20 September 2011

DIY antenna for reg TV folks..and solar batch HWH

Don't know if many of you readers have started the major downsize and back-up in living costs that are coming for most of us regular folks in the the US economy, but we dumped the $65 Dish bill and opted for regular sheeple TV programming, with only the local 8 or so channels (half of them Spanish) for FREE with a converter box.

This one works great...almost 3 yrs now....1x4 board...some screws, wire and 2 coathanger wires...one is white in the pick...the other one rusty red....AND the cable coax connector part. A tad bent and beat up from being blown over a few times...(not attached , just leaning up)




I did some research online about a home-made antenna and it works better than the $70 radio Shack version we started out with that ran off a wall-wart power source. I found the detailed instructions on the "Instructables" website...and you can look at everything there for free but you get better pics and complete PDF downloads for a membership fee of $10 per year. Lotta kewl stuff there....good ideas...making tools with a torch and PVC pipe, changing a dorm fridge to a chest fridge...etc etc.


Changing gears....I was on the way to pickup Nephew Joe the other day and spied a nice big elect HWH sitting by a dumpster...we swung back by and loaded that 55 galloner laying down on the back seat of the Towncar....BUT the door wouldn't shut all the way on Joe's side...so he had to ride reaching back in the back seat trying to hold the door from flying open....only a 2 mile trip...so no biggie.


Now we got it home and started to strip the skin off the outside, for a future "Hot water solar batch water heater"...there are some plans on the internet for these...but the easiest and best I've seen is from an old Mother Earth News article....google it. These things work great,especially in the desert. You can easily scald yo'ass if you're not careful.


Still gotta get the foam insulation off...and build the wood cradle/casket with a repurposed and hinge mounted sliding glass door lid for it to be complete.

AND you and up with a nice heavy guage hunk of sheet metal for a BONUS to use somewhere else.!!





hmmm.,,,think I have about 4-5 of these tanks gathered and stripped down...ready for making into a batch heater....guess I oughta take it to the next level, huh? (that's the A.D.D. kicking in)


The pack shack is gathering junk already...becoming a hang-out spot for me. Complete with stylish cinderblock occasional tables for tasty adult beverages and/or a pipe..!


okay....long blog...done now..


adios..!


Big.F>

2 comments:

tffnguy said...

Cool beans on everything.

Anonymous said...

wow...thanks "Mare"...!!

B'foot

(this is why you shouldn't allow anon comments?....advertisers?)