[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: EMP cabinet/aquisitions philosophy
>>From hullr-at-whitlock-dot-comWed Sep 25 21:40:06 1996
>Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1996 09:42:48 -0700
>From: Richard Hull <hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com>
>To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>Subject: Re: EMP cabinet
>Tesla List wrote:
>>
>> >From rwstephens-at-ptbo.igs-dot-netTue Sep 24 22:25:40 1996
>> Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 14:14:09 -0500
>> From: "Robert W. Stephens" <rwstephens-at-ptbo.igs-dot-net>
>> To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>> Subject: Re: EMP cabinet
>>
>> >>From hullr-at-whitlock-dot-comMon Sep 23 22:05:49 1996
>> >Date: Mon, 23 Sep 1996 09:12:15 -0700
>> >From: Richard Hull <hullr-at-whitlock-dot-com>
>> >To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
>> >Subject: EMP cabinet
>>
>> >Hi Guys,
>>
>> <SNIP>
>> >This weekend at the Va. Beach hamfest, I picked up a US government, Mil
>> >spec. EMP proof standard 19" rack cabinet! Another cast off from the
>> >Naval Reserch Labs.
>> <SNIP>
>> >Richard Hull, TCBOR
>>
>> Geeeeeeze! Some guys have all the luck. : )
>>
>> rwstephens
>Robert,
>
>I would say that right after the US, civilian directed, military waste
>program, you Canadians have the best military surplus market in the
>world. Besides, I saw some of the old gear you used in the Radio
>Astronomy quest of a few years back. You are a kindred spirit
>"scrounger". This is the key to the doing! Rather than whining and
>wringing hands, we get out there and push and shove to scrounge up the
>stuff we need to get the job done. Information wise, the internet is a
>great place to scrounge.
>
>Richard Hull, TCBOR
Richard,
Yeah, O.K. so I'm just jealous. But you're absolutely right, rather
than whining, guys like you and me go out there and 'find' what it is
we need to get the job done. My philosophy is that if you cannot
afford the parts you need, think of somewhere where society is
throwing them away, and go THERE. Trouble I often run into though is
that many of the goodies I need, scientific and electrical surplus,
are often laiden with copper and aluminum. You end up in a bidding
war with scrap metal dealers who just want to melt the stuff down for
the cash value of the metals. This makes me want to cry because it is
such a waste of equipment that could instead be helping unfunded
researchers like us discover the mysteries of the universe. This is
my grass roots solution to 'Big labs, big money, big waste'!!!
Since the kinda stuff we drag home is often heavy, it is still 'valuable' in scrap
metal weight. I had to pay $125.00 for a gutted aluminum box which was like
a 19 inch rack cabinet for a microwave power oscillator I built recently, simply
based on its weight times the value per pound of scrap aluminum.
Occasionally we will 'discover' surplus that is perfect for our
needs, astronomically expensive to buy new, and available cheap
because it has less scrap value than the cost to tear it down. This
is how I obtained my two solid surface 60 foot parabolic dish
antennas for my radioastronomy work in the Western Arctic for a
dollar. I had to relocate my lab and all wordly possessions 700 miles north
from Edmonton, Alberta, to where for 10 months of the year the snow flies, and
for 2 months the black flies : ( , in order to use them, because they were too
expensive to relocate, but I took the big challenge and siezed the opportunity!
In a similar vein, how many coilers out there are dedicated enough to that
enormous coil project someday that if they located a perfect One
Megawatt generator and pad step up transformer somewhere for a dollar
on say the back side of the moon (figuratively speaking), would they relocate
their life to go to it and use it in situ?
This may be extreme, but the idea is sound. Heck, Tesla moved all the
way across the continent to Colorado Springs just for the offer of free electricity.
Coilers have heart! Stop whining and go take advantage of what this stupid
world throws away. Richard, you said the internet is a good place to
scrounge...its also too easy a place to whine!
As for me, I'm out looking now for that big generator and pad transformer,
but just a 250 kilowatt to 1/2 Megawatt size. One I can hope to move :).
Start scrounging guys!
rwstephens
professional scrounger
(YES! I've made it my career.)