Today I MADE

[davsgold]

Anyone interest in making their own Yagi. It works a treat if you have an old Telstra Phone with aerial port.
Still have the wooden jig here (somewhere buried in shed) for anyone interested.
View attachment 16229View attachment 16230View attachment 16231View attachment 16232

yes, but we have gone to Starlink now, leaves everything else for dead, you can use it for phone and emails and internet, and even TV if you want, all while camped out in the middle of nowhere

 

[Nightjar]

You have probably already realised I'm going through old photos and remaniscing.
The following is the biggest mistake in lifes journey, I would be a millionaire now if I'd patented this invention.
Beginning my gold prospecting back in the 80's, I bought "Old Yella", Engel Fridge (Still purring away in garage freezing remains of a side of lamb). Also bought a 350 Honda Generator.
No solar back then so used the genny to charge the battery. Was an ongoing problem with the battery going flat when away from camp all day.
I was running genny and charging battery while fridge was running from battery. Genny ran out of fuel after about 5 hours. A big waste of power and battery.
Put the thinking cap on when back at home and fiddling through summer I came up with a 240V/12V switchover.
Had to modify a Engel 12V & 240V plug so two became one and could be plugged in together. Anyone who is familiar with old Engels they ran either 12V or 240V with separate plugs. (Both plugs couldn't be plugged in together. The "Black Box" contained a series of relays so when the generator was running it ran the fridge on 240V and the battery was 12V charging soley without any power draw.
This system worked faultlessly for many years.
One year I went to a Caravan & Camping show and foolessly talked to an Engel Engineer who was manning their site, about my invention. He asked me to leave my phone number so he could contact me after the rush of the show. He did and I freely gave details of what I had done.
12 months later a new model of Engel was released and you guessed it. Auto changeover from 12V - 240V - 12V.
I contacted Engel and needless to say it was too bad too sad. "Loose lips, sinks ships."
I often think about how naive and stupid I was back then, thinking word of mouth could seal a deal....

 

[Nightjar]

Yes, moving forward but what is the cost for todays development?
Old Yagi was free after initial few dollars for build.

 

[Moneybox]

You have probably already realised I'm going through old photos and remaniscing.
The following is the biggest mistake in lifes journey, I would be a millionaire now if I'd patented this invention.
Beginning my gold prospecting back in the 80's, I bought "Old Yella", Engel Fridge (Still purring away in garage freezing remains of a side of lamb). Also bought a 350 Honda Generator.
No solar back then so used the genny to charge the battery. Was an ongoing problem with the battery going flat when away from camp all day.
I was running genny and charging battery while fridge was running from battery. Genny ran out of fuel after about 5 hours. A big waste of power and battery.
Put the thinking cap on when back at home and fiddling through summer I came up with a 240V/12V switchover.
Had to modify a Engel 12V & 240V plug so two became one and could be plugged in together. Anyone who is familiar with old Engels they ran either 12V or 240V with separate plugs. (Both plugs couldn't be plugged in together. The "Black Box" contained a series of relays so when the generator was running it ran the fridge on 240V and the battery was 12V charging soley without any power draw.
This system worked faultlessly for many years.
One year I went to a Caravan & Camping show and foolessly talked to an Engel Engineer who was manning their site, about my invention. He asked me to leave my phone number so he could contact me after the rush of the show. He did and I freely gave details of what I had done.
12 months later a new model of Engel was released and you guessed it. Auto changeover from 12V - 240V - 12V.
I contacted Engel and needless to say it was too bad too sad. "Loose lips, sinks ships."
I often think about how naive and stupid I was back then, thinking word of mouth could seal a deal....
View attachment 16235

Yes Peter we let so many opportunities slip by.

I used to work with my three brothers in Queensland before moving west over 40 years ago. We built lots of things in the engineering field. There was a very helpful engineer who wandered in one day with a problem he wanted sorted out and we happily obliged. From that day forward he popped in from time to time and was always helpful with suggestions, recommendations and intelligent advice.

Earlier in his life he designed the machine to fold/form those milk cartons we used to get, I think you can still buy iced coffee in them. Another of his achievements was the development and building of the telescopic hydraulic rams that he then fitted into the CAP mobile cranes he used to build in Melbourne.

One of the last times I saw him he wanted to catch up with me in my spare time to go over his plans for a solar operated air-conditioner. He designed this for automotive use. He said you could park at the shopping centre, do your shopping and return to an airconditioned vehicle. Then of course you'd return home to a solar powered airconditioned house. He wanted me to develop it but I never took up the opportunity.

Ever so often over the years I've considered trying to design it myself and I've always regretted not taking up the offer. It's too late now but it's just another of life's regrets.

 

[Mackka]

You have probably already realised I'm going through old photos and remaniscing.
The following is the biggest mistake in lifes journey, I would be a millionaire now if I'd patented this invention.
Beginning my gold prospecting back in the 80's, I bought "Old Yella", Engel Fridge (Still purring away in garage freezing remains of a side of lamb). Also bought a 350 Honda Generator.
No solar back then so used the genny to charge the battery. Was an ongoing problem with the battery going flat when away from camp all day.
I was running genny and charging battery while fridge was running from battery. Genny ran out of fuel after about 5 hours. A big waste of power and battery.
Put the thinking cap on when back at home and fiddling through summer I came up with a 240V/12V switchover.
Had to modify a Engel 12V & 240V plug so two became one and could be plugged in together. Anyone who is familiar with old Engels they ran either 12V or 240V with separate plugs. (Both plugs couldn't be plugged in together. The "Black Box" contained a series of relays so when the generator was running it ran the fridge on 240V and the battery was 12V charging soley without any power draw.
This system worked faultlessly for many years.
One year I went to a Caravan & Camping show and foolessly talked to an Engel Engineer who was manning their site, about my invention. He asked me to leave my phone number so he could contact me after the rush of the show. He did and I freely gave details of what I had done.
12 months later a new model of Engel was released and you guessed it. Auto changeover from 12V - 240V - 12V.
I contacted Engel and needless to say it was too bad too sad. "Loose lips, sinks ships."
I often think about how naive and stupid I was back then, thinking word of mouth could seal a deal....
View attachment 16235

It is interesting you mention “ would be a millionaire by now” as in todays housing market, at least in Brissie, most residents would be millionaires if they owned their homes with no debt due to the prices of houses. New Years Day i was speaking to my BIL just outside of Canberra and i mentioned the prices of houses in Braidwood which was, emphasis on was, a sleepy hollow of an old gold mining area, that you can’t buy a place there under $850k due to the young folks moving back to the country towns and this scenario applies to a lot of these small towns due to the availability of communications so they can work from home. A friend of mine in IT went overseas for 6 months, took his laptop and phone and simply worked from his motel/hotel room. But I digress, a sign on the road a few k from home was advertising land for sale at,$1,000 per square metre. Small blocks at 450 sqM to large blocks of 900 sqM and that sign only lasted a couple of months,all sold. Such is the scarcity of urban land. Cheers Mackka