(5/11/24)The Weekend Hobby Thread

Nothing like spending $100 bill at your favorite Mom & Pop Sport Shop.

Welcome to The Weekend Hobby Thread. So what has been you keeping you busy with your hobbies and/or projects? We would love to hear about them.

So feel free to join in about the wide world of hobbies.

Please leave politics and current events outside at the curb. Preferably by the garbage cans.

Hobbies also include projects around the home front as well. Our pal Jim submitted the following:

Another project at Casa Sunk New Dawn

Herself wanted to eliminate all possible Comcast. We have to keep 'em for internet, but ditching their TV altogether.

My trusty I.T. expert has installed a lot of OTA antennas, and told me to mount mine 20 ft. up, for best effect, to better "see" the transmitters up in the 50 mile distant Houston locations.

This is the result. 20 ft. length of 1-1/4" I.D., galvanized, Schedule 40 steel pipe. The three upper "radials" are 3/4" I.D., galvanized, Schedule 40 steel pipe. The base plate and round guy-wire retaining plate at top, are 3/16" plate steel.

Base plate is hinged, and bolted to 3/8" steel rebar in 12" deep concrete foundation.

At present, the tower carries an OTA TV antenna, which can be turned a full 360 degrees, electric motor driven, via remote controller which is inline with the coax, at the TV entertainment center. The other device is a bluetooth connected Weather Station, and it's readout/display is pictured in the series.

The juncture box is where the aerials and house cabling are joined. Breaking these connections, un-hooking the guy wires and unbolting the soffit brace collars, allow the tower to be lowered for maintenance or upgrades. Mounts (not pictured) for a 3:1 block and tackle are affixed and used for lowering and raising the tower.

The guy wires have mounts fabricated from 3/16" plate, at two (reinforced) points at the fascia level, and one on a 7 ft. tall, 2-1/2" I.D. black steel pipe, set 3 ft. deep via 2 bags of concrete, out by the back fence. Guy wires are 1/8" dia. galvanized, turning at stainless thimbles and stainless turnbuckles. Swaged at three points at each connection. 3rd swaging lug is slightly out of pic, as it also covers the cut end of the wire.

The center-top of the main pole and the empty 3rd radial, can/might/eventually will be used to carry some kind of HAM radio antenna(s).

Am reading up for Technician and General licenses, and will earn same and work with experienced Radio Operators, before deciding on Transceiver and Antenna hardware options.

This build performed by your humble servant:

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX

I would appreciate it if our humble servant Jim would gallivant his way up this way for help with a project like this. Great project Jim, it really looks solid down there in Hurricane Lane.

Last weekend's Hobby Thread hosted by TRex focused on tools. This then encouraged Kindlot to submit the following video. Pretty interesting after all these years. Thank you Kindlot.

You have probably heard by now that I underwent surgery earlier in the week. Now that I'm laid up I have to find something to keep my busy. And fishing and painting are out of the question, so says Dr. The Fabulous.

So here is what I'm going to try:

This should be interesting. I can't sketch or draw to save my life.

To be honest with you folks, I would rather be doing this. This particular river runs through our cabin property. However, it's a pretty small stream in that section.

Well, this wraps up another Weekend Hobby Thread. I'm not sure who will be here next week. But, I know all of you will be on your best behavior with bright, shiny faces. Until we meet again, Keep On Hobbying!

posted by Misanthropic Humanitarian at 05:33 PM

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