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  1. #1051
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    The late fall has been very wet, we just survived yet another storm with high winds and lots of rainfall, and the temperatures have been every day above freezing here in the deep south of the country. Therefore I haven't been very interested in changing the winter tyres on Serenity the Bakkie, they are anyways not mandatory until the first of December, so why bother.

    On the Friday morning I was 'bout to leave for a client early in the morning. Well, I didn't.





    Lucky my schedule wasn't too tight... A set of brand new winter tyres, this time from Korea since South Africa don't seem to produce studded tyres which are a must on a bakkie with no three letter abbreviations, like ABS, ASL, ESP, TCS...




    This Sunday I decided to do anything but important things, but I did end up tinkering with my study IT-corner. Can not escape work related stuff, but then again, computers and anything related is also a dear hobby of mine...

    Here's the new look of my workbench. Used to have a desktop computer with four displays running Windows 10 for my day to day computing needs simultaneously running my home security system on the background, but I thought the time has come for a change: an all-in-one computer is taking care of pulling security and a laptop connected to a 4K TV screen is running GNU/Linux with Windows 10 running on Oracle VirtualBox takes care of my everyday work needs. I do need the Windows for being able to give support to my clients and for running Micro$soft software in native OS, but the interesting work gets done within the Linux environment.




    Remember when I told about me running a Linux comms server with the old DEC VT320 Terminal on the lower left corner in the picture? Now it's also running my network time server which synchronizes itself directly with GPS satellites. Why? Well.... just because

  2. #1052
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    Are you subcontracting with NASA?

  3. #1053
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    I just like to tinker with interesting toys, new and vintage and make them serve a purpose Mating high tech with low tech is always an intriguing challenge, naturally from the engineering standpoint, but the real prize is to end up with something that is actually useful thus justifying its existence and the effort. Why? Again, just because.

  4. #1054
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    Quote Originally Posted by AK-Gunner View Post
    I just like to tinker with interesting toys, new and vintage and make them serve a purpose Mating high tech with low tech is always an intriguing challenge, naturally from the engineering standpoint, but the real prize is to end up with something that is actually useful thus justifying its existence and the effort. Why? Again, just because.
    Totally support that

  5. #1055
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    Wow.... One hundred thousand views on a journal from a random dude from the 60°north. Thank you guys, this truly makes me humble.


    My life has for many reasons been in a sort of a turmoil for the last month or so, but this weekend is dedicated for recovery with long time friends I've known for over 40 years. One should never underestimate the healing power of true friends



    The snow has melted away, but this morning feels kind of chilly...



    Coming up next week: how to make a shit sandwich and to feed it to the maker...

  6. #1056
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    Finland declared its independence from Russia in 1917. Happy Independence Day AK!

  7. #1057
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    Thank you Tex

    Being relaxed, but not too relaxed.



  8. #1058
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    Since I'm a sucker for vintage tech this extends itself to old-time optics. Like this Weaver scope I got free since it was broken beyond repair. But I know a guy who knew a guy...

    This scope was manufactured back in the day when the good ole USA still was manufacturing high quality but affordable products, too bad that became eventually impossible and Weaver got defunct in 1984. That's when they sold their facilities and machinery to all over the States plus their whole big stash of spare parts... to a guy in Finland.

    This guy (an arrogant bastard who knew better than you what you want to be done to your scope) was the repairman big scope manufacturers used for their warranty repairs in Finland (the only one, hence the arrogance) and also he was practically the only one who had an optics repair shop in Finland. Lucky for us he retired and sold his company with every nut, bolt and Weaver spare part to a new guy who is quite the opposite of the old dude: a real pro who listens to the client and gives advice and follows the resulting work order you give him. A really nice guy and not too expensive.




    You can find these V4.5-II W variables from eBay for 50-100$, but they won't be NOS quality like this I got refurbished: new internal components, new objective lens, parallax set to my preference and new anti-fog nitrogen treatment cost me a bit shy of 100€. A new scope with this mechanical and optical quality would cost me over three times more and I had the opportunity to save a classic in lieu of buying a new Chinese glass.

