Pacific NW News Service
Pacific NW NEW Service
Online since 1992Bob Shannon -Editor, PhotoEditor
Pacific NW NEW Service
Online since 1992Bob Shannon -Editor, PhotoEditor
Ron Rattray, British Columbia--Rick Price, Alberta
Bob Shannon, Bill Shannon, Ferry/Stevens Counties
PJ Bowen, NW Oregon - Bob Whittaker Seattle
Ma Kettle, Danville - J.Foster Fanning, Curlew
Kathy Meader Associate Editor
Ma Kettle, Danville - J.Foster Fanning, Curlew
Kathy Meader Associate Editor
Jane's Wish
Jane contracted polio during the epidemic of 1952 and was put into an iron lung for only a month but it wasn't a fun month....
Jane lived a semi normal life. She had a back surgery to help keep her back straight and she had a special brace she was supposed to wear for years to maintain a straight stance. But as years went by, muscles weakened and died. Post-polio, an undiscovered syndrome just a few years ago was setting in. It was like getting polio twice, this time for the rest of life. Muscles which had taken over double duty decided they had done their job...gone. She grew weaker and it became hard to walk medium distances. A specialist called a physiatrist diagnosed post polio in 1987.
Today Jane is in a wheelchair and on oxygen 24/7. She can still do some things. We race our wheelchairs. Yes I am in a wheelchair too but that's a different story. Jane's chair is fine for small tasks. It is built like a tank but she has to call a paratransit bus whenever she needs transport and that's a 2 day advance notice.
______________________________________Break________________________________
A new wildfire in central Washington has burned about 5,000 acres, or
nearly 8 square miles, of brush and grass in Chelan County.
The blaze that started Tuesday afternoon threatened several homes in the area about four miles west of Entiat.
http://www.khq.com/story/25966647/wildfire-near-mansfield-being-controlled
http://www.khq.com/story/25966647/wildfire-near-mansfield-being-controlled
Ron Rattray Grand Forks Editor
Larry Doyle
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"TWO MULE DEER BUCKS IN VELVET
The photographer in me appreciates these two stags browsing side by side. The Natural Resource Specialist in me sees a meadow chocked with noxious weeds and two ruminant mammals." John
The photographer in me appreciates these two stags browsing side by side. The Natural Resource Specialist in me sees a meadow chocked with noxious weeds and two ruminant mammals." John
Jane's Wish
Now Jane has a huge tank of a wheelchair that breaks alot and does her fair good only 8 months of the year. She would like to be able to be more normal and forget about post-polio. Along came the Smart Chair.
MySmartChair and what makes it vastly superior, mine is on the way, October 15, 2013
By
Keith Robb (Daly City, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Smart Chair - Electric Wheelchair
I'm a bit ocd and research and research
everything before I buy something because I hate buyers remorse. The
info below is a comprehensive look at why the Smartchair is the
technology of the future, dual lightweight (lithium Ion- polymer
)batteries, dual direct drive brushless motors for each wheel which are
amazingly more efficient than brushed motors and no maintenance. Last
weekend I spent 3 hours replacing the brushes from my huge, not
portable scooter
Now bit of backround. 3 years ago i purchased a pride mobility scooter that dismantles to fit into my trunk. It is pretty unstable unless in a shopping mall but not bad
for $1100 with a (SLA SEALED LEAD ACID BATTERY--AGM, GLASS MAT) it came with an 2(18ah battery ) It works ok, but I got tired of assembling and taking it apart every time I wanted to use it.
A year later I purchased a $3800 large, EV rider, heavy, heavy , heavy , and fast to take my greyhounds out around the neighborhood. It cannot be taken apart or transported in my car, unless I put it in my van which is impractical.
Now here's the good part and whey I'm writing this. Most older batteries nickel cadmium, and the sealed lead acid batteries in conventional scooters all are subject to the dreaded memory effect. If you don't monitor your charge and discharge cycles, the battery can be damaged in a short bit of time. In addition, most motors on 98% of the standard scooter use the sealed lead acide batteries with motors that have brushes, either 2 or 4 and they are not efficient. These horrible motors deliver about 55-60% of their rated power. The new, direct drive single wheel and battery combination are about 85% effective as well as weighing about 3LBS each vs the 35-90 LB SLA (Sealed Lead Acid )battery, and If you have a motor that is rated at 500 watts, this type of motor may actually produce 60% of it's rating, or 300 watts with less torque.
