Are you sitting comfortably?

Yep, there's probably some of you old enough to read the title of this posting and in your head will be "Then I'll begin."

(The BBC's "Listen with Mother" and probably the first time you sat intently in front of a radio...that or you'll remember the 'Moody Blues'. )


Sitting comfortably should be amongst our main thoughts when we're going to spend some time in front of our radios.....your backside, back, neck, legs and maybe feet will soon let you know otherwise!

You might operate vehicular mobile in which case you just have to plump with the seat your vehicle came with, or maybe you even move to the backseat for more comfort and room. Perhaps you bring a fold up chair with you and sit outside the vehicle which is especially nice in clement weather but not so otherwise.

If you're operating P.O.T.A. (Parks On The Air) you might find a bench to sit at and thoughtfully brought a towel or some such because the seating is still wet from the morning dew or from the rain the previous night. S.O.T.A. (Summits On The Air) activations may be a case of finding the nearest rock to sit atop or else drop to the floor on that cold ground. (Brrr, makes me shiver just thinking about it and for me at least the floor is a very long way down even sat atop a peak....plus I'd never get back up again! My mobility scooter wouldn't make it either...but at least it has its own seat. )

Perhaps you sit on a bed with your radio gear setup on a bedside cabinet reminiscent of your teenage years with your CB forays. You'd think a bed would be most comfortable but after sitting at that awkward angle, moving the bedside cabinet around and lounging six different ways from Sunday you soon find it isn't as comfortable as first appears!

If you're lucky enough to have a space for yourself and your radios such as a shed/wooden building or maybe even a spare room in the house you'll probably plump for an office type chair.....and if you've been using that old kitchen chair you'll soon wish you had something more 'luxurious'.

I'm lucky to have the space (kids grow up and leave....eventually) plus the full blessing of my wonderful wife to have been allocated the 'spare' bedroom. OK, it's just the typical box room at the front of the house which never has enough storage for all the radio 'junk' you gather but it's my little piece of heaven.

Thoughts soon turn to sitting arrangements and you may go through a few possibilities before you get something....comfortable enough. (Full comfort is never guaranteed and several hours in front of a radio will inform you otherwise.) I finally settled on the typical office style chair but with a few more features such as armrests and extra adjustments.



Looks nice and comfortable doesn't it?

It is on the whole and I can spend maybe just about a whole day sat in it but that might involve a bit of shuffling around now and then. The armrests give me....well, somewhere to rest my arms actually (and stop me falling out ) plus the upholstery is comfortable enough to prevent the old numb-bum. You can even fold the seat back to a more lounging position and there'd be more than once or twice my wife has entered the room to find me snoozing in it.

It wasn't the cheapest chair to be had but definitely way cheaper than the radios you'll be sat in front of. Even with that said the gas spring did pack up after less than a year seeing me slowly getting that 'sinking' feeling over the course of the day. The manufacturer held no responsibility either unless I wanted to send the whole thing back....yeah, just send me a new spring won't you!

For the costly sum of £8:99 (cheap enough right?) I ordered a new gas spring from a different supplier but surprisingly that price included next day delivery by a courier so no hanging about chair-less. (Bargain price considering!) Of course the old help video tutorials show that you simply 'tap' out the old spring and simply pop in a new one.....yeah right, took a fair old bashing with the hammer I can tell you! Even then it took bashing the stanchion until it was dented to <expletive removed> so that a pair of mole grips could gain sufficient purchase to pull it out. The wheeled base wasn't the issue, that soon fell out dropping the castor wheels in multiple directions all over the place, it was removing it from the seat that was the problem.

Anyway, after some sweat and tears the new spring simply popped in which was about the only easy part about it. Full adjustment is now regained without wondering why the desk is now closer to my chin than earlier.


So there you go, an important aspect to enjoy our radio activities that we never usually consider until our body lets us know otherwise.


Of course there's some that don't need no chair operating pedestrian mobile with a handheld transceiver. There's the dog walkers with their handy/walkie.... often with QSO's interrupted by shouts to the dog (Benson! Benson! ) and of course you'll occasionally come across someone 'bicycle mobile'......."This, puff, pant, is, pant, pant, Mike, puff, cough, Zero, puff, pant", usually accompanied with the whistle of the wind, whir of the chain and gears changing. You can see their middle aged bodies oozing out of the Lycra right now as well can't you.


Enjoy your radio....and make sure you're sitting comfortably.  


All the best,
Victor


Please do join in on this posting if you wish and let us know your seating arrangements/solutions.

I gave up changing the spring as you call it the gas shock i call it.
First one lasted the same about a year.
Replacements not long at all.
As i never lower or raise my chair i got a but of tin wrapped it round the shiny bit and put jubilee clips on it job done.
The padded arm's look nice mine has wooden ones and the chair is well was white leather does the job nicely and over the last day has had some use learning to drive the new toy but past my test around 6am today.

Hi Alan,

Yes, I did try the old jubilee clip at first but it would move every time I plonked my backside onto the seat eventually getting lower. Plus I like the 'suspension' effect whenever I sit down or move around.

There are stronger metal clips that go around them but the price of a new spring/shock worked out just as cheap.

Glad you're getting on with the new radio, you'll have to let us know how it all goes.

I have my own built in suspension it comes with me every ware lol.
Did try just the clip's but as you say they slide down but the steel wrapped round stops that now.
Got 3 chairs so i was changing the gas shock often and knocking the hell out of the chairs.

