McHenry Sportsman’s Club Newsletter (March 25, 2000)

Dear Members and Families:

We have survived all the hoopla about Y2K and other assorted unpleasantries that were suppose to occur at the stroke of midnight on December 31. Glad things worked out that way and we are all here to continue one of our favorite pastimes… shooting at McHenry. If you have not been coming out, please come out and get some shooting in. You will enjoy it, and we will enjoy seeing you again. If you have been coming out, thank you.

Most memberships have been renewed. If you are one of the remaining who have not, please feel free to come to the club, shoot a couple of rounds and renew your membership anytime. You are always welcome.

The Jackrabbit program:

The Jackrabbit shoot season is over.And, as last year, Woodstock beat us at the end. Perhaps the 2001 Jackrabbit will be the year for us. Thanks to all people who shot for McHenry. It looked good for most of the shoot, but Woodstock came through toward the end of the season to take the win. The Woodstock and McHenry teams are excellent, and the scores were, again very close.

The ATA Registered Shoot program:

The ATA Registered Shoot season is upon us. The first shoot hosted at McHenry is in a couple of weeks (April 16, 2000). The shoot will executed with a slightly different format and additional prizes will be awarded. The April 16 shoot announcement, (which is included with this newsletter) contains information relating to this event. The following Registered Shoots are being hosted by McHenry:

Date Information

April 16,2000

May 21, 2000 (Indian Shoot)

July 9, 2000 (Belt Buckle Shoot)

September 3, 2000

The trap help shortage problem:

As indicated in our last newsletter, trap help is still a big problem. We actually have fewer people now than we had during the writing of the December newsletter. We do have good help, but not enough of it. The club is working toward addressing this problem by looking for more good help and, at the same time, reducing our personnel requirements. One good thing to note: the trap help we currently do have consists of good people who are doing the best they can under the circumstances we presently face. We are fortunate to have them, and should take some time to thank them for all of their effort.

Building and Grounds:

Our main effort this year will be traphouse upgrades, which include the installation of automatic trap machines and other repairs that have become necessary. Additionally, the clubhouse is in dire need of a good cleaning and a paint job. Hopefully this will occur this spring and be completed sometime this summer. The Automatic machine upgrade has already begun, (which may pull us into the twenty-first century both kicking and screaming).

Counter help:

We continue to need people to assist us in this area. If the entire membership helped out behind the counter one time per year, there would be two people behind the counter every day the club is open and the responsibility would be shared. Right now, we still only have a handful of people helping out in this way. If you feel you can help out, please make this known.Any help that a member can offer will go a long way toward helping our club, and is greatly appreciated.

Voice Call Units:

We are sill using our voice call units. We have “debugged” this equipment and learned how to use it. With rare exception, the equipment is working fine. It should be noted that other clubs are looking into this type of equipment. Personally, I think they are great, except for the collection of interface cables laying on the ground. Perhaps, if the club expands their use, we can look into equipment that does not require cabling to the extent that the models we have do.

Coupled with the use of automatic trap machines, the safety issue of manually setting targets on trap machines operating under control of voice call systems is eliminated. Additionally, a squad could actually shoot without any personnel running the squad, (other than the squad leader insuring an orderly and safe round). This practice could be extended for intense personal practice requirements when more automatic machines and voice call units become available.

More Fully Automatic Trap Machine Information:

The McHenry Sportsman Club, up until the past three months has always used hand set trap machines exclusively.

With hand set trap machines, a “setter” (inside the trap house) picks up a target from an open box and places it on the arm of the machine. When the “puller” presses the button on behalf of the squad, the machine releases the target, completes the cycle by re-cocking itself. The machine, ready to fire another target, waits for the next release by the puller initiating the next cycle. The setter has the ability to pick up a target and decide (using his or her brain) if it is either good or defective. If the target is not defective, the setter places it on the throwing arm exactly where it belongs, and can do this very quickly, (before the next target is requested by the squad). The end result is little or no targets broken before they are shot at.

A fully automatic trap machine (referred to as an “automatic” trap machine) works exactly like a hand set machine, except the targets are loaded in a magazine, (usually shaped like a carousel) before the squad starts shooting. The machine is set up and adjusted the same way as any trap machine. However, it has the ability to run unattended in the trap house while the squad shoots their round. The only required intervention is to add targets and make adjustments when necessary between rounds.

