Popular Post Rob Posted February 28, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted February 28, 2021 First trip to near full extension. Quite windy so didn't want to go the last 12' or so. The peak of my building is almost 28' from the ground for reference. Very smooth and linear operation from either the ground station, or the basket after rewinding all six proportional control coils. I'm happy but now need to "gut" the original wiring harness(s) out of it and replace with new wire before something burns down. Everything electrical works, but a lot of insulation has been compromised or missing from exposure to the elements. 3 Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
mowerman Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 You could be like Godzilla swatting airplanes with that thing ....wow.. bob Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-469740 Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlotpilot Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 3 hours ago, Rob said: First trip to near full extension. Quite windy so didn't want to go the last 12' or so. The peak of my building is almost 28' from the ground for reference. Very smooth and linear operation from either the ground station, or the basket after rewinding all six proportional control coils. I'm happy but now need to "gut" the original wiring harness(s) out of it and replace with new wire before something burns down. Everything electrical works, but a lot of insulation has been compromised or missing from exposure to the elements. rob I could probably get you the job of doing another 80' the same as you`re doing to that one - interested ? Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-469745 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 Sure. This one hasn't been too bad once deciding to wholesale gut and rewire rather than try to piecemeal repairs. It's a really nice lift. Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-469746 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog13407 Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 done two JLG 600's in my day, put new power cords all the way (21 to 40 wireS) thru the booms and put all new ends on both ends(you couldnt buy the cord with ends on anymore) and its not really a bad job long as your patient. elements kills any of these machines, the upper controls always need to be covered with the canvas cover. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-469748 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 1, 2021 Author Share Posted March 1, 2021 This one is quite involved but no "Amphenol", or "Cannon" plugs involved. Lot of terminal strips however. I did find a couple of tight spots in the cable tray/chain when extending the boom which I will address later. The cable covers have long disintegrated from exposure as has a good portion of the jacket on the exposed 16/24 SOOW cable along with the others of various conductor counts. Having a rotating man basket, many of the wiring strands have long lost both their jacket, and insulation exposing the bare strand conductors. I've spent quite a bit of time facilitating repairs to these type items to prove the unit worthy of correct repairs before sinking a lot into it. This unit had sat right here untouched for nine full years and was very close to ten before I wound up with it: They had been using it via two men with one operating the manual controls from the ground, and one in the basket calling directions till leasing a new JLG from a local dealer. 1 Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-469751 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 I could've used one of those when I put up my TV antenna...🤦♂️ ...4 rungs up on the ladder placed at the edge of the roof, straddling the peak, reaching over the edge with arms fully extended while balancing a 10' pipe with the antenna pre-installed to set it in place & secure it to the union at the top of the pole coming up from the ground. The union is so I'd be able to adjust the direction the antenna is pointed, rather than be stuck with wherever the pipe wanted to tighten down. Also made it a *little* easier to get the top pole in place. So yeah, I'd say I got PLENTY of brass. 1 Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-469804 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 A "Hold my Beer" moment for certain. Smarter ways to do things out there but you got the job done and lived to tell the story so it's all good. Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-469810 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 On 3/1/2021 at 8:42 PM, Rob said: A "Hold my Beer" moment for certain. Smarter ways to do things out there but you got the job done and lived to tell the story so it's all good. Ok...had to pull the thing down. We've got stations in several different directions, so I tried 3 antennas linked together aimed the 3 main directions to get all of the channels. We get them all now, but every time a train goes by ABC & PBS (40-45 miles N/NE) and NBC (30 miles E/SE) blank out. I tried making the coax to get the lengths I needed, but realized I screwed up AFTER it was up and I was only getting CBS & FOX (12 miles W). So today, I was back up on that ladder pulling the thing down to swap the cables out for some pre-fabbed store-bought ones. Since I wanted to make sure it was THE LAST TIME I'd be on a ladder dangling over the edge of the roof balancing a 10' pole, I fabbed up a little something something to put where the union is. Antenna is about 4-5" taller now, and if I pull 4 bolts, the top 10+' tips down toward the roof. I raised it back up into place standing on the roof...although my 3' step ladder would make it a little easier. Worst part is, once it was back up it didn't work any better than it with my home-made cables...so I guess I didn't screw them up TOO bad. I had trimmed the shield rather than folding it back before crimping on the end. Oops. Turns out it didn't matter. I'm hooked back up to the single antenna in the attic...again...probably replace the 3 small antennas on the pole with a single big one, similar to what I've got in the attic, but NOT in the attic. Needing to put a new roof on the house (original roof...built in '94) because it's old & losing shingles every time the wind blows too hard. Looking at steel overlays, but then that attic antenna won't get any reception...got to get the antenna outside, and hopefully up high enough to get above the interference caused by the trains as they go by. Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470228 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 Your door hinge and floor flange are a great improvement to your existing design. If'n it were me and I was wanting to receive all the stations in the area I would purchase three high gain antennas and mount them 120 degrees apart at the top of the mast. From these antenna output jacks, parallel their received outputs into a single unit. Also purchase an "Impedance Changer" from an online supplier to change the 50 ohm terminations to 75 ohm and run a heavier gauge RG-75 video cable to your distribution network inside the house. Better yet would be to bring the received signal down into the house through a 50 ohm RF series cable, (RG-214) for a very low loss transmission rate and use the impedance changer near the point of use meaning your video distribution apparatus. I do not care for the customary "F" series cable terminations commonly used on household video cables but rather "TNC, or BNC" style which are much better quality. TNC is threaded, BNC is bayonet style mounting to the female jack. Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470230 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 8 hours ago, Rob said: Your door hinge and floor flange are a great improvement to your existing design. If'n it were me and I was wanting to receive all the stations in the area I would purchase three high gain antennas and mount them 120 degrees apart at the top of the mast. From these antenna output jacks, parallel their received outputs into a single unit. Also purchase an "Impedance Changer" from an online supplier to change the 50 ohm terminations to 75 ohm and run a heavier gauge RG-75 video cable to your distribution network inside the house. Better yet would be to bring the received signal down into the house through a 50 ohm RF series cable, (RG-214) for a very low loss transmission rate and use the impedance changer near the point of use meaning your video distribution apparatus. I do not care for the customary "F" series cable terminations commonly used on household video cables but rather "TNC, or BNC" style which are much better quality. TNC is threaded, BNC is bayonet style mounting to the female jack. I have no idea what any of that means, which is probably why I screwed up trying to make my own coax cables. Cutting, welding, hammering, bolting, etc...I'm fairly decent at. All of that electronical stuff, not so much. Everything I had read said to use the same type/size antennas, spaced out 2+ to 4+ feet on the pole, and use a splitter in reverse (antennas in the "out" sides, "in" connection to the TV). The antennas I used are small in size, but advertise an 80 mile range. I guess I could try pushing them all up to the top, running 3' cables to the splitter instead of 6', and then try it again before dropping a bunch of money on a larger single antenna like the one in the attic. I'd pull that one to use, except I'd have to disassemble/reassemble it, not sure it even has all of the parts (some laying on attic insulation...must not have had room to fully assemble it), and I have no idea if it's rated for outdoor use. Besides, if I move THAT one, and it doesn't work outside like I want, there'd be no simple solution. Right now, it's just a matter of swapping the coax from the indoor antenna to the outdoor antenna & back at a splitter in the attic next to that antenna. 3 outputs...one to the TV in the living room, one to the TV in the garage...and I haven't a clue where the 3rd one disappears to. Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470239 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 8, 2021 Author Share Posted March 8, 2021 Inexpensive antennas will receive everything in the frequency spectrum. Antennas designed to pass only the frequency band allocated to television signals strip off anything outside of this frequency band of signals. 50 ohm impedance cable is better than 75 ohm impedance cable for passing signals in the rf spectrum. 75 ohm impedance is the "apparent" resistance video manufacturer's standardized upon many years ago for distribution. To further muddy the waters, if you use a higher impedance cable than required, received signal strength is considerably reduced and you will see this as "static", or "white noise" on your monitor. In these days of everything digital, it usually is just a blank screen. Again my suggestion would be to incorporate three high gain antennas and parallel their respective outputs into a single serial output, install an amplifier to boost the received signals, balance the circuit loading through an impedance changing network, and feed it to your video distribution network. All of this is easily obtained at a video store and really not all that expensive. The key is that it is much easier to work with a strong received signal than a weak on. This starts with the antenna(s). This received information needs boosted for additional functions and stripping off the unneeded components of the signal for further processing. Much of this will be taken care of via your converter box, or tuner in the television. It however must have good signals to start with and this begins with quality antennas and interconnections of wiring. Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470240 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 When I ditched my Dish Network, I went to local electronic shop(burned down now) and bought a nice big antenna, a ROTOR, chimney mount, and some cabling. Now I can get signals from anywhere. Not very expensive either. I think I had $300 in everything. I like your fold over design! A friend is working on something similar, but it is for his 80Ft tower he is replacing for his CB. Big storm took his last one down a few years ago. He can't find ANYONE that will climb/build a tower anymore, so only way around it is to build it and swing it up. We were discussing the effort that it will take to stand it up. I don't think he realizes how heavy that will be and the power needed to stand it up with a very short prop point for the cable. Signal is everything when dealing with digital. It's ALL or NOTHING!! No real "static" like the golden days of yesteryear. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470362 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 I just used a steel 4" hinge, available at pretty much any hardware store for a couple bucks. Pole is galvanized...but I used black pipe for the flanges (welds easier/better in my experience). Piece of flat steel the thickness of the hinge when closed on the opposite side of the flange to support the weight & fill the gap. Hit it all with some cold galvanizing primer & paint so it has a similar color & won't rust so quick. It was still a real chore to get the roughly 10-1/2' section raised up, given the hinge is about 6' above the roof...run out of leverage (my 3' step ladder might help with that, though). For an 80' tower, he's gonna need A LOT of help! Hell, it took 2 guys to raise up the base, and it's not quite 30'. He's also gonna need a bigger hinge. The one I used is only rated for 70 lbs. Problem I see with a rotating antenna is we seem to have to "rescan" every couple weeks as another station shuffles frequencies or adds a channel. Getting the TV and rotator on the same page regarding what direction to point for what channel just seems problematic when a station might be missed if the antenna is facing the wrong way when the TV scans passed it...and manually going to each frequency while you spin the antenna around looking for where your channels are coming from just seems like it'd take all day. Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470421 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freightrain Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 My buddy has a very large hinge made up of like 3/4" plate and 1" bar for the hinge. Nothing store bought. Yes, rescanning is a PITA. I'm pretty lucky as I can leave mine headed north and get most of the channels I watch...as I don't watch much anymore. Running the rotor is a sllooowww process! My rotor did come with little stickers to put on the box to help show where it needs to be for what channels, but like I said I don't really change it. I pretty much bought it "just in case" since it was very reasonably priced. With digital, there is very little gray area on reception signal. Quote Larry 1959 B61 Liv'n Large...................... Charter member of the "MACK PACK" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470432 Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehummell Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 I can't get jack sh-t where I live I got that hulu and amazon and netflix it don't matter there is nothing on any of the channels. Last night I fell asleep and I guess I was snoring so loud I woke myself up I must of scared all the dogs out of the living room when I woke up I was alone. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470443 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Posted March 11, 2021 Author Share Posted March 11, 2021 UHF, VHF used for video and television communications are "Line of Sight" frequencies so vertical height is a must for distant reception. Doesn't matter if the component is digital, or analog, it is still carried by a frequency in the aforementioned "bands" for transmission. This "carrier frequency" is then stripped off and useful intelligence remains. This is then heterodyned into it's component parts and an intermediate frequency is generated for further processing into what you see on your screen. However if the carrier is not strong, there is no intelligence available which by the way is my personal dilemma..... Get your 3 sided antenna array up to about 75 feet vertical, use good cables, interconnections, and high quality components and you'll be happy. Be certain to environmentally seal the interconnections for your continued happiness. 1 Quote Plodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470449 Share on other sites More sharing options...
RowdyRebel Posted March 12, 2021 Share Posted March 12, 2021 16 hours ago, davehummell said: I can't get jack sh-t where I live I got that hulu and amazon and netflix it don't matter there is nothing on any of the channels. Last night I fell asleep and I guess I was snoring so loud I woke myself up I must of scared all the dogs out of the living room when I woke up I was alone. Wife has netflix. Spend all day scrolling through trying to find something to watch, and everything has the same couple basic plots...the hitman who's trying to retire that is now the target seems especially popular across several genres...action, thriller, suspense, comedy, rom com, etc...different titles, different actors, same plot. Or there are the sequels to really bad originals...and the spinoffs of the terrible sequels...taking ridiculous plot lines to new levels of absurdity. That's why I quit watching that "9-1-1" TV show. First couple episodes had fairly decent storylines and somewhat believable scenarios...then it got stupid, like they kept trying to out-do the ridiculousness of the previous episodes "disaster". But anyway, you spend half the day trying to select a piece of crap movie, then an hour or two later, it's over and you spend the rest of the day trying to find something else. Nah. Got shit to do. Unless it's raining outside, too cold, too hot, kids are fussy, etc...🙄 1 Quote When approaching a 4-way stop, the vehicle with the biggest tires has the right of way! Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/66079-got-brass/#findComment-470476 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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