Archived - HEAS 2009

[Frank Sanns]

First light at 2009 HEAS.

Frank Sanns

P.S. Richard Hull on left and Carl Willis on right discuss some erudite point during operation.

R.H.

[Tyler Christensen]

Just got to the hotel, see you guys tomorrow!

[Frank Sanns]

Realtime photo of presentations.

Frank Sanns

P.S. Doug Coulter speaking during his early evening presentation.

RH

[Starfire]

Why not come live on skype or youtube? - I would even miss a few hours sleep for that

[Frank Sanns]

Biggest fusor group yet.

Sorry, no Skype on my Blackberry and Richard does not have internet here. Guess you will have to come next year or host one in England. You never know who might show up!

Frank Sanns

P.S. The evening meal, filling the local steakhouse to capacity with hungry fusioneers. We did give them a heads-up on this, of course.

RH

[Scott Fusare]

The HEAS event must be to Anthony and George's what Valentines day is to the florists.

Sorry I missed it this year. Greetings to all and thanks for the pictures Frank!

Scott

[Doug Coulter]

Thanks Frank,
Didja have to take such a clear picture of that scrawny scrofulous dude (me? ;~).

I had a ball there, meeting new people and swapping some cool toys. That was some turnout this time, lots of really-really good people.

Richard's run was especially impressive. (I got a snatch of a movie showing it, but it's a little large to upload here) I suppose he'll chime in here when he winds down a little, putting all that on couldn't have been a minimal effort -- I know I'm bushed, and all I did was show up.

Thanks Richard!

Doug and Bill

[Mike Beauford]

Hi Richard,

Thanks for having me out there. I enjoyed immensely the talk and the front row seat for the fusor runs. Between you and Carl, I learned enough I believe to complete my fusor. Once again, thanks!

Mike

[Carl Willis]

Nice report, Frank.

This was certainly a good year for HEAS, with turnout almost a record high and beautiful weather. It was nice to put faces with names!

The swapping and sales were also fun. I picked up a Snoopy neutron detector from Eric Stroud that I will check out for operation back in Albuquerque, as well as a variety of radioactive items from Richard, a piece of vanadium metal, two pounds of mercury, a nice 5-watt step attenuator set, a lab jack, an quartz-mercury UV lamp, and assorted odds and ends.

Oddest moment: An English teacher from the Virginia Governors' School, and one of Richard's neighbors, stopped by thinking this was just a regular yard sale. A quick look through the place quickly disabused her of that idea! I think she may have been creeped out by the profusion of radioactive stuff and rad detection gear, but she did have the temerity to stay in Richard's lab during a record neutron-producing fusor run.

This was the 20th year of Richard's HEAS meeting. Some people (I think Ed Wingate was instrumental) presented him with a beautiful plaque recognizing his organizing efforts. Thanks Richard (and Kit) for your hospitality, and I look forward to coming back many more times!

-Carl

[Richard Hull]

Well, The 20th year of holding these gatherings has past. The trash is dumped, (6 big yard bags of soda cans, munchie bags, boxes, etc. Thanks to all who attended and the many kudos to me at the event and afterward in the comments above. I look forward to future events and to seeing each of you in future and maybe some new attendees. We live and learn through interaction and the sharing of both knowledge and much needed goodies to make amateur science continue to generate a fresh cadre of new, young and inquistive minds.

This was the second largest attendance at 54 people! (Highest was 57 way back in 1996) This record was due solely to the Fusor folks who attended. It was also a record here for fusioneers. 15 active fusor list people showed up. (Image attached). We also had two folks there commit to scrounging and making a fusor. (not in image)

The fusor was started and ran on 5 separate occasions! The final run occured late Saturday afternoon and broke all of my records. 40,108 counts per minute on my He3 counter indicated 802,160 neutrons per second emitted isotropically! That translates to roughly 1,600,000 fusions per second!

Data: 44.2kv @ 10.2ma (variable), pressure 12.3 microns. (5 minute timed run recorded 200,540 counts). Carl determined that I did not have a bad pot in my supply but apparently a poor connection at my SCA amp. Once that connection was cleaned by multiple removals and replugs of a single BNC plug, the counter never stopped again. Carl also reset the base detection level. As an added cross test, Eric Stroud had his nearly matching He3 system there and put it on my bench at about 6 times the range of my detector and it counted wildly as well, but proportionally less due to distance factor.

We activated both Silver and Indium foils. The best silver activation was about 4 times lab background and at its best indicated 478 CPM on my NIM based GM counter.

Fusor IV has been pushed to it absolute limit, I feel and Fusor V will be forth coming.

The huge flea market was amazing and much needed money and items flowed between attendees. Often, a person who sold a lot also bought a lot and left with little or no net monetary gain or loss. In effect, this was a pure swap meet for many with money acting as a greasy intermediary. Still, I am unaware of any direct swaps being made.

The evening talks were all superb! All involved a power point or video visual presentation of images using my video projector onto my "white board"

Doug Coulter gave a report and finding of he and Bill Fain's efforts with their fusor.

Bill Kolb gave a plus ultra presentation of Ralph Pray's historic removal of about a ton and half of Trinitite from the trinity site back in the late 40's and its tortured journey through the hand of several people and dealers.

Carl Willis had three mini-presentations rolled into one and talked about ultra high energy gamma ray experiments that the amateur can do, gave us a tour of a water boiler nuclear facility and discuss the purex process for Uranium reduction.

Richard Hull gave a power point slide presentation of the 2009 Utah U mineral hunt involving Richard, Bill Kolb, Paul Carlock and Carl Willis.

The talks were over by 9PM and folks stayed, milled around and talked "shop" about topics ranging from high voltage, impulse quarter shrinking to fusors for the remainder of the evening with a few filtering out until the last 5 people departed about 1:30 AM Sunday.

Picture data.... NEED HELP WITH NAMES PLEASE Will the question marks get in touch with me so I can give them credit. And... Yes, I am embarrassed

Front row left to right...... Mr. X ?, Chad Ramey, Matthew Honickman, Richard Hull, Frank Sanns, Mike Beauford, Dave Rosignoli


Back row left to right........ Carl Willis, Tyler Christensen, Doug Coulter, ?, Bill Fain, Eric Stroud, Charlie Melvin, Jon Rosenstiel

Q is missing from the image, but was attending. Apparently he did not hear about the photo gathering. So, he makes 16 fusion list folks. He is in most all of the old HEAS archived years photos.


Fun seems to have been had by all.

Richard Hull

P.S PLEASE!!! Someone with images of the fusor and actual runs and especially of the crowds and mostly the flea market area, please post them!!!