    The "W" in the model name stands for Wide, but actually the field of view isn't at all wider than of a normal scope, the upper and lover part of the ocular has just been cut away... But there's a bonus: I could install the scope on a relatively low mount with the scope fitting right above the rear flip-up sight.





    The same guy installs illuminated reticles on any old scope... maybe one day I'll let him have another look at this fine little scope.





    About the Shit Sandwich article: It'll be here sooner or later, needs a bit of drawing maps etc...

  9. #1059
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    Default Re: Meanwhile back in Finland...

    Consider, the shit sandwich: a situation in which whatever you do, the high probability is you are in deep trouble. And it really stings if you end up there because you dropped the ball yourself.




    TRAINING OP IN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION IN FINLAND, OPFOR VS. UNDISCLOSED OPERATIONAL SPECIAL UNIT


    SPECIAL UNIT:

    Team ALPHA: dynamic entry team, AOR AO north, target building side 1

    Team BRAVO: demolition/dynamic entry team, AOR AO west and south, target building side 2 and 3

    Team CHARLIE: close recon and surveillance, AOR AO east, target building side 4

    Team UNIFORM: UAV aerial recon, AOR the whole AO and immediate surrounding terrain


    OPFOR:

    TANGO 1: a leader of a group of criminals, has connections with foreign agents, armed with RK62 assault rifle, edged and blunt weapons

    TANGO 2: a member of a group of criminals, armed with RK62 assault rifle, edged and blunt weapons, teargas

    MISSION OBJECTIVES

    - set perimeter
    - begin recon, commence surveillance
    - identify TANGO 1
    - when TANGO 1 is identified, proceed to advancing to HQ and apprehending any personnel found on site
    - begin interrogation on TANGO 1
    - gather on site intelligence material

    AREA OF OPERATIONS:

    - buildings and their surrounding terrain outside the AO are NO-GO as inhabited civilian targets



    MISSION STATUS

    - teams ALPHA, BRAVO, CHARLIE are ready to engage, UNIFORM is continuing with the aerial recon
    - team UNIFORM has been gathering aerial intelligence on the suspected criminal HQ and based on the intel, there are at least two armed persons at HQ area, the actual number not yet confirmed
    - team CHARLIE was given a mission for further optical and/or close recon and has succeeded on having a positive ID on TANGO ONE

    MISSION IS A GO


    INITIAL TACTICAL SITUATION AND -PLAN



    Very straight forward, ALPHA will take the short route to the side 1 through the forest and the garden, the routes were verified by the UAV (remember this one!), BRAVO will take a longer route and ready explosive charges on the side 3 of the building and eventually make an entry through the wall, CHARLIE would lock down the side 4, engaging with fire if needed.

    Well, that was the plan at least...


    Outside of our makeshift reality, there were two referees from the game HQ on the yard ready to asses the performance of the SPECOPS guys.


    When the op had reached this point, me and my OPFOR buddy had been at the gangsta HQ (an old abandoned house about to be demolished) for a couple of hours, had some people visit there bringing us weapons and explosives we would be selling to foreign agents, and of course hard drugs for our own recreational use (those looked just like cans of Fanta for some reason).

    The plan was my buddy TANGO 2 would be guarding the front yard armed with the RK62 and me doing gangsta things inside taking calls to known terrorists and sending SMS messages to my troops. As I paced towards the east side window ( side 4 to the pros) I happened to see a rock move from right to left about 20 meters from me. Well, rocks don't usually move by themselves. I figured out that the "rock" was actually a ballistic helmet I would've never noticed unless the guy wearing it wouldn't have instinctively moved when my eyes were pointing straight at him.

    What now? I can't start yelling THE PIGS ARE HERE and kill the training op before it even started, so I just pretended I saw nothing, moved my line of sight away from the dork (did I really say that?) who was skylining with his HEAD and acted normal.

    Strike one, guys...