I didn't consider anything else until now, the NEW GENERATION OF LITHIUM ION BATTERIES, WITH BRUSHLESS MOTORS AND DUAL BATTERIES AND A DIRECT DRIVE MOTOR FOR EACH WHEEL. THE LITHIUM BATTERIES DO NOT SUFFER FROM MEMORY EFFECT, THE MOTORS ARE VASTLY MORE EFFICIENT AND WEIGH very little.
So, my new scooter will be super light weight, foldable without having to remove the batteries, no brushes to replace , each wheel motor drives only one wheel and there are support people in the USA, who speak english. I talked with the owner (Mathew) of smartchair in Los Angeles and he was a pleasure to do business with. BTW, batteries and all parts are roughly 50% of the cost of conventional mobility scooters and power wheelchairs. I will be able to easily pick up the entire small foot print folded chair without having to dismantle any part of it. Mathew, owner of smart wheelchair is going to do a website update to extoll the virtues of his amazingly lightweight power wheel chair which is just under 50Lbs. I will leave an update after owning this chair for a month
The technology will completely replace the old tech in 5-10 years for sure. A new day has dawned hurray, hurray
_____________________________________________________
Now bit of backround. 3 years ago i purchased a pride mobility scooter that dismantles to fit into my trunk. It is pretty unstable unless in a shopping mall but not bad
for $1100 with a (SLA SEALED LEAD ACID BATTERY--AGM, GLASS MAT) it came with an 2(18ah battery ) It works ok, but I got tired of assembling and taking it apart every time I wanted to use it.
A year later I purchased a $3800 large, EV rider, heavy, heavy , heavy , and fast to take my greyhounds out around the neighborhood. It cannot be taken apart or transported in my car, unless I put it in my van which is impractical.
Now here's the good part and whey I'm writing this. Most older batteries nickel cadmium, and the sealed lead acid batteries in conventional scooters all are subject to the dreaded memory effect. If you don't monitor your charge and discharge cycles, the battery can be damaged in a short bit of time. In addition, most motors on 98% of the standard scooter use the sealed lead acide batteries with motors that have brushes, either 2 or 4 and they are not efficient. These horrible motors deliver about 55-60% of their rated power. The new, direct drive single wheel and battery combination are about 85% effective as well as weighing about 3LBS each vs the 35-90 LB SLA (Sealed Lead Acid )battery, and If you have a motor that is rated at 500 watts, this type of motor may actually produce 60% of it's rating, or 300 watts with less torque.
I didn't consider anything else until now, the NEW GENERATION OF LITHIUM ION BATTERIES, WITH BRUSHLESS MOTORS AND DUAL BATTERIES AND A DIRECT DRIVE MOTOR FOR EACH WHEEL. THE LITHIUM BATTERIES DO NOT SUFFER FROM MEMORY EFFECT, THE MOTORS ARE VASTLY MORE EFFICIENT AND WEIGH very little.
So, my new scooter will be super light weight, foldable without having to remove the batteries, no brushes to replace , each wheel motor drives only one wheel and there are support people in the USA, who speak english. I talked with the owner (Mathew) of smartchair in Los Angeles and he was a pleasure to do business with. BTW, batteries and all parts are roughly 50% of the cost of conventional mobility scooters and power wheelchairs. I will be able to easily pick up the entire small foot print folded chair without having to dismantle any part of it. Mathew, owner of smart wheelchair is going to do a website update to extoll the virtues of his amazingly lightweight power wheel chair which is just under 50Lbs. I will leave an update after owning this chair for a month
The technology will completely replace the old tech in 5-10 years for sure. A new day has dawned hurray, hurray
_____________________________________________________
450 received...needed 950
Pics by Jane
I'll find what I need for Jane but first I'm headed to the DC area to give Joan a big bundle of flowers. I'm hoping she is not allergic to sunflowers. These are big ones.
I'll find what I need for Jane but first I'm headed to the DC area to give Joan a big bundle of flowers. I'm hoping she is not allergic to sunflowers. These are big ones.
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