I wonder....

[Bob]

I agree Mike .. Radio Shack has such a low invintory your lucky to get a battery these days...
... I've got a lot of stuff from Radio Shack mostly junk but some good....it used to be the best place for project parts , now they are more interested in selling cell phones than anything....
the guys up here do not carry any antennas for cell phones , mobile or base...
just the hands free driving stuff for the cell phones and 2 kids that don't know anything but punching a time clock.... its disgusting !...
so I have been going to Bentronics and its only marginally better.
....
yah when the frequancy gets as High as that the best antenna is made as a reflector or parabolic dish.... and I'm thinking a "dish-network" parabolic dish should make a great antenna.
perhaps when I get to play with it I can figure out something ...
...
all this talk about ham stuff has got me thinking about Ham Radio allot lately...hheheheheh I may well have to get my liscnses renewed again!
... I do know my 2mtr rig in the truck would sure be handy incase of an emergancy!
more than any cell phone !
....
No doubt , like ya said an amp is the best way...
....
Bob......

[Tink]

Mike,
Your rite about Radio Shark but up here we have one that is run by an old Ham who really has helped me out in the past many times. But, for the most part Radio Sharks are a joke. By the way I also have the old reliable HTX-202 and an HTX-404. There just is not any activity on 2 meter here and very little on 440. I keep them for when I travel. I have the moble version of the same vintage for 2 meter and it had never failed me over all these years. They used to make a great scanner too.

Bob,
You really should get your ticked again. We could get a net going on 40meter or 80meter or whatever. It would be a hoot.
Tink

[ic-738]

Bob, Tink,
     Bob, I will refresh u on the the wi fi I built that is around a gig in freq.  I was a cantenna and it doubled the signal, then i mounted the cantenna on a direct tv dish, but have not yet tested it, it should really up the gain.  Also go for it bob, if nothing else it is a chalenge.  I have seen times whenham saved my but, where no cell phone would work.  My buddy has a phone patch hooked up to his repeater, which has come in handy.

Tink,
     We had a ham that ran one 25 miles from us that was the same way.  He is gone now they are like vultures when u walk in.  But the worst part is when they ask u what u need, u tell them, thay scratch there head and say no we don't have that because they have no idea what u are talking about.

Mike,
AB2DF.

[Tink]

Guys,
I built one of those Cantannas a few years ago and it works great For WiFi. I sware I can get a signal 1/4 mile away. I don't know how to make one for cell phone use but this link may help.

http://www.wardriving.com/antenna.php

Bob,
I amd still looking for the rite box for that Yagi and will get it to you  ASAP. It has a 13Db gain!

Mike,
The book is in the mail! Some day we should try a contact on 20 meter. I'd like to converse on Skype at the same time if we can anage that. It would be interesting to see if I can hear yo and vice-versa. This wire antenna was used with great success by my Elmer to talk to ships at sea in the fat pacific on 15meter and we was only running 85 watts and in AZ near to where I am now. The bands are so lousy we haven't gotten many contacts on 15meter at all for months. Hopefully these new sun spots will change that
Tink

[Bob]

Tink ...
Perfect!  I'll take down the old TV antenna and install it right there on its pole !
...
I do wish I had a place close to the house that is tree limbs clear but I don't ...I gott'a go 300ft at least away from the house to find clear sky!
...
I am quite interested in WI-FI... problem is I don't know anything about it other than its wireless data transfer....I think!  and that is what I was thinking of doing here was going wireless data, I think Sprint has a $35.oo a month unlimited useage data plan but I'ed have to look again to be sure.
...
I bought 300ft of cat6 cable and the crimping tool and cable tester from Amazon.com last week cost about $71 bucks but the plan is to run Ferals computer at the Motorhome off of this computer's internet connection....
the problem is I have put on 3 connectors and not a single one works yet... and there instructions are worse than lacking.... the cable is 4 groups of 2 wires seperated by a + of plastic in the center of the cable...making up 8 wires
and the crimping tool seams to work ok... but the crimp on connectors are the PITS
I can't get any of them to make connection with even 1 of the internal wires ,yet alone all 8 and in the same order as the other end! its got to be a random arangement... by guess and by golly.... keep cutting off the connectors untill you get one that connects the way you want I guess... I have never seen the likes in my entire life... there is no way to insure proper wire order in the plug in...
have any of you ever messed with a cat5 or cat6 Either net cable before ?
I am in need of help on this one.....
I think I will have to buy different... "Better" plug-ins for the end of the cable!...
(thats the cable that goes to our Lan cards )
any help would be appreaciated !

