This one was a doozy. Usually when there is a power failure at the gate that is not resolved by the UPS, it means there was a power spike or something which fried the controller for the gate lock. That sucks because those little things are quite expensive. This time around, despite replacing it and doing anything I could think of with the controller software on the server side, I couldn’t figure it out. Nothing was working as expected. So, I got the new controller operational, but the lock was still not energizing. It’s supposed to be powered ON to be locked, and it temporarily disconnects electricity to unlock it, then reapplies electricty to engage the lock, and you close the gate, engage the hasp, and bang, it’s closed and locked. This time, the lock wasn’t getting any electricity at all. Strange. It’s only 24v in DC curent, so heat or temperature is not an issue. Lo and behold… the wiring to power the lock had split and failed!

I had never run acros this before. The DC wiring INSIDE the PVC pipe, and protected from the elements had split and the wiring was falling apart, probably shorting the circuit internally. Well shiver me timbers! The wire housing should be good to 200+ degrees or so, and it’s inside a pipe, so what the hell did this? Who knows… At any rate, I discovered this fact and grabbed some 20/2 bell wire from the Orange Big Box store to wire it up temporarily and see if power would go through to the lock. Sure enough it worked.

Of course, it didn’t help that I was already at the 10 or 11 hour mark of bashing my brains in trying to figure out why this thing was not working. But with a temporary new wire run set up… it worked! Alas, it was nearing midnight, and I was exhausted. Little did I know, I wouldn’t be able to make it back for some time.

Somewhere in the timeline, the existing SLA batteries in the UPS died, also killing power, and I replaced them with some LifePo4 batts. They didn’t like it despite the low amperage output, so I pulled that unit out of service. Just one more hardware failure. I’m really disappointed in the SLA batteries though. I only got about 2 years out of them before failure. They should have lasted 3 years. These things get cheaper and cheaper all the time. I’m going to try a DC UPS instead since the power usage is so low in there, it shouldn’t be an issue from a wattage perspective, but is definitely an issue with the amount of power drops we see scattered through the years for only short periods of time.

The box itself is NEMA rated well for outdoor use and is even made of high quality thick steel instead of plastic, but I’ll get some materials to add additional waterproofing to it and improve the air flow, as the inside temperature of that box routinely breaks 110 degrees in ther summer! Temperature dropped a few degrees with the box opened to allow full airflow while I was working on it one day.

My mother had cataract surgery on September 9th, and basically got sick 2 days later and has been sick pretty much since then and is still now. Five doctor appointments post-surgery and multiple trips here and there for all the assorted usual stuff. I even had to postpone my own scheduled upcoming surgery to handle everything and it’s still not looking good. Today was the usual 1pm session on Sunday, and after that, I fixed up the remaining issues to get the gate operational. Wouldn’t you know it, if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all. Of course it would rain on me today. Here’s a pic on the way out.

At least I didn’t get stuck in the mud near the gate. DON’T ASK ME HOW I KNOW ABOUT THAT. But hey, it doesn’t end there. Why stop with that bad luck when I can get even more! Let’s roll with a flat tire to end this wonderful experience!

If you don’t have an air inflator in your car, get one. Don’t wait. Do it now.

So this brings an end to the current problem of the gate. I have some other wiring adapters on order to change out connectors with waterproof ones at a future date after they arrive (just in case). And of course there’s the server itself which needs to be updated, patched, maintenanced, and backed up. Then there’s the fence on the west side which needs to be fixed and patched up, and then there’s the mesquite which needs to be trimmed (thanks George for your hard work!) and all the usual kerfuffle.

It ain’t easy being green.

The annual Cowboy match in Lockhart overlaps with this month’s match, so Cowboy shooters will be running on the 3rd Sunday instead of the usual 4th Sunday in May. Next month, the schedule will return to normal.

After the recent heavy rain, we had a section of baffling in the 200 yard bay fall out. After receiving word on it, Our VP Ray and his crew got out there and fixed it up, rapiring the damage and making it usable again. Great job guys!

The repair work in the 25 yard bay commenced this week. New sheet metal is being put up and the pea gravel is being refilled in the baffles. Construction work will only occur during weekdays. You are still free to use ALL bays during Saturday and Sunday, but the 25 yard bay is unavailable for shooting while workers are present.

We’ll review the 25 yard bay after completion and schedule permitting, will move on to the next bay repair work.

