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Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Plastic Owls

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Plastic Owls
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:09:42 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>

On 9/1/2010 3:59 PM, Ed Swiderski, KU4BP wrote:
>
> I define true north by finding the "north star" a.k.a. Polaris.

Now if Polaris were really "true north". My 8X alignment scope has a 
"trolley track" circle for polar alignment near the outside area in the 
field of view.  With out going into the actual alignment procedure,  IF 
the scope is properly aligned on an equatorial mount. Polaris will stay 
inside the tracks the entire night. But even moving up in power to 15X 
Polaris will not be within the field of view.  So, contrary to the 
results of many search engines, Polaris is not "true North". For the 
perfectionists among us, it is nearly 1 degree off at present. or 
roughly twice the angular size of the moon.

BTW if any one is interested, Polaris is a Cepheid variable with a 
period of almost 4 days (3.97 days) and is also a multiple star "system" 
consisting of 3 stars ( 
http://imgsrc.hubblesite.org/hu/db/images/hs-2006-02-a-print.jpg ), two 
of which can be resolved in a modest telescope, or good pair of binoculars.

73

Roger (K8RI)
>   Very easy to
> find. Line up the right hand stars in the cup of the Big Dipper. They line
> up with Polaris.
>

> Ed KU4BP
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: towertalk-bounces@contesting.com
> [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of hanslg@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, September 01, 2010 3:17 PM
> To: towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Plastic Owls
>
>
>   I believe the "Plastic Owl" first was mentioned (at least to me) when the
> discussion lost track in trying to find out the best method finding true
> north. It has, after that shown up as an indicator for other discussions
> losing track. That's why I decided to bring it up. Maybe not that nice.
>
> I just hope I don't get too much problems with birds, once I get my tower up
> (whenever the tower manage to ...) and that seems to be no earlier than next
> years. I have read  about hams getting endangered species building nests in
> the tower efficiently inhibit any atempt to do any tower climbing until the
> the little birds are out.
>
> 73 de Hans - N2JFS
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Harmon<k6uj@pacbell.net>
> To: Steven Kerns<n3fti@yahoo.com>
> Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
> Sent: Wed, Sep 1, 2010 2:42 pm
> Subject: [TowerTalk] Plastic Owls
>
>
> Steve,
>
>
>
> You are quite right.   Duly noted.  No more on divining rods from
> me..................
>
>
> Back to our forum, hi,hi.
> I couldn't find much in the archives on solutions to birds on our antennas.
> I
> wanted to follow
> up on my last comment concerning my (unsuccessful)  experience with a
> plastic owl for bird abatement.
>
> I have found a solution that so far has worked well for me.
> We are surrounded with vineyards around here and birds are are big issue for
> the winery owners.
>
> I found out that many of the wineries use a network of ultrasonic bird
> repellers.   It was suggested
> that I try a small ultrasonic unit mounted close to the tower.  I purchased
> a small unit manufactured by Bird-X from Home Depot and mounted it about 5
> foot up from the base of the tower.
>
> Voila, it works !
> The cost for one of these units isn't much more than a plastic owl.   I
> cleaned
> the bird droppings
> off my owl and mounted him on a fence post in the back yard.  (I may have to
> mount a tiny umbrella above him to protect him from bird droppings, hi,hi)
>
> 73,
>
> Bob
>
> K6UJ
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Sep 1, 2010, at 5:16 AM, Steven Kerns wrote:
>
>
>
>> I thought this forum was towerTalk.  I see nothing here in this
>> lengthly
> discussion that has to do with towers...
>
>> I am sure you can find a divining forum somewhere on the internet to
>> further
> discuss this.
>
>> Steve, N3FTI
>> --- On Wed, 9/1/10, Robert Harmon<k6uj@pacbell.net>  wrote:
>>> From: Robert Harmon<k6uj@pacbell.net>
>>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd:  Divining rods
>>> To: hanslg@aol.com
>>> Cc: towertalk@contesting.com
>>> Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2010, 12:33 AM
>>> Hans,
>>> I'll bet it can, hi,hi.
>>> I'll tell you one thing they sure don't scare the birds
>>> away.
>>> I bought one from HRO and put it on the very top of the
>>> mast on my tower.  I didn't notice any decrease in the
>>> birds.
>>> After about six months I was up on the tower doing some
>>> antenna work and climbed up to check on the owl.
>>> The birds didn't give my owl any respect, he was covered
>>> with bird s### , hi,hi.
>>> Bob
>>> K6UJ
>>> On Aug 31, 2010, at 9:23 PM, hanslg@aol.com
>>> wrote:
>>>> I wonder if a north-seeking, plastic owl can do?
>>>> Hans
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: jimlux<jimlux@earthlink.net>
>>>> To: Alan NV8A<nv8a@charter.net>
>>>> Cc: TowerTalk<TowerTalk@contesting.com>
>>>> Sent: Tue, Aug 31, 2010 8:10 pm
>>>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Divining rods
>>>> Alan NV8A wrote:
>>>>> I remember reading decades ago that, according to
>>> the laws of
>>>>> aerodynamics, bees cannot fly because their wings
>>> are not large enough
>>>>> for their body size. The bees, however, being
>>> unfamiliar with the laws
>>>>> of aerodynamics, just keep flying anyway.
>>>>> 73
>>>> That's a canard..
>>>> it was originally intended to demonstrate that simple
>>> models do not
>>>> always work (e.g. flapping wings are not steady state
>>> flow, no you can't
>>>> neglect thermodynamics, etc.)
>>>> Sort of like modeling an antenna as a lumped
>>> RLC.  Works for small
>>>> frequency ranges, but not for large ones.
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