...
well, its up the mountian for me this morning... hope to bew back before it gets real hot here !
catcha later !
....
Bob........

[Tink]

Bob,
I have done a bit of networking with CAT5 and I think you have to reverse the wires on the other end. Exact same order but in reverse otherwise you are butt backwards. How long are you making the cable? look at a CAT5 cable that is already made and see how they did the little wires in both ends to verify this. You can always test it with an ohm meter. I wasn't sucessful today getting a box for that Yaggi. I'm going to have to fabrcate one. Hopefully I can get it mailed on Monday.

 I'm going to practice welding again. I have a 120amp wire welder that works great but the instructions say it is only good for up to 3/8". Welders I've talked to say it can be used to weld 1/4" stuff but I'm not sure my technique is up to it. I got some 1/4" metal laying around I'll be practicing on. Any pointers? I need to weld my tower together. It consists of a length of 4 1/2" sch.40 and 3 lengths of 4" and a length of  2 1/2" and a length of 2" all Sch 40. It will be 35' long when all done. I plan to slip the 4" inside the 4 1/2" about 18" and drill holes around the 4 1/2" to spot weld it there and around the top of the 4 1/2". Then I have 3" sleeves to go inside the 2 remaining 4" lengths. These sleves are 24" long  so I'll have 12" inside each piece. Then I have a spacer for the 2 1/2" pipe to fit inside the 4" pipe and the 2" pipe fits nicely inside the 2 1/2" pipe. The whole things will weigh about 310 lb when done. All this pipe is galvanized. It was laying around here for years and will save me many hundreds of dollars in the construction of this tower. Any suggestions on technique for a beginner welder would be greatly appriciated from any of you guys.   
Tink
 

[Manta]

Tink,

Build your weld up in layers.  That is the normal way to do it.  Just make sure you have got rid of all the galvanizing from the weld area.

Manta

[Bob]

