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>

Carport/Shed progressing....but slowly.

They say "Quality takes time"....so maybe that's why this simple little shed is dragging out so long?

Or it could be lack of funds, lack of get up and go, sizzling hot temps all summer here in north TX....or that I'm a fatass, lazy, old AH? (yeah...the latter could be true?)

With the break in the temps yesterday, me and Nephew Joe (my 18 yr old workhorse) had to put in a little concrete curb-wall to keep any runoff rainwater (not that it will ever rain again) from running into the low side of this carport. Dug a 4-5" deep trough, found some junk steel around here to use as rebar (better than nothing)...mixed up 3-4 bags of 80# Maximizer mix, using a couple of metal drywall framing track pieces for forms. And got this done before 10:30AM.

I didn't have any anchor bolts for a possible future framed wall, so grabbed some 5" long X 1/2" galv lag screws and set them, screw tip up, into the top of the conc....with plans to use a wood block for a "nut" later. I picked up a small trash bucket half full of these lag screws at a nearby yard sale for $10 last week.

Now I finally used up most of a few rotted, discolored, ratty looking, partial fence panels I picked up somewhere for free, to make a light duty visual screen wall. (anything to piss off the nosy, nit-picky, neat freak, neighbors next door who drive by at 2 mph trying to sneak a peek at anything I'm doing). Actually has a nice "rustic" look to it....may just leave it like that.

Tomorrow, Joe and I are gonna try to get the old '48 Packard started and drive it into the shed....gotta find that 6 volt charger, pull the battery out and charge it up good overnight. Need to suck out the old crappy gas and put some fresh "go juice" in as well.
Pretty cool how the Packard hood opens from left OR right side...and with 2 people can be easily lifted off and set to the side...no wrenches...no pliers.. no screwdrivers needed...(and no sledge hammer Billy Bob!!)

More pics later....A.M.F.!

- Bigsocks.

Remember this...?

I tried to upload a few pics this morning...as the connection speed and blogger seemed to be responsive today...but after one pic....it slowed down again and I was unable to add any more pics.

Oh well....I had to switch back to the "old" blogger editor version, as I never could add a pic with the "new" one.

Hey at least it's a break from politics...huh?



okay...tried again later...and got this one to upload. It's a pic from last Friday when I got Nephew Joe and a buddy of his to show up for a couple of hours of finishing the Packard Shackard metal roof. Now I need to put on some diagonal bracing, and some sort of side wall screening.



And an older shot from somewhere in South Brewster County..(I cannot wait to get back down there !!!)


UPDATE: It's 5:30PM here and weather website says it's 108 degrees here now...dangit. What happened to the cooler temps?

Bigfoot.

US Corrupt-Govt Senate passes secret $500B spending increase 1 day ago..from WSJ

(from the Wall Street Journal today)
"The U.S. Senate, in an unusual procedure, cleared the way Thursday for the U.S. to lift its borrowing authority by $500 billion to $15.19 trillion, enough to keep the support federal government borrowing through late January or early February.


The action came under an unusual legislative procedure spelled out under the August agreement to raise the U.S. debt ceiling and avoid a U.S. credit default. In a 52-45 vote, the Senate blocked an attempt by Republicans to slow down the process that will result in the $500 billion debt-ceiling increase.
The increase stems from a deal between Congress and the White House, finalized last month, that spells out how the borrowing limit would be increased by $500 billion. Under the process, lawmakers in both the House and Senate must vote on a resolution of disapproval against the increase in the borrowing limit. President Barack Obama would then have to veto the resolution of disapproval, and Congress would then vote to try and override that veto.

The complicated procedure, designed by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), would allow an increase of the borrowing limit while allowing most Republicans to vote against such an increase.
There was a twist in this scenario Thursday evening, however. Democrats held firm, rejecting the resolution of disapproval, thereby speeding the process and increasing the borrowing limit immediately."

Hmmmm...and the "super committee" was supposed to come up with the  $1.2 TRILLION in govt budget cuts (by Thanksgiving '11)....and after last nights American Jobs Bill...they gotta come up with an ADDITIONAL $450 Billion in cuts to pay for this latest "stimulus" package..??