I did find a company that supplies the old fashioned threaded adjustable 'swivel chair' fixings that replaces the gas spring but in the USA. (Expensive postage!) So I think if it ever goes again I'll take a look at those stanchion clamp type fittings as they look up to the job.

I know what you mean though Alan....Got some 'lardy' rear suspension of my own too!

I stand while operating my radio, you can project your voice better when standing, that way I don't need a power microphone and my neighbours can hear my overs clearly when I bellow into the microphone.

Hi Andrew,

Long time no hear and hope you're keeping well.  

I wasn't sure whether you were joking or being serious until I remembered the Australian sense of humour.

(There's enough out there that do bellow into their microphones distorting like hell for some reason though!)

Perhaps the reputation of the Redbacks is why as an Australian you're seemingly cautious about sitting down?


Good to hear from you and all the best,
Victor

Hello Victor,

A great read.

I always had to stretch my legs when I worked radio from my Inpreza STI as the buckets seats (great for holding you in place when going sideways) always made you go numb in various regions of the anatomy when sitting for long periods. Lol.

My current daily drive's seats are one step off a deck chair, but remarkably comfy to sit in over long periods. It would be nice to sit on a chair outside the motor.... but we get very little clement weather in this region.

I would like a chair like that for my new office, but it looks so comfy, I would probably fall a sleep.

73s John.

Hi John,

Cheers mate. Always good to pop something up of interest and breaks the monotony of the call sign requests.  

I can imagine that a bucket seat would be great for driving but truly awful to be sat in trying to work some radio DX! At least your other car seats are a bit more comfortable....have you not got some of those nice wooden beads things that used to adorn car seats back in the day.

(What were they all about?!?)

Yes, working the 'tops' with the weather on the moors would leave you little choice but to stay in the car wrapped up warm. I've seen some of your winter work pictures and that looks too dang cold for the likes of me. (I catch a chill just going to the refrigerators freezer compartment! )

My new office chair? Definitely too comfortable at times and 'dangerous' to lean back in to as weirdly the clock suddenly jumps forward.


Cheers again John and all the best to you mate.

Your at it again Victor.
Not had a new chair for years and this one has seen better day's lol.
?????????? huuuuuummmmmmm.

Don't you be blaming me for your filthy spending habits there Alan mate.

Ha! Ha! It's amazing what we can plonk money into but something comfortable we can plonk our backsides on is a must really.  


(Bung me a PM if you want to know where I got this particular chair from so that I'm not "advertising" them on the forum.)

My son has that same chair i will convince him it't time he had a new one.
Or better still tell Linda he could do with a new chair she will buy him one for christmas lol.
Win win.

I have an ordinary office style swivel chair! Having ample natural posterior padding, I rarely suffer from a numb bum.

I do like the look of that chair though, Victor

New rig - new chair - what's next?

Deb

Hiya Deb,

Alan and I were just on about ample 'natural' padding earlier in the posting being gentlemen of a certain age and physique.


It is a nice chair though Deb but I've had it for almost a year hence why miffed at the gas spring going. All sorted now though and enjoying sat in front of the new radio. (Loving it!)

Still running through my homebrew 9:1 un-un though and that bit of washing line strung down the garden....I don't spend where I don't need to.  

73,
Victor

I have one similar, quite comfy but the gas thing went kaput in six months.
Have not bothered with it as lowered height seems ok even though I am 6foot.

Hi Victor,

I remember those beads on seats. Lol. Do people still use them?

I could do with a bigger "foot warmer" to keep me warm.

Lol. On the chair and time jumping forward. I think my old boss had one of those.

All the best, John.

Hi Mike,

It does seem that a lot of these style chairs suffer with the gas spring but I'll keep an eye on my replacement and maybe look for an alternative option when the time comes. I'm 6'1" but have to sit quite close to the bench so notice the drop more readily.

73

Hi John,

I know, what were those beads all about?!? I don't think I've seen any in a long time but then things like 'static strips' and bluetooth earpieces were fads that went the way of the Dodo too.


73

I am sure my sisters X son-in-law still has the beads in his van.
Never sat on them years ago when plenty of folk had them but what did they do.

Just took a look Alan and it seems that they still sell this sort of stuff. 
Apparently it prevents discomfort when sitting in a hot seat and provides 'air-circulation' for the user. One reviewer exclaimed how wonderful it was and they no longer have a sweaty back or butt crack. (Eeeew!)

Perhaps having bead imprints all over the rear of your body is 'comfortable' for some?

Never had a problem with a hot seat and Linda loves to have the seat heaters on anytime of year.

Hi Victor,

I remember those static strips, they were contemporary with louvered rear windows, 8 track and vinyl roofs. I remember my Grandfather's yellow, mk3 Cortical had the along with proper wing-mirrors.

Hello Alan and Victor,

I can see how that would work with the beads. I think they would clash with the blue alcantara buckets in the Impreza, though.

God i feel old lol.
Never had the beads but had all the other bits.
And Castrol GTX oil when that came on the market.

When I was 22 stone, I was going through eBay "gaming" chairs at an alarming rate, £80-£100 every 4-6 months. Did a little research and found Maplin were selling Anda Seat Jungle series for £200, the chairs had very good reviews, so pulled the proverbial trigger.

Even when I was badly overweight, the chair stood up to the test, no piston issues or falling apart, the chair itself must've weighed at least half as much again as any of the previous ones I had bought. I even bought a second for a visitor or if need be a spare.

The chair has now lasted about 3 years, 2 of which were under the mass of a medium-sized asteroid, should last even longer now I am down to 14 and a half stone. Yes! It costs a bit more than the average chair, but is comfortable and built to last.