with some friends, she made it up the hill and sent me more photos.
My original idea was to place the geocache on this hill, but we discarded it because of the fencing.
Then we chose a different location for the geocache.The details can be found under this link: https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC6GP8N
Tom, Harald and other team members have placed the geocache finally there.
“bornfisher” has been the first finder of the geocache Memorian Sonntlan.
But now we all waiting for the next finder of this geocache. Also she or he will receive from me the original
Video about the constructions time of the project Sonntlan at the places Ciudad de Constitucion, the relais
station at top of the hill and the system itself at Las Barrancas.
From this next finder I like very much to receive photos about the way to the geocache as well as photos
about the surrounding of the geocache position and the geocache box inside.
The new finder please confirm the find with Geocaching by making an entry there.
The new finder please also write its name and date in the geocache log and send a photo of it.
As an extra, I'll give the first finder after "bornfisher" US $ 20 for some beer or wine.
The condition for the transfer is, it must be possible via the Paypal for a friend method.
Have a good time
Joachim bajagerman - 9-17-2021 at 04:46 AM
This is a picture of Harald 4x4abc, in the background you see the radio hill and in the foreground you can see
that it never rains in Baja California Sur.
bajagerman - 9-17-2021 at 04:48 AM
This picture by Harald shows the distance from the radio hill everything is fenced in.
bajagerman - 9-17-2021 at 04:51 AM
The expedition climbs the Radio Hill for photos of the rest of the radio relay system.
bajagerman - 9-17-2021 at 04:53 AM
If you look for the geocache and then see this rock formation, you are very close. If you go to the geocaching page you will see that there are only 4
geocaches on the entire west coast of Baja California Sur, and this is one of them.
bajagerman - 9-17-2021 at 04:55 AM
This photo shows the original contents of the geocache box.
The expedition climbs the Radio Hill for photos of the rest of the radio relay system.
I think I see TW, plus Harald and Karl?bajagerman - 9-17-2021 at 09:16 AM
Hello David, I think you are right, but Harald can say better than that. Harald was also on this expedition. Did you also look at the page 6 before I
described more there about Sonntlan and Geocache?David K - 9-17-2021 at 09:41 AM
I look at everything you post.
Remember, I also I took a photo of your old factory building at Las Barrancas, in 2017... on my way to Harald's home in La Paz.
bajagerman - 9-19-2021 at 02:44 AM
Hi, to all visitors of this forum for the Sonntlan project.
In this thread I described in detail on page 6 and the date 9-17-2021 how I was
able to attract people from distant Germany who visited the sites of the Sonntlan
project and sent me photos. One expedition even climbed the hill where the
radio relay was installed. A second expedition installed the geocache which is
supposed to be a reminder of the Sonntlan project.
Ultimately, I used these photos to show what remains of the Sonntlan project can
still be seen today.
The whole story of the Sonntlan project can be viewed at the link: http://www.dj7wl.darc.de/Sontlan.html
Planning and preparation are carried out there, as is installation and
commissioning. I would like to report on one detail of the planning.
In conversation with my Mexican partner, I asked how we got the container up the
chosen hill. They said to me, that's not a problem, we'll do it with a helicopter.
Ultimately, however, no suitable helicopter was available.
Instead, heavy equipment had to be used to build a path up to the top of the hill.
This path was not overgrown and can still be viewed today via Google Map.
This change delayed the project by 6 months.
At the link above you can see the whole story of the Sonntlan project from
planning, installation to commissioning and operation.
You can also see pictures from the expeditions.
Ultimately, I evaluated all the photos to see what was left of the Sonntlan
project.
In addition to the photos, I have provided a video of the installation,
commissioning and operation under the following link: https://youtu.be/A210bOGgVmU
My comments in the video are in English. bajagerman - 11-27-2021 at 02:24 AM
Thank you for your good report on the Sonntlan project.
Huesos started this blog because people were wondering about the strange buildings
in Las Barrancas.Later I found this blog and always wrote something on the subject.
I started my own blog because of a bet I had with my grandchildren.
Why did I like it so much in Mexico on the Baja California?
Met a lot of friendly people there and had a good crew of technicians who helped me with the
installation in Las Barrancas, Ciuda de Constitution and at the Radio Relay Hill station.
Joachim
Hamburg/Germany
View user's profilebajagerman - 4-23-2022 at 01:25 AM
This picture shows part of my crew who helped me install the Sonntlan project on the Baja California in Las Barrancas.
The full story of this project in English and with lots of pictures can be
viewed at the following link.
Link: http://www.dj7wl.darc.de/Sontlan.html
There you can see other members of my team.
However, the story does not end with the completion of the project but is
pursued far beyond.
Years later I made a bet with my grandchildren that I would be able to
find partners in Mexico who would drive to the installation sites and send
me pictures. That's why I started this blog.
In addition, I made a video of this project.You can also see members of
my team there.
The link to this video: https://youtu.be/A210bOGgVmU
I would be very happy if one of my team at the time reads these
lines and writes to me. My mail: JPaul@gmx.euDavid K - 6-9-2022 at 08:39 AM
Facebook is very popular in Baja California and with the translator feature (and easy photo uploading) folks from both sides of the border participate
on Facebook group pages.
I have two Facebook groups, one for history (missions, etc.) and one for current activities like camping and exploring. I think more than half of the
members of my groups are Spanish speakers. Naturally, it translates from German, too. John Harper - 6-9-2022 at 04:48 PM
Fascinating thread, thank you so much for posting up.