well Tink... I have been welding sense I was a Kid with Oxy-Accett... that is an art an unlike most other welding, much much slower.
I mainly do Stick Arc welding now, I had a wire welder, a monster Mig that wound up discouraging me from that kind of welding outside.
...
Wire welding is a product of your Amp setting Wire size and Speed of your movement.
 you will find if you go too fast the added metal just sits on the top of the welded metal ...NOT GOOD.
if you go too slow you can melt a Hole in the welded metal , but thats fairly hard to do.
the trick is to stick the metal pices together with the added metal, but do it slow enough so the pieces
melt togather.
with wire welding, your more or less stuck with your feed rate... you need to keep it fast enough so that the wire stays at least 1/4" from the tip of the gun... the slower you move the hotter it gets
and the shorter the wire to the tip...move too slow and the wire will stick in the tip of the gun.
...
in general you can simply seam weld a pipe by  tacking on 4 sides to hold it FERMLY or it will warp as you weld up the seam.... on 4" pipe I'ed tack it 1/2" long on 4 or 5 places around the joint to keep it stright.... and  tack it...not at places 1,2,3,4 but 1,4,3,2 altenateing the  stress in the metal, then weld it UP in the same manor 3"on one side then rotate the pipe 90deg. and weld 3" on the back side, and then repete till completely done.... other wize your pipe will NOT be stright it will wind up being a big "C" shape if you weld it up 1/2" the diamator at a time.
....
your idea of drilling holes to tack the inner metal is a good one, but I'ed drill 1/2" holes and weld around the hole and really give it some holding power... with that method you are fairly assured that your pipe will stay stright.
...
in Stick welding you make sure that both metals being joined are molten and added to the "Puddle" doing this makes sure its a strong joint... although there are rods that you can buy that you do not bother with that and just arc the seam and if everything is set correctly it will weld the 2 pieces togather fine.   but I don't trust that method myself , I want to see the molten metal join togather...its the best way I know of making a good weld.
  So when your trying to wire weld the seam of 2 pieces of metal,  endevor to melt both pieces at the same time and add the wire between them ... and just RED hot is not Molten....and that is the problem with most wire welding, the operator lays down molten wire on top of the metal and there is no real "Penetration" of the weld. ... you can do this fairly easy by Zig-zagging back and forth accross the seam getting both pieces to the molten state...but you need to work at the speed your welder allows
....
You can weld much thicker metal than the instructions say you can tink, by making many passes and adding more metal each pass... 2 pieces of 1" thick steel plate can be welded togather easily with a small welder if you bevel the edges of the metal with a grinder and slowly fill the void with welding Rod/wire
...
on welding Galvinized pipe :  be aware that galvinized pipe puts off a gas that shuts down your lungs
and can Kill you if you keep it up... do NOT breathe the smoke! ...
it is best to grind off the galvinized coating before you weld, but allot of times that is just too big of a task... so just don't breathe the smoke.... if you start getting a headache STOP and get fresh air... ( been there done that many times!)... the galvinized coating makes for a hard weld because it pops and farts and blows metal all over the place.... if you can, grind it off a good 1/2" away from the welding area.
....
the AMPerage setting is very important, as is your wire SIZE.... wire Size determans the AMPS you can use, while the AMPS determan how thick of metal you can weld  or the depth of penetration
...
when I stick weld water pipe I usually use 50 to 60 amps...some times as much as 75amps depending on the shape of the metal being welded thicker metal needs more amps... on the 4" stuff I'ed start off on 75amps and see how that works... if its too cold turn it up to 85 or 100amps... too cold is easy to determan, both sides will be hard to get molten and your wire will get too long and start pushing the gun away.
.....
so in general all you have to do is Juggle 3 things at once <grin> but mainly get both pieces of metal molten and add wire to it which makes a bigger molten puddle so you pull that puddle the length of the seam...
...
once you get the welder set up for a pictular weld ,it goes fairly fast, and you will find that you can vari the weld by the speed of your welding ,rather than change the welder settings some times.
....
for the bigger pipe you'll have to use more amps than the smaller pipe (the 2" stuff)
...
if your weld is setting up on top of the metal and not IN the metal (you can tell by looking) you need more amperage.  biggest mistake people make with wire welders is they weld it with not enough amperage
and go too fast.
....
TINK...DO NOT WELD IN THE RAIN ! ...
 you can do many things and get away with it but that one is a NO-NO !
I was welding some Gyro part togather in the misting rain and was not having any problem , I was moving the part with one hand and had the stinger in the other and it bit me... and buddy you don't want to be bit by that welder.... my chest hurt for 3 days.... if I would have made GOOD contact , I wouldn't be typing this tonight ! they would have burried my butt!
...
thats about the best I can do for a general how to for welding... its lacking in many areas but if ya need more specific info. , just say so...

Granted, this is probably not what the "PROPER" Professional would tell you how to weld something, but for general purpose Ranch work it works ! HAHAHAHAHA

...
Bob.....

[Bob]

Tink if your practicing, lay 2 pieces of 1/4" one on top the other and off set them  so you can weld the top one to the bottom one on the flat.... that is the kind of welding you will be doing with the pipe
but with thinner metal.
when your done with a 2" weld  put it in the vise and take a big pipe wrench and try to rip the 2 pieces appart.... its the only way to see how well the weld penetrated. if all you can do is bend the metal you did it right!   HAHAHAHA
...
once you get that weld down pat... you'll have most welds in the bag... both pieces need to melt as your doing the welding... that is a prerequisite for welding steel together.
...
Bob....

[Tink]

Bob, Manta,
This all sounds like good advice. Now I'll have to go out there and try to juggle all this together and wee what happens.
thanks!
Tink

ps. this welder only has 'low and high' for settings and the wire keeps going as long as the trigger is pressed.

[Bob]

then you'll want to use the high setting most likely.... if you start melting holes in the pipe then either speed up your movement or turn it down to low!
...my Mig had a feed control as in feet per min. I doubt your's has that so your stuck welding at the rate it comes out.
....
Ahhh good coffee, the first cup is usually the best! HAHAHA!
oh and don't wee on what happens Tink...especially if the welder is still ON !
LOL ! that could HURT !
....
 I have found that a small Zig-Zag pattern of the electrode over the work's seam, works the best
but in allot of cases its not necessary. it really depends on the wire your welding with and the amps being used to heat the metal.... with those 2 criteria you set YOUR speed of movement....
in other words ... if the completed weld looks like a catapiller on top the metal its too cold so slow down your movement speed.... if its leaving a depression is the wake of the weld then its too hot
you want a slight bump where you have welded and added more metal... and your movement is what changes the height of the weld.
Stay Cool Down there today Tink !
...
Bob....