A reminder: The welded rebar target stands in the 25 yard bay are ONLY for use in the 25 yard bay! Just because there is repair work ongoing does not mean you can use the rebar target stands in the 100 yard bay! If you wrongly thought this was the case, please contact me so we can schedule your attendance *again* for one of the 40 Safety Briefings I conduct every year. At the end of said Safety Briefing, I shine a green laser on those target stands and instruct everyone NOT to use them anywhere other than the 25 yard bay.

Greetings fellow members!

August is almost here, and it’s an extremely busy month for me. First off, tomorrow’s meeting, the normal monthly First Tuesday night meeting is cancelled. I have injured my foot and need a few more days to heal before I can move around adequately. 

But have no fear, it’s August, so there will be plenty of other options for you to renew membership or for friends to join for the first time.

Both the 1st and 3rd Sunday sessions at 1pm will be available for both new members as well as renewing members to come and attend.

But for EXISTING PAID members, you may attend any of the planned Saturday morning sessions for a ‘Fast Renewal’. You come in, fill out the pink form as usual, and make payment, then are free to leave. Your card will be updated for the upcoming year once I finish processing all forms. This is ONLY for current active paid members. If you were a member before but have not renewed, you must attend one of the Sunday sessions.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, here is the August Schedule:

Sunday, August 6th @ 1pm: Regular join/renewal session for all
Sunday, August 20th @ 1pm: Regular join/renewal session for all

Saturday, August 5th @ 10am: Special Fast session only for existing PAID members

Saturday, August 12th @ 10am: Special Fast session only for existing PAID members

Saturday, August 19th @ 10am: Special Fast session only for existing PAID members

Saturday, August 26th @ 10am: Special Fast session only for existing PAID members

Be aware that several months ago the Club voted to increase the annual dues to $160 prorated quarterly. So for existing paid members, bring $160 for membership if you already have your NRA covered, and $160+$40=$200 if you need your regular membership with us as well as purchasing an NRA membership through us.

For past members who are NOT currently active and paid up, they can renew at either Sunday session as normal for $40 for the remaining Quarter 4 of our Fiscal Calendar, plus an additional $160 for the upcoming Fiscal Year, totalling $200, plus $40 NRA if needed. We don’t usually have too many that renew this late in the fiscal year, but there are always a few.

Two main updates this month:

The Club voted unanimously to accept the Board members seated for another year.

The Club also voted to increase the annual dues to $160.

Ladies & gentlemen,

The monthly Tuesday night meeting for September is CANCELLED. No meeting and no membership session like there would be afterwards.

The 3rd Sunday 1pm session is still available for those who need to join or renew their membership.

See you on the 3rd Sunday or next month! Be safe and take care.

I was at the range earlier today meeting with the roofer to confirm repair estimate on the outdoor buildings. On the way in, I discovered a hole in front of the gate bearing closer to the west side about 4 inches in size. It goes straight through the asphalt and through the concrete pipe underneath it which is installed for drainage to pass through on either side when the ditch fills with water.

Please beware of this when entering the property and avoid driving directly over it so as to avoid damaging it further and potentially caving it in. I have notified the City of Pharr and they are dispatching personnel to diagnose it. I am awaiting their determination but considering the time of day, probably will not find out until tomorrow what they plan to do. It remains to be seen if they will attempt to patch it first, or if they think it will require relaying a whole new pipe. At any rate, please be careful when entering the property until this issue is repaired.

Dear Club Members,

The Cowboy Action Match will be meeting on the 3rd Sunday in December 2021 instead of the 4th Sunday as usual. Why? The 4th Sunday is the day after Christmas, the 26th. So, to give the Cowboy Action shooters some time off with their families, they will be shooting the prior weekend instead.

Note, on the 3rd Sunday, we already have the usually scheduled Smallbore Match. They will continue to use the 100 yard bay for their match and the Cowboy Shooters will use the 25 yard bay. So, both matches will occur essentially concurrently in their respective bays.
For Cowboy shooters, this is a one time switch, and the January Cowboy Action match will be back on the usually scheduled 4th Sunday.

For regular members who do not shoot in either of these matches, be aware that both bays will be in use that Sunday morning, so the only available bay will be the 200 yard. You will either need to come back after one of those matches is complete, or partake of one of the matches themselves if you arrive during their time frame.

Merry Christmas to all, and let’s have a great month of safe shooting sports. Always remember to be safe and be aware of target placement so in case you miss, your bullet still goes into the backstop. Remember, we are all in it together to have a nice Club to go and shoot at.