An automatic machine throws targets pretty much the same way as a hand set machine does. The major difference is the placement of the target on the throwing arm. After a target has been released, the machine re-cocks itself, just as the hand set machine does. However, during the re-cocking operation, the target carousel repositions itself to the next column of targets so the next target can drop from the carousel onto the throwing arm or platform, depending on the design of the machine. After these events, operation again resembles a hand set machine, a target sitting on an arm waiting for another release from the puller.

There are very few, if any automatic machines that can compete with the quality of a hand set machine and a good setter. In this case, less automation may actually better than more. This runs contrary with modern automation practice, where it is felt that the more you automate, the less defective product is produced. This type of equipment, robotic in nature, costs orders of magnitude more money than typical automatic trap machines cost. To build an automatic machine that could come close in performance could be accomplished, but would cost more money than even the finest and most affluent clubs in the world could afford. People are working it all the time. Compromise had to be made to make this equipment both affordable, and maintainable.

Here is the main operational difference, and it is where most automatic trap machine problems seem to originate:

A setter inspects and lays the target on the arm exactly where it belongs at the exact moment in time necessary for proper operation. This is a human function, controlled by the brain. The automatic machine must have exacting adjustments to synchronize this activity. The automatic machine does not have eyes to look at and inspect targets, or a brain to help place it exactly where it belongs. If a target is defective the machine does not realize it, it just drops it on the arm and attempts to throw it when requested to do so.

Automatic machines of different manufactures all do the same thing, but all have different methods of carrying out their task. The biggest problem appears to be the placing of the target on the throwing arm correctly without doing damage to the target and the managing of the target carousel. Some models may do these tasks better than others.

The adjustment of speed, windage and general trajectory is exactly the same as a hand set, and neither machine has any advantage over each other, (other than how these adjustments are made, and how easy they may be to make). Erratic target flight has more to do with weather conditions and improper adjustments that the type of machine in use.

Automatic Trap Machine Status:

The McHenry Sportsman Club now has two automatic trap machines, mounted in traphouse two and three. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, finding a machine that will work in our traphouse was a big issue. We only acquired two machines because the club has a long way to go in learning the principles of operation of this type of equipment. We have to learn how these machines work, how to adjust them, and how to maintain them. People are not born with this knowledge, it muse be acquired, sometimes by trial and error. If you ever have taken a carburetor apart, you know what we are talking about. More machine upgrades are planned for in the future.

In looking at what it takes to correct broken targets, lets us consider the following. An automatic machine has more parts and therefore has more points of failure. Diagnosing failure and problem resolution is also more complex. The machines we have are working and are doing exactly what they were designed to do. The problem we have is our club (the people that have volunteered to make all this happen), are still learning how these machines work, and how to properly adjust them.

These people have given up countless hours and energy to help McHenry with this equipment and have come a long way in doing so. Special thanks and support should be directed toward Tim Kraus and Harvey Scharlau for their extraordinary efforts and accomplishments they have completed to make all of this a reality for the club.

We still have quite a bit more to go, but we are getting there. We are very fortunate that there are at least four people that are willing to do this for all of us, and several others who are also interested in helping out. I personally know of a club, (not too far away from us), where no one appears to have any idea what to do with their equipment. Please, give our guys some slack. We want suggestions, and we must be informed if the equipment is failing, but it can get very discouraging to listen to complaints and off the wall criticisms about a known set of problems. We know it is very inconvenient and annoying to shoot on a squad when the equipment starts failing. Until we learn completely how to make the proper adjustments, it may have continue to occur. It does not matter whose machines they are or how old they are. Until you know how to adjust and maintain them, this will continue to occur. I only wish we had a couple of members that worked on this equipment before, but we do not, (or nobody has come out and made this known to us). Most or our members have been shooting at McHenry for a long time, and the club has attained expert ability at using hand set machines. As some may remember, this was not always the case either. We want to thank everyone in advance, and would appreciate your patience and understanding during this period.

I wish we did not have to do any of this. I wish we had the trap help that was available to us ten of fifteen years ago, I wish we all knew how to adjust and maintain automatic trap machines. Iwish we could just raise line fees and membership dues when ever we want to pay for additional help or equipment. However, we live in the times we are in, and must deal with the problems that we face today. We want McHenry to remain open, and throw the best targets possible.We want to contain operating costs and make the shooting experience as pleasant as possible. Please have patience with us. We will make this all happen, and McHenry will throw great targets and will continue to be a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon doing what we all love to do… SHOOT.

Sincerely,
Tom Carneal, Club Treasurer

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