[TowerTalk] Fwd: Plastic Owls

Wed Sep 1 12:16:36 PDT 2010

 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 at pacbell.net>
To: Steven Kerns <n3fti at yahoo.com>
Cc: towertalk at 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 at pacbell.net> wrote:

> 

>> From: Robert Harmon <k6uj at pacbell.net>

>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd:  Divining rods

>> To: hanslg at aol.com

>> Cc: towertalk at 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 at aol.com

>> wrote:

>> 

>>> 

>>> I wonder if a north-seeking, plastic owl can do?

>>> 

>>> Hans

>>> 

>>> 

>>> 

>>> 

>>> 

>>> 

>>> 

>>> 

>>> -----Original Message-----

>>> From: jimlux <jimlux at earthlink.net>

>>> To: Alan NV8A <nv8a at charter.net>

>>> Cc: TowerTalk <TowerTalk at 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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>>> 

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>>> TowerTalk mailing list

>>> TowerTalk at contesting.com

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>> 

>> _______________________________________________

>> 

>> 

>> 

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>> 

> 

> 

> 

> _______________________________________________

> 

> 

> 

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