[ic-738]

Bob,
     That is still how I test my weld, lol.  The other guy at work advetises as  a certified welder, he told a guy at work he has to quit garenteeing his work because they were coming back to fix the weld that broke, lol.

[Bob]

I have seen certified welders that couldn't do a vertical weld ! and others that could weld better than I could ever hope to ! 
but I cheet when I do vertical welds I start from the bottom and go up... and let the metal drip all over my weld so you can't tell what its like anyway ! LOL !
...
I borrowed a needle gun to remove the slag on a trailer I welded up from scrap steel I got from Hoyte water heater co. in reno nv.  and I thought that thing was so neet I thought I'ed go buy one.... thats as close to getting one that I have ever got... at $129 for the cheepie and they went up from there I decided that my slag hammer was better than I thought ! HAHAHHAHAHA but for the guy that does a bunch of welding one of those to clean the welds up is a must !
....
I'ed rather Stick weld now than any other kind of welding... I am just so used to it that I do it without much thinking hehehehhehe
...I have been saving my Oxy/Accett. gas for cutting only... and I am getting fairly low on it even with using it so sparingly !...
....
   what is really a hard thing to do is weld really thin metal...thick metal is a snap...no problem at all but when you get 1/16" or less man, that is hard to weld with a stick welder ! thats usually the best thing to gas weld when its that thin !
but I have worked up to the point I can even weld that stuff purdy good things like exhost pipe and tubeing and those Pulsejets are tricky to weld, but if you turn the welder down and use 1/16" or smaller welding rod you can usually do it without blowing too many holes in your project !
...
 HAHAHA ONE thing I had to learn to do and do realy good was patch Holes that I blew into my weld !
and again...that usually takes smaller welding rod and low amps.
...
one thing I am not very good at , because I havn't been able to practice it much is welding Alumimum with a stick welder.... it can be done and is much simplier if you pre heat the alumimum with a torch first.... but it can be done in short bursts... because I welded the heads on a Subaru EA81 engine that got to hot and cracked the heads by the spark plug holes... the engine runs but I discovered that the berrings were shot too... ooooh well ...new berrings cost more than the car is worth!
Go Figure!
....
   
  I need to make up a ripper for the tractor... something to break up the hard soil so the bucket can dig in it.... I figured I'ed make it up out of 1/2" plate for the tines and make them about 8" long
...4 or 5 of them would do the trick and attach them to the back side of the bucket so I can rotate the bucket and have the tines faceing down.... 
ofcorse if I had a bunch of railroad spikes I could just weld them to the back side of the bucket and be done with it ! LOL
...
Bob....
 

[Cowboy]

This should help you Bob:



Make sure you push the wires all the way into the connector.  It's also pretty easy to cross the wires when you put them in the connector, so make sure they're right before you crimp it.  Do your best to get them straight before insertion too.  The method I have found to work best is to get the colors in order, and pinch them hard with one hand, and pinch the main insulation hard with the other.  Then wiggle your hands back and forth a few times in opposing directions.  Works like a charm for me, but I know some folks that just strip the main insulation and go for it.

[Bob]

well I didn't use that wiring order.... but the wire checker said it was perfect so thats good enough fer me!
...
my connector crimpers have a stripping tool on it which I had to discover how not to use it first off
because it cut half the small wires as well...  but it gave the proper distance from the end so I just scored the outer caseing and then bent it to get it free.
... both ends of the cable are the same in this case so I just picked an order that seamed right to me
and did as you said ... squeeze them and twist a bit to get them to stay put...
 I also trimmed off the ends to make them all the same length and then incerted them into the plug and with my glasses ON checked very carefully for swapped wires... found some too ! so you have to be very carefull and realy sure before ya do the final crimping...
the hardest part was getting the wires all the way in there to the end as they didn't want to go in that far...even without my trimming of the wires to make them flush.... but with a bit of elbow greese they eventually did reach the end and  got a good connection.
.....
at first I thought there was no way to make the wires go into any specific order... but I did learn it can be done....
...thanks for the help !
...
Bob.......