We are going the wrong way....spending our way out of this hole.

Obama says his plan is all "paid for"....but wait...he doesn't even have a "plan" yet...that's gonna roll out Monday (9-19) he says....
(the big Corps and BO's handlers need a week to meet, assemble the math, and add the detail to this idea, then paste it to the tele-prompter for The Empty Suit reader to relate to us....so far merely a campaign propaganda push for re-election.)

It ain't happenin'....not w/o pulling back from our 3 wars in Africa and Mid East...and shrinking other huge govt agencies.

They are already saying they will decrease the SS paycheck with-holdings from 6.2%...to 3.1%....but think about it...this will only make the SS program debacle even WORSE.!!

We are screwed and it doesn't matter which party is in power...they are both 100% corrupt and self serving. We didn't get this screwed in the last 2 years...it's been going on slowly since the 1960's. We are simply in Hyperdrive mode to destruction now. IMHO.

I am unable to post pics with Blogger...so I'll just post politics...for now.

Enjoy.!

the North TX weather KILN has been turned off.....finally!!

Great Tffnguy get together in South Brewster Co last wknd....thanks David.!

(no camera = no pics from the weenie party)

Back home now, but sure do miss the gorgeous views and nice breezy weather we left behind in far SW Texas. The extreme heat wave that we've enjoyed here in North TX has finally goen away. Highs this week in the low 90's...lows in upper 50's....wooohooo!!

I was looking thru the card from the camera and found some older pics that I thought I'd share with you..BUT Blogger is taking way too long, longer than I have patience for, to upload pics today....so I'll try another day.

Instead...here's an excerpt from Obama (AKA Barry Sotero)...from his Detroit speech a couple days ago...

"That’s why we chose Detroit as one of the cities that we’re helping revitalize in our “Strong Cities, Strong Communities” initiative. We’re teaming up with everybody -- mayors, local officials, you name it -- boosting economic development, rebuilding your communities the best way, which is a way that involves you. Because despite all that’s changed here, and all the work that lies ahead, this is still a city where men clocked into factories. This is the city that built the greatest middle class the world has ever known. This is the city where women rolled up their sleeves and helped build an arsenal for democracy to free the world. This is a city where the great American industry has come back to life and the industries of tomorrow are taking root. This is a city where people, brave and bold, courageous and clever, are dreaming up ways to prove the skeptics wrong and write the next proud chapter in our history."


Make you feel good now...??  Yeah, me too...all warm and fuzzy like..huh?

I can't wait for the "I will save the world" speech tomorrow night.

NEWS FLASH....Tropical depression "Nate" spinning towards Mexico....may bring rains to TR by early next week...!!!!

New Texas State Laws beginning Sept One.

A few of the brand new State of TX laws that go into effect on Sept 1, 2011 are listed below:

1. You gotta take a birth cert or passport to renew your TDL to prove you are a citizen.
2.Catfish Noodling will be legal in TX
3.Cutbacks in hours and svcs at state parks...but none closing.
4.Gun owners can keep ammo and guns in their cars at employer parking lots (except schools)
5.Legal to hunt and shoot feral hogs from your helicopter now (woohoo! now where's my copter?)
6.Closing the Sugarland state prison, since 1932. Had a cannery and meat packing operation there.

many more listed here...
See Texas Tribune DOT org...."31 days, 31 ways article"

what's hotter than "hot"..???

These are fuzzy pics I just took at 2:15PM of the two thermo's I have nailed to the wall and under shade all day...on the back porch here west of FTW. ........dangit boy.!!

Just checked the temps outside...113 here and 96 in TR...wow.! ..(BOTH per weatherunderground site)

Yesterday about this time it showed 116 to 118...for an hour or so...couldn't believe it but both gauges showed about the same.

I think a huge solar flare got turned on and the switch is stuck and it's aimed right at Texas.!!

Got up a little early today and with Nephew Joe's assistance, we got about half the tin roofing installed on the carport Packard Shack. We quit around 10AM or so, mixed up a couple big tumblers of GatorAide and sat in the house under the clg fan and cooled off. (maybe some pics next time when we get back to it around January when it may drop into the 70's.)

Seey'all

BF