    So now CHARLIE knows I'm inside, but doesn't know if I've got friends there. Suddenly, shouting and shooting on the front yard (side 1) and I hear TANGO 2 is down wounded badly screaming for help: ALPHA's here... But where's BRAVO?




    Meantime back at the neighbouring citizen, BRAVO has set charges on HIS wall, ready to engage on ALPHAS mark when they hear sudden shooting... from another house.



    Yes, they got lost and ended up up on the very next house where someone was just about to shit his pants these heroes exploding a hole into his wall storming in shouting commands to the poor guy. Lucky for them, they realized their error just before they clicked the button...

    Strike two...

    The UAV did manage to survey the terrain, but what had looked like a nice treetop canopy was actually a top layer of an almost impenetrable shrubbery of hawthorn gone wild decades ago and the guys got somewhat disoriented and eventully chose the wrong house.

    And I'm inside glancing through the windows waiting for BRAVO to do their worst that never happening, waiting for SOMEONE to look in any windows and spotting me which also never happened. Why? Well, for some reason everybody were extremely interested on my screaming minion squiggling on the ground shouting profanities and begging for help while he was "bleeding to death".

    Strike three... Who's counting anyways.



    I saw a referee watching me through a window as mesmerized as me, I was gesturing to him "where's everybody, why don't anyone even LOOK in the bloody window" and he just looked frustrated with the situation. Well, if movement stops better get going and I thought "Let's play my part" and walked to the hallway, looked out the window, set my selector to full auto and let rip shouting DIE YOU BAAAAAASTARDSSSSSSSSSSRRRATATATATATATAAAA!



    None of them even shot back, that's the level of shock I introduced to them. Poor guys.

    So I killed three of them (and my poor minion, well, they are expendable aren't they) and ran back in still wondering where the team BRAVO is spending their evening, killing a member of CHARLIE who at last glanced in on a window with a short burst of 7.62 blanks (frustrated referee: you are deaddddd) and waited for an immediate dynamic entry finishing me off in three seconds or so. Nope. Listened to the guys arguing in the hallway should the other operator go check the upstairs....which he did (exchanging frustrated glances with the referee again).

    About those "strikes"...

    In a simulated drug and hormone induced craze I started shooting full auto through the door and the dry walls (those guys would've been toast in real life) shouting YOU WILL NEVER GET ME ALIVE!!!!



    All empty, threw my mag off the RK shouting colourful profanities to my opponents this time more or less meaning what I said (except the awful things I said about their sisters and mothers), ALPHA 2 jumped through the door shooting FULL AUTO (the authorities in Finland don't usually do it) aiming at my face in a few meters range (safety regs forbids aiming at someone at this short ranges) running at me, throwing his now empty weapon aside and jumping on me with his 100 + kg total weight us crashing on the floor me breathless under the pile of meat and high speed kit.

    I got them angry me thinks?



    Guess I did since when I was lying down motionless and breathless under the weight of ALPHA 2, ALPHA 1 picked up a sizzling hot 7.62 brass and put it on the soft skin on my neck "to check if he's alive, the pain will tell". Yes it did hurt, yes the smell of burning pork was most uncomfortable, but it was worth it thinking about the moment when ALPHA 2 jumped up notably scared and the even more obviously scared voice of ALPHA 2 asking "Did he die for real?" That was funny, but it left a scar.

    The mission wasn't obviously a success, the objectives were met only partially, too many people died and the guys had a shit sandwich for dinner. The one they made for themselves. But as always, I was happy to serve

    P.S. my immediate AAR was interesting: I went through the goods (the short list) and the bads (the long list) with the referee I was communicating with during the op, but all he did was grunt for answers, never said a word and then he bluntly left the scene seemingly unhappy with the outcome of the FTX.

    Much later I was told he was actually responsible for training these guys.

  10. #1060
    Moderator camouflage762's Avatar
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    Sigh..... So hard to train and keep a good minion.

    They always seem to die first, then it's lots of paper work too.

    Cool AAR. Got me chuckling!
    Recent studies show that 1 out of every 3 liberals are just as dumb as the other 2

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